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Darksiders II eGuide
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Contents

  • Maps
    • Maps
      • Map Listing
  • Essentials
    • Exploration and Combat
      • Controls
      • Exploring
      • Combat
      • Leveling Up
      • Equipping Gear
      • Death’s Attributes
    • Skills and Combos
      • Skills
      • Moves and Combos
    • Appendix
      • Legendary Items
      • Secret Chests
      • Boatman Coins
      • Book of the Dead Pages
      • Stonebites
      • Relics
      • Soul Arbiter's Scrolls
      • GnoMAD Gnomes
      • Achievements
  • Walkthrough
    • The Keeper of Secrets
      • The Veil
      • Boss Battle: War’s Shade
    • The Fire of the Mountain
      • Forge Lands
      • Tri-Stone
      • Stonefather’s Vale
      • The Weeping Crag
      • Baneswood
      • East Trail
      • The Charred Pass
      • Passing Through
      • The Cauldron
      • Boss Battle: Gharn
    • Tears of the Mountain
      • Stonefather’s Vale
      • Shadow Gorge
      • The Fjord
      • The Drenchfort
      • Boss Battle: Karkinos
    • To Move a Mountain
      • The Nook
      • The Lost Temple
      • Boss Battle: Construct Hulk
    • Heart of the Mountain
      • The Foundry
      • The First Heart Stone
      • The Second Heart Stone
      • The Third Heart Stone
      • Boss Battle: Corrupted Custodian
    • The Tree of Life
      • Boss Battle: The Guardian
      • The Verdant Hollow
    • The Kingdom of the Dead
      • The Tree of Death
      • Leviathan’s Gorge
      • Breach
      • Breach Exterior
      • The Maw: West Valley
      • Serpent’s Peak
      • Eternal Throne
    • The Toll of Kings
      • Gilded Arena
      • The First Animus Stone
      • The Second Animus Stone
      • The Third Animus Stone
      • Boss Battle: Gnashor
    • Court of Bones I: Phariseer
      • Gilded Arena (Exterior)
      • The Maw
      • Phariseer’s Tomb
      • Boss Battle: Phariseer
    • Court of Bones II: Judicator
      • The Spine
      • Judicator’s Tomb
      • The First Soul
      • The Second Soul
      • Boss Battle: Tormentor
      • The Third Soul
      • Boss Battle: Bone Giant
    • Court of Bones III: Basileus
      • Gilded Arena
      • Psychameron
      • Boss Battle: Basileus and Achidna
    • The City of the Dead
      • The City of the Dead
      • Boss Battle: The Wailing Host
    • The Key to Redemption
      • Lostlight
      • The Crystal Spire
    • The Rod of Arafel
      • Earth
      • Boss Battle: The Noss
    • Stains of Heresy
      • The Ivory Citadel
      • Boss Battle: Jamaerah the Scribe
      • Boss Battle: Archon
    • The Lord of the Black Stone
      • Shadow’s Edge
      • The Black Stone
      • Boss Battle: Samael
    • The Well of Souls
      • Final Boss: Avatar of Chaos
    • Side Quests
      • The Crucible
      • Thane’s Side Quests
      • Muria’s Side Quests
      • Alya’s Side Quest
      • Vulgrim’s Side Quest
      • Blackroot’s Side Quest
      • Oran’s Side Quest
      • Ostegoth’s Side Quest
      • The Chancellor’s Side Quest
      • Nathaniel’s Side Quest
      • Uriel’s Side Quest
    • Side Areas
      • The Weeping Crag
      • Boss Battle: Gorewood
      • The Shattered Forge
      • The Scar
      • Boss Battle: Ghorn
    • Side Quests and Areas
      • Lair of the Deposed King
      • Boss Battle: Argul
      • Sentinel’s Gaze
      • Boneriven
      • Soul Arbiter’s Maze
      • Boss Battle: The Soul Arbiter
  • Extras
    • Behind the Scenes
      • Darksiders II Behind the Scenes
      • Creating Death
    • Behind the Scenes Videos
      • Video Interviews

Darksiders II Guide › Walkthrough › The Rod of Arafel

Earth

Death has fought his way to the Crystal Spire only to learn that the key he seeks isn’t kept there. Worse, Corruption has taken hold of Lostlight, and only a mysterious artifact called the Rod of Arafel can clear a path to the Ivory Citadel, where the Archon’s key is kept. With only one path leading forward, the Horseman travels to Earth by way of magic portal and begins his quest to locate the lost Rod...

Earth

The advanced triggering of the apocalypse has left Earth in ruins. Angels and demons now wage war over possession of this fallen world.

Click here for interactive maps

Area 1: Courtyard

Death arrives on Earth just in time to help a Hellguard angel named Uriel battle a host of demons known as the Swarm. Hurry and collect the golden weapon in the southwest corner of the courtyard, which functions like a machine gun. The weapon is called Salvation. Simply press and hold the Special Item trigger to unleash rapid-fire lightning rounds against the Swarm.

Caution

Beware of overheating Salvation. Fire in controlled bursts and keep an eye on the upper-right heat gauge.

Tip

Press the Focus trigger to unleash more powerful blasts from Salvation. These are ideal for use against larger targets, such as Fleshbursters, as the impact staggers such foes.

Enemy: The Swarm

  • Class: Fodder

The Swarm is the generic term given to the demonic undead that have overrun Earth. The name is fitting, for these mindless, unarmed minions simply swarm their victims with overwhelming numbers and ferocity. Listen for the telltale sound of inbound Swarm, and then back away and fire in short bursts to cut down each demon as they rush forth.

Enemy: Fleshburster

  • Class: Soldier

These lethal demons pursue Death with the same single-minded fervor as the Swarm. Fleshbursters are far more dangerous, however, because they explode when they get close to the Reaper, inflicting massive damage. Don’t let these fiends draw near; back away as you blast them with Salvation’s powerful charged shots to keep them staggered.

Uriel provides Death with information about the Rod of Arafel after the battle, revealing that it has been shattered into three pieces. Death must brave the city in order to locate all three and restore the Rod. Uriel also bestows a side quest on Death that involves slaying ten trapped angels around the city, thereby granting them peace.

Side Quest Acquired: “Light of the Fallen”

Courtyard Loot

Make a thorough sweep of the Courtyard area after speaking with Uriel, raiding a chest to the north and another to the south. A third chest lies on the second floor of the east building; use the stairs near the portal to find it.

Blast a car in the northwest alley to expose a Boatman Coin.

Boatman Coin 77

Look up after claiming the coin and notice the Stonebite on a nearby building. Shoot this with Salvation to draw in the stone.

Stone of Mystics 28

Another Boatman Coin is found in the southern building, not far from the south chest.

Boatman Coin 78

Beware of the Swarm as you venture northeast. Slay them all, and then drop into the northeast pit to find a Soul Arbiter's Scroll. Enter the nearby building afterward to proceed north to the next area.

Soul Arbiter's Scroll 7

Area 2: Northern Streets

Cut down more Swarm in the northern streets, and shoot the angel trapped on the side of the building as you enter. You can’t save these tormented souls, but you can at least grant them the mercy of death.

Trapped Hellguard 1

Beware: as you progress east down the street, a hulking beast known as a Suffering will storm forth. Back away and blast this overgrown demon with charged Salvation shots to keep it staggered until you can manage to kill it.

Enemy: Suffering

  • Class: Brute

The Suffering are monstrous demons that rush the Reaper with terrifying speed and ferocity. Hold nothing back when battling one of these brutes—unleash Salvation’s powerful charged shots to slow their advance and drop them with all speed.

Proceed to the northeast passage after slaying the Suffering and crack open a chest along the way. Search around the nearby red Corruption crystals to discover a missing page of the Book of the Dead, and then enter the passage to reach the next area.

Book of the Dead 28

Area 3: Subway Entry

Descend the stairs beyond the northeast passage to enter a subway. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, check the west nook near a light to find another trapped angel.

Trapped Hellguard 2

Cut through the Swarm as you advance down the next flight of stairs. Go east and find a trapped angel in a nook.

Trapped Hellguard 3

Area 4: Subway Station

Dispatch another monstrous Suffering as you enter this spacious area. Fight your way westward and blast the strange demonic growth on the far west wall to obtain the Staff of Arafel.

Staff of Arafel

Subway Secrets

Before continuing westward, detour north from the demonic growth to discover a Relic hidden behind some red Corruption crystals.

Relic of Renagoth 7

Backtrack to the east a bit and cross a bridge to reach the station's north side. Scan the ceiling over here for a Stonebite. Shoot the stone, and then enter the north room to loot a pair of chests.

Stone of Mystics 29

Proceed west, past the demonic growth, to find stairs that lead back out of the Courtyard area. Deathgrip the Book of the Dead page that sits on a high pipe as you ascend the stairwell.

Book of the Dead 29

Area 1, Revisited

Take the subway’s west stairs to return to the Courtyard area. The Hellguard have taken position near the southwest passage. Speak with Uriel to advance your quest, and the angel will open the way forward. Proceed through a large tunnel to reach the city’s southern streets, collecting a Book of the Dead Page from the tunnel’s east end as you enter.

Book of the Dead 30

Area 5: Southern Streets

A new brand of weapon lies just outside of the tunnel. This one is similar to a rocket launcher, which makes it ideal for use against larger threats. However, its slow reload time isn’t well suited to handling the Swarm. Choose your weapon, and then advance and kill a host of demons, including another ferocious Suffering.

As you approach an overpass, turn and look for a Stonebite on the side of the nearby building. Continue south after shooting it, cross the overpass, and then enter a ruined building to raid the chest within.

Tip

Ignore the stairs that lead down to the area beneath the overpass; you’ll have to travel down there later on.

Stone of Mystics 30

Take the west street and raid the ornate chest on the nearby stairs to score the Dungeon Map.

Dungeon Map

When you reach the street corner, sprint to the north dead end and collect a lost Relic that sits near a car. As you backtrack south, blast the trapped angel that’s stuck to the side of a nearby building.

Relic of Renagoth 8
Trapped Hellguard 4

Head south and enter the south building. Blast more demonic foes as you make your way through the building and into the next area.

Area 6: Noss Ambush

The streets widen beyond the building. Go west for a bit, then turn around and scan the tops of the east buildings to locate another trapped angel in need of Death’s mercy.

Trapped Hellguard 5
Book of the Dead 31

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