This blog is one I was intending to post during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. I failed to keep up with the challenge, and post one blog, for each letter of the alphabet, on the correct day in April. I’ve decided to go ahead and write the blogs that I didn’t have time for last month anyway. The only difference is that they will happen on my own time, and not as part of a challenge.
R is for Rakanishu’s Blade. It is a unique weapon that can be found in Diablo III. The lore behind it is also interesting.
Rakanishu’s Blade is a weapon that may randomly drop during the Shrine of Rakanishu event. It takes place in the Dahlgur Oasis in Act II of Diablo III. This event is not part of a dungeon. Instead, it will be located in an open area within that zone. Those of you new to the game may not realize that the zones are dynamic, and will randomly change each time you log into a new game. This means there is no exact area that you can go to and expect to find the Shrine of Rakanishu event. Keep looking around, and you will run into it eventually.
Here is what the area that spawns the Shrine of Rakanishu event looks like:
The Shrine of Rakanishu event includes the Avatar of Rakanishu – Fallen Demigod. You must kill him in order to complete the event.
He may or may not drop Rakanishu’s Blade.
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.
It’s a one-handed sword. A level 16 character can use it. At first glance, this weapon looks like it isn’t that big of a deal. You probably have better weapons than this one (or will find some soon enough). Even so, you should hang onto Rakanishu’s Blade. Put it into your stash. Why? There is an achievement that you can only get by hitting Bashiok with Rakanishu’s blade. (Bashiok is the name of one of the Community Managers for Diablo III. He appears as a Fallen Shaman in the game). The Achievement is called “Bashanishu”
Bashiok is a rare spawn, which means you won’t see him every time you venture into the Dahlgur Oasis. Personally, I’ve never seen him. However, if I ever do find him, I can quickly portal back to town, grab Rakanishu’s Blade out of my stash, portal back… and try and hit Bashiok with it. Achievements are fun! The video below is not mine, but it shows what I am talking about.
There is a little bit of lore about Rakanishu. As you can see from the flavor text on Rakanishu’s Blade, he was a Lord of the Fallen. He was able to drive his minions into a frenzy as they rushed into battle. The Fallen, as a group, are demons from the Burning Hells. They served Azmodan (who was one of the Lesser Evils).
Every powerful demon in the Burning Hells is focused on one main goal – to take over the Burning Hells. There are constant battles as one demon sends his minions to fight against another demon’s minions in what amounts to a constant war over land ownership. The demons who are minions do whatever the demon they serve tells them to, in the hopes of one day becoming powerful enough to have their own minions.
Anyway, Azmodon had a bunch of The Fallen and he used them like an army. He sent them to fight against the minions of Baal, Mephisto, and Diablo (the Greater Evils). The battle failed, and Diablo sent Azmodan back his troops, but not before twisting them into forms that were even uglier than what they looked like when they arrived. Azmodan refused to restore The Fallen into their original shape because he blamed them for his plan’s failure. What you see in Diablo III are various types of The Fallen, twisted, and ugly, as a result of that experience.