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Diablo 2 - All News

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Saturday - April 16, 2022
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Box Art

Saturday - April 16, 2022

Diablo 2: Resurrected - 5 Million Copies sold / Patch 2.4 live

by Hiddenx, 17:15

Windows Central reports that over 5 million copies of Diablo 2: Resurrected have been sold. Polygon reports that patch 2.4 fixes 20 year old bugs:

Diablo 2 gets first major update in 11 years, fixes some 20-year-old bugs

Patch 2.4 for Diablo 2: Resurrected is live now

Blizzard Entertainment rolled out a major new update for Diablo 2: Resurrected on Thursday, a patch that made sweeping balance changes to and fixed numerous bugs in the classic click-and-kill action-RPG. Patch 2.4 for Diablo 2: Resurrected is the first major balance update to the game in more than 11 years and fixes some nasty bugs that players have faced since the original game launched in 2000.

Of note are two longstanding bugs with Diablo 2 that would have completely wiped out your character’s mana — making some classes effectively defenseless — or dealt too much damage — namely fire-enchanted monsters. From Blizzard’s extensive patch notes:

  • Fixed an issue where Unique monster packs with mana drain were draining way more mana than was intended
  • Fixed an issue where fire enchanted monsters were doing too much damage in Nightmare difficulty

Diablo 2: Resurrected developers said last year that they wanted to address bugs like the above, the unexpected results of miscalculations in the game’s code, that have long vexed players.
Andre Abrahamian, former game designer at Blizzard Entertainment and lead design for Diablo 2: Resurrected, said during a Q&A video session that the team in charge of the Diablo 2 remaster wanted to fix "things that are misinforming players," but leave "quirks" that could benefit players or that became part of the game’s meta as-is.

[...]

 

Thursday - September 30, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Reviews

by Hiddenx, 21:29

Henriquejr spotted some reviews for Diablo 2 Resurrected:

Gamerant - 4/5

PC Gamer - 80/100

PCGamesN - 8/10

Gamespot - 6/10

COG - 83/100

Gameinformer - 8.75/10

Saturday - September 25, 2021

Diablo 2 - Review @ PC Gamer

by Hiddenx, 15:06

PC Gamer published their orignal Diablo 2 review again:

Diablo 2 (2000) review

It's a whole new Baal-game...

To mark the launch of Diablo 2: Resurrected, we're publishing our original review of Diablo 2. This review ran in PC Gamer UK issue 86 in September 2000. We're working on a fresh review of Diablo 2: Resurrected now the game is live, and you can find Fraser's impressions here.

My arm hurts. And while there are some things I want to say about Diablo II which are by no means in its favour, my criticisms ultimately count for nothing when set against that pervasive muscular ache. Although I will call it repetitive and unoriginal, claim that it encourages inelegant play, and curse its fetishistic immaturity, the plain, painful fact is that Diablo II is the most brutally addictive game I've played since Half-Life. It devours time. You sit down for a quick play—just to find the next dungeon, you tell yourself; just to get your bearings in the next section—then you regain consciousness with the alarm clock ringing from the bedroom and an arm so tensed from all-night mouse-clicking that it barely feels part of you any more.

The game's fundamental hypnotic appeal is obvious; a tried-and-tested formula. You create a puny and impoverished character, then run around a fantasy world fighting monsters. Your efforts are rewarded with increasingly powerful weapons, armour and magical items, and an alter-ego which grows in ability as he or she gains experience. As the game progresses, then, you get to tackle more powerful monsters… and are rewarded with even heftier power-ups… which enables you to defeat even more powerful monsters… which results in a still further enhanced player-character… and so on.

[...]

And of course Diablo II compares unfavourably with a pure-bred fantasy-set RPG like Baldur's Gate in terms of variety, plot and dialogue. But the model here is Gauntlet, not Black Isle's recent forays into the genre. It's designed to be an accessible action-RPG with mass-market appeal, a compelling multiplayer mode and long­-lasting depth. And on those terms it succeeds magnificently.

The excellently differentiated character types, and the fantastic breadth of skills available within these classes, makes this a game which is genuinely worth playing several times over, trying different characters and tactics each time. In fact, I'd play it from the beginning again right now—as a Sorceress, this time—were it not for the fact that my arm hurts so very, very much…

Score: 90/100

Thursday - September 23, 2021

Diablo 2: Resurrected - Released

by Redglyph, 16:01

Diablo II: Resurrected has been released, it's now available for PC on Battle.net shop. Link to Blizzard's launch guide.

DIABLO II: RESURRECTED - LAUNCH GUIDE

The Lord of Terror has returned and the launch of Diablo II: Resurrected is nearly here! Before you begin your quest east, you will need to make a handful of necessary preparations. So, we’ve assembled a guide to make sure you return to Sanctuary with ease, especially as you ready yourself for battle against the forces of the Burning Hells.

[...]

Wednesday - September 22, 2021

Diablo 2: Resurrected - Now Available For Preload On PC

by Redglyph, 11:00

Troubled times for Blizzard, but the show must go on and Diablo 2: Resurrected is available for download. The remaster launches tomorrow (article and editorial note on Screenrant).

Players that preordered Diablo 2: Resurrected can now install the game and prepare to enter hell before its September 23 launch date.

[...]

Diablo 2: Resurrected launches on Thursday, but those who pre-purchased the game on PC can install it now through Blizzard’s Battle.net application. Diablo 2: Resurrected's arrival comes several months after the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase revealed its release date at E3 2021.

Diablo 2: Resurrected is the second remaster of Blizzard’s early-2000’s games to arrive after Warcraft III: Reforged. The project was strongly rumored prior to its official announcement this past February. Vicarious Visions, a subsidiary of Activision, designed the remaster of Diablo 2, dedicating a strict focus toward keeping the game as close to its original code as possible. The game contains user-interface overhauls, massive visual and audio improvements, and enhanced online and security systems that will support up to eight players. Although Diablo 2: Resurrected won't have ultrawide support - which was previously hinted in its alpha tests - developers are apparently looking into bringing such features down the line.

Diablo 2 has undergone a few visual improvements but remains as consistent with the original game as possible, giving it wide appeal to new audiences and veterans of the franchise alike. Unlike Warcraft III: Reforged - which disappointed fans of the original Warcraft III - the new Resurrected will reportedly not replace the original Diablo 2. In the event users want to return to the classic game that Vicarious Visions has recreated, they’re free to do so. Resurrected is, however, expected to hold the franchise over until the release of Diablo 4.

The preload option is a great reminder for those who pre-purchased the game to brush up on their Diablo 2 class knowledge while they still can. Others might be more skeptical about pre-ordering game titles, instead looking to see how they're received before making any kind of decision. Either way, there are a little under two days to go until the gates of hell are opened on Battle.net.

Tuesday - August 31, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Barbarian Class Trailer

by Redglyph, 10:07

XBox has released a class trailer of Blizzard's upcoming remake. Diablo 2: Resurrected will be released on September 23rd on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

Diablo II: Resurrected | Barbarian Class Trailer

Ready your war cry.

Become the Barbarian in Diablo II: Resurrected.

Available September 23rd on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox X|S

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Saturday - August 28, 2021

Diablo 2 - Median XL Mod v2.0 Now Available

by Silver, 10:48

Version 2.0.1 of the Diablo II overhaul mod Median XL is now available.

The most popular Diablo II overhaul modification, Median XL is an action RPG with extensive endgame content, deep character customisation and challenging gameplay. It offers thousands of new items, new skills for all classes, and multiple improvements to the Diablo II engine.

Current Version: 2.0.1 (08.27.2021)

Requires a Diablo II: Lord of Destruction installation

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Thursday - August 26, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Looks like old Diablo 2 @ RPS

by Hiddenx, 17:29

Henriquejr spotted a Diablo 2 Resurrected preview on Rock Paper Shotgun:

The best new thing in Diablo II: Resurrected is making it look like old Diablo II

Time travel 20 years in an instant

The weekend just gone was the open beta for Diablo II: Resurrected, which is what you call a game when you're remastering it and want to get cute with me. But in fairness to it, Diablurrected does look very lovely and fresh. It's like when you get a spang new pair of jeans and look at yourself in the mirror. Somehow the new togs really enhance what was already there.

In this case, though, what's already there is pretty brilliant. It's Diablo II, for crying out loud. By my estimate, it's one of the best games ever made, and it's hard to serve me a bad version of it. Admittedly, I was only running about in single player, so can't comment on the lack of decent multiplayer features (and I did actually run into a couple of annoying lag problems even by myself), but by and large, Resurrected is the Diablo II experience we were all expecting. Sort of like pizza, or an ice cream sundae. You put that in front of me, I'm going to derive a base level of satisfaction.

[...]

Wednesday - August 18, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Open Beta

by Hiddenx, 17:33

Henriquejr spotted that Diablo 2: Resurrected will get an open beta:

Diablo 2: Resurrected gets an open beta this weekend

Try out five classes across the first two acts.

The beta for Diablo 2: Resurrected is open to everyone this weekend.

It's already been running for nearly a week for those who've pre-ordered the game or received a key through Twitch, but this weekend will see the beta open up to all players. It'll be available in both single-player and multiplayer modes, with cross-progression between PC and consoles enabled

[...]

Source: PC Gamer

Thursday - April 15, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Performance Preview

by Hiddenx, 17:33

IGN checked out the peformance of Diablo 2 Resurrected:

Diablo 2 Resurrected Alpha: An Impressive Update - Performance Preview

Diablo 2 just wrapped its Resurrected Alpha on PC and the improvements are apparent. What's even more impressive is how the Diablo 2 Alpha runs on a technical level. While it may have been only an alpha at this point, this version of Diablo 2 is striking all the right performance notes with fans as many are excited to play again when the full release is here.

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[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Saturday - March 06, 2021

Diablo 2 - Keep your Save Files

by Hiddenx, 12:05

IGN reports that Diablo II Resurrected can import old Diablo II save files.

Thanks for the info, Henriquejr!

Sunday - February 21, 2021

Diablo 2 Resurrected - Mod Support Confirmed Plus PC Requirements

by Silver, 20:10

DSOGaming reports on Diablo 2 Resurrected PC requirements and confirms there will be mod support.

According to the specs, PC gamers will at least need an Intel i3-3250 or AMD FX-4350 with 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7850. Blizzard recommends using an Intel Core i5-9600k or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 with 16GB of RAM. For gaming at 1080p, the team recommends using an Nvidia GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics card.

Diablo 2 Resurrected will release on PC in 2021. Below you can find its full PC requirements, as well as its first official screenshots.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Wednesday - November 20, 2019

Diablo 2 - Source Code Lost

by Silver, 10:37

GamePressure reports that the source code for Diablo 2 has been lost, leading to speculation around the future of a potential Diablo 2 Remaster.

Fans of the iconic Diablo II would like to see the remaster of the game on their screens. Some of them would probably prefer to return to the world of the Sanctuary in the refreshed Diablo II rather than in the recently announced fourth installment. However, the devs of the original version believe that the chances are low, because its source code has been damaged. However, not everything makes sense in the statements given to the editorial staff of GameSpot.

Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the fathers of Diablo, were guests at the ExileCon 2019. During one of the panels, they were asked about the most horrible moment in the developing of the second installment. It turns out that after 11 hours of work, developers irretrievably lost the code core and all resources. They didn't foresee such a problem, so they didn't make any backups.

[...]

Tuesday - January 29, 2019

Diablo 2 - Median XL Mod Released

by Silver, 12:00

The Median XL Mod for Diablo 2 has been released.

The most popular Diablo II overhaul modification, Median XL is an action RPG with extensive endgame content, deep character customisation and challenging gameplay. It offers thousands of new items, new skills for all classes, and multiple improvements to the Diablo II engine.

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Tuesday - December 11, 2018

Diablo 2 - Median XL Mod Releases January 18th

by Silver, 01:24

@DSOGaming The Diablo 2 Median XL Mod Releases January 18th.

Diablo 2: Median XL will feature new skills, new monsters, new bosses, new areas and new items. What’s also really interesting is that this mod will be powered by a new engine that will also come with a new inventory, support for high resolutions and a bigger inventory.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

Thursday - May 10, 2018

Diablo 2 Remake Mod - Public Testing Friday

by Silver, 11:02

PCGamesN reports that a public test for an ambitous Diablo II remake mod will occur this Friday.

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An enthusiastic modder is recreating Diablo II: Lord of Destruction in StarCraft II’s map editor, and it will be available for public testing on Friday.

StarCraft II’s still one of the best strategy games around. Check out our list!

 

The Curse of Tristram: Destruction’s End is an impressive free game mod for StarCraft II, which developer egod123 aims to release as a series of custom maps through Battle.net. He’s opening a public test this Friday, May 11, where the first six zones of the game will be available along with three difficulty modes.

[...]

Saturday - September 23, 2017

The Curse of Tristram - BETA dev blog 2

by Silver, 15:23

The Curse of Tristram is a mod to recreate Diablo 2 using the Starcraft 2 Arcade editor. The latest dev blog shows off what has been achieved so far.

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You are watching the development of the Starcraft2 Arcade Editor project The Curse of Tristram Please, support me by Subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/user/egodbout2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecurseoftr...
Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/egod123
Discord: https://discord.gg/vUN33WV

Wednesday - June 21, 2017

Diablo 2 - Remastered Edition Coming?

by Hiddenx, 19:02

AusGamers thinks that Blizzard will remaster Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3:

It Sounds Like Blizzard are Remastering Both Warcraft III and Diablo II

In a new Blizzard job posting looking for a Senior Software Engineer, the description hints at possible remasters coming for both Warcraft III and Diablo II. Yeah, this is pretty exciting news! This is in addition to the existing StarCraft HD remaster that is coming this year.

It's hard to read the following and not take it that Warcraft III and Diablo II remasters are on the way.
Compelling stories. Intense multiplayer. Endless replayability. Qualities that made StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II the titans of their day. Evolving operating systems, hardware, and online services have made them more difficult to be experienced by their loyal followers or reaching a new generation.

We’re restoring them to glory, and we need your engineering talents, your passion, and your ability to get tough jobs done.

Monday - May 29, 2017

Diablo 2 - Median XL Mod Update

by Hiddenx, 19:18

PC Gamer reports that the Diablo 2 full conversion Median XL just got a big update:

Diablo 2's Median XL mod just received a huge update

It increases the level cap and adds heaps of new content.

The developers of Median XL describe their creation as "the greatest Diablo II full conversion mod", and you know, they might have a point. It's a massive modification that adds piles of new skills and items, improved AI, endgame "uberquests" and more. It's where you go when you want more Diablo, but you don't want to turn to Diablo III.

The enormo-mod just got even more, er, enormous with its 2017 update, which arrived a few days ago. You can find the full changelog here, and grab the mod itself from here, and if you don't fancy combing through that huge document, I've summarised the main additions below.

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[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Sunday - October 16, 2016

Diablo Series - Diablo 2 vs Diablo 3

by Silver, 22:19

Indigo Gaming compares Diablo 2 to Diablo 3 and asks which is the better Diablo by comparing what made each game great.

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Join Indigo as he looks back and compares Diablo II with its successor, Diablo III in a point-by-point rundown of what made each a great game, as well as their individual failings.

Monday - April 11, 2016

Diablo 2 - Starcraft 2: Remake of Diablo 2

by Silver, 06:01

A mod for Starcraft II that remakes Diablo II in it called The Curse of Tristram: Destruction's End.

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If you appreciate the "Free Models" project consider making a contribution to keep the project going.

Thx you all

 

Sunday - April 10, 2016

Diablo 2 - New Patch 1.14b

by Hiddenx, 11:46

There is a new patch for Diablo II available. Version 1.14b:

Patch 1.14b: Specific Changes & Improvements

  • Glide Wrapper will now load properly on PC by adding -3dfx to the end of the game shortcut
  •  Mercenaries will no longer become “An Evil Force”
  • Fixed Mac client crash on “Save & Exit”
  • Capped the frame rate to 200 to save batteries, spare system load, and prevent hot lap syndrome
  • Created new German installers to fix localization issues in Act V (Will require a fresh install to fix the missing dialogue data)

Thanks henriquejr & Dark Savant!

Saturday - March 12, 2016

Diablo 2 - New Patch 1.14a

by Hiddenx, 07:30

Diablo 2 got a new patch to make it more compatible with modern systems:

It’s been a long time coming, but today we’re releasing 1.14a for Diablo II.

This update focuses on system glitches introduced by modern operating systems. In related news, you can finally retire those old Mac PowerPCs. Included with the update is a shiny new installer for OSX.

We’ve also begun working to improve our cheat-detection and hack-prevention capabilities. There’s still work to be done, but we’re making improvements every day.

There is still a large Diablo II community around the world, and we thank you for continuing to play and slay with us. This journey starts by making Diablo II run on modern platforms, but it does not end there. See you in Sanctuary, adventurers.

Watcher Xian found a few issues on Battlenet:

From Battlnet forum user DHA:

  • 3dfx glide doesn't work anymore, you must run d2 in direct3d with vsynch enabled (60fps MAX), in full screen, the game is lagging, the cursor is slow and delayed. (At least 50+ people can confirm that). 
  • /FPS cmd doesn't work ingame in full screen Video Test is removed
  • Screenshoots doesnt work properly : http://i67.tinypic.com/5yfcaq.jpg
  • You can't adjust brightness, gamma, constrast anymore in full screen
  • A new bug introduced : merc bug " merc is now bugged and his icon vanishes after some time, you can also move away from him quite a bit and he will vanish as well, you will also be unable to open his equipment then and gotta rejoin the game to fix this"

 

Wednesday - September 09, 2015

Diablo 2 - In Their Own Words

by Silver, 04:22

Usgamer has a lengthy retrospective up on Diablo 2. They interview David Brevik, Max Schaefer, and Erich Schaefer who recount the battles with Blizzard, crunch-time, and the stories behind some of Diablos mechanics. Fifteen years after its original release its a good time to look back at this memorable game.

And when we made Battle.net, we knew the Internet existed and all this kind of thing, but it was like, if someone wants to hack their game, it's fine. They can ruin their own experience. But, then we realized, oh, crap, they can take that hack and they can put in on the internet, and now everybody has it. It wasn't just one person who was going to ruin their experience. So there was a real desire after seeing some of the feedback and seeing what was going on with the hacking to fix this in a real way.

 

Friday - January 09, 2015

Diablo 2 - Retrospective @ Chalgyr's Game Room

by Couchpotato, 01:35

Chalgyr's Game Room released another retrospective article a few weeks back that I though might interest you guys. This time he takes a look back at Diablo II.

When it first came out Diablo 2 was a slight disappointment. The graphics were mediocre, lacking in detail, variety and colors. Moreover, the save system was not practical: if you saved you had to exit the game and when you returned all enemies has respawned, even bosses. Despite these flaws, the more you played the more you discovered the game’s depth. I set as a life goal to finish it with the amazon (I had completed the first Diablo with the amazon too, who was called rogue then) and after many years I did it.

Monday - November 10, 2014

Diablo 2 - Postmortem @ Gamasutra

by Couchpotato, 06:15

Gamasutra reposted an old Postmortem of Diablo II from Blizzard back from 2000.

Diablo II never had an official, complete design document. Of course, we had a rough plan, but for the most part we just started off making up new stuff: four towns instead of the original game's one; five character classes, all different from the previous three; and many new dungeons, vast wilderness tile-sets, and greatly expanded lists of items, magic, and skills.

We wanted to improve upon every aspect of the original. Where Diablo had three different armor "looks" for each character, Diablo II would use a component system to generate hundreds of variations. Where Diablo had "unique" boss monsters with special abilities, Diablo II would have a system for randomly generating thousands of them. We would improve the graphics with true transparency, colored light sources, and a quasi-3D perspective mode. Level loads would be a thing of the past. The story would be factored in from the beginning and actually have some bearing on the quests.

We knew creating this opus would be a big job. Because we had the gameplay basics already polished, we figured we would hire some new employees, create some good tools, and essentially make four times the original game doing only two times the work. We estimated a two-year development schedule.

Sunday - October 30, 2011

Diablo 2 - 1.13d Patch

by Dhruin, 00:38

You certainly can't accuse Blizzard of not supporting their titles, with a new patch released for Diablo II fixing a known dupe method, new features for "Ignore" and some other bug fixes.

Source: Blues News

Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Diablo 2 - 10 years today - Celebration @ Blizzard.com

by Aries100, 18:20

Blizzard Entertainment has made a page celebrating Diablo 2's 10 year's anniversary. The page features screenshots, the theme song from the game and much more. Here's an excerpt:

Diablo II did more than just expand on the core feel and mechanics of the original game. It took a traditional dungeon crawl and opened up the game world with vast exterior zones and intricate, randomly generated dungeons. Diablo II took players from desert sands to the darkest jungles on a quest that would ultimately lead them into the depths of the Burning Hells.

According to Gamebanshee, Icewind Dale was released 10 years ago, too.

 

Source: GameBanshee

Tuesday - March 23, 2010

Diablo 2 - 1.13 Patch & Ladder Reset Today

by Korplem, 22:10

Blizzard has released the 1.13 patch which will allow players to respec their characters along with minor bug fixes and tweaks. 

Along with the patch, Blizzard also reset the Battle.net ladders. 

Wednesday - March 17, 2010

Diablo 2 - 1.13 & Ladder Reset March 23rd

by Woges, 12:10

Bashiok's post informs, on the Battle.net forums, that the latest patch for Diablo 2 will be applied shortly. Quoted in full below.

We will be resetting the Diablo II ladder on March 23 with the release of patch 1.13. We anticipate all Diablo II realms to be down for approximately six hours during the reset. More specific information on realm availability on the day of the reset will be posted in the Battle.net Status forum. When the ladder is reset, all existing ladder characters will be converted to non-ladder. All characters and items being converted to non-ladder will remain intact, but once converted these characters will no longer have access to ladder content such as creating ladder-only rune words. For more information on ladder characters please visit the Arreat Summit Realm Character Types page at http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/basics/charactertypes.shtml

Source: Blues News

Wednesday - February 24, 2010

Diablo 2 - 1.13 Patch on PTR

by Dhruin, 19:35

The long-awaited v1.13 patch for Diablo 2 is now live on the Public Test Realm, if you're keen to give it a spin.  Full details, including patch notes, in this thread.

Source: Blues News

Tuesday - January 12, 2010

Diablo 2 - 1.13 Patch back in Development

by Woges, 15:09

Bashiok posts an update on Diablo 2's 1.13 patch.

The legacy team met late last week to decide how to proceed on the 1.13 patch and the decision was made to go back into development to incorporate a few additional changes. While this patch has already seen its fair share of delays we still want to ensure we’re releasing a patch that hits some key community issues. I do want to stress though that while we did look at feedback and responses we’re obviously not going to be able to include everything requested. Our hope is to hit at least a decent portion of what we saw people discussing and correct some of the more severe issues while keeping additional development time as brief as possible.

We don’t have a current estimate for release, and because work is only just beginning on these new changes we won’t be announcing their details. We’ll be keeping everyone updated as to the progress of the patch though, and we hope to see this update on the PTR as soon as possible and then off quickly to a release and ladder reset.

Source: diii.net

Friday - January 08, 2010

Diablo 2 - Curiosities @ IncGamers

Friday - December 11, 2009

Diablo 2 - v1.13 Live & FAQ

by Skavenhorde, 14:14

Blizzard has released the v1.13 patch for testing. There is a FAQ detailing all of the changes over at the Diablo II forums. Anyone can try out the patch. All you have to do is change your Battle.net gateway to ClassicBeta. When you log in the patch will be applied to your game. You will have to create a new account in this realm. If you decide you don't want to use the patch anymore just log back into any of the other gateways.

There are some major changes to the game. For instance players on Hell Difficulty will have a series of new tests. There are only hints as to what this will be, but it has something to do with the bosses and it spans across the world from the Den of Evil to the Throne of Destruction. In addition you can now respecialize your chacter after completing the 'Den of Evil' quest. You will recieve one additional respec.

Skills have been balanced once again. Mostly one or two changes, but a few classes get more than that.

A few of the other changes include higher rune drops, removed requirements to create a hardcore character, reduced the explosion damage dealt by Fire Enchanted mosters, Uber Mephisto and Uber Baal's summoned minions no longer give experience and many more tweaks to the game.

There are your usual bug fixes as well.

Source: EuroGamer

Friday - October 16, 2009

Diablo 2 - v1.13 Update

by Dhruin, 23:00

Bashiok updates the v1.13 patch thread at the Blizzard forums:

The decision on whether or not to include the enlarged stash size has been slightly delayed. As mentioned previously it would require some additional weeks of development and would remove one of the most requested features were we unable to include it. If it were to be included the concern is that it could render Diablo II unplayable, and repairing the issue after the fact would draw heavily on development resources. Which is also something we obviously want to avoid.

We hope to be able to reach a conclusion and decision soon on the future of the 1.13 patch, and we’ll keep you updated as it develops.

Source: Blues News

Tuesday - September 15, 2009

Diablo 2 - Addictive, but is it fun? @ TechReport

by Dhruin, 22:15

TechReport argues that Diablo II (and WoW, for that matter) may be addictive but they're not "fun", because "not much happens".  Plenty of grey area there to argue about on both sides of the fence:

With that said, I feel like Diablo II and World of Warcraft manage to be devastatingly addictive without feeling very rewarding—for me, at least—simply because Blizzard designed them only to stimulate the ever-loving crap out of the human brain's reward center. When I play Diablo II, I am rewarded for my tireless, ceaseless clicking. I play a fairly popular mod called Eastern Sun (a friend admonishes me constantly for this, saying he thinks vanilla Diablo II is better), and with the tweaked drop rate and vastly increased number of uniques, set items, and so on, I get to see all kinds of new and exciting gear. Goals are set for which items to grind or gamble for, what level to hit, and so on.

By the time all is said and done, though, I may have bumped up a couple of levels and amassed a veritable wealth of gear, but nothing has actually happened. Even in the game, progress doesn't seem that exciting. The story itself never struck me as being terribly compelling, crippled by how orderly the game plays out. I never really feel like I'm getting anywhere, knowing I'll just be playing the same five acts on a harder and then harder-still difficulty level.

Source: Blues News

Sunday - September 06, 2009

Diablo 2 - v1.13 Patch Update

by Dhruin, 00:01

On the Test Realms "soon" is the comment from Blizzard's Bashiok on the 1.13 patch for Diablo II:

Work commences on patch 1.13. We won't be providing any information on when the patch will be available, except that we expect the PTR to be available "soon". We will provide some amount of warning very, very shortly before the PTRs become available. Please keep in mind that any number of factors could delay the start of the PTR and ultimate release of the patch. Thanks for being patient, we're getting close now.

Spotted at Blue's but originally from Planet Diablo.

Source: Blues News

Friday - July 24, 2009

Diablo 2 - Unofficial Resolution Patch

by Dhruin, 23:32

Worthplaying has an unofficial resolution patch for Diablo 2 that allows "resolutions other than 640x480 and 800x600", although they don't provide other details or the original source.  If you have a play with it, let us know the details.

Thursday - July 02, 2009

Diablo 2 - v1.13 Update

by Dhruin, 00:50

Bashiok has posted an update about the Diablo II v1.13 patch on the Blizzard forums.  It's a long-ish post but the essence is they had to get a Warcraft III exploit out of the way first:

The Warcraft III patch is now on the Public Test Realm (PTR) and testing is progressing. Once that patch is released work can shift back to Diablo II and the 1.13 patch, and we'll be working to getting that patch up on its own PTR as soon as possible. This could be a matter of weeks. Once it's up and in a testing state for all of you, it's then going to be a matter of ensuring the features are good and it's a solid patch. The more people we have testing the patch and providing valid feedback, the better the patch will be, and hopefully the quicker it will be released. So that's my challenge to you. You've been waiting a long time, you want an awesome patch, you want a reset. To get all that, we need good solid testing and feedback, reproduction steps for bugs, detailed descriptions of issues or errors, etc. So once this goes live on the PTR, I expect some crazed-youruinedtheeconomy-testing.

Source: Blues News

Thursday - April 23, 2009

Diablo 2 - Patch & Ladder Reset Imminent

by Woges, 13:40

D2 to be patched and another ladder round to begin.

We’re preparing for a Diablo II ladder reset to coincide with the release of the 1.13 patch that’s currently in development. We don’t have a final release date for the patch yet, but we’re providing early warning as a reset could occur as early as the end of April. We’ll be providing updates with more certain dates once the patch is closer to release.
Please be aware that with a ladder reset all ladder characters are moved to non-ladder. This means that your characters will still be accessible but will no longer have access to ladder-only features and games. In order to play in the new ladder season after the reset you will need to make new ladder characters.
This thread will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Source: Blues News

Wednesday - March 04, 2009

Diablo 2 - Asking for Input on v1.13

by Dhruin, 21:09

Blizzard is asking for input on a future v1.13 patch for Diablo II.  Here's the post on the official boards:

We’re in the process of working on Diablo II content patch 1.13, and we want to try to include the Diablo community’s most important changes in our production schedule. To achieve this we’re asking for your input on what you’d like to see in this patch. However, we’re making it a bit stricter than a full-blown wish list.

If you were to get an advance look at the patch notes for Diablo II 1.13, what is the one patch note you would want to see?

Our goal is to get an overall sense of the single most important request from every member of the community. We want as many posts as we can get for the largest cross section, so if you have friends who used to play Diablo II or just don’t frequent the forums as much as you do, let them know this is here so we can get their “#1 patch note” too.

Please be mindful that we’re not going to be able to make every change mentioned, but hopefully with your feedback we can prioritize and do our best to cover as much as possible.

Source: Blues News

Wednesday - November 05, 2008

Diablo 2 - 7 Reasons it Kicked Butt @ Games Examiner

by Dhruin, 22:37

In anticipating Diablo III, Games Examiner looks back at 7 Reasons Diablo II Kicked Butt:

Great classes and class strategies

No, Diablo II didn't have that mindblowing never-seen-before class, though the Druid and Assassin classes added with the Lord of Destruction expansion offered a few things rarely seen in RPGs like combo moves and shapeshifting. What Diablo II did have was strong classes with their own unique feel. But what really put them apart was the ability to specialize in different areas, which meant each class might have a half dozen or more strategies that could be exploited through clever class builds.

Thanks, Diii.net.

Friday - August 08, 2008

Diablo 2 - Retrospective @ GwJ

by Dhruin, 22:48

Gamers with Jobs has a piece on Diablo II as the writer plays it for the first time.  He's a little underwhelmed but it might be worth noting the time delay and the fact that he clearly plays a lot of WoW.  Here's a sample:

I was quite surprised to find that most of the game consisted of a complex dance between inventory management, entrepreneurial trading of discarded items, and opportunity-cost assessment. Do I keep the Ring of Shiny that gives me a +2 to Mana Regeneration and increases my light radius by +3, or do I equip the Fabulous Steel Ring of Oiled Muscle that adds +45 to my Attack Rating? Decisions, decisions. I knew that I would later find a ring that would do all of the above (likely to a more impressive degree) and imbue me with the ability to fold origami penguins. At that moment, however, it was the most important decision I would ever make.

Source: GameBanshee

Thursday - July 10, 2008

Diablo 2 - Equipment Database Overhaul @ Gamebanshee

by Magerette, 19:29

In the wake of the recent Diablo III announcement, Gamebanshee has experienced an itch to revisit Diablo II and in the process considerably revamped their equipment database.

You can check it out here on their all things Diablo II page.

Wednesday - June 18, 2008

Diablo 2 - v1.12 Patch

by Dhruin, 02:57

Huh.  Our first Diablo II post here at RPGWatch.  Blizzard has released a v1.12 patch that removes the copy protection:

- Patch 1.12

Downloadable Installer Support

- If all required Diablo 2 '.MPQ' files are installed on the hard drive, the game will no longer require the CD to play.

For users that originally performed a 'Full Installation' and wish to run without the CD, all '.MPQ' files should be copied from the Diablo 2 CDs to the Diablo 2 directory. Most users will only need to copy D2Music.mpq from the Diablo 2 Play CD and/or D2xMusic.mpq from the Lord of Destruction CD. Mac users will need to copy these music files and rename them to 'Diablo II Music' and 'Diablo II Expansion Music' respectively.

Anyone who did not perform a 'Full Installation' will need to re-install from CD again to ultimately play without the CD. In this case, a 'Full Installation' is required, followed by file copy step noted above.

Bug Fixes

- Fixed an incompatibility between Rosetta and OpenGL mode on Intel Mac.

Source: Worthplaying

Information about

Diablo 2

Developer: Blizzard

SP/MP: Single + MP
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: Hack & Slash
Combat: Real-time
Play-time: 40-60 hours
Voice-acting: Full

Regions & platforms
World
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2000-01-07
· Publisher: Blizzard