Wirt

"Pssst...over here..."

- Wirt greeting a hero

Wirt the Peg-Legged Boy was a youth from Tristram. During the time of Diablo's awakening, he offered his services to heroes as a smuggler/peddler.

The Darkening of Tristram
"Poor Wirt. I did all that was possible for the child, but I know he despises that wooden peg that I was forced to attach to his leg. His wounds were hideous. No one - and especially such a young child - should have to suffer the way he did."

- Pepin on Wirt

Wirt grew up in Tristram and had a knack for getting into trouble. He also had a knack for shady dealings, ranging from simple sign stealing to setting up connections with guilds outside town. However, his troubles were compounded along with the rest of the townspeople when a darkness settled over King Leoric, the result of Diablo's corruption. Events reached a head when Fallen Ones raided the town, kidnapping a number of children. Wirt was among them, torn from the arms of his mother. Down in the depths of the Tristram Cathedral, Wirt and the children were tortured by the demons.

Griswold saved Wirt and returned him to Tristram. Pepin the Healer did what he could for the boy, but while Wirt's life was saved, his left leg wasn't. The events led to a change in Wirt's personality, a darkness hanging over him. His mother died soon after his rescue&mdash;from a broken heart, according to Gillian. Griswold offered Wirt a job at his smithy, but Wirt refused&mdash;his plans were to make gold, get out of Tristram and hopefully take Gillian with him, whom he had a crush on (not that she was aware of it). Still, in the meantime, he was willing to work as a stable boy in the Tavern of the Rising Sun, being polite to those who needed their horses stabled...and privately accosting adventurers to sell them his stolen merchandise.

Of Business and Butchery
Many heroes were drawn to Tristram, hearing news of the evil said to lurk beneath the cathedral. This suited Wirt just fine, the boy selling his goods to them. Eventually, a trio of heroes led by Aidan felled Diablo and peace returned to Tristram...for a time. After a period of time, Aidan suddenly left and demons descended upon the townsfolk. With no able bodied warriors present, the result was a bloodbath. Wirt was among those killed&mdash;the first victim of rampaging Hell Bovines. His body was later found by a new group of heroes.

Diablo
Wirt appears as an NPC in Diablo. He does not initiate any quests, but he sells items to the player. However, his method differs from other NPCs in that the player has to pay 50 gold pieces to see what item he's selling, not to mention that Wirt only sells one item at a time.

Quotes

 * Not everyone in Tristram has a use - or a market - for everything you will find in the labyrinth. Not even me, as hard as that is to believe. Sometimes, only you will be able to find a purpose for some things.
 * Don't trust everything the drunk says. Too many ales have fogged his vision and his good sense.
 * In case you haven't noticed, I don't buy anything from Tristram. I am an importer of quality goods. If you want to peddle junk, you'll have to see Griswold, Pepin or that witch, Adria. I'm sure that they will snap up whatever you can bring them...
 * I guess I owe the blacksmith my life - what there is of it. Sure, Griswold offered me an apprenticeship at the smithy, and he is a nice enough guy, but I'll never get enough money to... well, let's just say that I have definite plans that require a large amount of gold.
 * If I were a few years older, I would shower her with whatever riches I could muster, and let me assure you I can get my hands on some very nice stuff. Gillian is a beautiful girl who should get out of Tristram as soon as it is safe. Hmmm... maybe I'll take her with me when I go...
 * Cain knows too much. He scares the life out of me - even more than that woman across the river. He keeps telling me about how lucky I am to be alive, and how my story is foretold in legend. I think he's off his crock.
 * Farnham - now there is a man with serious problems, and I know all about how serious problems can be. He trusted too much in the integrity of one man, and Lazarus led him into the very jaws of death. Oh, I know what it's like down there, so don't even start telling me about your plans to destroy the evil that dwells in that Labyrinth. Just watch your legs...
 * As long as you don't need anything reattached, old Pepin is as good as they come. If I'd have had some of those potions he brews, I might still have my leg...
 * Adria truly bothers me. Sure, Cain is creepy in what he can tell you about the past, but that witch can see into your past. She always has some way to get whatever she needs, too. Adria gets her hands on more merchandise than I've seen pass through the gates of the King's Bazaar during High Festival.
 * Ogden is a fool for staying here. I could get him out of town for a very reasonable price, but he insists on trying to make a go of it with that stupid tavern. I guess at the least he gives Gillian a place to work, and his wife Garda does make a superb Shepherd's pie...

Diablo II
In Diablo II, Wirt is dead and his corpse lies among the ruins of Tristram. Indeed, his is the only corpse identified by name; with the exception of Deckard Cain, the rest of the town's familiar faces are either missing, assumed to be dead from skeletons where they once stood, or worse. His body contains a lot of gold and his leg, one of the objects required to open the Secret Cow Level.

When Wirt's corpse is clicked his gold doesn't drop to the ground all at once as normal, but individual piles "rain down" around his corpse. This "shower of gold" is probably a reference to Wirt's vendor function in the previous game, as he used to ask for a lot of money just so players could "take a peek" at his items.

Diablo III
In Diablo III, Wirt's Original Leg drops from the corpse of Bishibosh (Act I, The Weeping Hollow Den of the Fallen Level 2). There is also an item called Wirt's Bell which is needed to access Whimsyshire. Another item called which is required to complete a semi-secret side quest in The Darkening of Tristram (event).

Personality and Traits
"Wirt is a rapscallion and a little scoundrel. He was always getting into trouble, and it's no surprise what happened to him. He probably went fooling about someplace that he shouldn't have been. I feel sorry for the boy, but I don't abide the company that he keeps."

- Ogden

While Wirt was a "rapscallion and a scoundrel" before the loss of his leg, the ordeal cast a darkness over his soul. When interacting with heroes, he demonstrated a sarcastic, profit-driven mindset&mdash;dismissive of his fellow villagers and just as dismissive of the hero's efforts. He focused entirely on himself, and what he could steal. His heart was further darkened by Gillian being blind to his affections.

Trivia

 * In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, there is an item called Wirt's Other Leg that can be found in a level in the blood elf campaign. The item is, quite coincidentally, found behind an abomination called the Butcher. The item has no properties in the game, except for this flavor text: "Perhaps the overzealous adventurer pried this off before his journey here thinking it might give him one last opportunity at bovine slaughter. Little did he know where it would lead him.".


 * In World of Warcraft, there is another item called Wirt's Third Leg.


 * In the game Hellgate: London (which was developed by ex-Blizzard North veterans) exists a quest reward named "Wart's Peg Leg", which seems to be a parody of "Wirt's Leg".


 * Wirt's name rhymes with the name of the vendor who sells Wirt's Bell.
 * Wirt's spirit features as the main antagonist in the Critical Role Diablo oneshot, obsessed with gathering gold for Gillian