The Secret of the Vizjerei

The Secret of the Vizjerei is the second chapter in the Diablo II storyline. The player travels to Lut Gholein to stop the Dark Wanderer from freeing Baal.

Act II is harder to navigate, partly due to the lack of roads. Unlike the other acts, Act II requires several dungeons (to complete the staff) to be completed before it can be finished, instead of just killing the act boss.

Summary
The player reaches Lut Gholein in distant Aranoch by Warriv's caravan. It soon becomes clear that the evil has spread into the east, shortly after the Dark Wanderer passed through.

The city is being plagued by an undead monster hulking in the sewers. At night the monster launches raids against the unsuspecting townsfolk of Lut Gholein. The player immediately blends into the city by helping Atma avenge her husband and son by killing the creature, Radament, in the city Sewers.

The player consults the Lord of Lut Gholein, Jerhyn, who together with the wizard Drognan concluded that the Dark Wanderer that passed through Lut Gholein was Diablo himself. It seems Diablo is searching the desert for the Tomb of Tal Rasha, wherein his brother Baal lies imprisoned. The player is tasked with creating an Horadric Staff, the key to Tal Rasha's Chamber. The player then sets off to find the parts of the staff.

These require a vast search of the desert to find. Meanwhile, Claw Vipers capture the sun, enshrouding Aranoch (full effect unknown) in darkness; the player eventually manages to restore the sun by destroying the Tainted Sun Altar deep within their temple.

With the Horadric Staff restored, the player sets out to find the location of the Tomb of Tal Rasha. Clues to the whereabouts of the mythical Seven Tombs were found within the ethereal Arcane Sanctuary, the realm of great Vizjerei mage Horazon. Within the Sanctuary, the player encounters the maddened sorceror known only as The Summoner, whom the hero defeats.

After searching the lost Canyon of the Magi the hero finally reaches the Tomb of Tal Rasha, but it's already too late. Baal has already been freed, the hero runs into Duriel (Act II boss), one of the Lesser Evils of Hell, guarding the tomb and attempting to stop anyone from following his masters.

After the hero manages to defeat Duriel, the Archangel Tyrael is found imprisoned inside the tomb's inner chamber. Tyrael thanks the player for his freedom and instructs the player to travel East once more, towards the city of Kurast. For it is there the two brothers hope to reunite with their elder brother, the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto.

Back in Lut Gholein the player talks to Meshif, and together they sail east.

Quest Necessity and Tips
With the exception of Radament's Lair and the Summoner, all quests must be completed in order to traverse to Act III. Choosing to complete Radament's Lair rewards the player with 1 free Skill Point, and a 10% discount on wares offered by the merchants. Choosing to kill the Summoner instead of making a run towards the book and escaping quickly through the portal will not affect you in any way.