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Is Diablo 2 worth going back to atm?
- Thread starter SCB3
- Start date
dreamstation
Member
One word: explore!
kvltus lvlzvs
Member
Median xl sigma
there's only two paths to go out of cold plains...burial grounds is one, so it's probably the other way...
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SCB3
Member
I bet I walked past the Entrance to it, I'm playing more later so I'll find it.
I am getting some nice Spells now, I like the Freeze on touch armor and the Fire Spray one now that I've increased the amount of Mana I have, I think I've gonna just do each act before 4 is out, at least I can say I've experienced it before jumping into a brand new game and hopefully get engrossed by
Mattdaddy
Gold Member
I got hard stuck at Duriel.
I hadn't died but like once until that point... then he legit 1 shotted my ai helper guy and 2 shotted me.
Then he proceeded to camp right on top of my body and I died probably 15 times just trying to get my corpse back.
Then because I died so many times it was spawning secondary corpses everywhere and I couldn't ever click on the one that had most of my gear on it before he killed me again. I was also hemorrhaging gold off from the constant dying.
Then I had to go help my wife with some stuff and I logged out not realizing it only respawns your most recent corpse back in town, which was missing most of my gear. All my gear and items basically written off into the void.
So completely penniless, completely gearless, completely hopeless, I uninstalled.
This was one of my all time favorite games growing up too. I've aged into a truly trash gamer.
I hadn't died but like once until that point... then he legit 1 shotted my ai helper guy and 2 shotted me.
Then he proceeded to camp right on top of my body and I died probably 15 times just trying to get my corpse back.
Then because I died so many times it was spawning secondary corpses everywhere and I couldn't ever click on the one that had most of my gear on it before he killed me again. I was also hemorrhaging gold off from the constant dying.
Then I had to go help my wife with some stuff and I logged out not realizing it only respawns your most recent corpse back in town, which was missing most of my gear. All my gear and items basically written off into the void.
So completely penniless, completely gearless, completely hopeless, I uninstalled.
This was one of my all time favorite games growing up too. I've aged into a truly trash gamer.
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naguanatak
Gold Member
Stick with it. D2 is from a time when people had longer attention spans, the world as a whole moved slower.
As an example... 'we' cleared every map completely back in the day, so you basically can't get stuck. The descriptions where to go are there and the places for your quests naturally get explored through the course of your journey.
The thing I dislike most about D4 from the beta is the constant stuff to smash or interact with to loot. D2 with its barrels, stones, corpses etc had it juuuuust right
Nevertheless, it's just fundamentally different from 4, so if you don't like it, don't force yourself.
I loved D2 back in internet cafés from where I took my character save file on a 3.5'' floppy disk to play at home on my stepdads computer. I played well over a thousand hours, but always casually. I loved the leveling process, played dozens of chars, melee necros, throwing barbs, fana zealots... I missed this game, so D2R was trippy
Levelled a paladin to 48, played through it with a barb and dropped it.
I'm very much looking forward to D4, but I miss the old skill trees and 'identities' of the characters and I still don't get making the exact same classes again for D4...fucking lazy, sorry. I get the nostalgia, but then double down and create 2 or 3 completely new classes... I hope there will be new ones down the line, the atmosphere of 4 seems like it will be a nice ride through the continent...
SCB3
Member
Ok, almost done with Act 1, I've been letting other players randomly join my games but thats to my own detriment as enemies are harder and they don't help, also someone completed the sixth quest as I was doing another and locked me out unless I start a new session, thats a weird feature but I understand why
Still I am liking this a lot, though I am focussing a bit too much on Health and Mana I think, the Smith boss was a tank as well at Level 12
Still I am liking this a lot, though I am focussing a bit too much on Health and Mana I think, the Smith boss was a tank as well at Level 12
Puscifer
Gold Member
I tried with D2 and even remastered it hasn't aged well my dude. Theres dungeons that just never ever fucking end!
SCB3
Member
I can agree with what I've played, each quest is like an hour long and I've no idea if they're checkpointed at all
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Bro, no
The biggest map in the game is Durance of Hate and the entirety of that dungeon, even at worst, is around 10 min long.
gaming_again
Member
For some reason even though I was a big PC gamer in the late 90s and early 00s this passed me by completely. I guess I was just too into UT and Q3 so it didn't really enter my gaming world.
I downloaded it last night and started in offline mode with an assassin. Seems cool so far, although I can tell it's much better with a mouse (I'm playing on Xbox).
My intention is to just play through normally in preparation for D4. Unless I get hooked.
I downloaded it last night and started in offline mode with an assassin. Seems cool so far, although I can tell it's much better with a mouse (I'm playing on Xbox).
My intention is to just play through normally in preparation for D4. Unless I get hooked.
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SirKicksalot
Member
I bought it last night. Last time I played it was in 2008... It's like I never skipped a day - and I was never a big fan.
Once you leave the first map you encounter demons and undead on fast forward. All Diablo clones (and sequels!) except PoE abandoned this uncanny speed. Titan Quest especially feels like bullet time compared to how retarded D2 gets in less than 15 minutes.
To be fair I don't exactly enjoy pixel hunting these fast dudes and finding the shamans.
Also I had no idea they kept the original double skill setup. These wavy ergonomic Microsoft keyboards are amazing - except for the F-keys lol
Once you leave the first map you encounter demons and undead on fast forward. All Diablo clones (and sequels!) except PoE abandoned this uncanny speed. Titan Quest especially feels like bullet time compared to how retarded D2 gets in less than 15 minutes.
To be fair I don't exactly enjoy pixel hunting these fast dudes and finding the shamans.
Also I had no idea they kept the original double skill setup. These wavy ergonomic Microsoft keyboards are amazing - except for the F-keys lol
CosmicHusky
Member
If the game would support mouse and keyboard on Xbox or at least be "Play Anywhere", it would be worth it.
PeteBull
Member
Dont give up bro, d2r is oldschool game, got tons of hidden master lvl knowledge which will help u tons, there are many strategies which will make duriel weak like a soyboy, example- u can get from npc that sells potions- antifreeze potion that gives u for 30sec +50% cold resi and increases ur max cold resi too, and u can give it to ur merc too, so basically u and ur merc will be invulnerable for any cold dmg duriel does, so only phys dmg will pose any danger.
Gearwise u gotta watch/read basic guides so u know what to look for, same build wise.
If u give more info and i know ur class/build i can give u more specifics or point u to where to look info how to gear/spec so its fun and ez smooth sailing.
Edit another thing about gear, ez to farm/buy is- runewords, if u kill countess in act1(its boss at lvl 5 tower) she drops very often runes, which u can use in runewords, very powerful stuff, and u can buy grey items with sockets for those runewords from npc blacksmith sellers, so not even any need to farm them
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gaming_again
Member
Can you go back and kill bosses again?Dont give up bro, d2r is oldschool game, got tons of hidden master lvl knowledge which will help u tons, there are many strategies which will make duriel weak like a soyboy, example- u can get from npc that sells potions- antifreeze potion that gives u for 30sec +50% cold resi and increases ur max cold resi too, and u can give it to ur merc too, so basically u and ur merc will be invulnerable for any cold dmg duriel does, so only phys dmg will pose any danger.
Gearwise u gotta watch/read basic guides so u know what to look for, same build wise.
If u give more info and i know ur class/build i can give u more specifics or point u to where to look info how to gear/spec so its fun and ez smooth sailing.
Edit another thing about gear, ez to farm/buy is- runewords, if u kill countess in act1(its boss at lvl 5 tower) she drops very often runes, which u can use in runewords, very powerful stuff, and u can buy grey items with sockets for those runewords from npc blacksmith sellers, so not even any need to farm them
PeteBull
Member
yups, its called farming, u do it to get ez loot
PeteBull
Member
Its not nostalgia, i played 1,5k hours of d2r from oct 2021 till now, hell i play it on a daily basis still, i have direct comparision to d4 beta that i played extensively too on both weekends, 25lvl barb and 25lvl necro, both in full legendary gear with story finished and many dunegones/quests done too, on veteran difficulty.
D4 isnt bad game by any means i preoredered it back in december as my xmas gift to myself lol, hell it might even be solid 9/10 game when we see full info about it, paragons/endgame, all acts and such, just gotta be honest, from what i saw of d4 beta now(maybe 20h of playtime total) its not even close to d2 and despite having no candy crush graphics like d3- it has many worse mechanics both from d2 and d3.
Only 6 active skills in skillbar is way too lil, for any non casual player, no mercenaries, no nemesis system like in d3 which was superfun and very challenging.
Cant say much about itemisation yet coz even tho we saw legendaries/many aspects, devs confirmed there are at least 2 more higher lvl grades of items, which are much more powerful.
Again- i will play d4 religiously, and very likely at least few hundred hours at launch, so few months easily, just its baffling why for example we get no mercenaries which are such a staple and important thing, to me if u compare d4 vs other games its 9/10, vs legendary d1/d2 its maybe 7/10 for now tho.
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DownLikeBCPowder
Member
I decided to finally pick up DIIR, I initially avoided it out of frustration with them removing the tcp/ip function as well as the online DRM, but at 13, I'll sacrifice a little of my principals to try it out.
Love it - what a great upgrade. I haven't played far mind you, still in the first act, but I love that it's similar to that Monkey Island remake a few years ago where you can swap to the old graphics on the fly. I play Diablo II often enough with my daughter, she still prefers the old look, but we could play together in either visual style. Seems like a really great remaster/whatever it is.
Diablo II is one of the best games of all time, though I still prefer the original Diablo in a lot of ways.
Love it - what a great upgrade. I haven't played far mind you, still in the first act, but I love that it's similar to that Monkey Island remake a few years ago where you can swap to the old graphics on the fly. I play Diablo II often enough with my daughter, she still prefers the old look, but we could play together in either visual style. Seems like a really great remaster/whatever it is.
Diablo II is one of the best games of all time, though I still prefer the original Diablo in a lot of ways.
dreamstation
Member
The only thing I dislike about this game is the immunities in Hell. Absolutely terrible for a solo player focusing on specific skills rather than being a hybrid. Of course if you're playing in a group which I sometimes do it's not a problem but for a solo it's enough to make you think about quitting!
xpresstuning
Member
Hell was like a brick wall for me. The difficulty spike from Normal to Nightmare felt good, i could handle it. Felt like a manageable challenge.
The difficulty spike from Nightmare to Hell felt like my balls were crushed. Huge difficulty spike which immediately prompted me to grind, trade for good gear and optimize my build.
Also, i haven't played the latest Ladder, and i don't know if you heard, but immunities in Hell should be far more manageable thanks to Sunder Charms.
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PeteBull
Member
There are ways to break immunities, u got so called sunder charms that put even immune mobs at 95% immunity only, and on top u got special spells on items any1 can use, that reduce temporarily enemies elemental resistance and even phys resistance.
https://www.gamerguides.com/diablo-...rs/builds/how-to-deal-with-monster-immunities bit of that deep master lvl knowledge there, dont get scared from the amount of info, its all really important, and yup game is hard to master, its not a modern game that makes u feel op, u gotta learn all the knowledge first and work for ur opness instead ^^
dreamstation
Member
Not playing season, just standard. Haven't played it for quite a while, and only recently leveled a new character after the D4 beta ended. Sunder Charms weren't a thing the last time I played. Just finished Hell on my Sorc now, level 81.
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PeteBull
Member
They are now avaiable both online and offline, and there are many other ways to go around immunities in the link i showed above.
Besides that there is ofc very simple but good working solution- u can skip mobs with immunities, or u can build ur character in a way to deal 2 different kinds of dmg from skills- example barbarian got magic dmg skill which u can reach at lvl 30 with only few skillpoints, and u use that- berserk- for mobs with phys immunity, for sorceres standard lvling build is called meterob or hydraorb(just google it) where u combine fire and ice skills to always be prepared for mobs in hell.
Or in case of necro- if u are summoner u put 1 point in amplify dmg curse which is +100% phys dmg increase, and breaks most phys immunities(some bosses still can be immune even after that, but even those can be killed if ur merc deals non phys dmg or u use corpse explosion on ur necro that deals both phys and fire dmg
Again add to that breaking immunity wands which u can buy from npc, sunders and many other items(but those are rng base so much harder to get), and immunities dont look scary at all.
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dreamstation
Member
Not saying they're scary, they're just bloody annoying. Like you said you have to faff around with shop wands, skip mobs entirely (which can be half or more of the mobs in an area) or you have to build a certain way (hybrid) rather than how you want to build. Probably the one thing I prefer in Diablo 3 over Diablo 2 is the no immunities.
mopspear
Member
Regarding the ability selection, there's an option to allow you to press a key and use the spell based on where you're aiming.
PeteBull
Member
Its oldschool game, same like in dark souls series cant mash buttons to steamroll bosses even if u got good gear/are overlvled, same in d2r, gotta be smart/use tactics/tricks later in the game vs some mobs, hell if u playing on sorceress she can just teleport away and kill only needed bosses and not mobs/bosses that got immunity vs her build(one exception is hell ancients, those guys are even much harder than hell baal and often do show up with very nasty immunities, but again, meteorb/hydraorb build + u can reset them by just clicking on town portal, and u dont even need to use lower resist wand that u get to buy from npc).
PeteBull
Member
few months back they introduced quick cast mechanics, its modern/intuitive and very ez to do
dreamstation
Member
I know it's an old school game I played the original D2 with friends when we were in high school and I'm playing D2:R with the same people I played the original with haha. Just saying it has always been the one thing that drags the game down for me and that hasn't changed. I have a Sorc, Javazon and a Pally all at end game and they all suffer from the same issues when playing solo. In a group it's fine. Anyway, it's still the best Diablo game by far!
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PeteBull
Member
Sorc in endgame breaks immunities ezpz, just needs endgame(rare/expensive) gear, same with javazon, pally is even more op coz if u go hamerdin then 99% of mobs dont have immunity vs his hammers, and u can use different skill to kill those very few that do, pally got special very unique builds like tesladin/auradin where u using items with auras that literally nulify immunities to 0/close to 0 so again, if u mean total endgame 0 problem with any immunities for u
dreamstation
Member
Exactly. I don't have those top tier rune words
All of my gear is SSF (except for a few items found by real life friends that I play with)And my Pally is Smite!
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PeteBull
Member
smiter is specific pally build only used to kill ubers/diablo clone, doesnt work vs anything else really, but im sure u know it, just keep in mind if u chose build that is only viable for those 2 things, that are indeed superendgame, it has humongous advantages in those 2 situations, basically can clear those bosses in potatoe sack while most other classes have huge difficulty clearing them even geared in BiS items.
Disadvantage of pally smiter is- its very slow/not viable for lvling/clearing game and any solo gameplay.
Disadvantage of pally smiter is- its very slow/not viable for lvling/clearing game and any solo gameplay.
dreamstation
Member
Yea I built the smiter for that reason and to help out our small group of friends. I don't really play it that often and it's only level 84 or so
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PeteBull
Member
84 on smiter is pr0 enough already, u made right choice
The_Mike
I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Diablo 2 lasted over 20 years and still holds on today.
Diablo 3 got fatigued many years ago already.
D4 beta did nothing for me.
D2 will last the next 20 years for me.
Game lacks end game activity for sure, but how fun is it running a greater rift 2000000 times as well.
Diablo 3 got fatigued many years ago already.
D4 beta did nothing for me.
D2 will last the next 20 years for me.
Game lacks end game activity for sure, but how fun is it running a greater rift 2000000 times as well.
gaming_again
Member
Weird game.
I'm about 10 hours in, on the last quest in act 1. I have a level 16 character.
If I turn it on I'll play for three hours and it'll go by in a flash. But I'm not exactly enjoying it? And I feel no compulsion to play it during the day when I'm at work - I'm not looking up lore vids or builds or whatever like I do with other games.
I really don't know what to make of it, or if I should continue with it. Is there a step up in fun in later acts?
I'm about 10 hours in, on the last quest in act 1. I have a level 16 character.
If I turn it on I'll play for three hours and it'll go by in a flash. But I'm not exactly enjoying it? And I feel no compulsion to play it during the day when I'm at work - I'm not looking up lore vids or builds or whatever like I do with other games.
I really don't know what to make of it, or if I should continue with it. Is there a step up in fun in later acts?
SCB3
Member
Yea I know how you feel, like I've also been playing Death Stranding again and have more of an urge to play that more than D2 despite actually liking it, I think it may be cause its a very old game at this point with a sequel due out in 3 months, almost like I'm wasting my time when I'm going to be moving on to the new one
Makes some sense I guess, but then again I've been fine with other games like this
PeteBull
Member
I can only repeat what i said few times, d2r is oldschool game, meaning w/o knowledge diablo community gathered for over 20 years the game existed u gonna make all kinds of rookie mistakes that will heavily impact ur gameplay/experience, dont even dream of discovering this stuff urself, u will play 5k hours and wont even discover 10% of true master lvl tricks, thats how much info is out there and how deep it goes.
Game doesnt have tutorials/pointers, community makes all the knowledge in the game being accessible to new players, u got really many sites, some official some unofficial, and hundreds or rather tousands on youtube videos with all kinds of guides/tips/tricks, that give u info about all aspect of the game.
Just to give u an idea on what lvl ppl can play that game, world records of beating game on normal difficulty go under 1hour on some characters(like sorceres, coz she has teleport skill), all others below 1,5h.
I suggest to look up online lvling build and follow it to a T, might be video if u prefer that format(both gear and skill wise its impossible to figure out stuff urself even if u had tens of years of experience playing other games, some mechanics are so hidden that u wont notice/discover it till u actually know where to look for and what to look for.
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
Diablo 2 is a perennial clasic.
Always worth it to boot up and kill some demons.
Always worth it to boot up and kill some demons.
dreamstation
Member
Guess what I had drop tonight. Cold immunity sunder charm so now I can pew pew anywhere. Hallelujah!
dreamstation
Member
Enter: Diablo 2: Resurrected!
Bulletzen72
Member
Played through D2R for the first time ever this week. I went Holy Fire aura Paladin and just played through the campaign on normal. That was enough for me, it's a bit too old and archaic for my tastes. I just don't have the nostalgia for the game as others do.
I went back to Grim Dawn which I originally backed on kickstarter back in the day and just had a lot more fun. I guess that game (along with Titian Quest) is my nostalgia hit when it comes to ARPG games. Those quality of life changes really make a difference.
Been playing a lot of Last Epoch too. It's fantastic!
I went back to Grim Dawn which I originally backed on kickstarter back in the day and just had a lot more fun. I guess that game (along with Titian Quest) is my nostalgia hit when it comes to ARPG games. Those quality of life changes really make a difference.
Been playing a lot of Last Epoch too. It's fantastic!
PeteBull
Member
I strongly recommend Grim Dawn too,really good and enjoyable, that should be how d3 should play, titan quest is like spirit predecesor to grim dawn, not bad but ultimately maybe 7/10, vs 9/10 grim dawn in my book
SCB3
Member
Weirdly I went to wish list this on steam and apparently I own it, I wonder if it was on a bundle or something, cool I'll give this a try on Steam DeckI strongly recommend Grim Dawn too,really good and enjoyable, that should be how d3 should play, titan quest is like spirit predecesor to grim dawn, not bad but ultimately maybe 7/10, vs 9/10 grim dawn in my book
Mephisto40
Gold Member
It feels clunky as hell after playing Diablo 4 tbh
PeteBull
Member
maybe check how it looks at endgame, coz early on ofc classes play slower/different vs how they can perform later when they got proper build/endgame items even melee class like barb can be very enjoyable
Completed normal campaign on my frenzy barb this week. Man what a fun ride. So many good memories.
Online is working really well, so will keep on leveling and just smash mobs and grind gear for a good while. Totally forgot that loot ok the ground was free for all... Must ruuuuun.
Online is working really well, so will keep on leveling and just smash mobs and grind gear for a good while. Totally forgot that loot ok the ground was free for all... Must ruuuuun.
I picked it up on sale last weekend and got my poorly skill optimized martial arts assassin into Act 4 at level 25. I completely forgot about the once per difficulty re-skill and burned it early on at like level 10 and that slowed me down a bit. When I re-spec in nightmare things will pick up more but my gear is also mostly shit but finding the upgrades and inching towards more power is still super fun. I only had to run countess twice to get my Stealth runes so that is the best thing I have. I do have one decent rare claw that I found as well. The building charges and unleashing them is a lot of fun.
For me one of the most frustrating things about it, and maybe because I'm a filthy casual playing with a controller now is that it is so easy to get hung up on the environment and in the tight corridors trying to get through doors. I constantly have my map overlay up as well.
The game does show it's age but from the tons of hours I played in high school both original and LoD, it's still pretty excellent too.
They did a really good job with the graphical update. It runs worse on my computer than Diablo 4 beta did but my PC is old as shit (i5 2500k o/c'd to 4.4, GTX 960 2 GB, 24 GB PC 1333)
Really enjoying my time with an old glowed-up friend
For me one of the most frustrating things about it, and maybe because I'm a filthy casual playing with a controller now is that it is so easy to get hung up on the environment and in the tight corridors trying to get through doors. I constantly have my map overlay up as well.
The game does show it's age but from the tons of hours I played in high school both original and LoD, it's still pretty excellent too.
They did a really good job with the graphical update. It runs worse on my computer than Diablo 4 beta did but my PC is old as shit (i5 2500k o/c'd to 4.4, GTX 960 2 GB, 24 GB PC 1333)
Really enjoying my time with an old glowed-up friend
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