This blog is part of the series about my experiences in the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Beta. The beta has been over and done with for months now, and I will be done blogging about it soon. These blogs are my way of sharing my thoughts about the game as I played through the RoS beta. Looking back, I wish I did this type of blogging for the original Diablo III beta (but that just wasn’t possible for me at the time).
In my previous blog, my Crusader, Joan, hit level 26. This blog will feature her adventure as she went from Level 26 to Level 27. The screenshots you see in this blog were taken on February 24, 2014.
The adventure of Joan the Crusader, as she went from Level 26 to Level 27, started with a Treasure Bandit. Sadly, this one got away.
Here’s another screenshot of the map. I love the way it looks! As you can see, Joan the Crusader was ready to start The Path to the Oasis. The next stop would be the Dahlgur Oasis.
She brought Lyndon The Scoundrel with her, and they both fought Malifant the Shamed (Poison, Enchanted, Waller).
This screenshot was taken shortly after the battle against Malifant the Shamed ended. I think it looks cool!
Next, Joan the Crusader, and Lyndon the Scoundrel, found the Ransacked Cellar.
Desperate Villager: Please help! The imperial guards are in my home. You can’t let them find what’s in the back room!
There are imperial guards standing by the door of the back room. When you go over, they change into Vipers, after yelling:
Captain of the Imperial Guard: The refugees will make fine slaves, and you will make a fine corpse.
What’s in the back room that is so important? People! The Desperate Villager has hidden a group of refugees back there.
Desperate Villager: You have done something truly noble, warrior. Let me show you why this room is so important.
Desperate Villager: The imperial guards were trying to take these refugees. I did not know what to do.
He then offers you whatever you want from the two chests that are in this room. I forgot to take a screenshot of the text, but the Desperate Villager says something about how the chests belonged to his father, who was a warrior (and that he isn’t one).
The next battle was with Ashangu, The Summoner. Bless you! Oh… that wasn’t a sneeze? Pardon me.
Here’s a pack of Fallen Peons. I think they look strange when they glow. These guys have the Poison, Enchanted, and Orbiter affixes.
There’s the orange beam of light that we all want to see! The pack of Fallen Peons dropped something good!
At first glance, it didn’t look better than the weapon she was currently using.
I decided to ignore it for now, and identify it after I got back to town. Next, Joan the Crusader and Lyndon The Scoundrel found the Storm Cellar. Inside, Lugo the Miner is yelling for help. He is a vendor that you can find in Caldeum, so it was odd to see him all the way out here in the Dahlgur Oasis.
Lugo the Miner: Help! Help me!
He got surrounded by some variety of The Fallen. After you save him, he has more to say.
Lugo the Miner: Oh, thank you! I thought I was a dead man. I pick up garbage from the aqueducts so it doesn’t ruin our water supply. Doesn’t pay well, but I find plenty to sell. Have a look.
You may, or may not, find something interesting to buy from Lugo the Miner. The cool thing is that you can sell him some of the junk that you don’t want to keep. It empties your bag so you can pick up more (hopefully better) stuff, and saves you from having to make a trip to town.
The next time Joan the Crusader headed back to Caldeum, she used the Book of Cain to identify the Legendary item she was carrying. It turned out to be a whole lot cooler than expected and better than what she was currently using. From this, I learned it is a good idea to take the time to identify Legendary items right away!
She found an Odyn Son! It gives +19-25 Lightning Damage, and a 29% chance to Chain Lightning enemies when you hit them. The flavor text reads: This hammer rumbles with the sound of distant thunder. Read the name of the item out loud. Who is Odyn’s Son? That would be none other than Thor! Joan the Crusader found Thor’s hammer, and can wield it! Of course, I didn’t waste any more time before equipping it.
Sokahr the Keywarden, Wielder of the Restless Wind, put up a good fight. For me, Keywardens always do.
They never drop anything impressive for me, though.
This may very well have been the first Pool of Reflection that I found in the beta. They did not exist in the original Diablo III.
Joan the Crusader touched the Pool of Reflection, and it gave “Experience Added to Bonus Pool.” The experience bar now had an orange diamond added to it. The helpful pop-up hint says: Pools of Reflection Bonus – You now have a pool of bonus experience which will persist between games. Dying will remove this bonus. In other words, stay alive, and you get extra experience points until you hit the orange diamond that is on the experience bar.
Leodesh The Stalker, Harbinger of Pain, was accompanied by a bunch of The Fallen.
I Got What You Need: Acquire a Templar Relic, an Enchantress Focus, and a Scoundrel Token.
The Dahlgur Oasis is where you can find The Shrine of Rakanishu Event.
You need to destroy the 5 Summoning Stones (and The Fallen who come to defend them).
Once you do, the Avatar of Rakanish appears. Slay him!
He drops Rakanishu’s Blade (the first time you kill him). You will need it for something special later, so make sure to pick it up.
Joan got the Sword for Hire Achievement after killing the Avatar of Rakanishu.
Sword for Hire: Collect 50,000 Gold.
The Sword for Hire Achievement is unrelated to the Shrine of Rakanishu Event. The timing of when it appeared is coiencidental. There is a different Achievement that you earn the first time you finish the Shrine of Rakanishu Event. It is called “Shrine of Rakanishu” (of course!)
Shrine of Rakanishu: Complete the Shrine of Rakanishu Event
Rakanishu’s Blade doesn’t look like much. You probably have a weapon that is much better. As such, a lot of players end up selling it. Don’t do that!
The flavor text on Rakanishu’s Blade says: Rakanishu, Lord of the Fallen, drove his minions to frenzied battle. They could often be heard screaming his name as they rushed headlong to their deaths.
You will need it later on if you ever happen to run into a monster named Bashiok (a Fallen Shaman) in the Dalghur Oasis. Hit Bashiok with Rakanishu’s Blade, and you earn the Bashanishu Achievement. (I have never run into Bashiok in Diablo III. He is a rare spawn.) Some of you may recognize the name Bashiok. He is a World of Warcraft Community Manager for Blizzard Entertainment.
The experience earned from the Shrine of Rakanishu Event was enough to make Joan the Crusader hit Level 27!
The next blog in this series will feature Joan the Crusader’s adventure from Level 27 to Level 28.