The Eve of War is the first mission in Torchlight 2's second Act. As you reach Zeryphesh, you will find several new services awaiting you in town. You can visit the Enchanter, who will offer new boosts to your weapons, and you can also speak with the Transmuter. You'll find new and improved items at the smithy, but you won't want to buy too much at the moment since you will notice a similar upgrade in the quality of items dropped by enemies in the surrounding areas.

Anyways, once you have made yourself comfortable in Zeryphesh head over to the Guardian and speak with it to begin the Eve of War quest. The Guardian will send you out into the desert to speak with the Sphinx. Follow your waypoint into the desert. You will find that this area is much more of a challenge than the last overworld area, although at this point it shoudn't be anything you can't handle. Watch out for enemies jumping out of the sand to surprise you, and similarly watch out for the bandits and jackals who will hit you and then run away. If you play ranged, you should use a similar strategy to stay on top of the game. If you play a melee class, be aggressive and chase down any enemies who try to escape. Watch out for mimic chests that will lure you into traps. When you get near these chests, enemies will pop out and ambush you.

Explore the area to its full extent, making sure to wipe out any unfilled spots on your map. Once you have uncovered all of the area's hidden treasures and named enemies, head towards your waypoint to find the Sphinx and speak with him to claim your reward. You will now have to face the Manticore in your next story mission.