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There are 16 dungeon levels in Diablo, with another 8 added in Hellfire. The levels are divided into groups of four, with a totally new style of artwork and level layout beginning with each new group. Each group of levels has a different feel and they play differently, based on the layout, the size of rooms, the narrow (or not) doorways, and the monsters found within them.
==Diablo Levels==
There are 16 levels in Diablo, found in descending order beneath the desecrated Monastery. Shortcuts to descend directly to level 5, 9, and 13 become available to characters who have reached those stages. These shortcuts can be entered directly in Nightmare and Hell difficulty games.
===The ChurchDungeon/Cathedral===
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! Church Dungeon/Cathedral Quests
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The uppermost four levels are called the church"Dungeon" in-game when you point the mouse at the front door of the Cathedral, since they are directly below but this may be a holdover of the Monasteryuse of the term "dungeon" for any fantasy adventure area, and players often do not use this name. These levels are marked by numerous large square rooms connected by long hallways lined with pillars, and lots of smaller side rooms behind closed doors, often filled by shrines or small libraries. The monster variety is fairly wide, and undead monsters abound. Few monsters here possess any elemental attacks, although ranged attacking skeleton archers are very common. There is very little wasted space on these maps; few internal areas are not filled with accessible rooms, so these levels feel larger and longer than some of the later areas.
[[Image:D1-level-church1.gif|center|frame|Typical scene from the Church Dungeon/Cathedral levels; small rooms; lots of undead.]]
===The Catacombs===
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* [[Zhar the Mad]]
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Most characters find these levels fairly easy, since all of the narrow passages and doorways make it easy to take on monsters one at a time. There are few magical attacks to worry about here, so resistance is still largely optional. Ranged attackers are fairly common though, with skeletal archers and goatmen archers quite common, and acid spitting dogs spitters (magic damage) as well. Avoiding arrows and running down archers isn't tough, with all the corners and small rooms to restrict their mobility.
[[Image:D1-level-cats1.gif|center|frame|Typical mob inside a room, all waiting in line to die.]]
===The Caves===
{| align="right"
! Caves Quests
* [[Anvil of Fury]]
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There are numerous streams of lava throughout the cavesCaves, and despite the fact that they're easily narrow enough to step over, these act as impermeable barriers to monster or character movement. They do not stop any sort of ranged attack though, and in some places diagonal melee attacks can be carried out as well. Characters with ranged attacks, Rogues and Sorcerers primarily, can often use the lava rivers to trap enemy monsters and pick them off from safety.
The Caves can be hard to see in, since the outcroppings of rock do not go transparent when you walk behind them. Items dropped behind walls can be quite hard to find, and it's tough to target monsters or barrels at times.
* [[Diablo: D1 Quest|Diablo]]
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The levels from 13-16 are referred to as Hell, though Diablo II makes it's clear that this is merely a warped manifestation and not clear whythe real thing itself. The Caves are actually more like the classical Christian conception of Hell, with rocks and lava and flame. The ; the "Hell" levels in Diablo are very clean and sterile, with walls and stairs seemingly formed from bones, and what looks like lakes of blood behind the walls on every side.
Most map layouts of the levels in Hell are divided into quadrants, with long walls along the middle of the level and four large rooms in each corner. There are exceptions, and some layouts are practically honeycombs, but the majority of areas of Hell are fairly wide open and very conducive to ranged attacks. Rogues can turn these areas into a sort of bowling alley, firing in straight lines well off the visible screen and listening for the sound of their arrows hitting. Sorcerers are very happy in Hell also, with good firing lines for their spells and long, straight stretches of level to retreat to, while still firing at the advancing enemies.
The Hellfire expansion pack added eight more levels. They have new graphics, but use the same level formation tools (random map generation) as earlier levels did in Diablo.
===The Nest/Hive===
{| align="right"
! Hive Quests
The Hive, as it's usually called, or the Nest, as it's officially named, uses the level generation of the Caves, but changes the graphics from rock and lava to a vaguely sci-fi, Aliens-styled insect hive. Some of the monsters are themed to that insect style; giant spiders and scorpions and such, but many others seem fairly random in design and function.
The Hive is balanced to be equivalent to the Caves in difficultdifficulty, but most players find it somewhat easier. Easier to zoom through on the way down to level 4 on your mission to retrieve the Cathedral Map, usually, since this area is hands down the least popular in the game.
There are no random bosses in the Hive, and no quests, other than two versions of the same item-retrieval task. There aren't any shrines or pools or library rooms either, making the four levels something of a boring, unrelieved slog.
[[Image:D1-level-hive2.gif|frame|center|The HiveNest, dark and bug-like.]]
===The Crypt===
{| align="right"
! Crypt Quests
