The Forgotten Tower was an optional Diablo II quest that sent players beneath a ruined structure in the Black Marsh in search of the treasure supposedly buried beneath it.
Reaching the bottom meant descending through five increasingly dangerous cellar levels before eventually encountering the tower’s infamous resident, The Countess.
Season 15 recreates that journey as a Waking Nightmare, once again sending you through the tower level by level before confronting The Countess at the bottom.
Forgotten Tower Location
The Forgotten Tower Waking Nightmare is located in Rotspill Delta within Hawezar, with its entrance permanently marked on the world map.
Entering the portal begins the descent through the tower, recreating the multi-level journey toward The Countess from Diablo II.
Forgotten Tower Walkthrough
Enter the Forgotten Tower and begin fighting your way through the enemies inside while searching for the entrance leading into the next level.
Continue descending through each section of the tower, following the available passages and eliminating enemies blocking your route as you work your way toward Level 5.
The dungeon contains several separate levels, making the journey considerably longer than Waking Nightmares where the main objective can be reached almost immediately.
Once you reach Level 5, continue exploring until you encounter The Countess, then defeat her to cleanse the Waking Nightmare and complete the dungeon.
How To Reach Level 5?
Your main objective throughout the Forgotten Tower is simply to continue descending, with each floor containing another entrance that allows you to progress deeper underground.
Movement Speed is particularly helpful here since much of the completion time comes from exploring each level and locating the passage leading into the next section.
There is no need to eliminate every enemy you encounter, so focus on finding each entrance while killing whatever prevents you from continuing toward Level 5.
How To Defeat The Countess?
The Countess waits on Level 5 of the Forgotten Tower, but her Season 15 incarnation is considerably more aggressive than the encounter longtime Diablo II players may remember.
She moves quickly around the battlefield, teleports between positions, and can launch herself toward you with spear attacks while her accompanying minions add further pressure during the fight.
Keep moving whenever she changes position, avoid her incoming attacks, and eliminate troublesome minions whenever they begin making it difficult to concentrate your damage on The Countess.
Continue attacking between her movements and abilities until The Countess is defeated, at which point the Forgotten Tower Waking Nightmare will be complete.
Forgotten Tower Rewards
The Forgotten Tower contains plenty of enemies spread throughout its multiple levels, providing numerous opportunities to collect equipment and other drops during the descent.
Defeating The Countess provides additional loot at the end of the dungeon while completing another Waking Nightmare and contributing toward your seasonal progression.
Unlike the memorable treasure reward following her defeat in Diablo II, you should not expect a hidden fortune to suddenly appear after defeating The Countess in this recreation.
Is Forgotten Tower Good For Farming?
Forgotten Tower can provide plenty of loot due to the number of enemies encountered throughout its different levels, but its longer layout makes it less convenient for repeated Waking Nightmare farming.
Reaching The Countess requires traveling through the tower and descending all the way to Level 5, which can add considerable time compared with shorter dungeons such as Halls of the Blind.
A build with high Movement Speed can shorten the journey considerably, but faster Waking Nightmares will generally be preferable when your main priority is completing as many runs as possible.
How To Complete Forgotten Tower Quickly?
Avoid clearing every room while descending the Forgotten Tower and instead concentrate on finding the entrance leading to the next level as quickly as possible.
Movement Speed makes a noticeable difference throughout the run, especially when an entrance requires exploring a large portion of the current floor before you eventually locate it.
Once you reach Level 5, head directly toward The Countess, deal with any enemies preventing you from reaching her, and defeat her to finish the Waking Nightmare.
Verdict
The Forgotten Tower was already one of Diablo II’s most frequently revisited locations thanks to The Countess and her reputation as a valuable source of early-game Runes.
Season 15 preserves the familiar descent to Level 5 while turning The Countess herself into a much more active boss capable of teleporting and aggressively pursuing you around the battlefield.
There may not be a mountain of treasure waiting after her defeat this time, but descending the tower to hunt The Countess again remains an unmistakable Diablo II callback.
