Changes

Dueling in ''Diablo II'' is not controlled by the game rules, but there are many informal and unwritten rules amongst players. Some items are bugged and too powerful, or are considered cheap and their use is not permitted in fair duels. Some tactics are frowned upon, and in many duels drinking potions is not allowed. Other duels are limited by character level, and low-level duels are popular since they limit the potential equipment and skills that can be used. When joining a dueling game, you may wish to take a moment to establish what the rules are, lest you transgress, or go forth unprepared for what you are about to face. ==Hardcore== In hardcore duels, anything goes since the stakes are so high. Expect to see players use potions of all types, shrines, any possible equipment set up, etc. Beware anyone who promises a fair, one on one fight; they might have friends in the game waiting their moment to join in. This goes for softcore duels as well, but there you've only got an ear to lose, and if someone has to cheat to win, you can take that as a compliment and leave with your head held high. ==Softcore== In softcore dueling there is more variety and sportsmanship, since it's more of an exhibition sport.  Most duelers consider it poor form to drink red or purple potions during a duel. Blue potions are allowed, but generally not for sorceresses using Energy Shield. In v1.11 virtually all equipment is allowed, since most of the large bugs and exploits with equipment were ironed out in earlier patches. One touchy issue is the use of high amounts of damage absorption, usually obtained by socketing armor/helms/shields with [[Runes|Sol runes]]. Enough of this property, referred to as "sorb," can make a character virtually to physical immune in PVP, thanks to the damage penalties built into PVP in ''Diablo II''. Elemental attackers make similar complaints about equipment that gives extremely high resistance and absorption to a given element, but this is more of a rock/paper/scissors type issue, since while a character can become almost immune to one element, they'll be very vulnerable to others. When it comes to tactics in dueling, it's considered bad manners to play too defensively or cautiously. Characters with tremendous foot speed or the ability to teleport can play keep-away indefinitely, and if they have a skill (such as Holy Fire or [[Sorceress_Lightning_Spells#Thunder_Storm|Thunder Storm]]), that deals constant damage to any target in the very large radius of effect, their victory is almost assured. This is technically legal, but is considered very cheap and will result in other players simply declining to duel against you. Dueling isn't just about winning; it's about having fun in a contest that could go either way. Using a technique or equipment setup that guarantees you victory isn't much fun, since there's no skill or challenge in the game. As new tricks and exploits are discovered, players need to make some compromises if they want to keep dueling fun and viable, and this means sometimes not using certain overpowered builds or items.