Caldeum

Caldeum concept art.

Caldeum on the world map.

Caldeum is one of the largest cities in Sanctuary, and has always been the capital of trade. It appears in Act II although it's not the first settlement you reach.

Areas and Dungeons within Caldeum

• Caldeum Bazaar
• Imperial Palace
• Hidden Camp
• Sewers of Caldeum

Access to Levels

• Sundered Canyon

Quests in Caldeum

• A Royal Audience

Events in Caldeum

• ??

Common Monsters found in City of Caldeum

• Demon Summoner
• Doom Viper
• Fallen Master
• Fallen Peon
• Scaled Magus
• Writhing Deceiver

Special Monsters found in Caldeum

The following Superunique monsters can but might not always appear in Caldeum:

• Kamyr, on the way before meeting Belial.

Notable NPCs

• Asheara
• Lugo the Miner
• Sadeir the Innkeeper
• Tilnan the Collector

Checkpoints

Checkpoints are respawn points. Players who die appear back at the last checkpoint they reached. Players can also leave the game and resume at the last checkpoint at a later date. In effect they are a 'save game' feature. The following Checkpoints appear in Caldeum

Quest A Royal Audience

• As you approach Asheara for the first time in Caldeum Bazaar
• After all the guards are killed in the Imperial Palace

Quest Unexpected Allies

• As you enter the Sewers of Caldeum
• After you have killed Goz'turr the Torturer and you approach Adria

Waypoint

Waypoints are special plates on the ground that form a network of jump points allowing players to instantly teleport between them. The nearest waypoint for Caldeum appears

Lore Entries Found in Caldeum

Required for Eavesdropper achievement

• Proclamation from the Imperial Guard - Found in the Imperial Guard's Pack

History

A regular guard with shield and some officer.

The city was only recently occupied by the Kehjistan government following the fall of Kurast. Caldeum was originally ruled by the Trade Consortium Council, but Emperor Hakan united the city under his banner, before he became ill.

Caldeum hosts both the Vizjerei mage clan as well as the Yshari council of sorcerers. Under the Yshari Sanctum, some sort of infamous chambers called the Bitter Depths can be found.

Abd al-Hazir's second entry of his collected writings makes mention of Caldeum. It culminates the recent activity in the area:

"Caldeum was once the proudest city in all of Kehjistan, the trade capital of the entire world. Caldeum was never seen as the heart of the empire, even though it rivaled Viz-jun, and later Kurast, in size, and those who called Caldeum their home liked it that way. -- Let Kurast see itself as the center of the world, they would say. We'll keep our free exchange of goods, currency, and ideas, thank you very much.

I was initially dubious when the emperor of Kehjistan emerged to confront this quickly deteriorating situation. But the charm, leadership, and intelligence that he brought to bear as he quickly resolved the conflict between our council and the Kurast nobles were nothing less than masterful. When the people fully supported him in his role as our emperor, I saw this achievement as nothing short of a miracle. Though we had always been part of the empire of Kehjistan, and therefore under his rule, we had always behaved as if we were a free entity, beholden to no one but ourselves. It truly seemed at the time that catastrophe had been averted, but now it has become all too apparent that it was merely hidden beneath a thin veneer of civility.

-- This veneer began to shred when Emperor Hakan became ill. His influence started to wane, and the mood in Caldeum changed with his health. As he got worse, so did our once fair city.

When he died and his ineffectual child heir took the throne, Caldeum began to circle the abyss. Our list of ills seems never-ending: the state of our downtrodden and the slums they are forced to live in, our incompetent leadership, the re-emergence of the intolerant Zakarum, and their quarrels with our mage class... I could go on for pages.

It is all too much for one to bear, really."

Many hundred years ago, Caldeum has a military outpost in the Borderlands named Lut Bahadur, which was put in place. It was located there to keep the Lacuni (cat people) in their cliff dwellings safely away from Caldeum.

400 years ago, precious minerals were found in the Stinging Winds, and was protected by the might of Caldeum's Dune Guard. Hakan II withdrew the Dune Guard and now no caravan is safe, and refugees from the Borderlands beat against the gates of Caldeum in an endless wave of displaced humanity, desperate for the salvation Caldeum once provided.

Gallery

A selection of images showing Caldeum.

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  Caldeum cinematic view.

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  A pass in from the west

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  Caldeum below

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  A bazaar

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  Traders await

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  Exotic goods

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  Inside a Tavern

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  Caldeum Palace

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  Living above the plebs

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  Throne Room with Hakan II

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  Hakan II & his Imperial Guard

References

• Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Caldeum
• Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Borderlands
• Diablo II Manual