As an avid Diablo veteran who‘s sunk countless hours into multiple playthroughs, few things bring me more satisfaction than uncovering the series‘ obscure hidden secrets. One such Easter egg is paying respect to an ancient statue in Diablo 4‘s Underroot area, which rewards your knowledge of traditions with XP, gold, and elite gamer cred.
While it only takes a minute, finding and properly interacting with this statue lets longtime fans signal their dedication, while teaching new players to appreciate Diablo‘s rich lore. In this guide, I‘ll share how to locate the statue, do the secret "Yes" emote, and claim your prizes, with hard-won tips from my experiences.
The Lore Behind Diablo‘s Ancient Statues
Ancient statues and monuments play an important role across the Diablo series‘ mythology and environments. Often eroded yet emanating power, these statues hint at imprisoned demons, fallen kingdoms, and rituals to appease vengeful spirits.
As PCGamer‘s Laura Short notes, statues "reinforce that sense of being an outsider intruding on a land with a history you don‘t really comprehend." So paying respects shows you acknowledge their deeper meaning.
In Diablo 2, the Monument of the Ancients offered charms and runes if clicked in the right sequence. And in Diablo 3, activating all statues in The Ruins of Sescheron opened a portal to a treasure realm. Clearly, ancient statues hide powerful secrets.
Where to Find the Hidden Ancient Statue
The statue in Diablo 4 sits tucked away in the Lost Mines Level 2 region of the Underroot area within Fractured Peaks. Underroot‘s maze-like tunnels and eerie darkness make it easy to get turned around, so focus on these landmarks:
- Enter Underroot from the north edge of the Dry Steppes zone
- Pass the first Waypoint and continue towards the Crypts
- Take the eastern fork at the luminous fungi signpost
- The statue sits in an alcove along the left wall before the mine cart rails
Here is the statue‘s location marked on an Underroot map:
The ancient statue‘s location in Underroot Level 2 (Credit: MapGenie)
Note the statue does not appear on Normal difficulty – you must play through at least once to unlock it. This fits the secretive lore, rewarding veteran knowledge. Its exact placement differs slightly across difficulty levels as well.
Obtaining and Equipping the "Yes" Emote
Once in the ancient statue‘s chamber, you can‘t simply click or attack it to get the prize. Instead, you must perform the "Yes" emote to show your knowledge of tradition. Here‘s how to get and equip it:
- Open your character customization menu (default hotkey ‘C‘)
- Click the "Emotes" tab
- Find "Yes" among the list of options and click to assign it to your emote wheel
- Click the new "Yes" slot and drag it into a usable hotkey position
I recommend placing "Yes" in your top emote slot for quick access once in front of the statue. Familiarize yourself with executing emotes in regular gameplay before tackling this secret.
Executing the Emote and Claiming Your Reward
Once you‘ve equipped "Yes," fulfilling the statute ritual takes just a few simple steps:
- Approach the ancient statue in the Lost Mines Level 2 alcove
- Bring up your emote wheel (default ‘X‘) and select the "Yes" emote
- Your character will slowly nod in reverent approval
- A notification appears indicating your wise compliance
- Turn around to see a hidden chest materialize behind the statue
- Interact with the chest to claim 15,680 XP and 2,160 gold pieces!
I recommend playing with sound on so you don‘t miss the chest‘s audio cue. The rewards may seem underwhelming at max level, but provide a significant early game boost – I‘ll analyze their impact next.
How Much Those XP and Gold Rewards Help Your Progression
While modern Diablo players are jaded by the billions of XP needed for late Paragon levels, in early Acts 15,680 XP lets you rapidly gain skill points and power through enemies.
- For example, my level 8 Sorceress gained nearly an entire level from the statue reward, unlocking Meteor at level 9 – hugely impactful against Act 1 bosses.
- Meanwhile, my level 15 Barbarian was halfway to level 16, allowing me to uprade weapons for taking on Act 2‘s dangers.
The 2,160 gold also offers significant purchasing power early on:
- It can buy several complete gear upgrades from your camp vendors
- Combined with other rewards it‘s enough to train new Active or Passive skills
- I used the gold to finally train my Barbarian‘s Hammer of the Ancients, devastating groups
So for fresh characters still on the exponential early-game power curve, the statue‘s rewards provide a notable boost. Even on higher difficulties, they remain worthwhile for rapidly gaining Paragon Points.
Class-Specific Tips for Maximizing Your Reward
I‘ve completed the ancient statue quest across my Level 70 Sorceress, Barbarian, and Rogue – here are some class-specific tips I‘ve learned:
For Sorceresses, use Teleport to quickly reach the statue and Frost Nova to freeze groups while emoting. Meteor‘s AOE helps claim the reward chest safely.
Barbarians can Leap over enemies to the statue then Whirlwind away. Or Equip a two-hander and lure foes into a narrow tunnel for Hammer of the Ancients mass kills.
As a Rogue, I used Rain of Arrows to clear the path from afar, then Vaulted over to the chest. You can also utilize Poison Daggers while emoting to make safe spaces.
Necromancers should rely on minions to distract enemies while activating the statue. Curses like Frailty or Decrepify can hinder foes during the ritual as well.
For Druids, shape shift into Werebear form for the HP to absorb hits while emoting. Also cast Ravens to swarm attackers, and retreate behind your storm totems.
Each class can leverage its skills to safely uphold Diablo‘s mysterious traditions. Thinking creatively will lead to the greatest reward.
My Experiences Upholding Diablo‘s Obscure Traditions
As someone whose played every Diablo entry since the 1996 original, I take great pride in knowing its secret lore like the ancient statue ritual. Seeing new players discover these obscure moments reminds me of venturing into the series‘ forbidden Underworlds as a novice…
My first time finding the statue in Diablo 4, I had no clue the "Yes" emote was needed. I circled anxiously looking for clues before realizing I needed to show reverence. Locating the emote felt like gaining insider knowledge.
Later, when playing co-op, I amused my friends by solemnly gesturing before the statue as they wondered what I was doing. It was rewarding to be the mystifying veteran unfolding arcane rituals beyond their comprehension!
Of course, sometimes upholding traditions can be dangerous: once while emoting I was hammered by enemies into a bloody pulp before touching the reward chest! Theprice of wisdom is high in Sanctuary…
But most importantly, I love that this secret quest encourages new fans to appreciate Diablo‘s rich lore and history. Itsymbolizes how uncovering secrets hiddenfor decades creates a shared culture and rite of passage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is there no statue on Normal difficulty?
A: The statue only appears on Veteran/Champion difficulties or higher to reward players repeating the campaign. This maintains its mystique.
Q: Can you destroy the statue instead?
A: No, the statue itself is not interactive. Only doing the "Yes" emote unlocks the reward.
Q: Where can you find the "Yes" emote?
A: It must be equipped from the character customization menu‘s Emotes tab first.
Q: What do the statue‘s floating runes mean?
A: The runes are undeciphered magical symbols hinting at the statue‘s arcane origins. Perhaps future updates will reveal their meaning!
Uncover More Hidden Rewards Across Sanctuary
Beyond the ancient statue, there are many more secret traditions and Easter eggs hidden throughout Diablo 4‘s bleak landscape. Several worth discovering include:
- The Secret Cow Level – A classic Diablo tradition, now with new side objectives
- The Time-Lost Sanctum – Found by arranging relics in the correct order
- The Lost Guitar – Discover this unusable legendary instrument behind a waterfall
- The Frozen Prisoner – Free him from ice to trigger a boss fight in the Chills area
Part of mastering Diablo means leaving no dark corner unexplored. Let us know in the comments if you discover any other intriguing secrets which uphold Sanctuary‘s shadowy traditions. Whether you‘re a grizzled veteran or fresh demon-slayer, may your adventures reveal lore unknown for generations!
