The Tainted Sun is a quest in Act 2. Mandatory if you are playing alone, since you must have the Horadric Staff to access Tal Rasha’s Tomb. If you are in a party with someone who has the Staff, you don’t need to do it.
| Given: | Drognan |
|---|---|
| Triggered By: | Entering the Lost City |
| Location: | The Serpent Altar is found on level two of the Claw Viper Temple |
| Tips: | Search the Lost City for a clue to the whereabouts of the Claw Vipers. |
| Description: | After entering the Lost City the sky turns dark. Drognan has been researching this phenomenon and believes it to be the work of the Claw Vipers. Find their temple beneath the desert sands and find the source of this curse. |
| Rewards: | None, other than the Viper Amulet and returning sunlight to the surface areas of the Act. |
To reach the Claw Viper Temple you must move through the surface desert into the Lost City. Once you get there the world will suddenly go to night, and will remain that way until you complete the quest. If you return to town Drognan tells you he’s been researching this lengthy eclipse and believes it to be the work of Claw Vipers. You’ve never actually seen the reptilian creatures up to this point in the game.
You must explore the perimeter of the Lost City, and somewhere around it, randomly-located, will be a passageway into a small surface area, the Valley of Snakes. There are never any monsters there, other than an occasional Fireball Turret, so go right on in. The Temple is two levels with architecture much like every other tomb in the Act, and usually quite a few Claw Vipers, though you can get Greater Mummies with skeletons, or even Specters or Dark Lords. On level two you’ll find the Altar of the Sun, which is causing the darkness outside, and when you click it out will pop a Viper Amulet for everyone in the game who hasn’t done the quest yet, as well as some gold. The Viper Amulet is the headpiece of the Horadric Staff, but you can wear it as an amulet as well.
The Claw Viper level two is one of the most dangerous areas in the game. It’s a small area, with very fast monsters that can hit for big damage, and Fangskin is always there, a Super Unique Lightning Enchanted Claw Viper. Sorceresses and Barbarians have it easiest there, as they can just leap into the middle and be relatively safe, though there are sometimes monsters spawned in there as well. Other characters should proceed with extreme caution, and it’s a good idea to party here for added safety.