Rise of the Champion
Rise of the Champion is the armor chapter of the quest book. It sits in The Exalted Path group next to the acts, and the quest book describes it as the guide to “basic gear progression”. Each quest asks for all four pieces of one armor set, and each set needs the one before it, so the chapter is a set of chains: one per armor path, from early sets to the final sets of the late game.
Requirements#
- Forging Your Path in Act I links to The Three Paths (1 XP level), the first quest of the chapter.
The Three Paths (Rise of the Champion)
There are four distinct armor paths, each offering a unique way to grow stronger: Strength Path Focused on endurance and raw resilience. Grants increased Max Health and Knockback Resistance, allowing you to stand your ground against any foe. Agility Path Built for speed and precision. Grants increased Crit Damage or Crit Chance and Movement Speed, perfect for those who strike fast and vanish faster. Wisdom Path A balance of strength and spell power Grants increased Attack Damage and Spell Power, making you deadly in both melee and magic. Dragon Paths The scales of a dragon become your shield. Grants increased Armor and Armor Toughness at the cost of Knockback resistance, allowing you to withstand even the mightiest attacks. (Blue Dragon Path have additional Spell Power)
Your path will define your journey…
Now, CHOOSE
The quest book doesn’t label the sets by path; the paths below follow the chains and the stats on each set.
Strength path#
Max health and knockback resistance.
| Tier | Set | Quest subtitle | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deserter | 2 XP levels, Cracked Gems | |
| 2 | Wrought Steel | 3 XP levels, 4 Protection II books | |
| 3 | Kamath's Remains | Defeat Kamath | 5 XP levels, Chipped Gems |
| 4 | Titanium | Defeat Infernal Dragon | 5 XP levels, 2× Chipped Gems |
| 5 | Netherite (vanilla) | 10 XP levels, Flawed Gems | |
| 6 | Molten Dark Steel | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 7 | Kamath | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 8 | Duskfire or Dark Metal | 50 XP levels, Perfect Gems (each) |
Agility path#
Crit damage or crit chance, and speed. It splits in two after Centinel and joins again for the last sets.
| Tier | Set | Quest subtitle | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thief | 2 XP levels, Cracked Gems | |
| 2 | Sandstone | 3 XP levels, 4 Protection II books | |
| 3 | Centinel | Defeat SandWorm | 5 XP levels, Chipped Gems |
| 4 | Blessed Gold or Sunleia | Defeat Sunleia | 5 XP levels, 2× Chipped Gems (each) |
| 5 | After Blessed Gold: Netherite Samurai. After Sunleia: Black Soul | 10 XP levels, Flawed Gems | |
| 6 | Ebony / Forlorn | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 7 | Crimson / Ruinfighter | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 8 | Cursium or Soul Eater | 50 XP levels, Perfect Gems (each) |
The tier 8 quests need Crimson, Ruinfighter and Polished Lightning Dragon Steel (from the lightning dragon path), so both branches and a dragon path are required.
Wisdom path#
Attack damage and spell power.
| Tier | Set | Quest subtitle | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver | 2 XP levels, Cracked Gems | |
| 2 | Titan | 3 XP levels, 4 Protection II books | |
| 3 | Bounty Hunter | Defeat Frostmaw | 5 XP levels, Chipped Gems |
| 4 | Warden | 5 XP levels, 2× Chipped Gems | |
| 5 | Netherite (Dungeons and Combat) | Netherite Armor from Dungeons and Combat | 10 XP levels, Flawed Gems |
| 6 | Dark Lord | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 7 | Blazing | 20 XP levels, 2× Flawed Gems | |
| 8 | Ignitium or Ebony (wizard) | 50 XP levels, Perfect Gems (each) |
The tier 8 quests need Blazing and Polished Ice Dragonsteel (from the ice dragon path).
Dragon paths#
Armor and armor toughness. There is one path per dragon type. The first two tiers accept any color of Ice and Fire dragon scale armor from that dragon type, and the later tiers are Dragonsteel.
| Tier | Fire | Ice | Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fire Dragon Scale (any fire-type Dragon Scale armor) | Ice Dragon Scale | Lightning Dragon Scale |
| 2 | Polished Fire Dragon Scale (Grey, Bronze, Emerald or Red Dragon armor) | Polished Ice Dragon Scale (Blue, Sapphire, Silver or White) | Polished Lightning Dragon Scale (Amethyst, Black, Copper or Electric) |
| 3 | Fire Dragonsteel | Ice Dragonsteel | Lightning Dragonsteel |
| 4 | Polished Fire Dragonsteel | Polished Ice Dragonsteel | Polished Lightning Dragon Steel |
| 5 | Cryolite | (leads to the Wisdom tier 8 sets) | (leads to the Agility tier 8 sets) |
| 6 | Molten Cryolite |
The fire path rewards 5, 5, 10, 20, 20 and 50 XP levels with gem rolls. The ice path rewards 5, 10, 20 and 20 XP levels with gem rolls. The lightning path rewards 5 XP levels and two Chipped Gems for its first tier, and nothing for its other three.
The Ice Dragonsteel sets carry spell power, as the quest text says (“Blue Dragon Path have additional Spell Power”).
Tips#
- Upgrades keep gems, enchantments and affixes (see Upgrading Gear).
- Act II’s drop quests point here: the Sandworm Scale is for “T3 Armor (green path)”, and the Armor Plate and Dragon Bone for “T3/T4 Armor (red path)”.
- Five tiers have a boss as their subtitle: Defeat Kamath, Defeat Infernal Dragon, Defeat SandWorm, Defeat Sunleia and Defeat Frostmaw.
See Gear Progression and Equipment Upgrades.