After conquering double-digit quantities of special unique monsters in each act of Diablo 2 so far, it might come as a shock that Act IV eases off the throttle in regards to total fights. At one time, ten special unique monsters roamed the terrain but patches reduced that quantity to a mere six. That likely inspires hope in players who see that number and start to thirst for that looming finish line.
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Not so fast. While the number of these sub-bosses and bosses has decreased, the difficulty of each one has been amplified. The four super uniques that were removed? Early encounters that acted as fillers. There's no more filler anymore. This is the realm of the Lord of Terror himself and gamers can bet their bottom dollar that these fights will test even the most meticulous player's build and gear.
6 Izual
Izual is a fallen angel whose history is can't be ignored by role-playing fans. He was Tyrael's best friend, a lieutenant in the war against hell, and a brilliant tactician. In a battle gone wrong, he was captured and divulged the location and purpose of the soulstones to his captors. This is the event that the entire franchise hinges upon.
He's tough. He's so tough that he's even a boss in Diablo 3, so obviously any victory against him will be incomplete. His melee attacks inflict cold damage and will slow players down when he lands these blows. He also has a huge health pool.
Unfortunately for him, he's not very creative and has few means of stopping players so that they can get that first hit off on them to induce the slow. Most ranged players, including the enigmatic druid, won't get a scratch on them. Melee classes just need a bit of dodge or resistance and they should make it out alive too.
5 Grand Vizier Of Chaos
Several seal guardians block entry to Diablo. Players will have to choose which guardian to start with and there is an incentive to choose the easier one so that space is freed up for future battles against the others. The Amazon has specific strategies that are greatly boosted by this tactic.
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The community has overwhelmingly opted to cross off the Grand Vizier of Chaos first. It's a shame that such a powerful name wasn't a more intimidating fight, but at least it gave gamers a natural starting point for the final approach.
The Extra Strong bonus can be scary, but remember that this bonus only applies to physical attacks. This sub-boss does have a melee physical attack, but it is far from impressive and he will usually resort to tossing fireballs. His minions can also be easily trapped behind the local walls.
4 Lord De Seis
At one point, Lord De Deis was given a bonus called "Thieving" which allowed him to knock items out of player inventories. This should come as good news to players who are playing other games while waiting for Diablo 2: Resurrected; that particular ability has been taken out of the game. He also had specialized knight minions that have been replaced.
As a result, Lord De Seis is a shadow of what he once was. He's still quite strong. The Aura Enchanted bonus is fixed on Fanaticism, which is one of the most deadly auras in the game, if not the most. And the Extra Strong buff guarantees big hits from the minions.
Once again, this buff doesn't help him much as he defaults to casting fireballs most of the time. This means he's only as tricky as dodging these projectiles and even gamers who picked their class based on their zodiac sign should have no problem strafing out of harm's way after this much practice playing the game.
3 Hephasto The Armorer
According to Baal, Hephasto lusted only for destruction. As he grew more bloodthirsty, he realized that he could only do so much damage as an individual. But by making tools of war, he could be responsible for exponentially more carnage.
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Barring interference from any of the game's useful mods, this fight is going to be nearly impossible for some classes. Between the Spectral Hit and the Conviction Aura Enchanted bonuses, this character will regularly go through shields and dodge rating like a hot knife through butter.
Ranged physical attacks are a niche weakness, but so few classes use this technique that it feels like an emergency plan. And that's exactly how the battle plays out; like one big Plan B.
2 Infector Of Souls
One last sub-boss stands in between players and Diablo. As one might guess, this gatekeeper is brutal and, for some, the Infector of Souls might very well be more deadly than the master he's sworn to protect.
Because the monster was not part of the cut content for Diablo 2, he kills most rookies within a few seconds when they open the seal by him. This ambush is a noob trap for sure, but he's not simply a gimmick. He and his legion of monsters hit hard and move with an unreal speed.
Experts have learned that saving his seal for last can wipe out all of his minions, making this a one-on-one matchup between this monster and the character. Even with that trick, he'd still be the second hardest boss in the game due to his unwillingness to give gamers any breathing room.
1 Diablo
It's no surprise that the game's titular antagonist is also the hardest special unique to defeat in Act IV. The battle takes place on a moderately sized platform with several dead-ends to keep players who have kited their way to victory from doing so again.
Despite his fearsome claws, Diablo's most deadly attacks are all elemental. His melee attacks inflict a cold slow, while he has every flavor of lightning and fire spell under the sun. Characters weak against spellcasting might want to consider asking for this magical specialization to one of the changes to the remake.
Magic resistance goes a long way and immunity to freeze on an item can keep a player's speed at full. Even then, it will take every ounce of cunning, bravery, and luck to get past Diablo and into Act V.