Is D2 exp still popular?

[Orodinn]

Im the one who started the thread about diablo ii alternatives. I played Sacred for a few days but im already getting bored with it. Funny thing is that I really never played D2 LOD. I played the original diablo and D2 to death though. I guess Id really feel discouraged to start all over again, especially now that its been released so long ago. So basically, I need an update on the game. Hows the economy? Are there still many people playing it? What about hacks and all? Are there cheaters?

Up to this day, D2 is probably one of the game I had most fun with.

[onodrim]

I LOVE Diablo II:LOD, I could play it all day and be happy. It's my favorite game ever. But that's just me.

I don't really know how popular it is out there in the general public. As far as hacks and cheaters go - I've heard that if you play online, there is massive amounts of cheating going on. However, I've never tried the online play, so I can't speak from experience.

[BuddyHawks]

I still play on USEast ladder realm with thousands of other people.
the expansion pack is a large improvement from the origional game, and this year or last they came out with a new patch which has improved the game even further.
SOJ's are no longer the currency for ladder characters, everything is now worth runes. RUne words are now the best items.

As far as hacks go, blizzard says they now have banned all hacks. I played for about a month with the new patch and finally gave in and got maphack. I've been using it for about two months and have had no problems with blizzard. I wouldn't play without maphack. But aside from that, there isn't any "cheating" or "hacking" that goes on in closed b.net

Still the main attraction of the game is finding unique items and runes, then trading them in the channels. I have a Pally who does over 12000 damage with Blessed Hammer. I have nothing but the best gear for him. I guess I'm kinda getting tired of using him and will either give the game a rest or start a new character.

And the game is ten times more fun if there are some people who you play with.
AS far as graphics, i have no problem with them, and i can't stand playing games with bad graphics, even if the game was good when it came out. This is the oldest game that i still enjoy.

*BuddyHawks - USEast ladder

[Orodinn]

Alright, I just bought LoD. Now, my first character is a barbarian. When I quit, the barb was by far the best character around. Whirlwind was the skill. Coupled with a lance, life and mana leech, he was unstoppable. I really don't feel like scewing my first character so I'm gonna need some advices. What are the best skills right now? Are the characters still unbalanced as they used to be? What are the best type of weapons? Are lances still the best for whirlwind barbs? What about the other characters? Which one are fit for which situations? Tx

[heccubusiv]

It used to be really popular untill the lastest expansion pack came out 1.11 or 1.21. As soon as that came out the game got really hard and unfair and personally all of my friends and my entire clan dropped out. I had a few really high characters and a bunch of nice items and stopped as soon as the patch came out.

[BuddyHawks]

Originally posted by Orodinn
Alright, I just bought LoD. Now, my first character is a barbarian. When I quit, the barb was by far the best character around. Whirlwind was the skill. Coupled with a lance, life and mana leech, he was unstoppable. I really don't feel like scewing my first character so I'm gonna need some advices. What are the best skills right now? Are the characters still unbalanced as they used to be? What are the best type of weapons? Are lances still the best for whirlwind barbs? What about the other characters? Which one are fit for which situations? Tx

barbs are still the best melee character, although WW isn't as good as it used to be. as far as weapons go, the best is this:::

which can be made in any 6socket weapon.
basically, the three characters you see now are sorc, barb and pally.

personally, a pally who maxes blessed hammer, viggor, concentration, blessed aim, and holy shield is the best char in the game. for groups and bosses not so much pvp

[Orodinn]

So swords are now the best weapons for WW barbs? I really dont wanna screw my character up.

[BuddyHawks]

Originally posted by Orodinn
So swords are now the best weapons for WW barbs? I really dont wanna screw my character up.

i would say axe.
axe give you the most damage.
6socket eth BotD zerker axe one handed using stormshield

[Orodinn]

Just another question. Whats up with all those people whispering d2matrix and other websites that sell items. Are those items legit or what?

[BuddyHawks]

Originally posted by Orodinn
Just another question. Whats up with all those people whispering d2matrix and other websites that sell items. Are those items legit or what?

They are legit, but a major annoyance. The people are 'bots' (so no point in talking to them) that just surf the channels and join games spaming websites. They sell items for way too much money.

if you are into buying items, just use ebay.

[Ripsaw]

BuddyHawks -

You found two zods? Hmm.

I'm on when I can, USEast Ladder. I play legit, I haven't accepted any trades from people I don't know, and I don't have any runes above Hel right now. I'm working on getting a hammerdin and a strafeazon into hell. I also have a few characters in the low 20's - Polearm WW barb, Summon Necro, Chain Lightning Sorc, BladeFury Asn.

There are plenty of cheaters, plenty of hacks, and unfortunately, plenty of assholes. Something is going on right now, and I think it has to do with the removal of duplicated items. I'm in favor of any policing Blizzard North does.

[BuddyHawks]

Originally posted by Ripsaw
BuddyHawks -

You found two zods? Hmm.

The highest lvl rune i've "found" is a Gul (lvl 25) during a hell rush; wHich is a good way to get runes. i rush people in nightmare and hell for their hellforge quest in act 4.

I get items from doing hell meph runs on my hammerdin. since he has enigma which lets me teleport, he it takes about fifty seconds to do a meph run.

I then trade those runes and items for stuff i need.
ANd like i said, it helps to have people online you can trust and are willing to help you, cause much of it is easier as a team.

[rockzilla]

I've been playing d2 on and off since it came out. As you can tell by the response, it's still quite popular. I've given up on Bnet and now play single player exclusively since you're far more likely to find people begging for items and/or rushes than you are to find someone looking to actually play the game on Bnet.
If you haven't played much since the latest patch came out, the most important thing to think of now when building a character is skill synergies. Putting points into certain skills make other related skills more powerful, which you should keep in mind when deciding what your main skills and secondary skills should be.

[Orodinn]

Originally posted by rockzilla
I've been playing d2 on and off since it came out. As you can tell by the response, it's still quite popular. I've given up on Bnet and now play single player exclusively since you're far more likely to find people begging for items and/or rushes than you are to find someone looking to actually play the game on Bnet.
If you haven't played much since the latest patch came out, the most important thing to think of now when building a character is skill synergies. Putting points into certain skills make other related skills more powerful, which you should keep in mind when deciding what your main skills and secondary skills should be.

Thx. Its a good thing you mentioned that. I had no idea about the synergy thing. I don't think its gonna affect my barb though cause the only skills im raising are the iron skin, nat resis and whirlwind which are completely independant i guess.

I still got pretty crappy stuff, but theres this one guy who gave me 2 very good unique armor (around 550 et 750) and a unique 2-handed sword just because I gave him a waypoint. My luckiest "find" yet. I still cant equip them yet, but now im not so crappy anymore.

And no, im not into buying items off the internet. Finding items is the fun part.

[Orodinn]

Hey, I heard they were resetting the ladder. Is this true? Does blizz periodically reset the ladder? That would be great!! So I can start and actually be competitive instead of being the low level newb.

[Ripsaw]

Don't hold your breath on the ladder reset. Haven't seen it yet, and I'm skeptical that it would come without notice. If you want, PM me and I can help you level up. I enjoy playing through, and yes, sometimes I kick open every Large Jug and open every chest that I come across. I have a character that will complement anything you create, and if I don't, I'll make it.

[Orodinn]

Originally posted by Ripsaw
Don't hold your breath on the ladder reset. Haven't seen it yet, and I'm skeptical that it would come without notice. If you want, PM me and I can help you level up. I enjoy playing through, and yes, sometimes I kick open every Large Jug and open every chest that I come across. I have a character that will complement anything you create, and if I don't, I'll make it.

How long has this season been going? How many times have blizz resetted the ladder up to this day? When I used to play a few years back, there was no ladder.

I don't think I'm going to need any help leveling. Ive only been playing 2 days and I'm already lv 43. Still, itd be nice to know someone online so whats your character's name. Im on USeast ladder too. Name is Newbeeotch.