Lore Book

A Lore Book in Deckard Cain's house.

Lore Books are in-game items that the player can pick up, which will deliver lore and story information via audio files in-game. Each lore book has its own narrator, depending on the content of the book itself. Lore books are almost exclusively epistolary in nature, where the narrator is giving an oral account in a journal-like format, and the narrator is always the author of the document. Some of the notable narrators in the game are Deckard Cain, Leah, and Abd al-Hazir.

Lore books are a natural extension of the Diablo III development team's narrative philosophy of "play, don't tell" where the player would not simply be delivered all of the in-game lore via text windows a la Diablo I and II. Lore books are fully narrated with audio and accompanied text.

Mechanics

Deckard Cain's Journal being played in full audio.

Once picked up, a lore book will automatically begin playing. It can be re-visited in the journal section of the user interface [1]. The lore books are separate from the bestiary entries which are automatically unlocked when a certain type of monster is killed. Lore books are items that drop, and they are labeled in green when on the ground.

Vasadan clarified the mechanics of lore books while grouped during the Diablo III beta [2]:

If you have lore already, it's going to disappear if you click on it. That way you do not get experience points for picking it up, but other people in your party still get the lore if they do not have it.

Collector's Guide

It is currently unknown whether or not lore books will be tied into the achievement system, but it's likely that many players will want to collect all available books in the game. Some books are sensitive to quests, where if the player misses them during a quest step, they will have to repeat the quest to attain the book. This list will eventually house the location of every lore book in the game.

The following is listed by when the book becomes available to the player chronologically, not when they were recorded. A static spawn is an item spawned in a pre-set area, and will always appear during a specific event or in a specific area. A dynamic spawn does not have a 100% chance to spawn, and it will also usually spawn in multiple locations.

Act I

A History of New Tristram - Available during the quest The Fallen Star, located in the Slaughtered Calf Inn right by the entrance. Static spawn.

Mira's Letter to Haedrig - Available by Haedrig Eamon's blacksmithing shop once the quest A Shattered Crown is completed. It is on the ground inside of a box by the anvil. Static spawn.

Leoric's Journal, Part 1 - Available from pedestals in the Royal Crypts. May require multiple runs of the quest Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Leoric's Journal, Part 2 - Available from pedestals in the Royal Crypts. May require multiple runs of the quest Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Lachdanan's Scroll, Part 1 - Available in the Tristram Cathedral dungeon, levels 1-4. They are on pedestals. May require multiple runs of Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Lachdanan's Scroll, Part 2 - Available in the Tristram Cathedral dungeon, levels 1-4. They are on pedestals. May require multiple runs of Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Lachdanan's Scroll, Part 3 - Available in the Tristram Cathedral dungeon, levels 1-4. They are on pedestals. May require multiple runs of Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Lachdanan's Scroll, Part 4 - Available in the Tristram Cathedral dungeon, levels 1-4. They are on pedestals. May require multiple runs of Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Lachdanan's Scroll, Part 5 - Available in the Tristram Cathedral dungeon, levels 1-4. They are on pedestals. May require multiple runs of Reign of the Black King. Semi-static spawn.

Leah's Journal, Part 1 - Available during the quest The Fallen Star, from Leah's room in the Slaughtered Calf Inn, on a desk near the entrance. Static spawn.

Leah's Journal, Part 2 - Available during the quest The Legacy of Cain, from Leah's room in the Slaughtered Calf Inn, on a desk near the entrance. Must be picked up before entering the Cathedral. Static spawn.

Leah's Journal, Part 3 - Available during the quest A Shattered Crown, from Leah's room in the Slaughtered Calf Inn, on a desk near the entrance. Static spawn.

Leah's Journal, Part 4 -

Leah's Journal, Part 5 -

Despina's Journal - Available during The Fallen Star in Old Tristram Road. It is contained in a container called "Old Keepsake Box", and can spawn in multiple locations. Dynamic spawn.

Adria's Journal - Automatically obtained during The Legacy of Cain by Leah upon mid-quest completion below Adria's Hut. Static spawn.

The Hanging Tree - Available in the Weeping Hollow after the player completes the "Hanging Tree" adventure. Dynamic spawn.

Warriv's Journal - Available during The Fallen Star in Old Tristram Road. Warriv's corpse will spawn in a demolished caravan off the road. Rare dynamic spawn.

Command from the Cultist Grand Inquisitor - Located in the Halls of Agony level 2. Spawn unknown.

Gillian's Diary, Part 1 - Located in Old Tristram. Requires multiple playthroughs. Dynamic spawn.

The Last Stand of the Ancients - Location unknown. Spawn unknown.

Old Tristram Journal -

Scoundrel's Journal - Location unknown (presumably the Fields of Misery). Spawn unknown, likely to be static.

Gravedigger's Log - Located in the Cemetery of the Forsaken from the gravedigger's bones. Static spawn, currently disabled in the beta.

Traveler's Journal - Multiple locations along Old Tristram Road, most often near the tree in the north or the house in the north. May require combat. Dynamic spawn.

Cain's Old Journal, Part 1 -

Cain's Old Journal, Part 2 -

Adenah's Jottings - Located in the Fields of Misery. Spawn unknown.

Wandering Tinker's Diary - Located in the Fields of Misery. Spawn unknown.

Farmer's Journal - Located in the Fields of Misery during the Forsaken Farm event. Spawn unknown.

Kingsport Bill - Location unknown. Spawn unknown.

Act II

Coming Soon.

Act III