Act III — Sandswept to Ziggurat

Patch 0.5 · Lvl 30–42 · All classes · Optimal routing
Patch 0.5 · Return of the Ancients Ships May 29, 2026. Six endgame storylines (Origins of Divinity · Delirium · Breach · Ritual · Fate of the Vaal · The Runes of Aldur) + revamped Abyss + Masters of the Atlas — read the endgame guide →

Permanent Rewards

+4 Weapon Set Skill Points
+10% Fire Resistance
+30 Spirit
Reforging Bench (1st char)
⚡ Second Ascendancy
⚠ Permanent Servi choice

Routing Notes

  • ◆ Servi's choice is permanent — most builds pick Stun Threshold (logout cures bleeds/freeze)
  • ◆ Field vendors give guaranteed rares — Jungle (gloves), Infested (boots), Chimeral (helm)
  • ◆ Servi's Son in Jungle = guaranteed rare belt
  • ◆ Trial of Chaos: soul core dodge-skip — duplicates the core into all sockets
  • ◆ Sacrificial Heart drops from Vaal Goliaths (canister on shoulder) in Utzaal & Aggorat
  • ◆ 0.5: monster density is reduced in the back half of the campaign — XP pacing is tighter, lean on the margin-of-safety rule (3 levels under area)

⚡ Speedrun Tips (Community)

  • ◆ Don't study layouts. GGG (Sunna, level designer) said publicly: too much is reworked in 0.5 to make layout study worth it. Push forward — even when unsure of direction.
  • ◆ Use a regex in vendor search bars to highlight wanted bases. Cuts town shopping from minutes to seconds.
  • ◆ Menu hotkeys: hold Ctrl on the passive tree to auto-confirm points. Bind Quick Assign (no default key) for attribute nodes. Ctrl+Shift+L/R-click on hotbar = weapon-swap assign.
  • ◆ Magic packs only while pushing — ignore white werewolf packs etc. unless underleveled. Pre-mapping XP is mostly about magic-monster efficiency.
0.5 RoutingPatch 0.5 rearranged Act 3's area order to smooth progression. The notes don't enumerate the new sequence — the zone order below reflects the 0.4 layout and is being re-verified against the live build. Use the sidebar zone list as the source of truth, and expect minor reordering of zone transitions.
Sandswept Marsh Lvl 30
Talk to The Hooded One
(Opt) Kill Rootdredge Skill Gem Lv9
(Opt) Basket at Orok Campsite Lesser Jeweller's Orb
(Opt) Hanging tree corpse Magic Ring
(Opt) Lvl 33 Ring point of interest High-tier flat damage roll
Enter Ziggurat Encampment
Ziggurat Encampment TOWN
Talk Alva, Oswald, The Hooded One
Talk to Farrow → accept Quest 3 Unlocks Unique Verisium Runeforging
0.5 NewFarrow's Act 3 quest unlocks Unique Verisium Runeforging — upgrade the base type of Unique Weapons/Armours that drop below level 55 into endgame-viable bases. Detail in the Crafting Codex.
Lvl 30 flask upgrade at Rog (increased recovery + charges)
Enter Jungle Ruins (top exit)
Jungle Ruins WAYPOINT Lvl 30–31
0.5 PathingThe jungle's explorer camps are no longer just vendors. Talk to the explorers — they point you toward the next area, and the destination is now revealed on your minimap. Cuts a lot of wandering out of the act.
Kill Mighty Silverfist +2 Skill Points
Dodge slam SIDEWAYS (not backwards) — wave travels in attack direction
Jungle Grave (ravaged corpse) → Servi gives Rare Belt (choice)
(Opt) Field vendor Guaranteed Rare Gloves
Find WP near Venom Crypts
Enter Infested Barrens
Infested Barrens WAYPOINT Lvl 31–32
Find/talk Alva, take WP near her
(Opt) Field vendor Guaranteed Rare Boots
Enter Chimeral Wetlands → take WP → return
Enter Azak Bog → take WP → return
TP to Venom Crypts (via Jungle Ruins WP)
The Venom Crypts ⚠ Lvl 31
(Opt) Sarcophagus event Guaranteed Lv3 Support
Find corpse → loot Corpse-snake Venom
TP back to town
Ziggurat Encampment
Talk to Servi PERMANENT CHOICE
PERMANENT — cannot change later!
• +25% Stun Threshold (popular — logout cures bleeds/freeze)
• +30% Elemental Ailment Threshold (good if tree lacks it)
• +25% Mana Regeneration (rarely picked)
TP to Chimeral Wetlands
Chimeral Wetlands WAYPOINT Lvl 32–33
(Opt) Field vendor Guaranteed Rare Helm
(Opt) Toxic Bloom point of interest Amulet
(Opt) League mech Skill Gem Lv9
Enter Temple of Chaos → take WP → return 2nd Ascendancy
Kill Xyclucian, the Chimera → loot Inscribed Ultimatum
Enter Jiquani's Machinarium behind boss
2nd Ascendancy (when ready)
Trial of Chaos Lvl 33+
Use Inscribed Ultimatum at trial entrance
Pick favorable mods (avoid lightning runes if low Lightning Res)
Soul Core skip: dodge roll between slam & twist of placement animation — duplicates core into all sockets
Complete trial → 2nd Ascendancy
Jiquani's Machinarium Lvl 33
Layout = squared U-shape, generators at opposite tips
Summon/talk Alva
Loot Small Soul Core → use on Stone Altar next to Alva
Loot 3 Small Soul Cores to open doors
Open door → kill Blackjaw → use Flame Core +10% Fire Res
Open another door → enter Jiquani's Sanctum
Jiquani's Sanctum Lvl 33–34
Summon/talk Alva
Loot 2 Medium Soul Cores, place in Generators
Back to start → click Large Soul Core → kill Zicoatly → loot core
TP to Infested Barrens
Infested Barrens (Return)
Use core on Stone Altar next to WP
Enter The Matlan Waterways
The Matlan Waterways Lvl 35
(Opt) Hut → kill rare Random loot
Walk over pressure pads (6–8 per layout) — auto-activate on contact
Proceed to end of zone — final section is now pre-drained
0.5 QoLLevers became walk-over pressure pads, and the final canal section ships pre-drained. The old portal-skip is no longer needed — just walk straight through.
TP back to town
Ziggurat Encampment
Downstairs → talk Alva
Enter The Drowned City (bottom exit)
The Drowned City Lvl 35–36
Find Apex of Filth → take WP → return
Find The Molten Vault → take WP → return
TP to Azak Bog
Azak Bog WAYPOINT Lvl 33–34
Summon/talk Servi
(Opt) Flameskin rituals Fire Res + Rarity buff
Boss arena always top-right; rotation depends on entrance side. Reset farm magic packs around fire shrine for XP
Kill Ignagduk, the Bog Witch → use Gemrot Skull +30 Spirit
Talk Servi in town for Frozen Charm
TP to Molten Vault (1st char) or town
The Molten Vault WAYPOINT Lvl 36
(1st char) Kill Mektul, the Forgemaster Reforging Bench
Return Hammer of Kamasa to Oswald in town to unlock the bench. Skip on alt characters
TP back to town
Ziggurat Encampment
Talk to Oswald
TP to Apex of Filth
Apex of Filth WAYPOINT Lvl 36–37
(Opt) Find 3 Mushrooms → use Cauldron Superior Flasks
Pass through bottleneck-with-checkpoint, then check the back corners
Kill Queen of Filth → loot Temple Door Idol
Stay close to her — moving away triggers ultimate rolling slam
TP back to town
Ziggurat Encampment
Downstairs → talk Alva
Door behind her → enter Temple of Kopec
Temple of Kopec Lvl 37
Each floor is a triangle — far corner has 50% chance of being correct. Always check it first
Kill Ketzuli, High Priest of the Sun (upstairs)
Talk Alva, wait for lore
Ziggurat Encampment
Take the Gateway
Downstairs → enter Utzaal
Utzaal Lvl 38–39
Same layout as Drowned City. Follow the paved road — it leads to Viper
(Opt) Farm Sacrificial Heart from Vaal Goliaths (canister on shoulder)
Can also drop in Aggorat — only specific monster type drops it
Find & energise 6 Ancient Beacons across Utzaal & Aggorat → loot Energised Crystals
Open portal to the Vaal Ruins
0.5 New CoreFate of the Vaal is now core campaign content — this is your first encounter. It continues in the Interludes (6 more beacons) and becomes a full endgame storyline. See the endgame guide's Fate of the Vaal section →
(Opt) Side doors for idols (sell to Oswald for gold)
Kill Viper Napuatzi
Highly mobile + evasive — bait first attack cycle from consistent position to predict her
Enter Aggorat
Aggorat Lvl 39–40
Town crier chanting tells you the right direction. Edge of pyramid = boss
Find Sacrificial Altar (top right of map)
Place Sacrificial Heart → stab with Dagger +2 Skill Points
(Opt) League mech (Crag Tooth) Vaal Orb
Enter The Black Chambers (top left of map)
The Black Chambers Lvl 40–42
Kill Doryani, the Blood Alchemist (Act Boss)
Phase 2 (Doryani's Triumph): rage → fortifying buff before engaging
Wait for loot (~30s)
TP back to town
Ziggurat Encampment (End of Act)
Talk to Doryani
Talk Doryani again → Alva → Hooded One → Alva
Act III Complete — proceed to Act IV (Karui Archipelago)
← Act II Index Act IV →