f13.net

Apparently I need to beat the game to play hardcore, which I'd forgotten and I have no save games backed up. So I'm just going to treat Fight like a hardcore character. She dies, I delete her.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot001.jpg)

Meet Fight. She's going to die very early. Don't get too attached.

I felt it would be best if I cleared out the overland through the cold plain before even tackling the Den of Evil (knowing, for a fact that Median XL makes all dungeons much harder as well as bosses). As such, consider this photo a memory. I can only hope my death is quick and painless.


Right as I left town, I found this off the first group of mobs:

Fortuitous indeed!

I clear out the first area and head out to the Cold Plains, encountering a boss. While running away and striking while I can, I manage to level halfway through battle and beat him. Oh my, loot drop increase along with difficulty increase. Me likey:

Oh, is that gold armor. Let's have that identified.


Score!

Now to finish the Cold Plains.

Was there a graphical overhaul or summat ?

I don't recall that icon, nor that gems were purple.

I don't know, but it's making my game-glands moist.

Once again Schild, you're going to have to excuse my extreme fucking ignorance and lack of reading comprehension.

Apparently, Median XL is some type of D2 mod, which not only explains it, but makes my loot gland swell with tumescence at the thought of applying it to this very copy of Diablo II currently on my work laptop.

Hmmm.

I feel ready!


Two minutes in, I have to run back to town, too much stuff.
That should be worth more, right?

While useless, I can't help but think that this is getting a little silly on the magic item front.


What the fuck? Crafting Points?! Wat.


This seems like a good time to stop. It looks like I have some documentation to read on this mod. I have encountered 4 new mobs, 5 new types of items not counting all sorts of weird shit in stores. Also, you START with the horardric cube. This shit be weird.

Edit: Note, I have still not done the Den of Evil.

This is just normal right? You should cheat to Hardcore.

I *should* but I don't know enough about the mod to keep from fucking it up outright with such a hack. I'll just beat it once through I guess, though, if this character dies, so does this radicalthon and another will arise once I unlock hardcore mode.

The rogue's test is complete.

I notice it adds more inventory.  Tabs even.

Wands are only super valuable if they have actual +skills on them. Well at least in non-modded D2.

Wherein we learn about the mod and I discover what's happening.

So, as it turns out, this mod has increased leveling speed and with it you get equipment at a much faster. Also, there's all sorts of new shit.

Also, it's a BETTER GAME. Believe it or not, I like the direction this modder took things. In short, it kicks ass and refreshes the hell out of diablo 2. The following images show Pearls of Wisdom, which in short, relay all the new information about the game to you.


Also, the colored gems to the left of them give you vague information (or sometimes exact) on uberquests and heroic dungeons. They also give level ranges. As you can see, the game is expanded a bit. And as you can see from the next screenshot, you level and get awesome shit a lot faster.


You'll see in the next few posts where I am in the game (and I'm already level 16).

Also, you can go into chat and type /players x where x is 1 through 8 - this mimics having additional players in game increasing difficulty, and the amount of exp and loot. I am currently playing at /players 4. Well, I'll try 6 next time I go in as survivability on 4 was a bit too high.

We left off with the rogue's test. I'm plowing through content to unlock hardcore mode, and things are going... well.

Fight was ready for Bloodraven. In fact, she didn't stand a chance, I plowed through her like a freight train, unfortunately her normally awesome morgues have been turned into heroic and uber dungeons, so I didn't even bother knocking to see if anyone was inside.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot00a.jpg)

Things got a little sketchy in the Dark Wood though as the modder thought it would be cool to introduce an entire race of mushroom headed bastards who all have charged hit.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot018.jpg)

What. The. Fuck. Thankfully, I had some lightning resist gear, so I don't know the full extent of their horrible powers. After retrieving the scroll, I made my way to Tristram. I recorded the door though, just because it was so awesome when I was younger.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot020.jpg)

Fake Edit:
Wands were ALWAYS more valuable than other stuff. Always. They just got insane if they had +skills on them. Even broken wands generally had + to animate skeleton and such though.

Things got a little sketchy in the Griswold fight as there were about 5 times as many creatures packed into that tiny zone. But I made it out alive while chugging potions!

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot024.jpg)

We close this tiny, and ultimately too fast adventure, with a shot of Cain walking away. I made sure to hum the Hulk music while he was making his way to the portal.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot025.jpg)

Unfortunately, things simply aren't as hairy as I expected. My survivability is a bit too high and the abilities seem overpowered in the early game. I'm hoping Andariel is still a huge bitchqueen though and I'll be sure to log that stuff when I get to it.

Clicking on this thread was a huge, huge fucking mistake.

Diablo 2 bug bitting you now?

No, it's already gnawed off a portion of my skull and is ready to feast on my moist gamer-gland.

Fight's last foray into the dark world yielded much... treasure. Having fought her way through The Hole, she left with quite the bounty:

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot030.jpg)

Yow. Also, she decided, against my better judgement, to do the Tower Cellar as well. Luckily, it proved not to be a problem with her new gold chainmail that was way too awesome.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot033.jpg)

Turns out this mod is so, sooooo giving. Probably because there's a bajillion levels an crafting. I think Fight is feeling like retiring already as she's level 18 in less than 2 hours played. Here's her stash having made it through the first half of Chapter 1.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/games/diablo%202/Screenshot035.jpg)

That /players X command is in the regular game too, at least if you play off of battle.net - when I got bored and played D2 last fall I was running my necromancer around on /players 8.

Everything is downloading on my home PC right now.  Thanks for the tip on this mod; looks like whole new game.  Can't wait to try it out, hopefully it'll stave off my desire for D3 for a bit.

Argh goddammit me too. D2 is still installed upstairs anyway and this mod is now calling my name. I can hear it when I close my eyes. Schild you bastard!  :ye_gods:

Oh my! This sounds like I'm about to have a lootgasm after I download this mod.

Damn you all! :ye_gods:

It's a weird, weird mod. It's not the D2 classes AT ALL but it's fun. Damnit.

Early Necromancer (lvl10) is stupid easy with summons.  The rank 1 summons own all, the rank2s I can't keep alive long enough to see how good they are. 

It's a fun mod though, it's pretty close to a whole new game. 

I have never taken the time to play the Diablo series, but thought about doing it before D3 hit. That said I must say that this thread is just not fair, too much god damn temptation. I actually went out and bought the Diablo Battle Chest. Fuck.

I don't understand what you're complaining about.

It's more agreeing with others that this thread is tempting into playing this (which isn't a bad thing at all), although poorly worded into sounding like a whine.

Lucky me.  My D2 disk is packed away and I have no clue which box it might be in.  I can laugh at all your weak-willed hijinks.

Ha ha!  Ha ha ha.  Ha he... heh... damn, which box is it!?!

LOL.

I made the mistake of registering all my CD-Keys w/ Blizzard Store downloads.  Now my crack is available anywhere I have administrative rights and internet.

I misplaced my disk before I knew about the service.

DAMN YOU SCHILD

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/f13/whatwhat.gif)

I have screens up through the sewers in Lut Gholein, I just haven't had time to get around to it. Been working on my game and the wiki almost exclusively with 10 odd minutes of D2 here and there.

What sort of Assassin are you playing, and how has the class been changed?

Last year I had to buy the battlechest and get some D2 on, and played an Assassin all the way through...the elemental explosions I was unleashing were pretty sick, meteors and all.

Play the mod, every class was totally changed along with the henchmen. I've no interest in explaining an entire new skill system.

Word of warning: this mod has some neato skills but I don't think the class design overall is that great; on the characters I've played/seen, by the mid levels combat is mostly just spamming a single AoE thing while running around so you don't die. And if you do multiplayer you will never know what's going on in combat because the screen will be too filled with explosions and novas and avalanches and shit.

Still worth playing though.

Sadly, fairly spot on. I've tried all the classes in the mod, and they all boil down to aoes at midlevel and a lot of avoidance. The faq stresses how defense is more important in the mod, but even at level 60 with 8000 def and max+ resists, shit was obliterating me on Terror(Nightmare) in just Act 1. Except when I'd aoe poison and kite, or aoe fire and kite.
So overall, some really neat features, but the classes are somewhat uninspired compared to Vanilla D2, where each class played entirely differently.

More updates!

Game more important! You go update your Dwarf Fortress thread or something! Mr. Nosy!

So necro's and barbs are fucked? I didn't see any decent AOE spells for either of them.

This quote is the most valuable piece of information I've learned today. Never knew you could tie your keys to the Blizz store!

Went back to the original game already. The loot is cool, the faster levelling is nice, but the classes all play basically the same.

Less mod critique.  More Radical.  Pleas hlep.  You're doing this so I don't have to.

I don't know what you guys are talking about... Did you only play 2 classes past act 1 and decide they all played the same?

I'm still playing. In act 5 with a summoning necromancer, and I seem to be killing shit pretty quickly even with /players 8. Probably has something to do with the fact that I rolled a unique bone wand and amulet that add to minions, + 11 total, and some runeworded boots that add +5 to shadows. I kind of fucked up though, didn't add to totemic mastery because I had another unique wand that added + to totems, now I can't run all the totems I need. Bleh.

Holy fucking Monty Haul.

I had a buddy who played with a similar 'mod', called Savefile Editor.  It was a slightly quicker way to bling yourself up with uber gear, but only slightly.

Holy shit!

This mod single handedly renewed my interest in the game. Sure the res still sucks ass and the gameplay is trite, but this is not your ordinary mod with tweaks to stats. There are wholesale replacements of skills, new monsters, epic dungeons. Pretty bad ass.

Nice find and thank you for posting... this will get my by until D3 comes out as alt game for when WoW bores me.

I've been playing Diablo 2 since the battlechest came out and it's gotten rather to the point where I know when and where something will show up, so I installed Brother Laz's Median XL for something different till D3 finally comes out. There is a lot I like about it, like being able to mod my own gear, but it would be nice if money wasn't quite so hard to get. You can find things which will let you mod, but if you buy them, be prepared to lay out up to 26,000 gold coins while the stuff you sell in town barely makes ends meet. Another gripe is that you have to start with a new character and cannot use one made without the mod.

That said, there have been some interesting surprises to the game itself. You know how you've gotten to the point where you've opened all the seals and are ready to kill Diablo? If you do, then you know once you've opened all the seals, you've killed off all the other baddies and just have to worry about Diablo, which is a rather simple kill.

Not in the Median mod. Oh no, you go trotting over to the central seal, ready to whack old Diablo, only to find like a kazillion kiss ass monsters ready to hand you your head. It took about 5 seconds to get my paladin ass handed to me and my Rogue archer took one hit before folding up with not even a whimper. After a few times of getting back to the 5 seals are open, go kill Diablo part, I can't afford to bring my merc back from the dead, so I'm wandering around with the players 8 setting on, trying to make enough money to get Tyrael to bring my henchwoman back. I ask you, what the heck does an archangel need with gold? Geez, here we are trying to save the world and he's got his hand out. At least there is a person in each town who'll cure you for free.

Ah well, back to gaming.

I fired up this mod for a bit.

Not a fan.

Basically I went tearing through everything with my Godadin, automatic AOE spells flying and demolishing everything on the screen.

Maybe I found it so boring because I just played D2 through a few weeks ago. And just quit WoW a month ago, which is kind of the same thing. Just with more cockblocking and better graphics.

Don't say things like that. It's wrong and makes my skin crawl.

I just started to play Diablo2 (no mods) again.  Fun game!  I think I only played it through once, and never cheated or got boosted or anything, so I'm pretty newbish.  Not enough inventory space! 

Inventory space drove me NUTS.

Also please give Diablo III asap thx.