Are you insane?

What are the Insanity Levels? 

Where are the Killing Grounds? 

What is the Matrix?

These are common questions asked by players new and veteran to the Zy-El mod.  Keep reading and you may find the answers here or have more questions.

The Zy-El mod allows players to advance their characters up to level 5000.  However, it is very possible to defeat Baal in Hell difficulty by character level 300.  What is the high-level conqueror to do for the remaining 4700 levels?  Cow runs can get boring after a while.

So, in the Zy-El mod, more options are available for the high and mighty . . .

The Matrix is the first of the Insanity levels that players are likely to encounter.  This level was formerly known as Nith's Temple Entrance.  Players may inadvertently step into it through Anya's red portal and find themselves suddenly overwhelmed.  The monster density and levels may be too much for wayward adventurers when they first come across it.  Since this quest is not a required element in the completion, players may opt to come back to it later in the game . . . perhaps after they have killed Baal.

The Killing Grounds consist of what used to be the three Nith Temple levels in Act 5.  The monster density and levels are considerably higher than anything players will encounter in Act 5.  They are only slightly less difficult than Hell Bovine of the same game difficulty.  These levels provide players with an option to doing Cow runs and give more varied treasure drops.  A surprise Boss awaits you at the bottom of the Killing Grounds.

Please note that if characters kill the Boss at the bottom of the Killing Grounds and activate the waypoint to Killing Grounds II, the red portal given by Anya will disappear.  Direct access to the Matrix map can then only be accessed through climbing through the Killing Ground levels.

The Suicide Sanctum is the first of the truly Insane levels that players are likely to encounter.  This map replaces the first Hell map found on the Frigid Highlands.  This map is populated by monsters designed to humble all but the most powerful characters in the Zy-El mod.  Even at Normal difficulty, it will present a challenge to level 300 characters.  It is not recommended that low-level go there.  It would be suicide to do so.  DO NOT GO HERE.

Here is a rough scheme of how the Insanity levels fit in terms of difficulty:

- Act 5 Normal
- Matrix Normal
- Killing Grounds Normal
- Hell Bovine Normal

- Act 5 Nightmare
- Matrix Nightmare
- Killing Grounds Nightmare
- Hell Bovine Nightmare

- Act 5 Hell
- Matrix Hell
- Killing Grounds Hell
- Hell Bovine Hell

- Suicide Sanctum Normal
- Wayside to Woe Normal
- Orifice to Oblivion Normal

- Suicide Sanctum Nightmare
- Wayside to Woe Nightmare
- Orifice to Oblivion Nightmare

- Suicide Sanctum Hell
- Wayside to Woe Hell
- Orifice to Oblivion Hell