Reminder: Diablo II - 2014 Ladder Reset is May 27th

That's right, this is just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the Diablo 2 Ladder Reset for 2014!

So get ready - stock up on energy drink and tell your friends you won't see them much for the next while - and get on that Ladder! Have fun playing, my wonderful readers - and enjoy being on the Top Of The Heap

(at least until the botters get going)

See You In The Games!

Diablo 2 - Ladder Reset May 2012 - with Screenshots

For those of you still playing Diablo2 off and on, a new season of Ladder starts the 2nd of May, 2012! Don't worry, Blizzard has stated that it is NOT, I repeat, it is not the last ladder reset of D2, just because D3 is coming out:



See that, Other Game Companies? That's how you keep your customer base coming back for more... Thank you, Blue.

Heck there are still tens of thousands of players online and many more messing around on Single Player. I myself have recently been trying out The Cheat Engine on Single Player, but with the Hero Editor there is really no need, as you can give your character level 90+, level 90+ skills and max out your stash with goldz for gambling. Do a few Boss Runs, save the items as files, then you can import them into the other characters! I hope Diablo3 has this sort of thing... I don't want to sound like 'that forum guy/girl', but I may not purchase Diablo3 if it doesn't have Single Player. Even the annoying must-have-an-internet-connection Single Player is fine, as long as cheats and utilities are allowed for those of us who want to beef up our characters. [Must not... include rant about online single player games and them not working when servers/companies go down and how they should all be like Diablo2...]

Speaking of D3 (a separate post will be made about the beta), it seems like Gold and other things are all server-side. This makes sense, since D3 items are going to be able to be sold for "Real Life Money" and you don't want some hackers giving their characters a million goldz to sell for real cash. However, again, for those of us who like to supe-up our characters, the ability to have (built in?) cheats of some sort would be nice for isolated/offline single player gameplay. I purposely do not read/view too much on a game before it comes out and I haven't heard anything about Single Player in D3 and how it's going to be handled yet.

Distraction! This is a post about Diablo2, and so let's bring it back with some screenshots:

My Necro in NM Den. If you can change the game running from DirectDraw to DirectX, I highly recommend it.
The shading and colors are superior.

My Barbarian following in a Chaos and Baal Run in Nightmare. Yup, that's what I call the Necromancer Clay Golems.

My Hydra Sorceress running Hell Countess for Runes. My strategy was usually to teleport to her [I miss the old 3-level Tower] and then let the hydras kill her and her guards off. Pretty easy with decent Hydras. The one Hydra on me is for defence of the position.

Ahh! This is what happens when you don't play your characters for 90 Days and someone takes your name before you sign in again. Drat, I don't mind losing the item holders but she was a good sorc. Oh well, a chance to make new!

My 83 Wind Druid on Ladder. I was in the top 10 at the beginning, then stayed in the top 50 for a while, but I just can't keep playing and keep up. It was fun for a while anyway and I got some fast levels with good groups.

My Windy Druid found Ali Baba, woot! What's the best character to MF with these days?

Going through some items from Ladder on my Item Holders and found Warshrike, a nice throwing dagger weapon. Now where's my Throwing Barb again?

Found Jalal's Mane for my Bear Druid. Yesss!

My Bear Druid's Stun Strategy. Want easy PvM (player versus monster) fights? Just level a Druid to 24 and get Shockwave. Coupled with a nice strong Grizzly, just 'Stun-Em-And-Run-Em': Shockwave stun and let your merc and grizz clear em out. The only thing you have to worry about is what loot to pick up when it's all over.

My Necromancer can use Charged Bolt! Ok, he can't, but my Bonemancer entering Hell WSK looks like he does in this screenshot, due to some Lightning Enchantedseses-es near the Waypoint.  Don't forget kids, if you hold the mouse farther away from your character when you cast Teeth, they will come out in a narrower cone, and if you hold the mouse closer to your character, they will come out in a wider spread.

A quarter of a million gold for dying? Man, I hope this doesn't happen in D3.. Ah, well it was about time for a break anyway..

That's it for now, see you in there!

N.B.: This post has been copy/pasted to a few blogs out there (that seem to mainly just copy/paste others' work). This is the original article (our logo is in the screenshots still and they left one of the copyright statement of ours intact). Please ask if you wish to copy/paste entire articles (thank you for the compliment I suppose) and it's great if you could just link to this one. Thanks, though.

Diablo 2 - Ladder Reset October 2011 - with Wallpapers and Screenshots

For those of you still playing Diablo2 off and on, a new season of Ladder starts next week! I actually didn't even see the March Season. I haven't played for a while and felt like some D2 goodness, installed it, and lookee here, a reset is-a-comin'.

I didn't make this Motivator, but I wholeheartedly agree

Every ladder reset I am both excited and saddened. All my previous efforts for Ladder-Only Runewords are for naught (if I didn't get to them) and now all my Uber Characters are relegated to General Population. I know, I could never survive emotionally if I played Hardcore...I couldn't stand putting in all the effort and excitement to have it all washed away one night in the rain..as the dark blood of my druid pools among the cool grass of the night.. ah well - a chance to make another character - or at least that's I would tell myself!

At one time, I had about 40 'accounts' going [on my own key], some for my own personal use/playing, some for trading (so they couldn't bug my 'regular' characters for items if I didn't trade something they wanted), some for runes and gems (mmm Perfects), some for all the Uniques, a sets collection (of course) and some temp account just to have sitting in a game on the other system, so that I could 'pop in' and drop the treasures of Diablo/Baal/Blood Runz and get right back into the next numbered game without missing a beat and losing track of a nice 8-player crowd that was burning through the levels. Good times.

These characters used to hold tons of gear from Runz, temporarily. Now they hold Off-Ladder Fodder. Time to make new!

Diablo2 is one of those games, for me, where if someone asked me "What is your favorite character?", I wouldn't be able to give one that stands out beyond the rest. I love them all. Most games, like most people I assume, I have a preference for what I want to play, generally. In Battlefield games I play Medic, in MMORPGs I tend to play ranged classes (hunter, mage), but for D2 I don't really have one class that I 'mostly play'. I play all of them and rotate as the feeling for the type of game I want to play changes. Do I want to melee and feel powerful? A Barb or Pally or Bear Druid can handle that. Do I want to stand back and let my minions fight, while I command them and heal and control the mobs? A Summoner Druid or Necro is what I'll load up. In any case, there's always a class and game to have fun with, no matter what mood I'm in, and that's one of the great things about Diablo2.

My Boner Necro vs. WSK Fetishes
[Great now this post may be auto-flagged as "Adult" for that last term... no?]

I was going to call this a Game Tip, as I suggest how to play something, but I think I'll just share this, as everyone plays different and there aren't too many combinations of 'styles' that are so different that one stands out far beyond the rest, in D2. It is how I play a Hammerdin (a Paladin with Blessed Hammers as the main attack, for the newbies). This is short and only one encounter [looped], but it shows the general controls that I use and I'm sure there will be players that match it or have better ideas, out there.

[This Flash Animation appears to no longer work here, sorry. 

I will update with a different animation or create a video, Soon™]

This is one engagement of a small mob with my Merc and here's the steps I take and controls I use:

• Running along with Vigor aura (looking for trouble or getting to where I want to go), I have my auras (passive skills, right side) mapped to the mouse wheel, so I can just spin it to what I want. Blessed Hammers is selected as my Main Attack (active skills, left side) so that it is cast automatically, as below
• Encounter! Switch to Concentration aura (spin the mouse wheel one notch and begin combat sequence). Begin casting Blessed Hammers by: Mouse is held down and pointing to where I want to go, pally is moving in that direction. Tap SHIFT to stop on the spot and cast some Hammers. Drag mouse around in the direction I want to walk in (away from the mobs, towards my Merc if possible) and intermittently tap SHIFT to throw some more Hammies into the sky. Hopefully, mobs get pulled into hammers as I lead them on [not in that way] and towards my merc just in case I need him to take them over. Moving in this manner, casting Hammers off and on, assures that they will hit at least some of the time, as opposed to a mob getting into a nice safe spot in the gap in their trajectories and not getting hit at all. (Yes, there is a 'sweet spot' for hammerin but I prefer this method as it controls the mobs to go where I want, as well)
• When monsters are dead, spin the mouse to Redemption aura to redeem nearby corpses as Health and Mana. Walk away Like A Boss with full health and mana globes. Spin mouse wheel to Vigor aura. Rinse And Repeat.

That's about it, at least how I play, and for a Hammerdin. You can still get into tough spots but you can pretty much wade around Hell without too much trouble as long as you have some resists and keep your Holy Shield up. It's not my favorite class or spec, but it's nice to MF with. I prefer Necromancer, Druid or Assassin, if I was forced to pick a 'Top 3'. I just find their playstyle interesting, more than their abilities being over the top above all the others.

And Now... Some Wallpapers!

(Screenshots to follow)

And Now... Some Screenshots!

Poisonmancer vs Hell Andariel

Not my screenshot, but a good example of what sometimes happens on Battle.Net

Just going through my gear, another example of what sometimes happens on BattleNet
I wish there were more advertisements, sometimes I see way too much of my screen
[I am not affiliated with, in any degree, the website captured in this screenshot]

Hopefully this won't happen to you

This was my Low Rune Holder in the last ladder I played in.

On my Gem Holder, I traded some Perfects for an Occy. Woot!

I've sort of giving away something here, but I made this Tip site to help you guys out after all, so here: On some Boss Runz, ones that seem to be led.. 'automatically' lets say.. the runner sometimes sells things and doesn't realize that his pockets are already full. Hence, the dropped money. If you can stick with a runner like this (being the only one along on the runs is perfect) you can almost refill your bank by the end of the night.

Following another 'automatic' runner, this one does Countess Runz as part of it's travels [and it didn't seem to care about these Runes - good!]

My Summoner Necro Build (Skill Tree and Stats), last ladder on Battle.Net

My Summoner Necro walking through Hell Durance on BattleNet. "Full Contact. No Protection. No Problem".

Oops, some of the crowd was a little too young that night. Sorry, Parents.

Diablo 2 Normal Credits Background

Diablo 2 Expansion Credits Background

You are now aware that these statues look at you
[they turn their heads in the game to face you at all times]

 
Looking forward to gettin' into some more Diab next week! See you in there!