The Search For Cain is a quest in Act 1. This quest is optional.
| Given: | Given by Akara after killing Blood Raven or by encountering the Tree of Inifuss. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Tristram, reached via the Stony Field |
| Tips: | Search Dark Wood for the Tree of Inifuss (through the Underground Passage), find the Cairn Stones in the Stony Field. |
| Description: | Akara informs you that you are facing an evil difficult to comprehend and there is one Horadrim Sage, schooled in the most arcane history and lore who could help you. He is known as Deckard Cain. You must travel to Tristram to find him. To begin your quest the people of the Rogue encampment tell you to find bark from the Tree of Inifuss which holds mystical runes. Take the bark to Akara. Once she has translated it she tells that you find the Cairn Stones and touch them in the order written. |
| Rewards: | Free item identification from Deckard Cain and a ring from Akara. Ring Ilvl: Normal 7 (magical ring), Nightmare 28 (Rare Ring), Hell 49 (Rare Ring). The ring’s Ilvls are preset, it doesn’t matter what your Clvl is when you do this quest or get the reward. |
After speaking with Kashya, go and talk to Akara. She will tell you all about Deckard Cain and task you with saving him from the monsters who have taken over Tristram. This long, roundabout task is optional, but doing it is highly recommended because Cain will identify your items at no charge once you save him.
Your first task is to reach the Stony Field. Go back to the Cold Plains and follow the road to this new area if you haven’t already gone in and grabbed the Waypoint during the previous quest. The Stony Fields is home to Moon Clan Goatmen, Hungry Dead, Skeletons, Fallen, Fallen Shamans, and Dark Archers. This is also when Carvers start to pop up which is just a slightly tougher version of the Fallen. For now, they don’t have accompanying Shaman, so they aren’t too tough to deal with. You’ll also run into Foul Crows, which spawn from Foul Crow Nests. Until you kill the Nests, the Crows will continually respawn. Either take the Nests out or just run past them.
As you walk along the road, you will likely notice a circle of six large stones. This is your eventual destination, but for now, you don’t know how to activate them. If you want, go ahead and take the enemies down around the Cairn Stones now to save you time later. Keep in mind that this area is being guarded by a Carver named Rakanishu who is notable for his ability to fire out charged lightning bolts when hit. These can do lethal damage at low levels, so have plenty of potions ready.
Whether you deal with Rakanishu now or later, you eventually want to follow the road to the Underground Passage. This cave system is much bigger than the Den of Evil and contains Skeleton Archers, Vile Hunters, Fallen, Carvers, and Misshapen. None of these are too tough on their own, but within the tight confines of the cave, you can quickly become overwhelmed. Don’t be afraid to drop a TP and get out if you need a second to catch your breath.
Fight through until you find the entrance to the Dark Wood. The Underground Passage does have a second level, so make sure you’re leaving through the correct entrance. You don’t need to go down to the second level of the cave if you don’t want to. It just contains some extra enemies and loot to pick up.
Once you’re in the Dark Wood, you want to find two things: the Tree of Inifuss and the Waypoint. The Tree of Inifuss is where you’ll find the scroll that tells you how to open the portal to Tristram. Unfortunately, it’s located somewhere in the middle of the area’s forests, so we can’t really tell you exactly where to look since the map is randomized. It’s being guarded by a unique brute named Treehead Woodfist who spawns with both Extra Strong and Extra Fast. Plus, he comes with three tough minions. You don’t have to kill him if you don’t want to, but his loot is usually good enough that we recommend it.
The Waypoint here can be a bit tough to track down as well because it’s not on a path. Make sure to hunt it down though, so that you don’t have to take a walk back through the Underground Passage after you finish this quest.
With the scroll in hand, go back to town and talk to Akara. She’ll reveal the order in which you need to touch the stones to open the portal to Tristram. Head back to the Stony Fields and do just that. Then, head through the red portal and prepare to rescue Deckard Cain.
Tristram is home to a sizeable horde of enemies. You’ll come up against Carvers, Carver Shaman, Returned and/or Skeleton Archers, and potentially some Night Clan Goatmen. The middle of town is home to several Champion-level monsters, who will put up a tough fight. Finally, the area is home to Griswold, the blacksmith from the first game, who automatically casts an Amplify Damage curse on anyone close to him. Be careful in this area as the enemies can get overwhelming quickly.
When it’s safe (or even if it isn’t), click on Cain’s cage to let him out. He’ll take his own TP back to the Rogue Encampment, leaving you to either mop things up or follow him with your own TP. When you get back to town, talk to Cain to complete the quest. He will now identify any item you bring to him for free.
Find the Waypoint in the Dark Woods before you return to town with the Scroll of Inifuss. This will save you a long walk back from the Stony Field through the Underground Passageway to the Dark Woods after you rescue Deckard Cain.
Note: If you do not rescue Deckard Cain before continuing to Act II, it will be considered a failed quest until a new game has been made. In this case, Deckard Cain will tell you that he was rescued by the Rogues, and you will have to pay 100 gold per item to have them identified by him. This is the only quest in Diablo II that can be failed.
In multiplayer games created by characters who have already rescued Cain or moved to Act Two, Cain will be in town for even brand new characters, the Rescue Cain quest will be unavailable, and he will charge them to identify items. A character who has not yet rescued Cain must create their own game to do so, or join a game created by someone who has not yet completed that quest or moved on to Act Two.