Diablo Wiki - User contributions [en]

Things you should know about Diablo 2

2009-04-22T22:12:04Z

DiMono: /* What types of +skills work with mercenaries? */ - =X to class kills? class skills, me think

This massive FAQ-like compilation of interesting D2 tidbits was put together by Ernir and posted on the old Battle.net forums. ([http://classic.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=d2-general&t=1312543 Source].) The version here in this wiki is reformatted and has had numerous links added to additional information and images.

=How do Traps and Rainbow Facets work together?=

The -res% and +damage% on [[Griffon's Eye]] and [[Facets]] do not add to trap damage. With the exceptions of Fire Blast and Shock Web, the Assassin Traps are considered minions by the game. Your minions do not benefit from any -res% or +damage% your character has.

Note that Sorceress Hydras benefit from both Fire Mastery and Facets. This exception is explained by T-Hawk:

::The missiles fired by Hydra have a special-case check of their caster's "+% Fire Skill Damage" ability. That's why Hydra works with Fire Mastery and Facets. This check was added in version 1.05; before that, Fire Mastery didn't boost Hydra damage.

=Can immunities be removed?=

Yes, they can. [[Monsters]] immune to a damage type are classified as monsters with 100 or more percentage resistance to the damage type in question. If you lower the monster's resistance below 100%, you can damage the monster.

There are only two things that can remove elemental immunities: The Paladin's Conviction aura, and the Necromancer's Lower Resist curse. Conviction Aura also doesn't affect Poison resistance. The Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify can remove physical immunity.

All other types of -resist (Facets, Cold Mastery, Griffon's Eye) do NOT have an effect on immune monsters.

Also, all the spells mentioned above work at 20% efficiency when dealing with immune monsters. Example: A hell Doom Knight has 110% Fire resist, meaning it is immune to fire. That Doom Knight is hit by a level 3 Conviction Aura, which under normal circumstances would lower the monster's fire resistance by 40%. However, since the monster is immune, the Conviction aura only works at 20% efficiency, making those 40% in effect only 8%. The calculation is: 110 - 40*0.2 = 102 fire res, making the monster still immune.

This fact makes it much harder to break immunities. There are monsters whose immunities are simply impossible to break. Hell Oblivion Knights, for example, have 180% cold resist. Doesn't matter what you throw at it, it is impossible to break.

Even though you can combine Lower Resist and Conviction (the resist reduction percentages are simply lumped together and the combined number reduced to 20%), any resist >= 145 can not be broken, even with a Level 25 Conviction (-150% Resist All) and a Level 60 Lower Resist (-70% Resist All). Thanks to Technomage-C01 and BIGeyedBUG for pointing that out, and Tommi and Adeyke for the information.

-res from items and other skills are not completely useless when dealing with immune monsters, though, because once the immunity has been broken, these items take effect.

Physical immune monsters are monsters with a physical resistance of 100 or more. This immunity can (as mentioned above) be removed using the curses Amplify damage (which gives -100% physical resist) or Decrepify (which gives -50% physical resist). Again, the same penalties apply to Amplify Damage and Decrepify as to the elemental immunities.

=How do I spend my stat points for build x?=

For 95% of post-1.10 character builds, this is the recommended stat distribution:
* Strength - enough for gear.
* Dexterity - enough for gear or a block rate of 75% should you choose to.
* Vitality - everything else.
* Energy - in most cases nothing. Extremely mana-hungry casters may want to spend some here, but at the cost of the life vitality provides.

Thanks to Posterboy: Major exceptions from this rule include "glass cannon" Bowazons and Energy Shield Sorceresses.

=How do I get to Über Tristram/what do the Keys do/what are the "Übers"?=

* [[Pandemonium Event]] quest details.

Loosely based on a post made by Armaege:

The 1.11 patch added to the game a so called "Pandemonium Event" available ONLY on the realms, in hell difficulty.
To trigger the event, you must collect items called keys. There are three types. The Countess drops the Key of Terror, the false Summoner drops the Key of Hate, and Nihlathak drops the Key of Destruction.

When you have collected three keys, go anywhere in the town of Harrogath in Act 5 and transmute these three keys together in the Horadric Cube. One of three portals will open, to the Furnace of Pain, the Matron's Den, or the Forgotten Sands, in which you will fight Über-Izual, an Andariel-like creature called Lilith and Über Duriel respectively.

Each of these bosses drops one of the Prime Evil's relics, Lilith drops "Diablo's Horn", Über Duriel drops Baal's Eye, and Über Izual drops Mephisto's Brain.

When you have collected all three relics (a.k.a. body parts) you must go back to Harrogath, and transmute the three relics. This will open a portal to Über Tristram, where you will fight improved versions of the Prime Evils all at once - the Übers. Prepare for the hardest fight of your D2 career.

The last of the Prime Evils you kill will drop a large charm called the Hellfire Torch. It gives 3+ to the skill levels of a random character class, 10-20 to all resistances and attributes, a chance to cast Diablo's Firestorm on striking, 8+ to light radius and Hydra charges. This is your reward for all the trouble of collecting keys, relics, and killing the Übers.

The last Über that goes down also drops a "Standard of Heroes", one for each player in the game. These do not do anything, as far as anyone knows. They are trophies, nothing more.

=What does Standard of Heroes do?=

I repeat, there is no known use for the Standard of Heroes small charm. On this matter, I am going to quote the Blizzard forum moderator MicahW.

::''The Standard of Heroes is a trophy you get for having completed the patch 1.11 world event.

And if you don't believe MicahW, Blizzard forum moderator NickJS said this:

::''They are merely trophies. If we ever release a future patch hopefully we implement a "trophy case" to put these in. Available in Maple or Oak. You could have your friends over and show them off!

There is absolutely nothing that suggests it has a function besides looking pretty. All rumours that say otherwise are products of someone's overactive imagination, or a pitiful scam attempt. Why it has a level requirement is unknown.

=How frequently do "the Keys" drop?=

Adeyke had this to say on the matter:

::''Key of Terror has a 1/14 chance of dropping per kill in a 1-player game. Key of Hate has a 1/11 chance, while Key of Destruction has a 1/12 chance
You can get two, three, or possibly even more keys from a single drop.

These keys are nonmagical and your chance to find magic items does NOT have an effect on their drop rate. However, having more players in the game will increase your chances.

Note that even though you can find the keys in Single Player, they do not do anything there. The Pandemonium Event is exclusive to the Realms.

=Why do the Vipers in the Halls of Vaught kill my GOSU char in one hit?=
Explanation by Gta-maloy]:

::A percentage of their charge damage is included in the secondary cloud of poison. The AoE cloud. This means that you could avoid the initial poison from the spear but still get the physical + poison damage of the cloud should you run into it.

::THE CLOUD IS NOT VISIBLE. This is why many people think they get killed by something that isn't really there. The cloud will stay about five seconds AFTER the initial spear's cloud vanishes. If you do not move in this time, the second cloud will not effect you. Getting knocked back will also not trigger the second cloud. You will get poisoned by the viper and get a nice percentage of life taken away from you but it won't be over time.

;;Best thing to do is stand still when they fire or run past them at high velocity. The cloud will only form a second or two after the spear is thrown, this gives more than enough time for a character to run past them. Should you need to stop... stop and don't run or walk until five seconds after all the clouds have gone.

As for whether or not this is a bug; Blizzard forum moderator MicahW made the following statement:

Wheres the fix on those pesky Tomb Viper in Nihlathak place?

::Working as intended.

=How does Über Mephisto's Conviction aura work?=

Exactly like the corresponding Paladin aura. Über Mephisto's Conviction is level 20, and lowers your resistances to fire, lightning and cold by 125%. There are two very popular ways to get around that:

1) Stack your resists. Even though they are "capped" at 75% all resist, anything above 75% still gets counted when your resistances are lowered. If your resists are stacked more than 125% over your max, Mephisto's Conviction will do you no harm.

2) Override the effect of Mephisto's Conviction by using a higher level Conviction aura yourself. Yes, that's right. If the level of your Conviction aura is 21 or higher, Mephisto's Conviction will not affect you. Your hirelings, minions, and party members, however, will still take full penalty from the aura, so this is really a selfish but easy way to get rid of his aura.

Note on overriding Conviction - According to Sol1's and The_Terror_Lord's testing, both auras "work" if the skill levels are equal, meaning both you and Über Mephisto suffer the resistance and defense penalties. You need a higher level aura to override the other.

=Do mercenaries hired at lower levels gain better stats?=

No. No matter what you may have heard until now, the level at which the merc is hired is completely irrelevant. What does matter is the difficulty in which it was originally hired. A merc hired in normal has better stats than the same type of merc hired in nightmare, and a merc hired in nightmare has better stats than the same type of merc hired in hell. You should always hire your mercs in normal unless you need a specific aura from a nightmare act 2 merc.
* [[Mercenaries]] basic information.
* Hugely detailed [[Mercenary guide]] with strategy, skill levels, and tons more information about mercs.

=Can socketed runes poof?=

Yes, they can. Socketing a dupe protects it from "Passive Ruststorm" which is run when you enter and exit games. There is, however, nothing that can be done to save your precious dupes from the wrath of the Full Ruststorm. If your duped Enigma did survive, you were simply lucky, or you were on non-ladder where Full Ruststorm has never been run.

Ortliebj said it best:

::Full Ruststorm v2.5 will delete "dirty" items, even if they are components of other items. Full Ruststorm was last run in August of last year (2nd week, iirc).

::It will also delete items that have been tampered with in attempts to fool the Ruststorm process. In other words, personalizing your Engima won't help, so don't even try it. All eleven different attempts/strategies of which I am aware to try and circumvent this process have failed.

::When a full active Ruststorm is actually run, illegitimate items of types you've never even dreamed about will be deleted and/or invalidated.

If you have had an item disappear from your inventory, it most likely was a dupe that Ruststorm caught.

=What is the "strength bug", and how does it work?=

There are two glitches commonly referred to as the "strength bug".

The first one is rather harmless. When you don't have the base stats needed to equip an item, other players will not see the item, even though they are there and take full effect. This can be quite humorous when a "naked" barbarian stands in the middle of a monster pack and "punches" them to death. Another example is when Amazons throw Lightning Furies with their bare hands. This is not a hack, merely a display issue.

The second glitch is somewhat more serious. This is when you do not have the base OR end stats to equip an item that has +stats, making the item sustain itself. Example:

Your character has 150 strength after all gear, excluding the shield. You want to equip a Stormshield. In order to reach the 156 strength required, you put a charm in your inventory that gives you +6 to strength, giving you 156 strength, enough for Monarchs. You can now equip the shield. This brings your total strength to 186 with the strength bonus from the Stormshield. Now this is where the glitch comes is: You can now remove the charm from your inventory, but the +strength from the shield will still be enough to equip the shield. The shield is now, in effect, supporting itself. This is an extremely dangerous practise, because if you die, you will not be able to reequip all of your gear, so if you die again, you will be left with multiple corpses. Since only one corpse (the one with the most valuable items... in gold) will be transferred to the next game you enter, abusing this glitch to save stat points is an excellent way to lose your gear. Excepted from this are hardcore players, who lose all their gear anyway when they die.

On a related note, using +stats from items to equip other items is not a "glitch". This is perfectly natural. However, doing this can sometimes result in needing to click your corpse multiple times to get all your gear back, and having to pick up and reequip items when you enter a game. The order that items are respawned on your character was provided by Ortliebj:
# Head
# Neck
# Torso
# Right Hand *
# Left Hand
# Right Ring
# Left Ring
# Belt
# Feet
# Gloves
# Inventory (meaning charms, etc.)
* * Right hand from the character's perspective, so glove side and then boot side.

Ruvunal discovered the initial order of item pickup upon corpse retrieval. He tested, verified and updated it after 1.09 and 1.10.

Meaning... if your helm provides you with the stats you need to equip your armor, you will only need to click your corpse once. However, if your armor provides you with the strength you need to equip your helm, you will have to click twice, as the helm is left on the ground the first time you click.

Using +stats CAN cause you to lose items if you are killed the moment you are clicking to pick up your items and the order doesn't match with the strength requirements of the items. This is no where near as dangerous as glitch-equipping your gear, but it is nevertheless something to keep in mind.

Addition pointed out by Bonkshasa - if you have enough room in your backpack to pick up all your items, you won't lose them, even if you are not able to equip them right away. This is rarely the case these days (when PvPing your inventory is full of charms, and in PvM the potions from your belt probably filled up any available space already), but this could very well be the difference between losing your Crown of Ages or keeping it.

Disclaimer: The factual accuracy of the item pickup order is currently under dispute.

=How does the +damage from Grief and Astreon's work? And why does it look so low on the character screen?=

In most cases, the +damage from weapons such as Grief, Astreon's Iron Wand, and Stonecrusher adds directly to the weapon's base damage, meaning it is multiplied by pretty much everything. This is what can easily make a good Grief the most damaging one-hand weapon in the game.

Unfortunately this bonus to the base damage does not show up on the Lying Character Screen, not correctly at any rate. That is simply because it is out of date. I don't think the LCS has been fully updated for LoD yet.

To see your REAL damage, use [http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Weapon Damage Calculator].

Note that there are exceptions from this rule. Vengeance, for example, does not seem to use the added +damage as base weapon damage. Mikeandroe performed a series of tests on how the Vengeance damage is calculated, and the results can [http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=50089 be found here].

On the other hand, when Smite is used, the +damage is added directly to the shield's base damage. Because the most damaging Paladin shield in the game deals 46.5 average damage, the +damage makes a HUGE difference. This is why Grief and Astreon's IW are so popular (and possibly unbalancing) for Smiters.
The [[Smite FAQ]] by Oramin and Bloodshrike explains Smite in detail.

The Assassin kick attacks do not benefit from +damage in any way. Blade Fury and Blade Sentinel also do not benefit from it, although the display is incorrect. Thanks to BIGeyedBUG for bringing it to my attention, and adeyke for the information.

=How much dexterity do I need to reach max block at level x with shield y with character z?=

[http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Block Calculator] can answer that.

=How can I stop monsters from regenerating?=

There are three ways:

The "Prevent Monster Heal" mod. It prevents all monsters except the Pandemonium Übers from regenerating. The Übers have been specifically made immune.

Poison. Monsters do not regenerate while poisoned. Once the poison wears off, however, they start regenerating again.
Open Wounds. Being affected by open wounds automatically sets the monsters' regeneration rate to a negative value.

Also note that these methods only negate natural regeneration. Things such as healing spells, the Prayer aura, healing potions and life leech should still work.

=How can upgraded items get a lower Defense than the item had before?=

Upgrading items does not guarantee higher stats. All it does is take a normal base item to exceptional status, or an exceptional item to elite status. The end stats depend on the stats of the upgraded base item. Vampire Gaze is probably the most famous example.

Grim helms have a defense range of 60-125. All Vampire Gaze Grim Helms have a defense of 252. This is due to the fact that when armors spawn with the enhanced defense mod, the defense is invariably set at max +1. When we are dealing with a Vampire Gaze, the base item's defense of 126 receives a 100% bonus = 252 defense.

However, when the item is upgraded, the base defense is rerolled. The defense range of Bone Visages is 100-157. Which means that a Vampire Gaze with a base item defense of 126 has a very good chance of being turned into a Bone Visage with a lower defense. In case of the worst roll imaginable, your 252 defense Vampire Gaze would go down to 200. Not good.

[http://www.cs.colostate.edu/%7Edeykea/d2armours.html Adeyke's upgrade calculator] shows how upgrading will affect the various unique items.

Note that in the 1.10 patch, ethereal armors would lose their ethereal defense bonus when upgraded, in addition to having their defense rerolled. This is no longer the case, ethereal items now retain their defense bonus (although the hack fix implemented had most unfortunate side effects). Adeyke's page still shows ethereal upgraded items with the same defense as non-ethereal ones, but nevertheless, this has been fixed.

=What level requirement will my upgraded rare item get?=

Syrith had this to say:

::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to exceptional: +5 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from exceptional to elite: +7 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to elite: +12 levels to base req

Examples by Daten (slightly modified to represent updated information):

::If the item that will be upgraded has a Level Req. higher than the upgraded base item, it will get +5 Req. Example: Rare Long Sword (Lev 48 Req (the Level is determined by the Mods on the Sword)) upgrade to Rare Rune Sword (Lev 53 Req)

::If the requirements are lower than the Base Item Requirements, the upgraded Item will get: Requirement on upgraded Base Item + 5.

::Rare Sharkskin Boots (Lev 25 Req (Level is determined by the Base Item Requirements)) upgrade to Scarabshell Boots (Lev 56 Req (Scarabshell Boots = 49, +7))

=Can +to Holy Shield spawn on white scepters in 1.10/1.11?=

Yes, they can. They are obscenely rare, but they can. Normally, Holy Shield is not allowed to spawn on sceptres. However, if the game has failed six times in finding an "allowed staffmod" for the sceptre, it picks the one that was rolled last, regardless of whether or not it is on the "allowed list".

If you do not want to take my word for it, here is [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/Ernir/bnetmoment/HolyShield.jpg a screenshot of one], provided by Nucularterraist. It was taken in early ladder season three.

It has not been altered in any way. I didn't even crop the image to remove the sophisticated background chat.

=What runes can you get from the Hellforge Quest on each difficulty level?=

* Normal: El - Amn
* Nightmare: Sol - Um
* Hell: Hel - Gul

Notes: You get exactly one rune only per quest completion. There is an equal chance (1/11) of getting each rune available. Having more players in your party when you complete the quest does not increase the number of runes (although you do get more gems). So it is generally a good idea to unparty/leave the game if more than one person needs to complete the quest.

Also note that Gul is the highest rune that can drop from the Hellforge on any difficulty. The runes from Vex-Zod are impossible to get from the Forge. If someone claims they got a rune above Gul from the Forge, that person is either lying or suffers from an overactive imagination. Hephasto the Armorer can drop any rune in the game, but the Forge itself can only drop up to Gul.

* [[Rune Finder Guide by Urlik|Urlik's massive rune finding guide]].
* [[Level_1_Rushing|Level 1 rune rushing guide]].

=My Merc wears an Infinity Polearm, will the -55% Light Res work for my Sorceress/Trapsin/Tesladin?=

No it won't. -x% Elemental Damage (Cold,Fire,Lightning,Poison), as well as +x% Elemental Damage work like Sorceress Masteries. Both modifiers are only applied for attacks dealt by the Player that wears the Item (since Traps and Skeletal Mages are treated as Minons, this won't increase their Damage (see 1.)! Having the Item with the -x%/+x% Damage on the Weapon-Switch won't help either.

+x% Fire/Light/Cold Damage is added to the Sorcs Fire-, Cold- or Lightmastery. A Lightsorc with lev 31 Lightning Mastery (+410%) will only get a tiny damage Boost from a +5% Lightfacet (415%). That's why Cold Sorcs look for +5%/-x% Facets and Fire/Lightsorcs prefer +x%/-5% Facets.

To get back to the original Question: A lot of Builds that rely on Elemental Damage equip their Merc with an Infinity Polearm because of the Conviction Aura, not because of the -x% Lightning Resistance.

The above section was provided by Daten.

=Why do people talk about the "Lying Character Screen", or LCS?=

Because the screen flat out LIES about many important stats. Meaning that the numbers you see on the character screen are not the numbers the game actually uses. I do not think it has had any major updates since 1.06, so things like +damage modifiers, off-weapon ED%, etc. are NOT displayed correctly, if at all.

Gta-maloy] had this to say about it:
::That screen, in many circumstances, only properly shows resistances, the character's level, the experience gained and the damage dealt for the first two levels.

::After that is done, it sucks.

::Once you die, the Anya bug is not listed. (interjection: I, Ernir, will discuss the Anya bug below)

::Masteries and synergies are not properly multiplied together, damage modifiers are completely ignored, the equations used for AR and damage are outdated....

::The chance to block seems alright though

Ortliebj added this:

::It is broken by the time you reach a place called the "Den of Evil".

::There's even an old bug where your name can be displayed incorrectly.

=What is the "Anya bug"?=

Those who have finished the game know that when you have rescued Anya in act 5, Malah gives you a Scroll of Resistance that "permanently" increases your resistances to the elements. But we also know that Malah did not make it past Firebolt casting 101. That shoddy little scroll does not work quite the way it is supposed to.

When the scroll is cast, it does increase your resistances. But when you die, that bonus is lost, even though it does is not displayed on the Lying Character Screen. The bonus is regained when you reenter the game, but for the rest of the game in which you died, your resists are really 10% lower for each Malah scroll you used - up to 30%. That is quite a difference. Your paladin may not have 90% resist all, maybe he has 60% all res.

This is of special concern to duelers, who often die multiple times in each game - and it also means that if you lose to an elemental attack once, you are likely to keep losing.

In turn, hardcore players don't have to worry about this bug at all, for obvious reasons.

=22. What runes can the Countess Drop?=

I will address this very briefly and in the most simple way I can think of. The countess has two separate "ways to drop items". A normal drop, and a special rune drop. The rune drop is what people are looking for when they run the Countess (along with Terror keys). The "normal drop" can give you runes up to Lo in hell difficulty. However, your chances to get a Lo from her are not really any better than from any other monster.

The Rune drop can drop up to Ist in hell. The possibility of getting higher runes from this drop are far greater than from the normal drop. Again, this drop is what you are looking for.

The runes that [[the Countess]] can drop in each difficulty are:

Normal:
* Normal drop - Nef
* Rune drop - Ral

Nightmare:
* Normal drop - Ko
* Rune drop - io (eye-o)

Hell:
* Normal drop - Lo (ell-o)
* Rune drop - Ist

=What level requirement will my crafted item get?=

Gta had this to say:

::For crafted items.....figure out the highest level requirement from all affixes on the item, add ten and add three for every affix other than the set ones.

::So a ring with 6% mana leech (level req of 74) and 4 affixes (including the mana leech, excluding the life leech, str and life provided by the cast) will get +22 (10 from the cast, 12 from teh affixes). There is a rlvl 98 cap, certain charges like Lightning Strike and Freezing arrow can provoke up to rlvl 108...but this is now remedied in 1.11 and brought down to rlvl 98.

=Is there a "cap" on Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, or Deadly Strike?=

The only cap is the logical cap of 100%. You can not get these to go off more than 100% of the time you hit an enemy. Percentages over 100% (Headstriker on a high level char, for example) do not help at all. You have no chance for a double crushing blow, double bleed, 4x damage or whatever you may think that 100%+ may do.

There is a persistent rumor about these being capped at 95%. I guess this originates from the fact that you can usually only deal these out 95% of the time you attack, since the maximum chance to hit with attack-rating based attacks is 95%, but these will still go off 100% of the time you actually hit an enemy.

Short: They are all capped at 100%.

=What does "damage reduced" or "DR" mean?=

The Damage Reduced by x% mod, which is found on items such as Stormshield, Shaftstop, Verdungo's Hearty Cord and Harlequin Crest, reduces the physical damage you take by increasing your physical resistance. This has no effect on any type of magical damage.

Your physical resistance is not displayed on the character screen. Unmodified the resistance is 0%. The beforementioned items (and several more things) can bring this resistance up to 50%. 50% is the cap for physical resistance, both in PvP and PvM.

This resistance works exactly the same as elemental resistances. Example: If you are hit by a physical attack that does 100 damage and you have a total of 20% damage resistance, the damage you take will be 100-(0.20*100)= 80 damage taken.

Note that there is also a mod called "Damage Reduced By X", found on items like Gladiator's Bane and Nature's Peace. Note the lack of the percentage symbol. This reduces the damage you take by a fixed amount, not a percentage of the attack damage.

Example: You are hit by a physical attack that does 50 damage and you total Damage Reduced By 30. The attack's damage would be 50-30 = 20 damage to you.

This type of damage reduction does NOT have a cap. Also, this mod is capable of negating ALL damage you take. If the example above had been with a 25 damage attack, no damage would have been taken at all.

And which type is better? Both. DR% has an advantage when it comes to heavy hits, and DR when it comes to multiple light hits. You decide which you want.

=What is the difference between "Ignore Target's Defense" and "Always Hits"?=

The following section was mostly provided by Posterboy.

"Ignore Target's Defense" is not the same thing as "Always Hits." "Ignore Target's Defense" simply means that the targets defense rating will be set to zero in the To Hit calculation. From the Arreat Summit: "This ability will not work on Unique Monsters, Super Unique Monsters, Hirelings, other players, and Act-end bosses." Player/monster level still plays a part in the equation, and the is a min/max cap of 5%/95% chance to hit.

"Always Hits" means that this attack will bypass the To Hit formula altogether. Guided Arrow, Smite, and most spells are "Always Hits," although some, like Guided Arrow, can be blocked. That means if you had a level 2 Paladin with one point in Smite you can hit a monster like Hell Diablo consistently. Also note that "Always Hits" does not necessarily mean that you will literally always hit because there is still shield blocking, Zon Dodge/Avoid/Evade, and Assassin claw-blocking to consider, not to mention manually dodging an attack.
Note that the Assassin's claw block can block many things that ordinary shields can't.

Range is also a considerable factor when discussing attacks that always hit. Smite, for example, depends on weapon range. If the target is farther away than the weapon range allows, the animation is shown, but the opponent is not hit. This is why skilled melee characters using range 3-5 weapons can often beat Smiters that use a cookie-cutter range 2 Grief Phase Blade.

=How do synergies and +skills work together?=

There are so called "soft" skill points, and "hard" skill points. Hard skill points are the points you gain from leveling up and from quests. Soft skill points are skill points you gain from ANY gear, including charms, weapons, armor, whatever.

When calculating the level of a skill, both the soft and hard skill points are taken into account. However, when calculating how great the skill benefits from synergies, only the hard points you spend in the synergizing skill are counted in for the benefit of the synergized skill.

Example:

You have spent 20 hard points in Blessed Hammer, and 20 points in Blessed Aim. You also have a helmet that gives 2+ to all skill levels. The displayed levels of the skills are now 22 for BH, and 22 for BA as well.
But when the game calculates the benefit Blessed Hammer recieves from Blessed Aim, it applies the benefit from a level 20 Blessed Aim skill to the level 22 Blessed Hammer skill.

Exceptions from this rule include the Necromancer summon masteries and the Sorceress elemental masteries. These are not actual synergies, but rather skills whose only function is to enhance other skills. When the benefit from these is calculated, both hard and soft points are counted. The Druid summon cross-bonuses work that way as well, according to MMAgCh.

=How can I find skillers/what is the first, or best place to find skillers?=

[[Skillers[[, or Grand Charms with +to a character skill tab, require an item level of at least 50 in order to spawn. The first area in which all dropped grand charms have an item level of 50+ is the nightmare Great Marsh.

In order to maximize your chances of finding a skiller, you want the item level to be as close to 50 as possible. Why is that? Because when affixes are selected, they are chosen from all available affixes. Having a GC with an ilevel of exactly 50 is the best in this regard because they do have the possibility of getting a skiller, while the possibilities of other affixes are being kept to a minimum.

However, there is an alternate approach. Items dropped from Hell Baal have an item level of 99, and items dropped from Hell Nihlathak have an item level of 95. Grand charms dropped from these two bosses can spawn with very, very high life, namely the 41-45 to life vita suffix. Grand charms that both have +to a skill tab and high life can trade for astronomical values. However, due to the high item level, most any affix can spawn. Your chances of getting a skiller from an ilvl 95+ Grand Charms are very slim, and the chances of getting that Grand Charm to spawn with the desired 40+ life are even slimmer. However, the time and effort needed to aquire these are worth it to some.

There is a way to significantly shorten the amount of time needed to find a skiller compared to just hunting the most likely drop zones over and over. This is referred to as "rerolling" or simply "rolling". This is done by placing a Grand Charm and three perfect gems in the Horadric cube, and transmuting. This will reroll the mods on the charm, but preserving the item level. This means that if you have a Grand Charm with that perfect ilevel of 50, but it has useless mods, you can reroll it into a useful skiller. In effect, it drops the item again at the cost of three perfect gems. Be prepared to spend a lot of perfect gems, but it can be worth it.

Note that this formula works on all magical items, but it is typically used the most on Grand Charms due to the high usefulness of blue Charms compared to the usefulness of blue equippable items.

Footnote: I must admit that I slightly lied about the first place you can get a skiller the first place would be normal Baal. The items he drops have an ilevel of 60, more than enough to get a skiller. But the nightmare Great Marsh is the first area in which every monster has the possibility of dropping a skiller.

A common misconception is that MF increases the chance of getting skillers. That is simply not true. This lies in how MF works, and I direct you to Gta's Guide to all that is items again for explanation.

Good areas to hunt for skillers and rerollable Grand Charms include:
* The nightmare Great Marsh the first place they can drop, the area level is 50.
* The nightmare Flayer Jungle run more often than the Great Marsh due to the number of Flayers, which can all drop ilevel 50 Grand Charms.
* Nightmare Cows there is a very large number of easily killable cows here, and the charms they drop have a decent chance of becoming a skiller.
* Nightmare City of the Damned there is a lot of Wraith-class monsters here.
* Hell Diablo, hell Nihlathak and hell Baal all three (and those three only) have the capability to drop skillers with 41-45 to life.

=How does Magic Find work with minions?=

When a minion or mercenary makes a kill, the minions MF percentage is added to your MF percentage. However, if you make a kill while one of your minions has MF, only your MF is used. It was probably made this way to allow minion characters (Summoners, Trapassins) to hunt for items effectively, while keeping the game as balanced as possible for characters that do not depend on mercenaries or minions for the kill.

=Is there a way to resist "pure" magical damage from other players?=

Pure magical damage, such as the damage from the Barbarians Berserk, the Paladins Blessed Hammer, and the Necromancer bone spells is mostly unresistable. There are some ways to reduce the damage, but no really effective ones. The main methods are:
# There is a mod called "Magic Resistance" on crafted safety shields. This is only 5-10%, though.
# Integer magic absorb. This is found on the runewords Spirit, Oath and Crescent Moon.
# Integer magic damage reduction. This is probably the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against magical damage. This is found on Dwarf Star rings, the String of Ears Demonhide Sash, and Skin of the Vipermagi Serpentskin Armor to name a few. It wont do much against a 10000+ damage Blessed Hammer directed at your face, but it could mean the difference between surviving 2-3 hammers or 3-4.

These means of course also counteract the magical damage that monsters deal, such as the hell and nightmare guest Viper Bone Spears.

=How come my Blessed Hammers can damage monsters immune to magic?=

It simply lies in the nature of the Blessed Hammer skill to completely ignore the magical resistances of both Demon and Undead class monsters. This is part of what makes Hammerdins (Paladins that use the Blessed Hammer skill) so ridiculously powerful, the ability to pierce the resistances of virtually any monster in the game is unmatched, anywhere. The only monster types that Blessed Hammers can not damage are monsters that are both immune to magic, and of the Animal class.

As of now, there is only one monster that meets both classifications. That is the Wailing Beast in an act 3 hell Kurast Temple. Aside from that single type of monster, Blessed Hammers can damage absolutely everything.

=How does Venom work?=

Poison damage in-game is always listed as X damage over Y seconds. Unfortunately, this isn't how the game calculates it. The damage per second is X/Y. The value you should be concerned about is the damage per frame (aka bitrate), which is X/(25*Y). Most of the time when poison sources are combined (not when Venom is concerned), your bitrates are added, and your durations are averaged. In order to achieve the highest possible bitrate, you want the highest possible poison damage over the smallest possible duration.

Maximizing your final damage output involves getting the highest bitrate possible, and being able to re-apply the poison damage before the duration timer runs out.

The strength of the Assassins Venom skill does not lie in a huge displayed damage number, but rather the short duration, which can be applied multiple times in very short succession. The relatively modest displayed damage is much more effective than it looks. Lets say Venom does 400 damage over 0.4 seconds. That damage is really 1000 damage per second if you manage to constantly keep the poison up (which can be done with a speedy kick attack, for example).

A slightly worse thing about Venom is that it effectively ruins all other sources of poison on your equipment that you may have. If you have Venom active, all poison attacks are scaled down to fit the short duration of Venom. Lets say you have a charm in your inventory that does 100 poison damage over 5 seconds = 20 damage per second. Having Venom active does not actually lower the bitrate of the charm, but rather shortens the duration. When Venom is active, that charm deals 20 damage per second over 0.4 seconds = only 8 total damage for each attack. Most unimpressive.

This is why poison charms and other poison sources work very badly with Venom. If you intend to use Venom, avoid using equipment for the sole reason of added poison damage. It won't hurt you, but it won't help you (much) either.

In order to maximize your Venom damage, do three things:
# Have Venom as high of a level as possible when casting
# Have as much +% Poison Skill Damage on your gear as possible when casting and attacking
# Lower your target's Poison Resistance as much as possible

Thanks to Ilkori for updating this section. Poison is not my forte.

=I am a hardcore player. How can I avoid being killed by malicious players?=

Before we begin, there are two acronyms that need to be understood:

PK: Player killer. It can be used as a verb also; Im going to PK you, noob. The term is not to be confused with actual dueling. Duels are mutually agreed upon. Player Killers dont ask for permission.

TPPK: A number of methods that involve setting up some sort of a deathtrap, going to town, and hostiling another player in rapid succession. The goal is to catch the victim/the PKed by surprise and kill him in the process.

On how to avoid being PKed, I am simply going to quote the celebrated forum troll and TPPKer 2_Much_4_U.

<blockquote>
Wow, okay. First off, don't feel too bad about having some lowbies ganked. Happens all the time.

To help you avoid further happenings, let me run down a couple of things to look for.

1.) Paladins with red armor, red helms, and a two-handed weapon are going to pk you. Especially if you are playing in a Tomb Run game.

2.) Sorcs who tell you to leave town for an enchant could very well be baiting you to set you up for an orb tppk.

3.) Never trust necromancers, no matter what they say their build is.

4.) Level 16 characters of any type who wear Twitchthroe (you can tell they are wearing it if they have dark green, nearly black studded leather graphic armor) are at the very least llds. Some of these people like to pk in pubby games.

5.) Characters with funny, stupid, or hostile names will often be pkers. The mentality of most pks is that you kill for laughs, and a good name such as AnInnocentChild makes a funny screenshot:

''Noob was slain by AnInnocentChild.

6.) Make passworded games and set the character limit to one.

7.) Don't get rushed. Some pro pks like to help people level so the ear is higher when they kill you. Sometimes if you Baal with people they will talk to you, get to know you a little, maybe even befriend you, then they will fire an Ice Blast up your ass.

8.) Set level restrictions on all nightmare level games and above. This won't keep you from getting killed by the pros, but you will avoid sucker clans like IceNine.

9.) Be aware of the pk clans on your realm, know who the most active pks are, and never group with people who can one-shot champion monsters.

10.) Look for people using +damage gear like wands and circlets. You can never be certain that necro is a tppker, but if he has blue leather armor, doesn't display a helm graphic, and carries a plain-colored wand, he is likely using White, +3 PnB circlet, and Vipermagi. Cheap but powerful gear with very little in the way of survivability mods. Pks are built for damage, not for duels, and as such their gear will usually be easily and cheaply replaced.

11.) If you decide, against my advice, to join a pub game, be aware that the good pkers won't attack immediately. Amazons wait until a monster procs amp on you, sorcs wait until you fight a conviction aura'd mob. A good necro will use his bone walls to corral you in, or if you are melee he will wait until you are in the thick of battle and you aren't paying attention to him. Also of note, if the necro has a lot of skeles, mages, and revives, yet they all seem to die fast, he is probably a pk. Experienced nec pks will use the massive lag caused by bone structures and summons to execute you.

12.) Escape up enter is your best friend. I can do it so fast that it looks like disconnect.

13.) Set up your belt to have a full slot of major rejuvs, a full slot of town portals, and two slots of minor rejuvs. Guzzle those potes like kool-aid, they are free after all and will save your life many times.

14.) Buff your cold and poison resist. You can do this by drinking thawing potions and antidote potions. Drink the thaws so a cold sorc can't wtfown you in one shot. Drink the antis so you won't be low on health when you least expect it from poison procing mobs.

15.) Put every point you possess into vitality. You don't need anything else. My untwinked bear druid had more than 1000 life at level 18. Invest in getting lower level life scs, which you can farm on the way to Countess in Normal.

16.) If you are in a game full of tagged people, and they start moving away from you, leave the game.

17.) If a player opens a tp anywhere near you, hit your tp hotkey and leave the area.

18.) Don't start NM until level 45. Don't start Hell until level 80.

19.) Be a nice person. If you piss somebody off, they can easily put a bounty on your head and have someone smoke your ass. Ask Hurricane_Ivan, RazzerFraz, Mithrandirr, Yeti, or any of the many infamous pks just how much their ears have been worth over the years. A successful kill on a rich person's enemy can snag you upwards of a Gul rune, which is worth a lot more in hc than it is in sc.

20.) If somebody follows you around in town, they are most likely weighing you in the balance. Don't be found lacking. They will gauge your gear, how much life they think you have, and what your likely resists are. They won't attack you unless they think they can one- or two-shot you. My personal best has been two people killed with a tornado volley. I have heard of and seen screenshots of five people being killed in a single attack.

21.) Avoid wps, public portals, and starting areas.

22.) Play with friends.

=Where is the "Reziarfg" monster?=

The Reziarfg monster does not exist. If you take a careful look at the spelling of its name, you will see that is in fact the name of Geoff Fraizer, a member of the Blizzard web team, spelled backwards. The monster is a joke, nothing more. It is not found in any game file, not even a hint. If it were there, the experienced modders would have found out long ago. There simply is no monster called Reziarfg in the game.

=What does the chat gem do?=

[[The Chat Gem]] does not have a purpose. It changes colour, and sends messages like Gem Activated, Perfect Gem Activated and Mooooo. Nothing else. People use it as a marker for their channel conversations, but the gem does not affect gameplay in any way whatsoever.

If you like clicking the thing, go ahead. But know that any change you notice is a result of good-old chance.

=What are "Stacked Resists"?=

Under normal circumstances, players resistances to fire, cold, lightning and poison are capped at a maximum of 75%. Using certain items and skills you can boost the maximum resistance cap up to 95%, but no further. Therefore you can not make yourself immune to an element by boosting your maximum resistances up to 100%. When you have hit the final cap allowed by your gear and skills, the resistances will show up in golden letters on your character screen.
Whatever resistances you may have that surpass this cap are not calculated when hit with regular attacks.

However, having resistances above your displayed cap can come in handy. They will play a large role when you are affected by resistances, such as the ones from the Conviction Aura or other players Rainbow Facets. When these resistances come into effect, they start with subtracting from the resists you have over your displayed cap.

Examples:

We have player A, whose items give a total of 150% resistance to fire. 
And player B, whose items give a total of 75% resistance to fire.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player As resistances hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player Bs resistances hit the cap precisely at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
In this case, the stacked resistances were useless. But when that Fireball also lowers the targets resistances, the situation changes greatly.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage and lowers the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball starts with affecting stacked resistances, bringing them down to a total of 100%. The players resistances still manage to hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by the same Fireball that also reduces the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball can now directly lower the resistances in use, bringing the total resistance down to 25%. The player takes 75% of the damage = 150 damage, which is three times the damage player A suffered. Resists can make a HUGE dent in anyones life bowl unless properly countered. The next section will demonstrate this.

If you expect anyone is going to attempt to lower your resists, stacking them is generally a good idea if you wish to live. Cold Sorceresses, Über Mephisto and Avenger Paladins are all infamous for their ability to lower resistances. Dont be caught off guard.

Physical resistance has its own cap too, which is at 50%. But unlike elemental resistances, this resistance is not displayed on the character screen, and is not affected by the nightmare and hell resistance penalties as far as I know. This is what is generally referred to as Damage Reduced %. Stacking this resistance against the Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify is not advisable due to how difficult it is to gain a respectable amount of this rare resist.

Resistance to pure magical damage (Blessed Hammers, Bone Spells, Berserk) is almost impossible to resist. See section 31 for the reasons. This resistance most likely has a cap, although it is absolutely impossible to hit it.

=What is the effectiveness of resistances compared to +damage%?=

This has been slightly addressed before in sections 2 and 19, but only as side points.

Many seem to think that reducing an enemy's resistances by some percentage is roughly the same as increasing your own damage by that same percentage. This is not true. When the damage is calculated, -resist% "nearly always" come out on top. The effectiveness of -resist% relies completely on the defender's resistance. For example, if a defender has 95% resistance to the damage type in question and no stacked resists, the -5% would DOUBLE the damage output. Also, if the defender has maxed resistance stacked 5% or more over the cap, -5% would do absolutely nothing. The reasons for this are purely mathematical.

For an everyday example, let's assume an attack does 200 damage, and it is applied to a target with 50% resistance to the element in question. The damage output would be 200 * 0.50 = 100 damage.

If that attack also lowered the resistance by 5%, the damage we are looking at is 200 * 0.55 = 110 damage. A 10% increase in damage. Directly increasing damage by 5% would obviously only increase damage by 5%. Oddly enough, in this case -5% > +5% applies.

Examples when resist% do NOT improve your overall damage more than +damage% are few, but they include:

A) When the target already has negative resists. Basically, -x% enemy resist is more effective against a target with positive resists, and +x% skill damage is more effective against a target with negative resists (assuming the same value of x, of course). So in other words, if you had to make a choice between a -5%/+3% facet and a -3%/+5% facet, you should know the resists of your target first and make a choice depending on whether it's positve or negative (after taking Conviction, Lower Resist, Cold Mastery, etc. into consideration.) Thanks to Posterboy for the explanation.

B) When the target already has -100% negative resists, -resist% is completely pointless. You can never reduce someone's resists below -100%.

C) When the target is using Cyclone Armor or Energy Shield. These are applied before resistances, so resist% does nothing at all until the shield has been broken.

D) In many cases, Cold Sorceresses already have more than enough resist% from their Cold Mastery skill, making +damage% more desirable.

E) When the target has enough stacked resists to completely negate your resist%.

=How does the "Eth Glitch" work?=

In Diablo 2 version 1.11 and 1.11b, there is a bug regarding the socketing of ethereal armors. Ethereal armors are assigned a 50% bonus to their base defense rating when dropped. This is normal. What is not normal is the fact that when sockets are added to an ethereal armor using the Horadric Cube, that ethereal defense bonus is applied again. The result is an armor with an absolutely impossible defense rating. Enhanced defense modifiers are then added to that base defense rating, so the difference in end defense is rather huge.

This bug appeared as a side-effect when the 1.10 ethereal armor upgrade bug was fixed (the bug is described in section 14). In order to fix that bug, a defense bonus of 50% was simply crammed into the ethereal unique armor upgrade formula. Unfortunately that fix also affected the ethereal armor socketing formula, making armors now gain a second defense bonus when socketed.

The use of this bug is very controversial, and that is the reason I haven't added this section earlier. The overwhelming number of questions asked about this forced me to make up my mind.

It is not debatable whether this is a "bug" or an "undocumented feature". It is obviously a result of a programming flaw, making it a bug. Ask anyone who has looked at the code, ethereal armors gaining defense when socketed is NOT intentional. Not a chance.

However, the community is split regarding the practical use of this bug. One half argues that since Blizzard hasn't removed the bug, they intend it to stay, and that they need the bugged armors to stay competent when compared to those who do use the bugged armors. The other half considers the use of any ingame bugs to their advantage to be cheating. Personally, I agree with the second group, and suggest that anyone who wants to consider oneself a legitimate gamer to avoid this bug until fixed.

=How do Energy Shield and "Damage taken goes to Mana" work together?=

I didn't add this section until now simply because I do not use the Energy Shield spell on any of my characters, so I have no practical experience with it. It is correct on technical issues, however. Thanks to Gta-maloy] for confirming it.

First of all, the "damage taken goes to mana" mod found on items is NOT the same as the ES damage conversion. "Damage taken goes to mana" modifiers add to your mana pool a percentage of the damage you take.
Example: A character with a "10% damage taken goes to mana" mod is hit with an attack doing 50 damage. 50 health points will be removed from your health pool. 10% of those 50 points will now add to your mana pool.

End result: Life -50, mana +5.

However, when a Sorceress using ES is hit, some of the damage is subtracted from your mana pool instead of your health pool. The percentage of the total damage converted to the mana pool is dependant on your ES level, and it maxes out at 95%, at ES slevel 40. The ratio at which the damage is converted depends on points spent in Telekinesis. The base ratio is 200%, or 2:1. With no points in TK, every health damage point converted spends 2 mana. Each point spent in TK decreases that ratio by 6.25%, bringing it down to 100% = 1:1 at level 16. Notice that the TK bonus is a synergy bonus, only hard points will work.

Which means that if a Sorceress using a level 40 ES with 16 hard points in TK is hit for 100 damage, her mana will absorb 95% of the damage, while the health pool absorbs 5%.

End result: Life -5, mana -95.

If that Sorceress also had 20% damage taken goes to mana from gear, 20% of those 5 points that were actually removed from her health pool would be added to her mana pool. That's one point. Not very impressive.

End result: Life -5, mana -94.

You can see that making an "immortal Sorceress" by combining "damage taken goes to mana" and Energy Shield is impossible.

Miscellaneous information about Energy Shield:

ES is not affected by resistances, it takes 100% damage at all times, no more or less. That can be good, and bad. Its good in the way that you don't have to worry about maxing your resistances as much as most other character types, and enemies that depend on the ability to lower your resistances will be sent home crying. It is bad in the way that you can not raise the resistances of your ES above 0%.

Note that ES does not stop poison damage. The negative regeneration rate from the Open Wounds modifier can not be absorbed either. Be careful when those are around.

And to quote PeterPaulRubens:
:the real bummer of combing DTM and ES is that DTM's mana boost is applied to your mana BEFORE the mana loss from ES is calculated. In other words, your mana can still be reduced to zero by a hit. DTM won't ever save you from having NO mana.

=What makes Anya's Red Portal go away?=

Rather simple. The Red Portal closes when you have killed [[Nihlathak]] AND gotten the [[Halls of Pain]] waypoint. As long as you don't do both, the portal stays.

=Where is the Pit, and why does it drop good items?=

Introduced in 1.10 were several areas with very high area levels. Everything can drop from the champions and unique monsters in these areas. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I can not name a single thing that can not drop in there, excluding things like the 1.11 charms and keys, Annihilus and quest items, of course.

This of course makes the areas very powerful places in which to MF. The Pit is often favoured because:
# It is easy to find. Go to the Outer Cloister waypoint and follow the road that splits to a cave (the other leading to the Black Marsh). That cave is the Pit.
# The monsters in there are relatively easy to kill for most characters.
# Aside from the drops, it offers good experience to characters in their low and mid 80s.
# The area is big, meaning lots of monsters. More monsters mean you can spend more time killing them, not finding the Pit.
# There is a sparkly-chest at the bottom of it.

When item hunting in high level areas, always kill everything.

The AreaLevel 85 areas are:
# The Pit, levels 1 and 2
# The Mausoleum next to Blood Raven. NOT the Crypt. Easy area, but does not have very many monsters.
# The Maggot Lair, level 3 only. Difficult to get to, difficult to navigate. Rarely used.
# The Ancient Tunnels, found in the Lost City. Not very easy to find since there is no road leading up to it, but it doesn't have any cold immunes at all. Cold Sorceresses love it.
# The Sewers in act 3, level 2. Where you find Khalim's Brain. Horrible access, tiny area. I've never heard of anyone using it.
# The Forgotten Temple, The Ruined Fane, and The disused Reliquary. All easily found temples in act 3, but the areas are small.
# The River of Flame. It's a relatively large area, lots of monsters, fine experience. It is however a fairly difficult area for poorly equipped characters, which is probably why it isn't used more often.
# The Chaos Sanctuary. Same as the River of Flame, but with the mercinary-slaughtering Iron-Maiden.
# The Worldstone Keep levels 1-3, and The Throne of Destruction. They are perfect in all regards but one - they are the most difficult normal areas in the game.

This is of course all assuming hell difficulty.

* Complete list of [[Level 85 Areas]], plus strategy info.

=What is NextDelay, and why is it so bad?=

I will simply quote the diabloii.net Assassin FAQ on this matter:

::NextDelay is a property that activates a hidden "hit timer" that limits how often any attack from that group(i.e. all the skills listed here) can damage a single target. This works similarly to the infamous spell timer, which limits how often any spell in that group can be cast. The difference is that the hit timer doesn't prevent you from attacking, it just sets everyone's(includes you, your minions/merc, other players(hostile/neutral/allied), and their minions/mercs) chance-to-hit that monster (with a hit timer attack) at zero until the timer runs out.

Here's a list of skills that are affected by NextDelay, and the lengths of them:

25-Frame Delay (1 second)
* Shock Web
* Blade Sentinel
* Twister
* Tornado

10-Frame Delay (0.4 seconds)
* Volcano (initial eruption)

6-Frame Delay (0.24 seconds)
* War Cry
* Grim Ward

5-Frame Delay (0.2 seconds)
* Fissure
* Volcano (small fireball)

4-Frame Delay (0.16 seconds)
* Multi Shot
* Strafe
* Lightning Strike
* Chain Lightning
* Nova
* Frost Nova
* Poison Nova
* Shock Wave
* Fist of Heavens (Holy Bolts)
* Wake of Fire
* Claws of Thunder (only 2nd and 3rd charge charges have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Phoenix Strike (only 2nd Chain Lightning and 3rd Chaos Orb charge have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Dragon Flight
* Battle Cry
* Battle Command
* Battle Orders

So, the moment a certain skill from the list damages a monster, it prevents every other skill on the list from hitting the said monster for the original skill's NextDelay duration (whether from you or any other character).

=What is the difference between a damage spell and an attack?=

There is no single, easy way to seperate skills from attacks. In some cases the difference is obvious, as in a Sorceress Fireball is obviously a spell, while a Paladin Zeal is obviously an attack. There are a number of abilities which walk on the edge of the definition by having an attack component and a spell component as well. A few elements that seperate spells from attacks include:
# An attack uses a weapon of some type to calculate its damage, while a spell's damage is based entirely on skill level and skill damage modifiers.
# The time it takes to perform attacks is typically decided by increased attack speed modifiers (IAS), while spells' casting speed is typically decided by faster cast rate modifiers (FCR).
# Most attacks can be blocked with a shield, while spells can not. Exceptions include the Paladin's Smite skill, which can not be blocked even though it is an attack. Also, the Assassin claw block is unique in being able to block some spells.
# Attacks can return mana and life through
# An attack allows leeching, while spells do not.
# Some attacks can set off "procs", spells can not.

It should be noted that the damage type is a bad way to distinguish skills and attacks. For example, War Cry is a spell that deals physical damage, while Berserk is an attack that deals magical damage.

The tricky part is when you have a skill with both an attack and a spell component. In general, these fall into two categories.
# Attack with an additional Spell damage
# Spell that enhances an attack (usually by adding non-physical damage)

For a basic list, there are: Assassin Venom(2) and elemental charge-ups(1), Amazon elemental attacks (bow and spear/javelin) (most are 1), Druid Fireclaws(1)/Rabies(2), Paladin Holy Fire/Freeze/Shock(mostly 2), Sorceress Enchant(2), and Necromancer Poison Dagger(2). The (1) or (2) indicates which cateogry it falls into. The mechanics of each skill is specific, and a few have some odd quirks attached to them.

An even worse case is the Assassin Dragon Tail which falls into a category of its own, since the Fire splash damage actually depends on how much physical kick damage is dealt to the target.

=What is the difference between a ranged and melee attack?=

These two types of attacks are very similar, but have some important differences. Disclaimer - This is intended to help distinguish game mechanics. These distinctions have nothing to do with PvP rules which are based on what players agree on.

The Assassin kicks, Paladin's Smite, and Amazon's Guided Arrow all have some exceptions to the general rules for attacks. Kicks have a different damage formula, Guided Arrow is always-hit, and the Paladin's Smite is always-hit, ignores shield blocking, and follows a different damage formula. There are also a number of odd idiosyncrasies with other skills, such as the ED on Vengeance providing elemental damage, Berserk converting the physical damage to Magic damage, and several attacks having movement involved as part of the attack.

Here's a list of the different abilities and what category they are in. After that is the list of differences between ranged and melee attacks. Anything not listed is the same for both.

Ranged Attacks
* Bow or XBow attacks (except Wereform attacks with a bow/xbow)
* Throw attacks available with javelins, and throwing axes/knives (except potions)
* Assassin's Blade Fury and Blade Sentinal
* Amazon's Bow/Xbow tree
* The physical portion of the Amazon's Plague Javelin, Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt, and Lightning Fury
* Barbarian's Double Throw (except when using a potion)

Melee Attacks
* The "Normal" attack with anything but a bow or xbow
* Barbarian Combat Skills (except Double Throw)
* Paladin's Sacrifice, Zeal, Vengeance, Charge, and Conversion
- Druid's Wereform Attacks
- Assassin's Martial Arts
- Amazon's Jab, Impale, Fend, and the physical portion of Power Strike, Charged Strike, and Lightning Strike
- Necromancer's Poison Dagger

Differences
# Crushing Blow and Open Wounds work at half-effectiveness with ranged attacks.
# Attack Rating% bonuses listed on some ranged skills are not actually applied (for example all Amazon Bow skills).
# The mod +X damage (Grief, Asteron's) is not calculated in ranged attacks.
# Iron Maiden only affects Melee attacks.
# +% <element> damage applies once to melee and zero to ranged, despite the LCS.

=How does "Absorb" really work?=

The basic idea of absorb is rather simple, it couses portions of attacks that would normally damage you to heal you instead. There are a few points regarding it that cause confusion, however.

There is a difference between percentage absorb and integer absorb. It is basically the same as the difference between DR% and DR (see section 25). Percentage absorb heals you by a fraction of the damage dealt, while integer absorb heals you by a fixed amount. For item examples we have Blackhorns Face with integer absorb, and Dwarf Star with percentage absorb.

Absorb does not save you from one-hit KOs. The damage affects your health pool before absorb is applied. If the attack reduces your life to zero, you will die.

Damage is applied in a predetermined order. It is as follows: 
1) XvX penalty (for example Player vs. Player = -5/6) 
2) Sorceress Energy Shield 
3) Necromancer Bone Armor and/or Druid Cyclone Armor 
4) Integer DR/MDR 
5) Percentage resists (including DR%) 
6) Percentage absorb 
7) Integer absorb

This is relevant, because it helps you decide what type of damage reduction modifier will serve you best. Consult LanderZs damage calculator for further information: http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html
# Percentage absorb can never heal you on its own. It is capped at 40%, meaning that even if you have maximum percentage absorb, you will still take damage. Integer absorb does not suffer from this penalty.
# Absorb actually heals you two times the listed amount both to negate the damage and to heal by the same amount.
# The "magic absorb" modifier found on safety shields and Spirit Runewords (for example) only affects "pure" magical damage, such as the Necromancer bone spells. Elemental damages like Fire damage are not affected. This has been tested by Oramin.

Most of the information used in this thread came from Tommi Gustafsson's site, which is now defunct. Most of its content can now be accessed on b_77's site:
http://www.brentmcclintock.net/diablo/index.aspx

=What are "procs" and how do they work?=

"Proc" is a collective word for all sorts of effects that can happen on striking and attacking. If an item you are using contains a line that looks similar to "X% chance to do Y when Z happens", odds are that item contains a "proc". A good example of a proc would be "5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking" found on Dracul's grasp.

=A member of my party is using Ondal's Wisdom. Is he stealing my experience?=

No, not at all. It is one of the more persistent rumours, but it is not true. As confirmed by Ortliebj, the "+x% To Experience Gained" modifier found on the staff and the popular Annihilus charm is applied after the experience has been split among the party members. It has no effect on anyone but the user.

The rumour probably originated when players using Ondal's Wisdom were called "leechers" in party games. It would be a reference to the Ondal user's reduced ability to help the party, not an experience stealing modifier.

=What kinds of life bonuses are affected by Battle Orders?=

If you are asking this sort of a question, you have probably heard that not all life is multiplied by Battle Orders and other percentage-based life boosters. This is true.

When it comes to calculating your final life, there are effectively three factors you need to consider. These factors could be called "Boostable life", "Non-boostable life" and "Percentage boosts".
# Boostable life is life gained from spent vitality points, life naturally gained per level up, +life bonuses on items, and life gained from quest rewards.
# Non-boostable life is life gained from "soft" vitality points on items, life gained from life per level bonuses on items and life gained from vitality per level bonuses on items.
# Percentage boosts are the life% bonuses that can (for examples) be seen on the skills Battle Orders, Oak Sage or Lycanthropy, and items such as Doombringer or Jah runes in armor.

For the actual calculation, add together all your boostable life sources, and calculate your life. Then add together all percentage boosts to form a single percentage, and apply it as a bonus to your boostable life. After that, add the non-boostable life.

This information would be best displayed by an equation:
Final life = Boostable_Life * (100% + Boost%)/100% + nonboostable_Life

Mana calculations follow the same equation and mechanics.

=If I create an Iron Golem from an "indestructible" item, will the golem be invulnerable to damage?=

No. Basically, the "indestructible" modifier that can be found on items like Phase Blades or items that have been socketed with a Zod rune has to do with durability. It does not literally mean that the item can not be destroyed.
Iron Golems do not seem to be affected by durability in any way. The Golem's summoning item being indestructible changes nothing for the Golem.

=How are the elemental masteries applied to attacks?=

The following section was written by Oramin.

There are 3 basic rules to determine how Elemental Masteries (e.g. Fire Mastery) increase a character's damage.

# The Elemental Masteries apply to Skills at the time of casting/application to weapons.
# They amplify Melee attacks.
# They do *not* amplify Ranged attacks.

This means that if you were to cast Enchant then Fire Mastery would apply at the time of casting (and this is already shown in your displayed Enchant damage). Holy Shock would also be amplified by Lightning Mastery when the bonus Lightning damage is applied to the weapon.

If you do a Melee attack, the Fire/Lightning damages from Enchant/Holy Shock will be boosted again by whatever the levels of FM/LM happen to be at the time of attack. You get no additional damage if you choose to do a Ranged attack.

Example:

Assume you are a Sorceress with level 20 Fire Mastery, level 20 Enchant, level 20 Lightning Mastery, and a "Dream" helm which gives level 15 Holy Shock. Further assume that you have charms which add 1-100 Lightning damage and 1-100 Fire damage and that you are using an ordinary javelin.

Level 20 Enchant (including the single point in Warmth) does 74-97 damage. 
When we include level 20 Fire Mastery (+163% damage), the displayed damage at the time of casting becomes 196-256. This Fire damage is added to the weapon. The 1-100 Fire damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Fire Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Fire damage on the weapon is now 197-356.

Level 15 Holy Shock does 1-648 damage. At the time of application to the weapon, the level 20 Lightning Mastery (+278% damage) will amplify it causing 3-2449 Lightning damage to be added to the weapon. The 1-100 Lightning damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Lightning Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Lightning damage on the weapon is now 4-2549.

Fire damage: 197-356 
Lightning damage: 4-2549

If you were throwing the javelin, the above would be the correct totals.

However, if you do a Melee attack with the javelin instead then Lightning Mastery and Fire Mastery would amplify the damages giving the following damages: 
Fire damage: (197-356) * (1 + 1.63) = 518-936 
Lightning damage: (4-2549) * (1 + 2.78) = 15-9635

Note1: Due to the LCS (Lying Character Screen) you will see Ranged attacks receiving the same amplification as Melee attacks this is *not* correct.

Note2: We were not able to determine precisely how/if FM affects the bonus Fire damage from Explosive Bolts/Arrows but as the inherent damage is negligible, don't worry about it.

=Where can I find wands with charges of Amplify Damage?=

Nowhere. Amplify Damage charges can not spawn as a random affix. The only item in the game that has Amplify Damage charges is the unique Martel de Fer, The Gavel of Pain. It has three charges of level 8 Amplify Damage. If you want a non-Necromancer character to use Amplify Damage, your best option is to get an item that procs (see section 45) the curse.

=What types of +skills work with mercenaries?=

The following quote on how the various types of +skills work when applied to mercenaries was stolen from adeyke:

* +X to all skills works.
* +X to fire skills works for the mercs with fire skills.
* +X to a specific skill the merc already has (e.g. +X to bash (barbarian only) for barb mercs, +X to inferno (sorceress only) for fire iron wolves) also works.
* +X to a specific skill the merc doesn't already have doesn't work. Barb mercs will gain nothing from +X to natural resistance (barbarian only), for example. Mercs also don't use any oskills.
* +X to skill tabs doesn't work for any merc.
* +X to class skills (e.g. +X to barbarian skills, +X to sorceress skills) doesn't work for any merc.

=What decides the Assassin's Trap laying speed?=

The trap laying speed of Assassins is decided like most attack speeds. That means it is affected by things like gear-based increased attack speed (IAS) and the weapon speed modifier (abbreviated WSM, also often called "base weapon speed"). The diablo2.ingame.de [http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/weaponspeed.php?lang=english weapon speed calculator] can calculate your trap laying speed.

The Faster Cast Rate modifier (FCR) has no effect on trap laying speed. When Assassins emphasise FCR, it is usually to speed up their casting of Mind Blast, which is affected by the Faster Cast Rate modifier.

=How long do items stay if left on the ground?=

This section belongs to Posterboy, who originally poked the information my way, and Antitrust who re-confirmed it for 1.11 and wrote the contents of the following quote:

* Socketed items, Ethereal items, Equipable White items, Runewords, Keys, Quivers, Potions, Scrolls/Tomes - vanish in 10 minutes
* Runes, Gems, Magic Items (including charms) - vanish in 20 minutes
* Rares, Uniques (including charms), Sets - vanish in 30 minutes
* Gold, Horadric cube (the only quest item I tested) - last for at least 2 hours and 36 minutes (at which point I stopped)

This was tested in Single Player. Results on the realms may be (and I actually suspect that they are) different.

=Does poison cancel Deadly Strike, Critical Strike, or Crushing Blow?=

No, it does not. There seems to be a glitch when it comes to displaying the associated "puffs" when the target is poisoned, but it is purely graphical.

=Acknowledgments=

Big thanks to the posters I have shamelessly exploited and plagiarized in order to make this thread grow:
2_Much_4_U, adeyke, Antitrust, Chaotix, Daten, Gta-maloy], Ilkori, TommiG, Oramin, Ortliebj, PeterPaulRubens and Posterboy.

And thanks to everyone who pointed out missing things and possible additions, bumped this thread, made comments, or just generally helped me in some way whether they know it or not: 
Armaege, BIGeyedBUG, Bonkshasa, Dargad, Derisive, LaughingBuddha, MicahW, MMAgCh, NickJS, Nucularterraist (Nucnuc), Orphan, sambo., Sarrick, Sol1, Technomage-C01, The_Terror_Lord, T-hawk, Veneteaou and WizAdept.

Technomage-C01 deserves special mention for keeping the thread from being munched by the B.Net Gameplay Discussion forum for more than a year and a half. And the most special thanks of all go to Ortliebj for inspiring me to make this thread. Thanks to all of you.

[[category:FAQs]]

Things you should know about Diablo 2

2009-04-22T22:06:18Z

DiMono: /* What is the difference between a damage spell and an attack? */

This massive FAQ-like compilation of interesting D2 tidbits was put together by Ernir and posted on the old Battle.net forums. ([http://classic.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=d2-general&t=1312543 Source].) The version here in this wiki is reformatted and has had numerous links added to additional information and images.

=How do Traps and Rainbow Facets work together?=

The -res% and +damage% on [[Griffon's Eye]] and [[Facets]] do not add to trap damage. With the exceptions of Fire Blast and Shock Web, the Assassin Traps are considered minions by the game. Your minions do not benefit from any -res% or +damage% your character has.

Note that Sorceress Hydras benefit from both Fire Mastery and Facets. This exception is explained by T-Hawk:

::The missiles fired by Hydra have a special-case check of their caster's "+% Fire Skill Damage" ability. That's why Hydra works with Fire Mastery and Facets. This check was added in version 1.05; before that, Fire Mastery didn't boost Hydra damage.

=Can immunities be removed?=

Yes, they can. [[Monsters]] immune to a damage type are classified as monsters with 100 or more percentage resistance to the damage type in question. If you lower the monster's resistance below 100%, you can damage the monster.

There are only two things that can remove elemental immunities: The Paladin's Conviction aura, and the Necromancer's Lower Resist curse. Conviction Aura also doesn't affect Poison resistance. The Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify can remove physical immunity.

All other types of -resist (Facets, Cold Mastery, Griffon's Eye) do NOT have an effect on immune monsters.

Also, all the spells mentioned above work at 20% efficiency when dealing with immune monsters. Example: A hell Doom Knight has 110% Fire resist, meaning it is immune to fire. That Doom Knight is hit by a level 3 Conviction Aura, which under normal circumstances would lower the monster's fire resistance by 40%. However, since the monster is immune, the Conviction aura only works at 20% efficiency, making those 40% in effect only 8%. The calculation is: 110 - 40*0.2 = 102 fire res, making the monster still immune.

This fact makes it much harder to break immunities. There are monsters whose immunities are simply impossible to break. Hell Oblivion Knights, for example, have 180% cold resist. Doesn't matter what you throw at it, it is impossible to break.

Even though you can combine Lower Resist and Conviction (the resist reduction percentages are simply lumped together and the combined number reduced to 20%), any resist >= 145 can not be broken, even with a Level 25 Conviction (-150% Resist All) and a Level 60 Lower Resist (-70% Resist All). Thanks to Technomage-C01 and BIGeyedBUG for pointing that out, and Tommi and Adeyke for the information.

-res from items and other skills are not completely useless when dealing with immune monsters, though, because once the immunity has been broken, these items take effect.

Physical immune monsters are monsters with a physical resistance of 100 or more. This immunity can (as mentioned above) be removed using the curses Amplify damage (which gives -100% physical resist) or Decrepify (which gives -50% physical resist). Again, the same penalties apply to Amplify Damage and Decrepify as to the elemental immunities.

=How do I spend my stat points for build x?=

For 95% of post-1.10 character builds, this is the recommended stat distribution:
* Strength - enough for gear.
* Dexterity - enough for gear or a block rate of 75% should you choose to.
* Vitality - everything else.
* Energy - in most cases nothing. Extremely mana-hungry casters may want to spend some here, but at the cost of the life vitality provides.

Thanks to Posterboy: Major exceptions from this rule include "glass cannon" Bowazons and Energy Shield Sorceresses.

=How do I get to Über Tristram/what do the Keys do/what are the "Übers"?=

* [[Pandemonium Event]] quest details.

Loosely based on a post made by Armaege:

The 1.11 patch added to the game a so called "Pandemonium Event" available ONLY on the realms, in hell difficulty.
To trigger the event, you must collect items called keys. There are three types. The Countess drops the Key of Terror, the false Summoner drops the Key of Hate, and Nihlathak drops the Key of Destruction.

When you have collected three keys, go anywhere in the town of Harrogath in Act 5 and transmute these three keys together in the Horadric Cube. One of three portals will open, to the Furnace of Pain, the Matron's Den, or the Forgotten Sands, in which you will fight Über-Izual, an Andariel-like creature called Lilith and Über Duriel respectively.

Each of these bosses drops one of the Prime Evil's relics, Lilith drops "Diablo's Horn", Über Duriel drops Baal's Eye, and Über Izual drops Mephisto's Brain.

When you have collected all three relics (a.k.a. body parts) you must go back to Harrogath, and transmute the three relics. This will open a portal to Über Tristram, where you will fight improved versions of the Prime Evils all at once - the Übers. Prepare for the hardest fight of your D2 career.

The last of the Prime Evils you kill will drop a large charm called the Hellfire Torch. It gives 3+ to the skill levels of a random character class, 10-20 to all resistances and attributes, a chance to cast Diablo's Firestorm on striking, 8+ to light radius and Hydra charges. This is your reward for all the trouble of collecting keys, relics, and killing the Übers.

The last Über that goes down also drops a "Standard of Heroes", one for each player in the game. These do not do anything, as far as anyone knows. They are trophies, nothing more.

=What does Standard of Heroes do?=

I repeat, there is no known use for the Standard of Heroes small charm. On this matter, I am going to quote the Blizzard forum moderator MicahW.

::''The Standard of Heroes is a trophy you get for having completed the patch 1.11 world event.

And if you don't believe MicahW, Blizzard forum moderator NickJS said this:

::''They are merely trophies. If we ever release a future patch hopefully we implement a "trophy case" to put these in. Available in Maple or Oak. You could have your friends over and show them off!

There is absolutely nothing that suggests it has a function besides looking pretty. All rumours that say otherwise are products of someone's overactive imagination, or a pitiful scam attempt. Why it has a level requirement is unknown.

=How frequently do "the Keys" drop?=

Adeyke had this to say on the matter:

::''Key of Terror has a 1/14 chance of dropping per kill in a 1-player game. Key of Hate has a 1/11 chance, while Key of Destruction has a 1/12 chance
You can get two, three, or possibly even more keys from a single drop.

These keys are nonmagical and your chance to find magic items does NOT have an effect on their drop rate. However, having more players in the game will increase your chances.

Note that even though you can find the keys in Single Player, they do not do anything there. The Pandemonium Event is exclusive to the Realms.

=Why do the Vipers in the Halls of Vaught kill my GOSU char in one hit?=
Explanation by Gta-maloy]:

::A percentage of their charge damage is included in the secondary cloud of poison. The AoE cloud. This means that you could avoid the initial poison from the spear but still get the physical + poison damage of the cloud should you run into it.

::THE CLOUD IS NOT VISIBLE. This is why many people think they get killed by something that isn't really there. The cloud will stay about five seconds AFTER the initial spear's cloud vanishes. If you do not move in this time, the second cloud will not effect you. Getting knocked back will also not trigger the second cloud. You will get poisoned by the viper and get a nice percentage of life taken away from you but it won't be over time.

;;Best thing to do is stand still when they fire or run past them at high velocity. The cloud will only form a second or two after the spear is thrown, this gives more than enough time for a character to run past them. Should you need to stop... stop and don't run or walk until five seconds after all the clouds have gone.

As for whether or not this is a bug; Blizzard forum moderator MicahW made the following statement:

Wheres the fix on those pesky Tomb Viper in Nihlathak place?

::Working as intended.

=How does Über Mephisto's Conviction aura work?=

Exactly like the corresponding Paladin aura. Über Mephisto's Conviction is level 20, and lowers your resistances to fire, lightning and cold by 125%. There are two very popular ways to get around that:

1) Stack your resists. Even though they are "capped" at 75% all resist, anything above 75% still gets counted when your resistances are lowered. If your resists are stacked more than 125% over your max, Mephisto's Conviction will do you no harm.

2) Override the effect of Mephisto's Conviction by using a higher level Conviction aura yourself. Yes, that's right. If the level of your Conviction aura is 21 or higher, Mephisto's Conviction will not affect you. Your hirelings, minions, and party members, however, will still take full penalty from the aura, so this is really a selfish but easy way to get rid of his aura.

Note on overriding Conviction - According to Sol1's and The_Terror_Lord's testing, both auras "work" if the skill levels are equal, meaning both you and Über Mephisto suffer the resistance and defense penalties. You need a higher level aura to override the other.

=Do mercenaries hired at lower levels gain better stats?=

No. No matter what you may have heard until now, the level at which the merc is hired is completely irrelevant. What does matter is the difficulty in which it was originally hired. A merc hired in normal has better stats than the same type of merc hired in nightmare, and a merc hired in nightmare has better stats than the same type of merc hired in hell. You should always hire your mercs in normal unless you need a specific aura from a nightmare act 2 merc.
* [[Mercenaries]] basic information.
* Hugely detailed [[Mercenary guide]] with strategy, skill levels, and tons more information about mercs.

=Can socketed runes poof?=

Yes, they can. Socketing a dupe protects it from "Passive Ruststorm" which is run when you enter and exit games. There is, however, nothing that can be done to save your precious dupes from the wrath of the Full Ruststorm. If your duped Enigma did survive, you were simply lucky, or you were on non-ladder where Full Ruststorm has never been run.

Ortliebj said it best:

::Full Ruststorm v2.5 will delete "dirty" items, even if they are components of other items. Full Ruststorm was last run in August of last year (2nd week, iirc).

::It will also delete items that have been tampered with in attempts to fool the Ruststorm process. In other words, personalizing your Engima won't help, so don't even try it. All eleven different attempts/strategies of which I am aware to try and circumvent this process have failed.

::When a full active Ruststorm is actually run, illegitimate items of types you've never even dreamed about will be deleted and/or invalidated.

If you have had an item disappear from your inventory, it most likely was a dupe that Ruststorm caught.

=What is the "strength bug", and how does it work?=

There are two glitches commonly referred to as the "strength bug".

The first one is rather harmless. When you don't have the base stats needed to equip an item, other players will not see the item, even though they are there and take full effect. This can be quite humorous when a "naked" barbarian stands in the middle of a monster pack and "punches" them to death. Another example is when Amazons throw Lightning Furies with their bare hands. This is not a hack, merely a display issue.

The second glitch is somewhat more serious. This is when you do not have the base OR end stats to equip an item that has +stats, making the item sustain itself. Example:

Your character has 150 strength after all gear, excluding the shield. You want to equip a Stormshield. In order to reach the 156 strength required, you put a charm in your inventory that gives you +6 to strength, giving you 156 strength, enough for Monarchs. You can now equip the shield. This brings your total strength to 186 with the strength bonus from the Stormshield. Now this is where the glitch comes is: You can now remove the charm from your inventory, but the +strength from the shield will still be enough to equip the shield. The shield is now, in effect, supporting itself. This is an extremely dangerous practise, because if you die, you will not be able to reequip all of your gear, so if you die again, you will be left with multiple corpses. Since only one corpse (the one with the most valuable items... in gold) will be transferred to the next game you enter, abusing this glitch to save stat points is an excellent way to lose your gear. Excepted from this are hardcore players, who lose all their gear anyway when they die.

On a related note, using +stats from items to equip other items is not a "glitch". This is perfectly natural. However, doing this can sometimes result in needing to click your corpse multiple times to get all your gear back, and having to pick up and reequip items when you enter a game. The order that items are respawned on your character was provided by Ortliebj:
# Head
# Neck
# Torso
# Right Hand *
# Left Hand
# Right Ring
# Left Ring
# Belt
# Feet
# Gloves
# Inventory (meaning charms, etc.)
* * Right hand from the character's perspective, so glove side and then boot side.

Ruvunal discovered the initial order of item pickup upon corpse retrieval. He tested, verified and updated it after 1.09 and 1.10.

Meaning... if your helm provides you with the stats you need to equip your armor, you will only need to click your corpse once. However, if your armor provides you with the strength you need to equip your helm, you will have to click twice, as the helm is left on the ground the first time you click.

Using +stats CAN cause you to lose items if you are killed the moment you are clicking to pick up your items and the order doesn't match with the strength requirements of the items. This is no where near as dangerous as glitch-equipping your gear, but it is nevertheless something to keep in mind.

Addition pointed out by Bonkshasa - if you have enough room in your backpack to pick up all your items, you won't lose them, even if you are not able to equip them right away. This is rarely the case these days (when PvPing your inventory is full of charms, and in PvM the potions from your belt probably filled up any available space already), but this could very well be the difference between losing your Crown of Ages or keeping it.

Disclaimer: The factual accuracy of the item pickup order is currently under dispute.

=How does the +damage from Grief and Astreon's work? And why does it look so low on the character screen?=

In most cases, the +damage from weapons such as Grief, Astreon's Iron Wand, and Stonecrusher adds directly to the weapon's base damage, meaning it is multiplied by pretty much everything. This is what can easily make a good Grief the most damaging one-hand weapon in the game.

Unfortunately this bonus to the base damage does not show up on the Lying Character Screen, not correctly at any rate. That is simply because it is out of date. I don't think the LCS has been fully updated for LoD yet.

To see your REAL damage, use [http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Weapon Damage Calculator].

Note that there are exceptions from this rule. Vengeance, for example, does not seem to use the added +damage as base weapon damage. Mikeandroe performed a series of tests on how the Vengeance damage is calculated, and the results can [http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=50089 be found here].

On the other hand, when Smite is used, the +damage is added directly to the shield's base damage. Because the most damaging Paladin shield in the game deals 46.5 average damage, the +damage makes a HUGE difference. This is why Grief and Astreon's IW are so popular (and possibly unbalancing) for Smiters.
The [[Smite FAQ]] by Oramin and Bloodshrike explains Smite in detail.

The Assassin kick attacks do not benefit from +damage in any way. Blade Fury and Blade Sentinel also do not benefit from it, although the display is incorrect. Thanks to BIGeyedBUG for bringing it to my attention, and adeyke for the information.

=How much dexterity do I need to reach max block at level x with shield y with character z?=

[http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Block Calculator] can answer that.

=How can I stop monsters from regenerating?=

There are three ways:

The "Prevent Monster Heal" mod. It prevents all monsters except the Pandemonium Übers from regenerating. The Übers have been specifically made immune.

Poison. Monsters do not regenerate while poisoned. Once the poison wears off, however, they start regenerating again.
Open Wounds. Being affected by open wounds automatically sets the monsters' regeneration rate to a negative value.

Also note that these methods only negate natural regeneration. Things such as healing spells, the Prayer aura, healing potions and life leech should still work.

=How can upgraded items get a lower Defense than the item had before?=

Upgrading items does not guarantee higher stats. All it does is take a normal base item to exceptional status, or an exceptional item to elite status. The end stats depend on the stats of the upgraded base item. Vampire Gaze is probably the most famous example.

Grim helms have a defense range of 60-125. All Vampire Gaze Grim Helms have a defense of 252. This is due to the fact that when armors spawn with the enhanced defense mod, the defense is invariably set at max +1. When we are dealing with a Vampire Gaze, the base item's defense of 126 receives a 100% bonus = 252 defense.

However, when the item is upgraded, the base defense is rerolled. The defense range of Bone Visages is 100-157. Which means that a Vampire Gaze with a base item defense of 126 has a very good chance of being turned into a Bone Visage with a lower defense. In case of the worst roll imaginable, your 252 defense Vampire Gaze would go down to 200. Not good.

[http://www.cs.colostate.edu/%7Edeykea/d2armours.html Adeyke's upgrade calculator] shows how upgrading will affect the various unique items.

Note that in the 1.10 patch, ethereal armors would lose their ethereal defense bonus when upgraded, in addition to having their defense rerolled. This is no longer the case, ethereal items now retain their defense bonus (although the hack fix implemented had most unfortunate side effects). Adeyke's page still shows ethereal upgraded items with the same defense as non-ethereal ones, but nevertheless, this has been fixed.

=What level requirement will my upgraded rare item get?=

Syrith had this to say:

::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to exceptional: +5 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from exceptional to elite: +7 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to elite: +12 levels to base req

Examples by Daten (slightly modified to represent updated information):

::If the item that will be upgraded has a Level Req. higher than the upgraded base item, it will get +5 Req. Example: Rare Long Sword (Lev 48 Req (the Level is determined by the Mods on the Sword)) upgrade to Rare Rune Sword (Lev 53 Req)

::If the requirements are lower than the Base Item Requirements, the upgraded Item will get: Requirement on upgraded Base Item + 5.

::Rare Sharkskin Boots (Lev 25 Req (Level is determined by the Base Item Requirements)) upgrade to Scarabshell Boots (Lev 56 Req (Scarabshell Boots = 49, +7))

=Can +to Holy Shield spawn on white scepters in 1.10/1.11?=

Yes, they can. They are obscenely rare, but they can. Normally, Holy Shield is not allowed to spawn on sceptres. However, if the game has failed six times in finding an "allowed staffmod" for the sceptre, it picks the one that was rolled last, regardless of whether or not it is on the "allowed list".

If you do not want to take my word for it, here is [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/Ernir/bnetmoment/HolyShield.jpg a screenshot of one], provided by Nucularterraist. It was taken in early ladder season three.

It has not been altered in any way. I didn't even crop the image to remove the sophisticated background chat.

=What runes can you get from the Hellforge Quest on each difficulty level?=

* Normal: El - Amn
* Nightmare: Sol - Um
* Hell: Hel - Gul

Notes: You get exactly one rune only per quest completion. There is an equal chance (1/11) of getting each rune available. Having more players in your party when you complete the quest does not increase the number of runes (although you do get more gems). So it is generally a good idea to unparty/leave the game if more than one person needs to complete the quest.

Also note that Gul is the highest rune that can drop from the Hellforge on any difficulty. The runes from Vex-Zod are impossible to get from the Forge. If someone claims they got a rune above Gul from the Forge, that person is either lying or suffers from an overactive imagination. Hephasto the Armorer can drop any rune in the game, but the Forge itself can only drop up to Gul.

* [[Rune Finder Guide by Urlik|Urlik's massive rune finding guide]].
* [[Level_1_Rushing|Level 1 rune rushing guide]].

=My Merc wears an Infinity Polearm, will the -55% Light Res work for my Sorceress/Trapsin/Tesladin?=

No it won't. -x% Elemental Damage (Cold,Fire,Lightning,Poison), as well as +x% Elemental Damage work like Sorceress Masteries. Both modifiers are only applied for attacks dealt by the Player that wears the Item (since Traps and Skeletal Mages are treated as Minons, this won't increase their Damage (see 1.)! Having the Item with the -x%/+x% Damage on the Weapon-Switch won't help either.

+x% Fire/Light/Cold Damage is added to the Sorcs Fire-, Cold- or Lightmastery. A Lightsorc with lev 31 Lightning Mastery (+410%) will only get a tiny damage Boost from a +5% Lightfacet (415%). That's why Cold Sorcs look for +5%/-x% Facets and Fire/Lightsorcs prefer +x%/-5% Facets.

To get back to the original Question: A lot of Builds that rely on Elemental Damage equip their Merc with an Infinity Polearm because of the Conviction Aura, not because of the -x% Lightning Resistance.

The above section was provided by Daten.

=Why do people talk about the "Lying Character Screen", or LCS?=

Because the screen flat out LIES about many important stats. Meaning that the numbers you see on the character screen are not the numbers the game actually uses. I do not think it has had any major updates since 1.06, so things like +damage modifiers, off-weapon ED%, etc. are NOT displayed correctly, if at all.

Gta-maloy] had this to say about it:
::That screen, in many circumstances, only properly shows resistances, the character's level, the experience gained and the damage dealt for the first two levels.

::After that is done, it sucks.

::Once you die, the Anya bug is not listed. (interjection: I, Ernir, will discuss the Anya bug below)

::Masteries and synergies are not properly multiplied together, damage modifiers are completely ignored, the equations used for AR and damage are outdated....

::The chance to block seems alright though

Ortliebj added this:

::It is broken by the time you reach a place called the "Den of Evil".

::There's even an old bug where your name can be displayed incorrectly.

=What is the "Anya bug"?=

Those who have finished the game know that when you have rescued Anya in act 5, Malah gives you a Scroll of Resistance that "permanently" increases your resistances to the elements. But we also know that Malah did not make it past Firebolt casting 101. That shoddy little scroll does not work quite the way it is supposed to.

When the scroll is cast, it does increase your resistances. But when you die, that bonus is lost, even though it does is not displayed on the Lying Character Screen. The bonus is regained when you reenter the game, but for the rest of the game in which you died, your resists are really 10% lower for each Malah scroll you used - up to 30%. That is quite a difference. Your paladin may not have 90% resist all, maybe he has 60% all res.

This is of special concern to duelers, who often die multiple times in each game - and it also means that if you lose to an elemental attack once, you are likely to keep losing.

In turn, hardcore players don't have to worry about this bug at all, for obvious reasons.

=22. What runes can the Countess Drop?=

I will address this very briefly and in the most simple way I can think of. The countess has two separate "ways to drop items". A normal drop, and a special rune drop. The rune drop is what people are looking for when they run the Countess (along with Terror keys). The "normal drop" can give you runes up to Lo in hell difficulty. However, your chances to get a Lo from her are not really any better than from any other monster.

The Rune drop can drop up to Ist in hell. The possibility of getting higher runes from this drop are far greater than from the normal drop. Again, this drop is what you are looking for.

The runes that [[the Countess]] can drop in each difficulty are:

Normal:
* Normal drop - Nef
* Rune drop - Ral

Nightmare:
* Normal drop - Ko
* Rune drop - io (eye-o)

Hell:
* Normal drop - Lo (ell-o)
* Rune drop - Ist

=What level requirement will my crafted item get?=

Gta had this to say:

::For crafted items.....figure out the highest level requirement from all affixes on the item, add ten and add three for every affix other than the set ones.

::So a ring with 6% mana leech (level req of 74) and 4 affixes (including the mana leech, excluding the life leech, str and life provided by the cast) will get +22 (10 from the cast, 12 from teh affixes). There is a rlvl 98 cap, certain charges like Lightning Strike and Freezing arrow can provoke up to rlvl 108...but this is now remedied in 1.11 and brought down to rlvl 98.

=Is there a "cap" on Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, or Deadly Strike?=

The only cap is the logical cap of 100%. You can not get these to go off more than 100% of the time you hit an enemy. Percentages over 100% (Headstriker on a high level char, for example) do not help at all. You have no chance for a double crushing blow, double bleed, 4x damage or whatever you may think that 100%+ may do.

There is a persistent rumor about these being capped at 95%. I guess this originates from the fact that you can usually only deal these out 95% of the time you attack, since the maximum chance to hit with attack-rating based attacks is 95%, but these will still go off 100% of the time you actually hit an enemy.

Short: They are all capped at 100%.

=What does "damage reduced" or "DR" mean?=

The Damage Reduced by x% mod, which is found on items such as Stormshield, Shaftstop, Verdungo's Hearty Cord and Harlequin Crest, reduces the physical damage you take by increasing your physical resistance. This has no effect on any type of magical damage.

Your physical resistance is not displayed on the character screen. Unmodified the resistance is 0%. The beforementioned items (and several more things) can bring this resistance up to 50%. 50% is the cap for physical resistance, both in PvP and PvM.

This resistance works exactly the same as elemental resistances. Example: If you are hit by a physical attack that does 100 damage and you have a total of 20% damage resistance, the damage you take will be 100-(0.20*100)= 80 damage taken.

Note that there is also a mod called "Damage Reduced By X", found on items like Gladiator's Bane and Nature's Peace. Note the lack of the percentage symbol. This reduces the damage you take by a fixed amount, not a percentage of the attack damage.

Example: You are hit by a physical attack that does 50 damage and you total Damage Reduced By 30. The attack's damage would be 50-30 = 20 damage to you.

This type of damage reduction does NOT have a cap. Also, this mod is capable of negating ALL damage you take. If the example above had been with a 25 damage attack, no damage would have been taken at all.

And which type is better? Both. DR% has an advantage when it comes to heavy hits, and DR when it comes to multiple light hits. You decide which you want.

=What is the difference between "Ignore Target's Defense" and "Always Hits"?=

The following section was mostly provided by Posterboy.

"Ignore Target's Defense" is not the same thing as "Always Hits." "Ignore Target's Defense" simply means that the targets defense rating will be set to zero in the To Hit calculation. From the Arreat Summit: "This ability will not work on Unique Monsters, Super Unique Monsters, Hirelings, other players, and Act-end bosses." Player/monster level still plays a part in the equation, and the is a min/max cap of 5%/95% chance to hit.

"Always Hits" means that this attack will bypass the To Hit formula altogether. Guided Arrow, Smite, and most spells are "Always Hits," although some, like Guided Arrow, can be blocked. That means if you had a level 2 Paladin with one point in Smite you can hit a monster like Hell Diablo consistently. Also note that "Always Hits" does not necessarily mean that you will literally always hit because there is still shield blocking, Zon Dodge/Avoid/Evade, and Assassin claw-blocking to consider, not to mention manually dodging an attack.
Note that the Assassin's claw block can block many things that ordinary shields can't.

Range is also a considerable factor when discussing attacks that always hit. Smite, for example, depends on weapon range. If the target is farther away than the weapon range allows, the animation is shown, but the opponent is not hit. This is why skilled melee characters using range 3-5 weapons can often beat Smiters that use a cookie-cutter range 2 Grief Phase Blade.

=How do synergies and +skills work together?=

There are so called "soft" skill points, and "hard" skill points. Hard skill points are the points you gain from leveling up and from quests. Soft skill points are skill points you gain from ANY gear, including charms, weapons, armor, whatever.

When calculating the level of a skill, both the soft and hard skill points are taken into account. However, when calculating how great the skill benefits from synergies, only the hard points you spend in the synergizing skill are counted in for the benefit of the synergized skill.

Example:

You have spent 20 hard points in Blessed Hammer, and 20 points in Blessed Aim. You also have a helmet that gives 2+ to all skill levels. The displayed levels of the skills are now 22 for BH, and 22 for BA as well.
But when the game calculates the benefit Blessed Hammer recieves from Blessed Aim, it applies the benefit from a level 20 Blessed Aim skill to the level 22 Blessed Hammer skill.

Exceptions from this rule include the Necromancer summon masteries and the Sorceress elemental masteries. These are not actual synergies, but rather skills whose only function is to enhance other skills. When the benefit from these is calculated, both hard and soft points are counted. The Druid summon cross-bonuses work that way as well, according to MMAgCh.

=How can I find skillers/what is the first, or best place to find skillers?=

[[Skillers[[, or Grand Charms with +to a character skill tab, require an item level of at least 50 in order to spawn. The first area in which all dropped grand charms have an item level of 50+ is the nightmare Great Marsh.

In order to maximize your chances of finding a skiller, you want the item level to be as close to 50 as possible. Why is that? Because when affixes are selected, they are chosen from all available affixes. Having a GC with an ilevel of exactly 50 is the best in this regard because they do have the possibility of getting a skiller, while the possibilities of other affixes are being kept to a minimum.

However, there is an alternate approach. Items dropped from Hell Baal have an item level of 99, and items dropped from Hell Nihlathak have an item level of 95. Grand charms dropped from these two bosses can spawn with very, very high life, namely the 41-45 to life vita suffix. Grand charms that both have +to a skill tab and high life can trade for astronomical values. However, due to the high item level, most any affix can spawn. Your chances of getting a skiller from an ilvl 95+ Grand Charms are very slim, and the chances of getting that Grand Charm to spawn with the desired 40+ life are even slimmer. However, the time and effort needed to aquire these are worth it to some.

There is a way to significantly shorten the amount of time needed to find a skiller compared to just hunting the most likely drop zones over and over. This is referred to as "rerolling" or simply "rolling". This is done by placing a Grand Charm and three perfect gems in the Horadric cube, and transmuting. This will reroll the mods on the charm, but preserving the item level. This means that if you have a Grand Charm with that perfect ilevel of 50, but it has useless mods, you can reroll it into a useful skiller. In effect, it drops the item again at the cost of three perfect gems. Be prepared to spend a lot of perfect gems, but it can be worth it.

Note that this formula works on all magical items, but it is typically used the most on Grand Charms due to the high usefulness of blue Charms compared to the usefulness of blue equippable items.

Footnote: I must admit that I slightly lied about the first place you can get a skiller the first place would be normal Baal. The items he drops have an ilevel of 60, more than enough to get a skiller. But the nightmare Great Marsh is the first area in which every monster has the possibility of dropping a skiller.

A common misconception is that MF increases the chance of getting skillers. That is simply not true. This lies in how MF works, and I direct you to Gta's Guide to all that is items again for explanation.

Good areas to hunt for skillers and rerollable Grand Charms include:
* The nightmare Great Marsh the first place they can drop, the area level is 50.
* The nightmare Flayer Jungle run more often than the Great Marsh due to the number of Flayers, which can all drop ilevel 50 Grand Charms.
* Nightmare Cows there is a very large number of easily killable cows here, and the charms they drop have a decent chance of becoming a skiller.
* Nightmare City of the Damned there is a lot of Wraith-class monsters here.
* Hell Diablo, hell Nihlathak and hell Baal all three (and those three only) have the capability to drop skillers with 41-45 to life.

=How does Magic Find work with minions?=

When a minion or mercenary makes a kill, the minions MF percentage is added to your MF percentage. However, if you make a kill while one of your minions has MF, only your MF is used. It was probably made this way to allow minion characters (Summoners, Trapassins) to hunt for items effectively, while keeping the game as balanced as possible for characters that do not depend on mercenaries or minions for the kill.

=Is there a way to resist "pure" magical damage from other players?=

Pure magical damage, such as the damage from the Barbarians Berserk, the Paladins Blessed Hammer, and the Necromancer bone spells is mostly unresistable. There are some ways to reduce the damage, but no really effective ones. The main methods are:
# There is a mod called "Magic Resistance" on crafted safety shields. This is only 5-10%, though.
# Integer magic absorb. This is found on the runewords Spirit, Oath and Crescent Moon.
# Integer magic damage reduction. This is probably the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against magical damage. This is found on Dwarf Star rings, the String of Ears Demonhide Sash, and Skin of the Vipermagi Serpentskin Armor to name a few. It wont do much against a 10000+ damage Blessed Hammer directed at your face, but it could mean the difference between surviving 2-3 hammers or 3-4.

These means of course also counteract the magical damage that monsters deal, such as the hell and nightmare guest Viper Bone Spears.

=How come my Blessed Hammers can damage monsters immune to magic?=

It simply lies in the nature of the Blessed Hammer skill to completely ignore the magical resistances of both Demon and Undead class monsters. This is part of what makes Hammerdins (Paladins that use the Blessed Hammer skill) so ridiculously powerful, the ability to pierce the resistances of virtually any monster in the game is unmatched, anywhere. The only monster types that Blessed Hammers can not damage are monsters that are both immune to magic, and of the Animal class.

As of now, there is only one monster that meets both classifications. That is the Wailing Beast in an act 3 hell Kurast Temple. Aside from that single type of monster, Blessed Hammers can damage absolutely everything.

=How does Venom work?=

Poison damage in-game is always listed as X damage over Y seconds. Unfortunately, this isn't how the game calculates it. The damage per second is X/Y. The value you should be concerned about is the damage per frame (aka bitrate), which is X/(25*Y). Most of the time when poison sources are combined (not when Venom is concerned), your bitrates are added, and your durations are averaged. In order to achieve the highest possible bitrate, you want the highest possible poison damage over the smallest possible duration.

Maximizing your final damage output involves getting the highest bitrate possible, and being able to re-apply the poison damage before the duration timer runs out.

The strength of the Assassins Venom skill does not lie in a huge displayed damage number, but rather the short duration, which can be applied multiple times in very short succession. The relatively modest displayed damage is much more effective than it looks. Lets say Venom does 400 damage over 0.4 seconds. That damage is really 1000 damage per second if you manage to constantly keep the poison up (which can be done with a speedy kick attack, for example).

A slightly worse thing about Venom is that it effectively ruins all other sources of poison on your equipment that you may have. If you have Venom active, all poison attacks are scaled down to fit the short duration of Venom. Lets say you have a charm in your inventory that does 100 poison damage over 5 seconds = 20 damage per second. Having Venom active does not actually lower the bitrate of the charm, but rather shortens the duration. When Venom is active, that charm deals 20 damage per second over 0.4 seconds = only 8 total damage for each attack. Most unimpressive.

This is why poison charms and other poison sources work very badly with Venom. If you intend to use Venom, avoid using equipment for the sole reason of added poison damage. It won't hurt you, but it won't help you (much) either.

In order to maximize your Venom damage, do three things:
# Have Venom as high of a level as possible when casting
# Have as much +% Poison Skill Damage on your gear as possible when casting and attacking
# Lower your target's Poison Resistance as much as possible

Thanks to Ilkori for updating this section. Poison is not my forte.

=I am a hardcore player. How can I avoid being killed by malicious players?=

Before we begin, there are two acronyms that need to be understood:

PK: Player killer. It can be used as a verb also; Im going to PK you, noob. The term is not to be confused with actual dueling. Duels are mutually agreed upon. Player Killers dont ask for permission.

TPPK: A number of methods that involve setting up some sort of a deathtrap, going to town, and hostiling another player in rapid succession. The goal is to catch the victim/the PKed by surprise and kill him in the process.

On how to avoid being PKed, I am simply going to quote the celebrated forum troll and TPPKer 2_Much_4_U.

<blockquote>
Wow, okay. First off, don't feel too bad about having some lowbies ganked. Happens all the time.

To help you avoid further happenings, let me run down a couple of things to look for.

1.) Paladins with red armor, red helms, and a two-handed weapon are going to pk you. Especially if you are playing in a Tomb Run game.

2.) Sorcs who tell you to leave town for an enchant could very well be baiting you to set you up for an orb tppk.

3.) Never trust necromancers, no matter what they say their build is.

4.) Level 16 characters of any type who wear Twitchthroe (you can tell they are wearing it if they have dark green, nearly black studded leather graphic armor) are at the very least llds. Some of these people like to pk in pubby games.

5.) Characters with funny, stupid, or hostile names will often be pkers. The mentality of most pks is that you kill for laughs, and a good name such as AnInnocentChild makes a funny screenshot:

''Noob was slain by AnInnocentChild.

6.) Make passworded games and set the character limit to one.

7.) Don't get rushed. Some pro pks like to help people level so the ear is higher when they kill you. Sometimes if you Baal with people they will talk to you, get to know you a little, maybe even befriend you, then they will fire an Ice Blast up your ass.

8.) Set level restrictions on all nightmare level games and above. This won't keep you from getting killed by the pros, but you will avoid sucker clans like IceNine.

9.) Be aware of the pk clans on your realm, know who the most active pks are, and never group with people who can one-shot champion monsters.

10.) Look for people using +damage gear like wands and circlets. You can never be certain that necro is a tppker, but if he has blue leather armor, doesn't display a helm graphic, and carries a plain-colored wand, he is likely using White, +3 PnB circlet, and Vipermagi. Cheap but powerful gear with very little in the way of survivability mods. Pks are built for damage, not for duels, and as such their gear will usually be easily and cheaply replaced.

11.) If you decide, against my advice, to join a pub game, be aware that the good pkers won't attack immediately. Amazons wait until a monster procs amp on you, sorcs wait until you fight a conviction aura'd mob. A good necro will use his bone walls to corral you in, or if you are melee he will wait until you are in the thick of battle and you aren't paying attention to him. Also of note, if the necro has a lot of skeles, mages, and revives, yet they all seem to die fast, he is probably a pk. Experienced nec pks will use the massive lag caused by bone structures and summons to execute you.

12.) Escape up enter is your best friend. I can do it so fast that it looks like disconnect.

13.) Set up your belt to have a full slot of major rejuvs, a full slot of town portals, and two slots of minor rejuvs. Guzzle those potes like kool-aid, they are free after all and will save your life many times.

14.) Buff your cold and poison resist. You can do this by drinking thawing potions and antidote potions. Drink the thaws so a cold sorc can't wtfown you in one shot. Drink the antis so you won't be low on health when you least expect it from poison procing mobs.

15.) Put every point you possess into vitality. You don't need anything else. My untwinked bear druid had more than 1000 life at level 18. Invest in getting lower level life scs, which you can farm on the way to Countess in Normal.

16.) If you are in a game full of tagged people, and they start moving away from you, leave the game.

17.) If a player opens a tp anywhere near you, hit your tp hotkey and leave the area.

18.) Don't start NM until level 45. Don't start Hell until level 80.

19.) Be a nice person. If you piss somebody off, they can easily put a bounty on your head and have someone smoke your ass. Ask Hurricane_Ivan, RazzerFraz, Mithrandirr, Yeti, or any of the many infamous pks just how much their ears have been worth over the years. A successful kill on a rich person's enemy can snag you upwards of a Gul rune, which is worth a lot more in hc than it is in sc.

20.) If somebody follows you around in town, they are most likely weighing you in the balance. Don't be found lacking. They will gauge your gear, how much life they think you have, and what your likely resists are. They won't attack you unless they think they can one- or two-shot you. My personal best has been two people killed with a tornado volley. I have heard of and seen screenshots of five people being killed in a single attack.

21.) Avoid wps, public portals, and starting areas.

22.) Play with friends.

=Where is the "Reziarfg" monster?=

The Reziarfg monster does not exist. If you take a careful look at the spelling of its name, you will see that is in fact the name of Geoff Fraizer, a member of the Blizzard web team, spelled backwards. The monster is a joke, nothing more. It is not found in any game file, not even a hint. If it were there, the experienced modders would have found out long ago. There simply is no monster called Reziarfg in the game.

=What does the chat gem do?=

[[The Chat Gem]] does not have a purpose. It changes colour, and sends messages like Gem Activated, Perfect Gem Activated and Mooooo. Nothing else. People use it as a marker for their channel conversations, but the gem does not affect gameplay in any way whatsoever.

If you like clicking the thing, go ahead. But know that any change you notice is a result of good-old chance.

=What are "Stacked Resists"?=

Under normal circumstances, players resistances to fire, cold, lightning and poison are capped at a maximum of 75%. Using certain items and skills you can boost the maximum resistance cap up to 95%, but no further. Therefore you can not make yourself immune to an element by boosting your maximum resistances up to 100%. When you have hit the final cap allowed by your gear and skills, the resistances will show up in golden letters on your character screen.
Whatever resistances you may have that surpass this cap are not calculated when hit with regular attacks.

However, having resistances above your displayed cap can come in handy. They will play a large role when you are affected by resistances, such as the ones from the Conviction Aura or other players Rainbow Facets. When these resistances come into effect, they start with subtracting from the resists you have over your displayed cap.

Examples:

We have player A, whose items give a total of 150% resistance to fire. 
And player B, whose items give a total of 75% resistance to fire.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player As resistances hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player Bs resistances hit the cap precisely at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
In this case, the stacked resistances were useless. But when that Fireball also lowers the targets resistances, the situation changes greatly.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage and lowers the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball starts with affecting stacked resistances, bringing them down to a total of 100%. The players resistances still manage to hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by the same Fireball that also reduces the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball can now directly lower the resistances in use, bringing the total resistance down to 25%. The player takes 75% of the damage = 150 damage, which is three times the damage player A suffered. Resists can make a HUGE dent in anyones life bowl unless properly countered. The next section will demonstrate this.

If you expect anyone is going to attempt to lower your resists, stacking them is generally a good idea if you wish to live. Cold Sorceresses, Über Mephisto and Avenger Paladins are all infamous for their ability to lower resistances. Dont be caught off guard.

Physical resistance has its own cap too, which is at 50%. But unlike elemental resistances, this resistance is not displayed on the character screen, and is not affected by the nightmare and hell resistance penalties as far as I know. This is what is generally referred to as Damage Reduced %. Stacking this resistance against the Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify is not advisable due to how difficult it is to gain a respectable amount of this rare resist.

Resistance to pure magical damage (Blessed Hammers, Bone Spells, Berserk) is almost impossible to resist. See section 31 for the reasons. This resistance most likely has a cap, although it is absolutely impossible to hit it.

=What is the effectiveness of resistances compared to +damage%?=

This has been slightly addressed before in sections 2 and 19, but only as side points.

Many seem to think that reducing an enemy's resistances by some percentage is roughly the same as increasing your own damage by that same percentage. This is not true. When the damage is calculated, -resist% "nearly always" come out on top. The effectiveness of -resist% relies completely on the defender's resistance. For example, if a defender has 95% resistance to the damage type in question and no stacked resists, the -5% would DOUBLE the damage output. Also, if the defender has maxed resistance stacked 5% or more over the cap, -5% would do absolutely nothing. The reasons for this are purely mathematical.

For an everyday example, let's assume an attack does 200 damage, and it is applied to a target with 50% resistance to the element in question. The damage output would be 200 * 0.50 = 100 damage.

If that attack also lowered the resistance by 5%, the damage we are looking at is 200 * 0.55 = 110 damage. A 10% increase in damage. Directly increasing damage by 5% would obviously only increase damage by 5%. Oddly enough, in this case -5% > +5% applies.

Examples when resist% do NOT improve your overall damage more than +damage% are few, but they include:

A) When the target already has negative resists. Basically, -x% enemy resist is more effective against a target with positive resists, and +x% skill damage is more effective against a target with negative resists (assuming the same value of x, of course). So in other words, if you had to make a choice between a -5%/+3% facet and a -3%/+5% facet, you should know the resists of your target first and make a choice depending on whether it's positve or negative (after taking Conviction, Lower Resist, Cold Mastery, etc. into consideration.) Thanks to Posterboy for the explanation.

B) When the target already has -100% negative resists, -resist% is completely pointless. You can never reduce someone's resists below -100%.

C) When the target is using Cyclone Armor or Energy Shield. These are applied before resistances, so resist% does nothing at all until the shield has been broken.

D) In many cases, Cold Sorceresses already have more than enough resist% from their Cold Mastery skill, making +damage% more desirable.

E) When the target has enough stacked resists to completely negate your resist%.

=How does the "Eth Glitch" work?=

In Diablo 2 version 1.11 and 1.11b, there is a bug regarding the socketing of ethereal armors. Ethereal armors are assigned a 50% bonus to their base defense rating when dropped. This is normal. What is not normal is the fact that when sockets are added to an ethereal armor using the Horadric Cube, that ethereal defense bonus is applied again. The result is an armor with an absolutely impossible defense rating. Enhanced defense modifiers are then added to that base defense rating, so the difference in end defense is rather huge.

This bug appeared as a side-effect when the 1.10 ethereal armor upgrade bug was fixed (the bug is described in section 14). In order to fix that bug, a defense bonus of 50% was simply crammed into the ethereal unique armor upgrade formula. Unfortunately that fix also affected the ethereal armor socketing formula, making armors now gain a second defense bonus when socketed.

The use of this bug is very controversial, and that is the reason I haven't added this section earlier. The overwhelming number of questions asked about this forced me to make up my mind.

It is not debatable whether this is a "bug" or an "undocumented feature". It is obviously a result of a programming flaw, making it a bug. Ask anyone who has looked at the code, ethereal armors gaining defense when socketed is NOT intentional. Not a chance.

However, the community is split regarding the practical use of this bug. One half argues that since Blizzard hasn't removed the bug, they intend it to stay, and that they need the bugged armors to stay competent when compared to those who do use the bugged armors. The other half considers the use of any ingame bugs to their advantage to be cheating. Personally, I agree with the second group, and suggest that anyone who wants to consider oneself a legitimate gamer to avoid this bug until fixed.

=How do Energy Shield and "Damage taken goes to Mana" work together?=

I didn't add this section until now simply because I do not use the Energy Shield spell on any of my characters, so I have no practical experience with it. It is correct on technical issues, however. Thanks to Gta-maloy] for confirming it.

First of all, the "damage taken goes to mana" mod found on items is NOT the same as the ES damage conversion. "Damage taken goes to mana" modifiers add to your mana pool a percentage of the damage you take.
Example: A character with a "10% damage taken goes to mana" mod is hit with an attack doing 50 damage. 50 health points will be removed from your health pool. 10% of those 50 points will now add to your mana pool.

End result: Life -50, mana +5.

However, when a Sorceress using ES is hit, some of the damage is subtracted from your mana pool instead of your health pool. The percentage of the total damage converted to the mana pool is dependant on your ES level, and it maxes out at 95%, at ES slevel 40. The ratio at which the damage is converted depends on points spent in Telekinesis. The base ratio is 200%, or 2:1. With no points in TK, every health damage point converted spends 2 mana. Each point spent in TK decreases that ratio by 6.25%, bringing it down to 100% = 1:1 at level 16. Notice that the TK bonus is a synergy bonus, only hard points will work.

Which means that if a Sorceress using a level 40 ES with 16 hard points in TK is hit for 100 damage, her mana will absorb 95% of the damage, while the health pool absorbs 5%.

End result: Life -5, mana -95.

If that Sorceress also had 20% damage taken goes to mana from gear, 20% of those 5 points that were actually removed from her health pool would be added to her mana pool. That's one point. Not very impressive.

End result: Life -5, mana -94.

You can see that making an "immortal Sorceress" by combining "damage taken goes to mana" and Energy Shield is impossible.

Miscellaneous information about Energy Shield:

ES is not affected by resistances, it takes 100% damage at all times, no more or less. That can be good, and bad. Its good in the way that you don't have to worry about maxing your resistances as much as most other character types, and enemies that depend on the ability to lower your resistances will be sent home crying. It is bad in the way that you can not raise the resistances of your ES above 0%.

Note that ES does not stop poison damage. The negative regeneration rate from the Open Wounds modifier can not be absorbed either. Be careful when those are around.

And to quote PeterPaulRubens:
:the real bummer of combing DTM and ES is that DTM's mana boost is applied to your mana BEFORE the mana loss from ES is calculated. In other words, your mana can still be reduced to zero by a hit. DTM won't ever save you from having NO mana.

=What makes Anya's Red Portal go away?=

Rather simple. The Red Portal closes when you have killed [[Nihlathak]] AND gotten the [[Halls of Pain]] waypoint. As long as you don't do both, the portal stays.

=Where is the Pit, and why does it drop good items?=

Introduced in 1.10 were several areas with very high area levels. Everything can drop from the champions and unique monsters in these areas. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I can not name a single thing that can not drop in there, excluding things like the 1.11 charms and keys, Annihilus and quest items, of course.

This of course makes the areas very powerful places in which to MF. The Pit is often favoured because:
# It is easy to find. Go to the Outer Cloister waypoint and follow the road that splits to a cave (the other leading to the Black Marsh). That cave is the Pit.
# The monsters in there are relatively easy to kill for most characters.
# Aside from the drops, it offers good experience to characters in their low and mid 80s.
# The area is big, meaning lots of monsters. More monsters mean you can spend more time killing them, not finding the Pit.
# There is a sparkly-chest at the bottom of it.

When item hunting in high level areas, always kill everything.

The AreaLevel 85 areas are:
# The Pit, levels 1 and 2
# The Mausoleum next to Blood Raven. NOT the Crypt. Easy area, but does not have very many monsters.
# The Maggot Lair, level 3 only. Difficult to get to, difficult to navigate. Rarely used.
# The Ancient Tunnels, found in the Lost City. Not very easy to find since there is no road leading up to it, but it doesn't have any cold immunes at all. Cold Sorceresses love it.
# The Sewers in act 3, level 2. Where you find Khalim's Brain. Horrible access, tiny area. I've never heard of anyone using it.
# The Forgotten Temple, The Ruined Fane, and The disused Reliquary. All easily found temples in act 3, but the areas are small.
# The River of Flame. It's a relatively large area, lots of monsters, fine experience. It is however a fairly difficult area for poorly equipped characters, which is probably why it isn't used more often.
# The Chaos Sanctuary. Same as the River of Flame, but with the mercinary-slaughtering Iron-Maiden.
# The Worldstone Keep levels 1-3, and The Throne of Destruction. They are perfect in all regards but one - they are the most difficult normal areas in the game.

This is of course all assuming hell difficulty.

* Complete list of [[Level 85 Areas]], plus strategy info.

=What is NextDelay, and why is it so bad?=

I will simply quote the diabloii.net Assassin FAQ on this matter:

::NextDelay is a property that activates a hidden "hit timer" that limits how often any attack from that group(i.e. all the skills listed here) can damage a single target. This works similarly to the infamous spell timer, which limits how often any spell in that group can be cast. The difference is that the hit timer doesn't prevent you from attacking, it just sets everyone's(includes you, your minions/merc, other players(hostile/neutral/allied), and their minions/mercs) chance-to-hit that monster (with a hit timer attack) at zero until the timer runs out.

Here's a list of skills that are affected by NextDelay, and the lengths of them:

25-Frame Delay (1 second)
* Shock Web
* Blade Sentinel
* Twister
* Tornado

10-Frame Delay (0.4 seconds)
* Volcano (initial eruption)

6-Frame Delay (0.24 seconds)
* War Cry
* Grim Ward

5-Frame Delay (0.2 seconds)
* Fissure
* Volcano (small fireball)

4-Frame Delay (0.16 seconds)
* Multi Shot
* Strafe
* Lightning Strike
* Chain Lightning
* Nova
* Frost Nova
* Poison Nova
* Shock Wave
* Fist of Heavens (Holy Bolts)
* Wake of Fire
* Claws of Thunder (only 2nd and 3rd charge charges have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Phoenix Strike (only 2nd Chain Lightning and 3rd Chaos Orb charge have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Dragon Flight
* Battle Cry
* Battle Command
* Battle Orders

So, the moment a certain skill from the list damages a monster, it prevents every other skill on the list from hitting the said monster for the original skill's NextDelay duration (whether from you or any other character).

=What is the difference between a damage spell and an attack?=

There is no single, easy way to seperate skills from attacks. In some cases the difference is obvious, as in a Sorceress Fireball is obviously a spell, while a Paladin Zeal is obviously an attack. There are a number of abilities which walk on the edge of the definition by having an attack component and a spell component as well. A few elements that seperate spells from attacks include:
# An attack uses a weapon of some type to calculate its damage, while a spell's damage is based entirely on skill level and skill damage modifiers.
# The time it takes to perform attacks is typically decided by increased attack speed modifiers (IAS), while spells' casting speed is typically decided by faster cast rate modifiers (FCR).
# Most attacks can be blocked with a shield, while spells can not. Exceptions include the Paladin's Smite skill, which can not be blocked even though it is an attack. Also, the Assassin claw block is unique in being able to block some spells.
# Attacks can return mana and life through
# An attack allows leeching, while spells do not.
# Some attacks can set off "procs", spells can not.

It should be noted that the damage type is a bad way to distinguish skills and attacks. For example, War Cry is a spell that deals physical damage, while Berserk is an attack that deals magical damage.

The tricky part is when you have a skill with both an attack and a spell component. In general, these fall into two categories.
# Attack with an additional Spell damage
# Spell that enhances an attack (usually by adding non-physical damage)

For a basic list, there are: Assassin Venom(2) and elemental charge-ups(1), Amazon elemental attacks (bow and spear/javelin) (most are 1), Druid Fireclaws(1)/Rabies(2), Paladin Holy Fire/Freeze/Shock(mostly 2), Sorceress Enchant(2), and Necromancer Poison Dagger(2). The (1) or (2) indicates which cateogry it falls into. The mechanics of each skill is specific, and a few have some odd quirks attached to them.

An even worse case is the Assassin Dragon Tail which falls into a category of its own, since the Fire splash damage actually depends on how much physical kick damage is dealt to the target.

=What is the difference between a ranged and melee attack?=

These two types of attacks are very similar, but have some important differences. Disclaimer - This is intended to help distinguish game mechanics. These distinctions have nothing to do with PvP rules which are based on what players agree on.

The Assassin kicks, Paladin's Smite, and Amazon's Guided Arrow all have some exceptions to the general rules for attacks. Kicks have a different damage formula, Guided Arrow is always-hit, and the Paladin's Smite is always-hit, ignores shield blocking, and follows a different damage formula. There are also a number of odd idiosyncrasies with other skills, such as the ED on Vengeance providing elemental damage, Berserk converting the physical damage to Magic damage, and several attacks having movement involved as part of the attack.

Here's a list of the different abilities and what category they are in. After that is the list of differences between ranged and melee attacks. Anything not listed is the same for both.

Ranged Attacks
* Bow or XBow attacks (except Wereform attacks with a bow/xbow)
* Throw attacks available with javelins, and throwing axes/knives (except potions)
* Assassin's Blade Fury and Blade Sentinal
* Amazon's Bow/Xbow tree
* The physical portion of the Amazon's Plague Javelin, Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt, and Lightning Fury
* Barbarian's Double Throw (except when using a potion)

Melee Attacks
* The "Normal" attack with anything but a bow or xbow
* Barbarian Combat Skills (except Double Throw)
* Paladin's Sacrifice, Zeal, Vengeance, Charge, and Conversion
- Druid's Wereform Attacks
- Assassin's Martial Arts
- Amazon's Jab, Impale, Fend, and the physical portion of Power Strike, Charged Strike, and Lightning Strike
- Necromancer's Poison Dagger

Differences
# Crushing Blow and Open Wounds work at half-effectiveness with ranged attacks.
# Attack Rating% bonuses listed on some ranged skills are not actually applied (for example all Amazon Bow skills).
# The mod +X damage (Grief, Asteron's) is not calculated in ranged attacks.
# Iron Maiden only affects Melee attacks.
# +% <element> damage applies once to melee and zero to ranged, despite the LCS.

=How does "Absorb" really work?=

The basic idea of absorb is rather simple, it couses portions of attacks that would normally damage you to heal you instead. There are a few points regarding it that cause confusion, however.

There is a difference between percentage absorb and integer absorb. It is basically the same as the difference between DR% and DR (see section 25). Percentage absorb heals you by a fraction of the damage dealt, while integer absorb heals you by a fixed amount. For item examples we have Blackhorns Face with integer absorb, and Dwarf Star with percentage absorb.

Absorb does not save you from one-hit KOs. The damage affects your health pool before absorb is applied. If the attack reduces your life to zero, you will die.

Damage is applied in a predetermined order. It is as follows: 
1) XvX penalty (for example Player vs. Player = -5/6) 
2) Sorceress Energy Shield 
3) Necromancer Bone Armor and/or Druid Cyclone Armor 
4) Integer DR/MDR 
5) Percentage resists (including DR%) 
6) Percentage absorb 
7) Integer absorb

This is relevant, because it helps you decide what type of damage reduction modifier will serve you best. Consult LanderZs damage calculator for further information: http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html
# Percentage absorb can never heal you on its own. It is capped at 40%, meaning that even if you have maximum percentage absorb, you will still take damage. Integer absorb does not suffer from this penalty.
# Absorb actually heals you two times the listed amount both to negate the damage and to heal by the same amount.
# The "magic absorb" modifier found on safety shields and Spirit Runewords (for example) only affects "pure" magical damage, such as the Necromancer bone spells. Elemental damages like Fire damage are not affected. This has been tested by Oramin.

Most of the information used in this thread came from Tommi Gustafsson's site, which is now defunct. Most of its content can now be accessed on b_77's site:
http://www.brentmcclintock.net/diablo/index.aspx

=What are "procs" and how do they work?=

"Proc" is a collective word for all sorts of effects that can happen on striking and attacking. If an item you are using contains a line that looks similar to "X% chance to do Y when Z happens", odds are that item contains a "proc". A good example of a proc would be "5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking" found on Dracul's grasp.

=A member of my party is using Ondal's Wisdom. Is he stealing my experience?=

No, not at all. It is one of the more persistent rumours, but it is not true. As confirmed by Ortliebj, the "+x% To Experience Gained" modifier found on the staff and the popular Annihilus charm is applied after the experience has been split among the party members. It has no effect on anyone but the user.

The rumour probably originated when players using Ondal's Wisdom were called "leechers" in party games. It would be a reference to the Ondal user's reduced ability to help the party, not an experience stealing modifier.

=What kinds of life bonuses are affected by Battle Orders?=

If you are asking this sort of a question, you have probably heard that not all life is multiplied by Battle Orders and other percentage-based life boosters. This is true.

When it comes to calculating your final life, there are effectively three factors you need to consider. These factors could be called "Boostable life", "Non-boostable life" and "Percentage boosts".
# Boostable life is life gained from spent vitality points, life naturally gained per level up, +life bonuses on items, and life gained from quest rewards.
# Non-boostable life is life gained from "soft" vitality points on items, life gained from life per level bonuses on items and life gained from vitality per level bonuses on items.
# Percentage boosts are the life% bonuses that can (for examples) be seen on the skills Battle Orders, Oak Sage or Lycanthropy, and items such as Doombringer or Jah runes in armor.

For the actual calculation, add together all your boostable life sources, and calculate your life. Then add together all percentage boosts to form a single percentage, and apply it as a bonus to your boostable life. After that, add the non-boostable life.

This information would be best displayed by an equation:
Final life = Boostable_Life * (100% + Boost%)/100% + nonboostable_Life

Mana calculations follow the same equation and mechanics.

=If I create an Iron Golem from an "indestructible" item, will the golem be invulnerable to damage?=

No. Basically, the "indestructible" modifier that can be found on items like Phase Blades or items that have been socketed with a Zod rune has to do with durability. It does not literally mean that the item can not be destroyed.
Iron Golems do not seem to be affected by durability in any way. The Golem's summoning item being indestructible changes nothing for the Golem.

=How are the elemental masteries applied to attacks?=

The following section was written by Oramin.

There are 3 basic rules to determine how Elemental Masteries (e.g. Fire Mastery) increase a character's damage.

# The Elemental Masteries apply to Skills at the time of casting/application to weapons.
# They amplify Melee attacks.
# They do *not* amplify Ranged attacks.

This means that if you were to cast Enchant then Fire Mastery would apply at the time of casting (and this is already shown in your displayed Enchant damage). Holy Shock would also be amplified by Lightning Mastery when the bonus Lightning damage is applied to the weapon.

If you do a Melee attack, the Fire/Lightning damages from Enchant/Holy Shock will be boosted again by whatever the levels of FM/LM happen to be at the time of attack. You get no additional damage if you choose to do a Ranged attack.

Example:

Assume you are a Sorceress with level 20 Fire Mastery, level 20 Enchant, level 20 Lightning Mastery, and a "Dream" helm which gives level 15 Holy Shock. Further assume that you have charms which add 1-100 Lightning damage and 1-100 Fire damage and that you are using an ordinary javelin.

Level 20 Enchant (including the single point in Warmth) does 74-97 damage. 
When we include level 20 Fire Mastery (+163% damage), the displayed damage at the time of casting becomes 196-256. This Fire damage is added to the weapon. The 1-100 Fire damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Fire Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Fire damage on the weapon is now 197-356.

Level 15 Holy Shock does 1-648 damage. At the time of application to the weapon, the level 20 Lightning Mastery (+278% damage) will amplify it causing 3-2449 Lightning damage to be added to the weapon. The 1-100 Lightning damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Lightning Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Lightning damage on the weapon is now 4-2549.

Fire damage: 197-356 
Lightning damage: 4-2549

If you were throwing the javelin, the above would be the correct totals.

However, if you do a Melee attack with the javelin instead then Lightning Mastery and Fire Mastery would amplify the damages giving the following damages: 
Fire damage: (197-356) * (1 + 1.63) = 518-936 
Lightning damage: (4-2549) * (1 + 2.78) = 15-9635

Note1: Due to the LCS (Lying Character Screen) you will see Ranged attacks receiving the same amplification as Melee attacks this is *not* correct.

Note2: We were not able to determine precisely how/if FM affects the bonus Fire damage from Explosive Bolts/Arrows but as the inherent damage is negligible, don't worry about it.

=Where can I find wands with charges of Amplify Damage?=

Nowhere. Amplify Damage charges can not spawn as a random affix. The only item in the game that has Amplify Damage charges is the unique Martel de Fer, The Gavel of Pain. It has three charges of level 8 Amplify Damage. If you want a non-Necromancer character to use Amplify Damage, your best option is to get an item that procs (see section 45) the curse.

=What types of +skills work with mercenaries?=

The following quote on how the various types of +skills work when applied to mercenaries was stolen from adeyke:

* +X to all skills works.
* +X to fire skills works for the mercs with fire skills.
* +X to a specific skill the merc already has (e.g. +X to bash (barbarian only) for barb mercs, +X to inferno (sorceress only) for fire iron wolves) also works.
* +X to a specific skill the merc doesn't already have doesn't work. Barb mercs will gain nothing from +X to natural resistance (barbarian only), for example. Mercs also don't use any oskills.
* +X to skill tabs doesn't work for any merc.
* +X to class kills (e.g. +X to barbarian skills, +X to sorceress skills) doesn't work for any merc.

=What decides the Assassin's Trap laying speed?=

The trap laying speed of Assassins is decided like most attack speeds. That means it is affected by things like gear-based increased attack speed (IAS) and the weapon speed modifier (abbreviated WSM, also often called "base weapon speed"). The diablo2.ingame.de [http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/weaponspeed.php?lang=english weapon speed calculator] can calculate your trap laying speed.

The Faster Cast Rate modifier (FCR) has no effect on trap laying speed. When Assassins emphasise FCR, it is usually to speed up their casting of Mind Blast, which is affected by the Faster Cast Rate modifier.

=How long do items stay if left on the ground?=

This section belongs to Posterboy, who originally poked the information my way, and Antitrust who re-confirmed it for 1.11 and wrote the contents of the following quote:

* Socketed items, Ethereal items, Equipable White items, Runewords, Keys, Quivers, Potions, Scrolls/Tomes - vanish in 10 minutes
* Runes, Gems, Magic Items (including charms) - vanish in 20 minutes
* Rares, Uniques (including charms), Sets - vanish in 30 minutes
* Gold, Horadric cube (the only quest item I tested) - last for at least 2 hours and 36 minutes (at which point I stopped)

This was tested in Single Player. Results on the realms may be (and I actually suspect that they are) different.

=Does poison cancel Deadly Strike, Critical Strike, or Crushing Blow?=

No, it does not. There seems to be a glitch when it comes to displaying the associated "puffs" when the target is poisoned, but it is purely graphical.

=Acknowledgments=

Big thanks to the posters I have shamelessly exploited and plagiarized in order to make this thread grow:
2_Much_4_U, adeyke, Antitrust, Chaotix, Daten, Gta-maloy], Ilkori, TommiG, Oramin, Ortliebj, PeterPaulRubens and Posterboy.

And thanks to everyone who pointed out missing things and possible additions, bumped this thread, made comments, or just generally helped me in some way whether they know it or not: 
Armaege, BIGeyedBUG, Bonkshasa, Dargad, Derisive, LaughingBuddha, MicahW, MMAgCh, NickJS, Nucularterraist (Nucnuc), Orphan, sambo., Sarrick, Sol1, Technomage-C01, The_Terror_Lord, T-hawk, Veneteaou and WizAdept.

Technomage-C01 deserves special mention for keeping the thread from being munched by the B.Net Gameplay Discussion forum for more than a year and a half. And the most special thanks of all go to Ortliebj for inspiring me to make this thread. Thanks to all of you.

[[category:FAQs]]

Things you should know about Diablo 2

2009-04-22T21:34:59Z

DiMono: three times, not tree times

This massive FAQ-like compilation of interesting D2 tidbits was put together by Ernir and posted on the old Battle.net forums. ([http://classic.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=d2-general&t=1312543 Source].) The version here in this wiki is reformatted and has had numerous links added to additional information and images.

=How do Traps and Rainbow Facets work together?=

The -res% and +damage% on [[Griffon's Eye]] and [[Facets]] do not add to trap damage. With the exceptions of Fire Blast and Shock Web, the Assassin Traps are considered minions by the game. Your minions do not benefit from any -res% or +damage% your character has.

Note that Sorceress Hydras benefit from both Fire Mastery and Facets. This exception is explained by T-Hawk:

::The missiles fired by Hydra have a special-case check of their caster's "+% Fire Skill Damage" ability. That's why Hydra works with Fire Mastery and Facets. This check was added in version 1.05; before that, Fire Mastery didn't boost Hydra damage.

=Can immunities be removed?=

Yes, they can. [[Monsters]] immune to a damage type are classified as monsters with 100 or more percentage resistance to the damage type in question. If you lower the monster's resistance below 100%, you can damage the monster.

There are only two things that can remove elemental immunities: The Paladin's Conviction aura, and the Necromancer's Lower Resist curse. Conviction Aura also doesn't affect Poison resistance. The Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify can remove physical immunity.

All other types of -resist (Facets, Cold Mastery, Griffon's Eye) do NOT have an effect on immune monsters.

Also, all the spells mentioned above work at 20% efficiency when dealing with immune monsters. Example: A hell Doom Knight has 110% Fire resist, meaning it is immune to fire. That Doom Knight is hit by a level 3 Conviction Aura, which under normal circumstances would lower the monster's fire resistance by 40%. However, since the monster is immune, the Conviction aura only works at 20% efficiency, making those 40% in effect only 8%. The calculation is: 110 - 40*0.2 = 102 fire res, making the monster still immune.

This fact makes it much harder to break immunities. There are monsters whose immunities are simply impossible to break. Hell Oblivion Knights, for example, have 180% cold resist. Doesn't matter what you throw at it, it is impossible to break.

Even though you can combine Lower Resist and Conviction (the resist reduction percentages are simply lumped together and the combined number reduced to 20%), any resist >= 145 can not be broken, even with a Level 25 Conviction (-150% Resist All) and a Level 60 Lower Resist (-70% Resist All). Thanks to Technomage-C01 and BIGeyedBUG for pointing that out, and Tommi and Adeyke for the information.

-res from items and other skills are not completely useless when dealing with immune monsters, though, because once the immunity has been broken, these items take effect.

Physical immune monsters are monsters with a physical resistance of 100 or more. This immunity can (as mentioned above) be removed using the curses Amplify damage (which gives -100% physical resist) or Decrepify (which gives -50% physical resist). Again, the same penalties apply to Amplify Damage and Decrepify as to the elemental immunities.

=How do I spend my stat points for build x?=

For 95% of post-1.10 character builds, this is the recommended stat distribution:
* Strength - enough for gear.
* Dexterity - enough for gear or a block rate of 75% should you choose to.
* Vitality - everything else.
* Energy - in most cases nothing. Extremely mana-hungry casters may want to spend some here, but at the cost of the life vitality provides.

Thanks to Posterboy: Major exceptions from this rule include "glass cannon" Bowazons and Energy Shield Sorceresses.

=How do I get to Über Tristram/what do the Keys do/what are the "Übers"?=

* [[Pandemonium Event]] quest details.

Loosely based on a post made by Armaege:

The 1.11 patch added to the game a so called "Pandemonium Event" available ONLY on the realms, in hell difficulty.
To trigger the event, you must collect items called keys. There are three types. The Countess drops the Key of Terror, the false Summoner drops the Key of Hate, and Nihlathak drops the Key of Destruction.

When you have collected three keys, go anywhere in the town of Harrogath in Act 5 and transmute these three keys together in the Horadric Cube. One of three portals will open, to the Furnace of Pain, the Matron's Den, or the Forgotten Sands, in which you will fight Über-Izual, an Andariel-like creature called Lilith and Über Duriel respectively.

Each of these bosses drops one of the Prime Evil's relics, Lilith drops "Diablo's Horn", Über Duriel drops Baal's Eye, and Über Izual drops Mephisto's Brain.

When you have collected all three relics (a.k.a. body parts) you must go back to Harrogath, and transmute the three relics. This will open a portal to Über Tristram, where you will fight improved versions of the Prime Evils all at once - the Übers. Prepare for the hardest fight of your D2 career.

The last of the Prime Evils you kill will drop a large charm called the Hellfire Torch. It gives 3+ to the skill levels of a random character class, 10-20 to all resistances and attributes, a chance to cast Diablo's Firestorm on striking, 8+ to light radius and Hydra charges. This is your reward for all the trouble of collecting keys, relics, and killing the Übers.

The last Über that goes down also drops a "Standard of Heroes", one for each player in the game. These do not do anything, as far as anyone knows. They are trophies, nothing more.

=What does Standard of Heroes do?=

I repeat, there is no known use for the Standard of Heroes small charm. On this matter, I am going to quote the Blizzard forum moderator MicahW.

::''The Standard of Heroes is a trophy you get for having completed the patch 1.11 world event.

And if you don't believe MicahW, Blizzard forum moderator NickJS said this:

::''They are merely trophies. If we ever release a future patch hopefully we implement a "trophy case" to put these in. Available in Maple or Oak. You could have your friends over and show them off!

There is absolutely nothing that suggests it has a function besides looking pretty. All rumours that say otherwise are products of someone's overactive imagination, or a pitiful scam attempt. Why it has a level requirement is unknown.

=How frequently do "the Keys" drop?=

Adeyke had this to say on the matter:

::''Key of Terror has a 1/14 chance of dropping per kill in a 1-player game. Key of Hate has a 1/11 chance, while Key of Destruction has a 1/12 chance
You can get two, three, or possibly even more keys from a single drop.

These keys are nonmagical and your chance to find magic items does NOT have an effect on their drop rate. However, having more players in the game will increase your chances.

Note that even though you can find the keys in Single Player, they do not do anything there. The Pandemonium Event is exclusive to the Realms.

=Why do the Vipers in the Halls of Vaught kill my GOSU char in one hit?=
Explanation by Gta-maloy]:

::A percentage of their charge damage is included in the secondary cloud of poison. The AoE cloud. This means that you could avoid the initial poison from the spear but still get the physical + poison damage of the cloud should you run into it.

::THE CLOUD IS NOT VISIBLE. This is why many people think they get killed by something that isn't really there. The cloud will stay about five seconds AFTER the initial spear's cloud vanishes. If you do not move in this time, the second cloud will not effect you. Getting knocked back will also not trigger the second cloud. You will get poisoned by the viper and get a nice percentage of life taken away from you but it won't be over time.

;;Best thing to do is stand still when they fire or run past them at high velocity. The cloud will only form a second or two after the spear is thrown, this gives more than enough time for a character to run past them. Should you need to stop... stop and don't run or walk until five seconds after all the clouds have gone.

As for whether or not this is a bug; Blizzard forum moderator MicahW made the following statement:

Wheres the fix on those pesky Tomb Viper in Nihlathak place?

::Working as intended.

=How does Über Mephisto's Conviction aura work?=

Exactly like the corresponding Paladin aura. Über Mephisto's Conviction is level 20, and lowers your resistances to fire, lightning and cold by 125%. There are two very popular ways to get around that:

1) Stack your resists. Even though they are "capped" at 75% all resist, anything above 75% still gets counted when your resistances are lowered. If your resists are stacked more than 125% over your max, Mephisto's Conviction will do you no harm.

2) Override the effect of Mephisto's Conviction by using a higher level Conviction aura yourself. Yes, that's right. If the level of your Conviction aura is 21 or higher, Mephisto's Conviction will not affect you. Your hirelings, minions, and party members, however, will still take full penalty from the aura, so this is really a selfish but easy way to get rid of his aura.

Note on overriding Conviction - According to Sol1's and The_Terror_Lord's testing, both auras "work" if the skill levels are equal, meaning both you and Über Mephisto suffer the resistance and defense penalties. You need a higher level aura to override the other.

=Do mercenaries hired at lower levels gain better stats?=

No. No matter what you may have heard until now, the level at which the merc is hired is completely irrelevant. What does matter is the difficulty in which it was originally hired. A merc hired in normal has better stats than the same type of merc hired in nightmare, and a merc hired in nightmare has better stats than the same type of merc hired in hell. You should always hire your mercs in normal unless you need a specific aura from a nightmare act 2 merc.
* [[Mercenaries]] basic information.
* Hugely detailed [[Mercenary guide]] with strategy, skill levels, and tons more information about mercs.

=Can socketed runes poof?=

Yes, they can. Socketing a dupe protects it from "Passive Ruststorm" which is run when you enter and exit games. There is, however, nothing that can be done to save your precious dupes from the wrath of the Full Ruststorm. If your duped Enigma did survive, you were simply lucky, or you were on non-ladder where Full Ruststorm has never been run.

Ortliebj said it best:

::Full Ruststorm v2.5 will delete "dirty" items, even if they are components of other items. Full Ruststorm was last run in August of last year (2nd week, iirc).

::It will also delete items that have been tampered with in attempts to fool the Ruststorm process. In other words, personalizing your Engima won't help, so don't even try it. All eleven different attempts/strategies of which I am aware to try and circumvent this process have failed.

::When a full active Ruststorm is actually run, illegitimate items of types you've never even dreamed about will be deleted and/or invalidated.

If you have had an item disappear from your inventory, it most likely was a dupe that Ruststorm caught.

=What is the "strength bug", and how does it work?=

There are two glitches commonly referred to as the "strength bug".

The first one is rather harmless. When you don't have the base stats needed to equip an item, other players will not see the item, even though they are there and take full effect. This can be quite humorous when a "naked" barbarian stands in the middle of a monster pack and "punches" them to death. Another example is when Amazons throw Lightning Furies with their bare hands. This is not a hack, merely a display issue.

The second glitch is somewhat more serious. This is when you do not have the base OR end stats to equip an item that has +stats, making the item sustain itself. Example:

Your character has 150 strength after all gear, excluding the shield. You want to equip a Stormshield. In order to reach the 156 strength required, you put a charm in your inventory that gives you +6 to strength, giving you 156 strength, enough for Monarchs. You can now equip the shield. This brings your total strength to 186 with the strength bonus from the Stormshield. Now this is where the glitch comes is: You can now remove the charm from your inventory, but the +strength from the shield will still be enough to equip the shield. The shield is now, in effect, supporting itself. This is an extremely dangerous practise, because if you die, you will not be able to reequip all of your gear, so if you die again, you will be left with multiple corpses. Since only one corpse (the one with the most valuable items... in gold) will be transferred to the next game you enter, abusing this glitch to save stat points is an excellent way to lose your gear. Excepted from this are hardcore players, who lose all their gear anyway when they die.

On a related note, using +stats from items to equip other items is not a "glitch". This is perfectly natural. However, doing this can sometimes result in needing to click your corpse multiple times to get all your gear back, and having to pick up and reequip items when you enter a game. The order that items are respawned on your character was provided by Ortliebj:
# Head
# Neck
# Torso
# Right Hand *
# Left Hand
# Right Ring
# Left Ring
# Belt
# Feet
# Gloves
# Inventory (meaning charms, etc.)
* * Right hand from the character's perspective, so glove side and then boot side.

Ruvunal discovered the initial order of item pickup upon corpse retrieval. He tested, verified and updated it after 1.09 and 1.10.

Meaning... if your helm provides you with the stats you need to equip your armor, you will only need to click your corpse once. However, if your armor provides you with the strength you need to equip your helm, you will have to click twice, as the helm is left on the ground the first time you click.

Using +stats CAN cause you to lose items if you are killed the moment you are clicking to pick up your items and the order doesn't match with the strength requirements of the items. This is no where near as dangerous as glitch-equipping your gear, but it is nevertheless something to keep in mind.

Addition pointed out by Bonkshasa - if you have enough room in your backpack to pick up all your items, you won't lose them, even if you are not able to equip them right away. This is rarely the case these days (when PvPing your inventory is full of charms, and in PvM the potions from your belt probably filled up any available space already), but this could very well be the difference between losing your Crown of Ages or keeping it.

Disclaimer: The factual accuracy of the item pickup order is currently under dispute.

=How does the +damage from Grief and Astreon's work? And why does it look so low on the character screen?=

In most cases, the +damage from weapons such as Grief, Astreon's Iron Wand, and Stonecrusher adds directly to the weapon's base damage, meaning it is multiplied by pretty much everything. This is what can easily make a good Grief the most damaging one-hand weapon in the game.

Unfortunately this bonus to the base damage does not show up on the Lying Character Screen, not correctly at any rate. That is simply because it is out of date. I don't think the LCS has been fully updated for LoD yet.

To see your REAL damage, use [http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Weapon Damage Calculator].

Note that there are exceptions from this rule. Vengeance, for example, does not seem to use the added +damage as base weapon damage. Mikeandroe performed a series of tests on how the Vengeance damage is calculated, and the results can [http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=50089 be found here].

On the other hand, when Smite is used, the +damage is added directly to the shield's base damage. Because the most damaging Paladin shield in the game deals 46.5 average damage, the +damage makes a HUGE difference. This is why Grief and Astreon's IW are so popular (and possibly unbalancing) for Smiters.
The [[Smite FAQ]] by Oramin and Bloodshrike explains Smite in detail.

The Assassin kick attacks do not benefit from +damage in any way. Blade Fury and Blade Sentinel also do not benefit from it, although the display is incorrect. Thanks to BIGeyedBUG for bringing it to my attention, and adeyke for the information.

=How much dexterity do I need to reach max block at level x with shield y with character z?=

[http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Block Calculator] can answer that.

=How can I stop monsters from regenerating?=

There are three ways:

The "Prevent Monster Heal" mod. It prevents all monsters except the Pandemonium Übers from regenerating. The Übers have been specifically made immune.

Poison. Monsters do not regenerate while poisoned. Once the poison wears off, however, they start regenerating again.
Open Wounds. Being affected by open wounds automatically sets the monsters' regeneration rate to a negative value.

Also note that these methods only negate natural regeneration. Things such as healing spells, the Prayer aura, healing potions and life leech should still work.

=How can upgraded items get a lower Defense than the item had before?=

Upgrading items does not guarantee higher stats. All it does is take a normal base item to exceptional status, or an exceptional item to elite status. The end stats depend on the stats of the upgraded base item. Vampire Gaze is probably the most famous example.

Grim helms have a defense range of 60-125. All Vampire Gaze Grim Helms have a defense of 252. This is due to the fact that when armors spawn with the enhanced defense mod, the defense is invariably set at max +1. When we are dealing with a Vampire Gaze, the base item's defense of 126 receives a 100% bonus = 252 defense.

However, when the item is upgraded, the base defense is rerolled. The defense range of Bone Visages is 100-157. Which means that a Vampire Gaze with a base item defense of 126 has a very good chance of being turned into a Bone Visage with a lower defense. In case of the worst roll imaginable, your 252 defense Vampire Gaze would go down to 200. Not good.

[http://www.cs.colostate.edu/%7Edeykea/d2armours.html Adeyke's upgrade calculator] shows how upgrading will affect the various unique items.

Note that in the 1.10 patch, ethereal armors would lose their ethereal defense bonus when upgraded, in addition to having their defense rerolled. This is no longer the case, ethereal items now retain their defense bonus (although the hack fix implemented had most unfortunate side effects). Adeyke's page still shows ethereal upgraded items with the same defense as non-ethereal ones, but nevertheless, this has been fixed.

=What level requirement will my upgraded rare item get?=

Syrith had this to say:

::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to exceptional: +5 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from exceptional to elite: +7 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to elite: +12 levels to base req

Examples by Daten (slightly modified to represent updated information):

::If the item that will be upgraded has a Level Req. higher than the upgraded base item, it will get +5 Req. Example: Rare Long Sword (Lev 48 Req (the Level is determined by the Mods on the Sword)) upgrade to Rare Rune Sword (Lev 53 Req)

::If the requirements are lower than the Base Item Requirements, the upgraded Item will get: Requirement on upgraded Base Item + 5.

::Rare Sharkskin Boots (Lev 25 Req (Level is determined by the Base Item Requirements)) upgrade to Scarabshell Boots (Lev 56 Req (Scarabshell Boots = 49, +7))

=Can +to Holy Shield spawn on white scepters in 1.10/1.11?=

Yes, they can. They are obscenely rare, but they can. Normally, Holy Shield is not allowed to spawn on sceptres. However, if the game has failed six times in finding an "allowed staffmod" for the sceptre, it picks the one that was rolled last, regardless of whether or not it is on the "allowed list".

If you do not want to take my word for it, here is [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/Ernir/bnetmoment/HolyShield.jpg a screenshot of one], provided by Nucularterraist. It was taken in early ladder season three.

It has not been altered in any way. I didn't even crop the image to remove the sophisticated background chat.

=What runes can you get from the Hellforge Quest on each difficulty level?=

* Normal: El - Amn
* Nightmare: Sol - Um
* Hell: Hel - Gul

Notes: You get exactly one rune only per quest completion. There is an equal chance (1/11) of getting each rune available. Having more players in your party when you complete the quest does not increase the number of runes (although you do get more gems). So it is generally a good idea to unparty/leave the game if more than one person needs to complete the quest.

Also note that Gul is the highest rune that can drop from the Hellforge on any difficulty. The runes from Vex-Zod are impossible to get from the Forge. If someone claims they got a rune above Gul from the Forge, that person is either lying or suffers from an overactive imagination. Hephasto the Armorer can drop any rune in the game, but the Forge itself can only drop up to Gul.

* [[Rune Finder Guide by Urlik|Urlik's massive rune finding guide]].
* [[Level_1_Rushing|Level 1 rune rushing guide]].

=My Merc wears an Infinity Polearm, will the -55% Light Res work for my Sorceress/Trapsin/Tesladin?=

No it won't. -x% Elemental Damage (Cold,Fire,Lightning,Poison), as well as +x% Elemental Damage work like Sorceress Masteries. Both modifiers are only applied for attacks dealt by the Player that wears the Item (since Traps and Skeletal Mages are treated as Minons, this won't increase their Damage (see 1.)! Having the Item with the -x%/+x% Damage on the Weapon-Switch won't help either.

+x% Fire/Light/Cold Damage is added to the Sorcs Fire-, Cold- or Lightmastery. A Lightsorc with lev 31 Lightning Mastery (+410%) will only get a tiny damage Boost from a +5% Lightfacet (415%). That's why Cold Sorcs look for +5%/-x% Facets and Fire/Lightsorcs prefer +x%/-5% Facets.

To get back to the original Question: A lot of Builds that rely on Elemental Damage equip their Merc with an Infinity Polearm because of the Conviction Aura, not because of the -x% Lightning Resistance.

The above section was provided by Daten.

=Why do people talk about the "Lying Character Screen", or LCS?=

Because the screen flat out LIES about many important stats. Meaning that the numbers you see on the character screen are not the numbers the game actually uses. I do not think it has had any major updates since 1.06, so things like +damage modifiers, off-weapon ED%, etc. are NOT displayed correctly, if at all.

Gta-maloy] had this to say about it:
::That screen, in many circumstances, only properly shows resistances, the character's level, the experience gained and the damage dealt for the first two levels.

::After that is done, it sucks.

::Once you die, the Anya bug is not listed. (interjection: I, Ernir, will discuss the Anya bug below)

::Masteries and synergies are not properly multiplied together, damage modifiers are completely ignored, the equations used for AR and damage are outdated....

::The chance to block seems alright though

Ortliebj added this:

::It is broken by the time you reach a place called the "Den of Evil".

::There's even an old bug where your name can be displayed incorrectly.

=What is the "Anya bug"?=

Those who have finished the game know that when you have rescued Anya in act 5, Malah gives you a Scroll of Resistance that "permanently" increases your resistances to the elements. But we also know that Malah did not make it past Firebolt casting 101. That shoddy little scroll does not work quite the way it is supposed to.

When the scroll is cast, it does increase your resistances. But when you die, that bonus is lost, even though it does is not displayed on the Lying Character Screen. The bonus is regained when you reenter the game, but for the rest of the game in which you died, your resists are really 10% lower for each Malah scroll you used - up to 30%. That is quite a difference. Your paladin may not have 90% resist all, maybe he has 60% all res.

This is of special concern to duelers, who often die multiple times in each game - and it also means that if you lose to an elemental attack once, you are likely to keep losing.

In turn, hardcore players don't have to worry about this bug at all, for obvious reasons.

=22. What runes can the Countess Drop?=

I will address this very briefly and in the most simple way I can think of. The countess has two separate "ways to drop items". A normal drop, and a special rune drop. The rune drop is what people are looking for when they run the Countess (along with Terror keys). The "normal drop" can give you runes up to Lo in hell difficulty. However, your chances to get a Lo from her are not really any better than from any other monster.

The Rune drop can drop up to Ist in hell. The possibility of getting higher runes from this drop are far greater than from the normal drop. Again, this drop is what you are looking for.

The runes that [[the Countess]] can drop in each difficulty are:

Normal:
* Normal drop - Nef
* Rune drop - Ral

Nightmare:
* Normal drop - Ko
* Rune drop - io (eye-o)

Hell:
* Normal drop - Lo (ell-o)
* Rune drop - Ist

=What level requirement will my crafted item get?=

Gta had this to say:

::For crafted items.....figure out the highest level requirement from all affixes on the item, add ten and add three for every affix other than the set ones.

::So a ring with 6% mana leech (level req of 74) and 4 affixes (including the mana leech, excluding the life leech, str and life provided by the cast) will get +22 (10 from the cast, 12 from teh affixes). There is a rlvl 98 cap, certain charges like Lightning Strike and Freezing arrow can provoke up to rlvl 108...but this is now remedied in 1.11 and brought down to rlvl 98.

=Is there a "cap" on Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, or Deadly Strike?=

The only cap is the logical cap of 100%. You can not get these to go off more than 100% of the time you hit an enemy. Percentages over 100% (Headstriker on a high level char, for example) do not help at all. You have no chance for a double crushing blow, double bleed, 4x damage or whatever you may think that 100%+ may do.

There is a persistent rumor about these being capped at 95%. I guess this originates from the fact that you can usually only deal these out 95% of the time you attack, since the maximum chance to hit with attack-rating based attacks is 95%, but these will still go off 100% of the time you actually hit an enemy.

Short: They are all capped at 100%.

=What does "damage reduced" or "DR" mean?=

The Damage Reduced by x% mod, which is found on items such as Stormshield, Shaftstop, Verdungo's Hearty Cord and Harlequin Crest, reduces the physical damage you take by increasing your physical resistance. This has no effect on any type of magical damage.

Your physical resistance is not displayed on the character screen. Unmodified the resistance is 0%. The beforementioned items (and several more things) can bring this resistance up to 50%. 50% is the cap for physical resistance, both in PvP and PvM.

This resistance works exactly the same as elemental resistances. Example: If you are hit by a physical attack that does 100 damage and you have a total of 20% damage resistance, the damage you take will be 100-(0.20*100)= 80 damage taken.

Note that there is also a mod called "Damage Reduced By X", found on items like Gladiator's Bane and Nature's Peace. Note the lack of the percentage symbol. This reduces the damage you take by a fixed amount, not a percentage of the attack damage.

Example: You are hit by a physical attack that does 50 damage and you total Damage Reduced By 30. The attack's damage would be 50-30 = 20 damage to you.

This type of damage reduction does NOT have a cap. Also, this mod is capable of negating ALL damage you take. If the example above had been with a 25 damage attack, no damage would have been taken at all.

And which type is better? Both. DR% has an advantage when it comes to heavy hits, and DR when it comes to multiple light hits. You decide which you want.

=What is the difference between "Ignore Target's Defense" and "Always Hits"?=

The following section was mostly provided by Posterboy.

"Ignore Target's Defense" is not the same thing as "Always Hits." "Ignore Target's Defense" simply means that the targets defense rating will be set to zero in the To Hit calculation. From the Arreat Summit: "This ability will not work on Unique Monsters, Super Unique Monsters, Hirelings, other players, and Act-end bosses." Player/monster level still plays a part in the equation, and the is a min/max cap of 5%/95% chance to hit.

"Always Hits" means that this attack will bypass the To Hit formula altogether. Guided Arrow, Smite, and most spells are "Always Hits," although some, like Guided Arrow, can be blocked. That means if you had a level 2 Paladin with one point in Smite you can hit a monster like Hell Diablo consistently. Also note that "Always Hits" does not necessarily mean that you will literally always hit because there is still shield blocking, Zon Dodge/Avoid/Evade, and Assassin claw-blocking to consider, not to mention manually dodging an attack.
Note that the Assassin's claw block can block many things that ordinary shields can't.

Range is also a considerable factor when discussing attacks that always hit. Smite, for example, depends on weapon range. If the target is farther away than the weapon range allows, the animation is shown, but the opponent is not hit. This is why skilled melee characters using range 3-5 weapons can often beat Smiters that use a cookie-cutter range 2 Grief Phase Blade.

=How do synergies and +skills work together?=

There are so called "soft" skill points, and "hard" skill points. Hard skill points are the points you gain from leveling up and from quests. Soft skill points are skill points you gain from ANY gear, including charms, weapons, armor, whatever.

When calculating the level of a skill, both the soft and hard skill points are taken into account. However, when calculating how great the skill benefits from synergies, only the hard points you spend in the synergizing skill are counted in for the benefit of the synergized skill.

Example:

You have spent 20 hard points in Blessed Hammer, and 20 points in Blessed Aim. You also have a helmet that gives 2+ to all skill levels. The displayed levels of the skills are now 22 for BH, and 22 for BA as well.
But when the game calculates the benefit Blessed Hammer recieves from Blessed Aim, it applies the benefit from a level 20 Blessed Aim skill to the level 22 Blessed Hammer skill.

Exceptions from this rule include the Necromancer summon masteries and the Sorceress elemental masteries. These are not actual synergies, but rather skills whose only function is to enhance other skills. When the benefit from these is calculated, both hard and soft points are counted. The Druid summon cross-bonuses work that way as well, according to MMAgCh.

=How can I find skillers/what is the first, or best place to find skillers?=

[[Skillers[[, or Grand Charms with +to a character skill tab, require an item level of at least 50 in order to spawn. The first area in which all dropped grand charms have an item level of 50+ is the nightmare Great Marsh.

In order to maximize your chances of finding a skiller, you want the item level to be as close to 50 as possible. Why is that? Because when affixes are selected, they are chosen from all available affixes. Having a GC with an ilevel of exactly 50 is the best in this regard because they do have the possibility of getting a skiller, while the possibilities of other affixes are being kept to a minimum.

However, there is an alternate approach. Items dropped from Hell Baal have an item level of 99, and items dropped from Hell Nihlathak have an item level of 95. Grand charms dropped from these two bosses can spawn with very, very high life, namely the 41-45 to life vita suffix. Grand charms that both have +to a skill tab and high life can trade for astronomical values. However, due to the high item level, most any affix can spawn. Your chances of getting a skiller from an ilvl 95+ Grand Charms are very slim, and the chances of getting that Grand Charm to spawn with the desired 40+ life are even slimmer. However, the time and effort needed to aquire these are worth it to some.

There is a way to significantly shorten the amount of time needed to find a skiller compared to just hunting the most likely drop zones over and over. This is referred to as "rerolling" or simply "rolling". This is done by placing a Grand Charm and three perfect gems in the Horadric cube, and transmuting. This will reroll the mods on the charm, but preserving the item level. This means that if you have a Grand Charm with that perfect ilevel of 50, but it has useless mods, you can reroll it into a useful skiller. In effect, it drops the item again at the cost of three perfect gems. Be prepared to spend a lot of perfect gems, but it can be worth it.

Note that this formula works on all magical items, but it is typically used the most on Grand Charms due to the high usefulness of blue Charms compared to the usefulness of blue equippable items.

Footnote: I must admit that I slightly lied about the first place you can get a skiller the first place would be normal Baal. The items he drops have an ilevel of 60, more than enough to get a skiller. But the nightmare Great Marsh is the first area in which every monster has the possibility of dropping a skiller.

A common misconception is that MF increases the chance of getting skillers. That is simply not true. This lies in how MF works, and I direct you to Gta's Guide to all that is items again for explanation.

Good areas to hunt for skillers and rerollable Grand Charms include:
* The nightmare Great Marsh the first place they can drop, the area level is 50.
* The nightmare Flayer Jungle run more often than the Great Marsh due to the number of Flayers, which can all drop ilevel 50 Grand Charms.
* Nightmare Cows there is a very large number of easily killable cows here, and the charms they drop have a decent chance of becoming a skiller.
* Nightmare City of the Damned there is a lot of Wraith-class monsters here.
* Hell Diablo, hell Nihlathak and hell Baal all three (and those three only) have the capability to drop skillers with 41-45 to life.

=How does Magic Find work with minions?=

When a minion or mercenary makes a kill, the minions MF percentage is added to your MF percentage. However, if you make a kill while one of your minions has MF, only your MF is used. It was probably made this way to allow minion characters (Summoners, Trapassins) to hunt for items effectively, while keeping the game as balanced as possible for characters that do not depend on mercenaries or minions for the kill.

=Is there a way to resist "pure" magical damage from other players?=

Pure magical damage, such as the damage from the Barbarians Berserk, the Paladins Blessed Hammer, and the Necromancer bone spells is mostly unresistable. There are some ways to reduce the damage, but no really effective ones. The main methods are:
# There is a mod called "Magic Resistance" on crafted safety shields. This is only 5-10%, though.
# Integer magic absorb. This is found on the runewords Spirit, Oath and Crescent Moon.
# Integer magic damage reduction. This is probably the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against magical damage. This is found on Dwarf Star rings, the String of Ears Demonhide Sash, and Skin of the Vipermagi Serpentskin Armor to name a few. It wont do much against a 10000+ damage Blessed Hammer directed at your face, but it could mean the difference between surviving 2-3 hammers or 3-4.

These means of course also counteract the magical damage that monsters deal, such as the hell and nightmare guest Viper Bone Spears.

=How come my Blessed Hammers can damage monsters immune to magic?=

It simply lies in the nature of the Blessed Hammer skill to completely ignore the magical resistances of both Demon and Undead class monsters. This is part of what makes Hammerdins (Paladins that use the Blessed Hammer skill) so ridiculously powerful, the ability to pierce the resistances of virtually any monster in the game is unmatched, anywhere. The only monster types that Blessed Hammers can not damage are monsters that are both immune to magic, and of the Animal class.

As of now, there is only one monster that meets both classifications. That is the Wailing Beast in an act 3 hell Kurast Temple. Aside from that single type of monster, Blessed Hammers can damage absolutely everything.

=How does Venom work?=

Poison damage in-game is always listed as X damage over Y seconds. Unfortunately, this isn't how the game calculates it. The damage per second is X/Y. The value you should be concerned about is the damage per frame (aka bitrate), which is X/(25*Y). Most of the time when poison sources are combined (not when Venom is concerned), your bitrates are added, and your durations are averaged. In order to achieve the highest possible bitrate, you want the highest possible poison damage over the smallest possible duration.

Maximizing your final damage output involves getting the highest bitrate possible, and being able to re-apply the poison damage before the duration timer runs out.

The strength of the Assassins Venom skill does not lie in a huge displayed damage number, but rather the short duration, which can be applied multiple times in very short succession. The relatively modest displayed damage is much more effective than it looks. Lets say Venom does 400 damage over 0.4 seconds. That damage is really 1000 damage per second if you manage to constantly keep the poison up (which can be done with a speedy kick attack, for example).

A slightly worse thing about Venom is that it effectively ruins all other sources of poison on your equipment that you may have. If you have Venom active, all poison attacks are scaled down to fit the short duration of Venom. Lets say you have a charm in your inventory that does 100 poison damage over 5 seconds = 20 damage per second. Having Venom active does not actually lower the bitrate of the charm, but rather shortens the duration. When Venom is active, that charm deals 20 damage per second over 0.4 seconds = only 8 total damage for each attack. Most unimpressive.

This is why poison charms and other poison sources work very badly with Venom. If you intend to use Venom, avoid using equipment for the sole reason of added poison damage. It won't hurt you, but it won't help you (much) either.

In order to maximize your Venom damage, do three things:
# Have Venom as high of a level as possible when casting
# Have as much +% Poison Skill Damage on your gear as possible when casting and attacking
# Lower your target's Poison Resistance as much as possible

Thanks to Ilkori for updating this section. Poison is not my forte.

=I am a hardcore player. How can I avoid being killed by malicious players?=

Before we begin, there are two acronyms that need to be understood:

PK: Player killer. It can be used as a verb also; Im going to PK you, noob. The term is not to be confused with actual dueling. Duels are mutually agreed upon. Player Killers dont ask for permission.

TPPK: A number of methods that involve setting up some sort of a deathtrap, going to town, and hostiling another player in rapid succession. The goal is to catch the victim/the PKed by surprise and kill him in the process.

On how to avoid being PKed, I am simply going to quote the celebrated forum troll and TPPKer 2_Much_4_U.

<blockquote>
Wow, okay. First off, don't feel too bad about having some lowbies ganked. Happens all the time.

To help you avoid further happenings, let me run down a couple of things to look for.

1.) Paladins with red armor, red helms, and a two-handed weapon are going to pk you. Especially if you are playing in a Tomb Run game.

2.) Sorcs who tell you to leave town for an enchant could very well be baiting you to set you up for an orb tppk.

3.) Never trust necromancers, no matter what they say their build is.

4.) Level 16 characters of any type who wear Twitchthroe (you can tell they are wearing it if they have dark green, nearly black studded leather graphic armor) are at the very least llds. Some of these people like to pk in pubby games.

5.) Characters with funny, stupid, or hostile names will often be pkers. The mentality of most pks is that you kill for laughs, and a good name such as AnInnocentChild makes a funny screenshot:

''Noob was slain by AnInnocentChild.

6.) Make passworded games and set the character limit to one.

7.) Don't get rushed. Some pro pks like to help people level so the ear is higher when they kill you. Sometimes if you Baal with people they will talk to you, get to know you a little, maybe even befriend you, then they will fire an Ice Blast up your ass.

8.) Set level restrictions on all nightmare level games and above. This won't keep you from getting killed by the pros, but you will avoid sucker clans like IceNine.

9.) Be aware of the pk clans on your realm, know who the most active pks are, and never group with people who can one-shot champion monsters.

10.) Look for people using +damage gear like wands and circlets. You can never be certain that necro is a tppker, but if he has blue leather armor, doesn't display a helm graphic, and carries a plain-colored wand, he is likely using White, +3 PnB circlet, and Vipermagi. Cheap but powerful gear with very little in the way of survivability mods. Pks are built for damage, not for duels, and as such their gear will usually be easily and cheaply replaced.

11.) If you decide, against my advice, to join a pub game, be aware that the good pkers won't attack immediately. Amazons wait until a monster procs amp on you, sorcs wait until you fight a conviction aura'd mob. A good necro will use his bone walls to corral you in, or if you are melee he will wait until you are in the thick of battle and you aren't paying attention to him. Also of note, if the necro has a lot of skeles, mages, and revives, yet they all seem to die fast, he is probably a pk. Experienced nec pks will use the massive lag caused by bone structures and summons to execute you.

12.) Escape up enter is your best friend. I can do it so fast that it looks like disconnect.

13.) Set up your belt to have a full slot of major rejuvs, a full slot of town portals, and two slots of minor rejuvs. Guzzle those potes like kool-aid, they are free after all and will save your life many times.

14.) Buff your cold and poison resist. You can do this by drinking thawing potions and antidote potions. Drink the thaws so a cold sorc can't wtfown you in one shot. Drink the antis so you won't be low on health when you least expect it from poison procing mobs.

15.) Put every point you possess into vitality. You don't need anything else. My untwinked bear druid had more than 1000 life at level 18. Invest in getting lower level life scs, which you can farm on the way to Countess in Normal.

16.) If you are in a game full of tagged people, and they start moving away from you, leave the game.

17.) If a player opens a tp anywhere near you, hit your tp hotkey and leave the area.

18.) Don't start NM until level 45. Don't start Hell until level 80.

19.) Be a nice person. If you piss somebody off, they can easily put a bounty on your head and have someone smoke your ass. Ask Hurricane_Ivan, RazzerFraz, Mithrandirr, Yeti, or any of the many infamous pks just how much their ears have been worth over the years. A successful kill on a rich person's enemy can snag you upwards of a Gul rune, which is worth a lot more in hc than it is in sc.

20.) If somebody follows you around in town, they are most likely weighing you in the balance. Don't be found lacking. They will gauge your gear, how much life they think you have, and what your likely resists are. They won't attack you unless they think they can one- or two-shot you. My personal best has been two people killed with a tornado volley. I have heard of and seen screenshots of five people being killed in a single attack.

21.) Avoid wps, public portals, and starting areas.

22.) Play with friends.

=Where is the "Reziarfg" monster?=

The Reziarfg monster does not exist. If you take a careful look at the spelling of its name, you will see that is in fact the name of Geoff Fraizer, a member of the Blizzard web team, spelled backwards. The monster is a joke, nothing more. It is not found in any game file, not even a hint. If it were there, the experienced modders would have found out long ago. There simply is no monster called Reziarfg in the game.

=What does the chat gem do?=

[[The Chat Gem]] does not have a purpose. It changes colour, and sends messages like Gem Activated, Perfect Gem Activated and Mooooo. Nothing else. People use it as a marker for their channel conversations, but the gem does not affect gameplay in any way whatsoever.

If you like clicking the thing, go ahead. But know that any change you notice is a result of good-old chance.

=What are "Stacked Resists"?=

Under normal circumstances, players resistances to fire, cold, lightning and poison are capped at a maximum of 75%. Using certain items and skills you can boost the maximum resistance cap up to 95%, but no further. Therefore you can not make yourself immune to an element by boosting your maximum resistances up to 100%. When you have hit the final cap allowed by your gear and skills, the resistances will show up in golden letters on your character screen.
Whatever resistances you may have that surpass this cap are not calculated when hit with regular attacks.

However, having resistances above your displayed cap can come in handy. They will play a large role when you are affected by resistances, such as the ones from the Conviction Aura or other players Rainbow Facets. When these resistances come into effect, they start with subtracting from the resists you have over your displayed cap.

Examples:

We have player A, whose items give a total of 150% resistance to fire. 
And player B, whose items give a total of 75% resistance to fire.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player As resistances hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player Bs resistances hit the cap precisely at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
In this case, the stacked resistances were useless. But when that Fireball also lowers the targets resistances, the situation changes greatly.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage and lowers the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball starts with affecting stacked resistances, bringing them down to a total of 100%. The players resistances still manage to hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by the same Fireball that also reduces the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball can now directly lower the resistances in use, bringing the total resistance down to 25%. The player takes 75% of the damage = 150 damage, which is three times the damage player A suffered. Resists can make a HUGE dent in anyones life bowl unless properly countered. The next section will demonstrate this.

If you expect anyone is going to attempt to lower your resists, stacking them is generally a good idea if you wish to live. Cold Sorceresses, Über Mephisto and Avenger Paladins are all infamous for their ability to lower resistances. Dont be caught off guard.

Physical resistance has its own cap too, which is at 50%. But unlike elemental resistances, this resistance is not displayed on the character screen, and is not affected by the nightmare and hell resistance penalties as far as I know. This is what is generally referred to as Damage Reduced %. Stacking this resistance against the Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify is not advisable due to how difficult it is to gain a respectable amount of this rare resist.

Resistance to pure magical damage (Blessed Hammers, Bone Spells, Berserk) is almost impossible to resist. See section 31 for the reasons. This resistance most likely has a cap, although it is absolutely impossible to hit it.

=What is the effectiveness of resistances compared to +damage%?=

This has been slightly addressed before in sections 2 and 19, but only as side points.

Many seem to think that reducing an enemy's resistances by some percentage is roughly the same as increasing your own damage by that same percentage. This is not true. When the damage is calculated, -resist% "nearly always" come out on top. The effectiveness of -resist% relies completely on the defender's resistance. For example, if a defender has 95% resistance to the damage type in question and no stacked resists, the -5% would DOUBLE the damage output. Also, if the defender has maxed resistance stacked 5% or more over the cap, -5% would do absolutely nothing. The reasons for this are purely mathematical.

For an everyday example, let's assume an attack does 200 damage, and it is applied to a target with 50% resistance to the element in question. The damage output would be 200 * 0.50 = 100 damage.

If that attack also lowered the resistance by 5%, the damage we are looking at is 200 * 0.55 = 110 damage. A 10% increase in damage. Directly increasing damage by 5% would obviously only increase damage by 5%. Oddly enough, in this case -5% > +5% applies.

Examples when resist% do NOT improve your overall damage more than +damage% are few, but they include:

A) When the target already has negative resists. Basically, -x% enemy resist is more effective against a target with positive resists, and +x% skill damage is more effective against a target with negative resists (assuming the same value of x, of course). So in other words, if you had to make a choice between a -5%/+3% facet and a -3%/+5% facet, you should know the resists of your target first and make a choice depending on whether it's positve or negative (after taking Conviction, Lower Resist, Cold Mastery, etc. into consideration.) Thanks to Posterboy for the explanation.

B) When the target already has -100% negative resists, -resist% is completely pointless. You can never reduce someone's resists below -100%.

C) When the target is using Cyclone Armor or Energy Shield. These are applied before resistances, so resist% does nothing at all until the shield has been broken.

D) In many cases, Cold Sorceresses already have more than enough resist% from their Cold Mastery skill, making +damage% more desirable.

E) When the target has enough stacked resists to completely negate your resist%.

=How does the "Eth Glitch" work?=

In Diablo 2 version 1.11 and 1.11b, there is a bug regarding the socketing of ethereal armors. Ethereal armors are assigned a 50% bonus to their base defense rating when dropped. This is normal. What is not normal is the fact that when sockets are added to an ethereal armor using the Horadric Cube, that ethereal defense bonus is applied again. The result is an armor with an absolutely impossible defense rating. Enhanced defense modifiers are then added to that base defense rating, so the difference in end defense is rather huge.

This bug appeared as a side-effect when the 1.10 ethereal armor upgrade bug was fixed (the bug is described in section 14). In order to fix that bug, a defense bonus of 50% was simply crammed into the ethereal unique armor upgrade formula. Unfortunately that fix also affected the ethereal armor socketing formula, making armors now gain a second defense bonus when socketed.

The use of this bug is very controversial, and that is the reason I haven't added this section earlier. The overwhelming number of questions asked about this forced me to make up my mind.

It is not debatable whether this is a "bug" or an "undocumented feature". It is obviously a result of a programming flaw, making it a bug. Ask anyone who has looked at the code, ethereal armors gaining defense when socketed is NOT intentional. Not a chance.

However, the community is split regarding the practical use of this bug. One half argues that since Blizzard hasn't removed the bug, they intend it to stay, and that they need the bugged armors to stay competent when compared to those who do use the bugged armors. The other half considers the use of any ingame bugs to their advantage to be cheating. Personally, I agree with the second group, and suggest that anyone who wants to consider oneself a legitimate gamer to avoid this bug until fixed.

=How do Energy Shield and "Damage taken goes to Mana" work together?=

I didn't add this section until now simply because I do not use the Energy Shield spell on any of my characters, so I have no practical experience with it. It is correct on technical issues, however. Thanks to Gta-maloy] for confirming it.

First of all, the "damage taken goes to mana" mod found on items is NOT the same as the ES damage conversion. "Damage taken goes to mana" modifiers add to your mana pool a percentage of the damage you take.
Example: A character with a "10% damage taken goes to mana" mod is hit with an attack doing 50 damage. 50 health points will be removed from your health pool. 10% of those 50 points will now add to your mana pool.

End result: Life -50, mana +5.

However, when a Sorceress using ES is hit, some of the damage is subtracted from your mana pool instead of your health pool. The percentage of the total damage converted to the mana pool is dependant on your ES level, and it maxes out at 95%, at ES slevel 40. The ratio at which the damage is converted depends on points spent in Telekinesis. The base ratio is 200%, or 2:1. With no points in TK, every health damage point converted spends 2 mana. Each point spent in TK decreases that ratio by 6.25%, bringing it down to 100% = 1:1 at level 16. Notice that the TK bonus is a synergy bonus, only hard points will work.

Which means that if a Sorceress using a level 40 ES with 16 hard points in TK is hit for 100 damage, her mana will absorb 95% of the damage, while the health pool absorbs 5%.

End result: Life -5, mana -95.

If that Sorceress also had 20% damage taken goes to mana from gear, 20% of those 5 points that were actually removed from her health pool would be added to her mana pool. That's one point. Not very impressive.

End result: Life -5, mana -94.

You can see that making an "immortal Sorceress" by combining "damage taken goes to mana" and Energy Shield is impossible.

Miscellaneous information about Energy Shield:

ES is not affected by resistances, it takes 100% damage at all times, no more or less. That can be good, and bad. Its good in the way that you don't have to worry about maxing your resistances as much as most other character types, and enemies that depend on the ability to lower your resistances will be sent home crying. It is bad in the way that you can not raise the resistances of your ES above 0%.

Note that ES does not stop poison damage. The negative regeneration rate from the Open Wounds modifier can not be absorbed either. Be careful when those are around.

And to quote PeterPaulRubens:
:the real bummer of combing DTM and ES is that DTM's mana boost is applied to your mana BEFORE the mana loss from ES is calculated. In other words, your mana can still be reduced to zero by a hit. DTM won't ever save you from having NO mana.

=What makes Anya's Red Portal go away?=

Rather simple. The Red Portal closes when you have killed [[Nihlathak]] AND gotten the [[Halls of Pain]] waypoint. As long as you don't do both, the portal stays.

=Where is the Pit, and why does it drop good items?=

Introduced in 1.10 were several areas with very high area levels. Everything can drop from the champions and unique monsters in these areas. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I can not name a single thing that can not drop in there, excluding things like the 1.11 charms and keys, Annihilus and quest items, of course.

This of course makes the areas very powerful places in which to MF. The Pit is often favoured because:
# It is easy to find. Go to the Outer Cloister waypoint and follow the road that splits to a cave (the other leading to the Black Marsh). That cave is the Pit.
# The monsters in there are relatively easy to kill for most characters.
# Aside from the drops, it offers good experience to characters in their low and mid 80s.
# The area is big, meaning lots of monsters. More monsters mean you can spend more time killing them, not finding the Pit.
# There is a sparkly-chest at the bottom of it.

When item hunting in high level areas, always kill everything.

The AreaLevel 85 areas are:
# The Pit, levels 1 and 2
# The Mausoleum next to Blood Raven. NOT the Crypt. Easy area, but does not have very many monsters.
# The Maggot Lair, level 3 only. Difficult to get to, difficult to navigate. Rarely used.
# The Ancient Tunnels, found in the Lost City. Not very easy to find since there is no road leading up to it, but it doesn't have any cold immunes at all. Cold Sorceresses love it.
# The Sewers in act 3, level 2. Where you find Khalim's Brain. Horrible access, tiny area. I've never heard of anyone using it.
# The Forgotten Temple, The Ruined Fane, and The disused Reliquary. All easily found temples in act 3, but the areas are small.
# The River of Flame. It's a relatively large area, lots of monsters, fine experience. It is however a fairly difficult area for poorly equipped characters, which is probably why it isn't used more often.
# The Chaos Sanctuary. Same as the River of Flame, but with the mercinary-slaughtering Iron-Maiden.
# The Worldstone Keep levels 1-3, and The Throne of Destruction. They are perfect in all regards but one - they are the most difficult normal areas in the game.

This is of course all assuming hell difficulty.

* Complete list of [[Level 85 Areas]], plus strategy info.

=What is NextDelay, and why is it so bad?=

I will simply quote the diabloii.net Assassin FAQ on this matter:

::NextDelay is a property that activates a hidden "hit timer" that limits how often any attack from that group(i.e. all the skills listed here) can damage a single target. This works similarly to the infamous spell timer, which limits how often any spell in that group can be cast. The difference is that the hit timer doesn't prevent you from attacking, it just sets everyone's(includes you, your minions/merc, other players(hostile/neutral/allied), and their minions/mercs) chance-to-hit that monster (with a hit timer attack) at zero until the timer runs out.

Here's a list of skills that are affected by NextDelay, and the lengths of them:

25-Frame Delay (1 second)
* Shock Web
* Blade Sentinel
* Twister
* Tornado

10-Frame Delay (0.4 seconds)
* Volcano (initial eruption)

6-Frame Delay (0.24 seconds)
* War Cry
* Grim Ward

5-Frame Delay (0.2 seconds)
* Fissure
* Volcano (small fireball)

4-Frame Delay (0.16 seconds)
* Multi Shot
* Strafe
* Lightning Strike
* Chain Lightning
* Nova
* Frost Nova
* Poison Nova
* Shock Wave
* Fist of Heavens (Holy Bolts)
* Wake of Fire
* Claws of Thunder (only 2nd and 3rd charge charges have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Phoenix Strike (only 2nd Chain Lightning and 3rd Chaos Orb charge have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Dragon Flight
* Battle Cry
* Battle Command
* Battle Orders

So, the moment a certain skill from the list damages a monster, it prevents every other skill on the list from hitting the said monster for the original skill's NextDelay duration (whether from you or any other character).

=What is the difference between a damage spell and an attack?=

There is no single, easy way to seperate skills from attacks. In some cases the difference is obvious, as in a Sorceress Fireball is obviously a spell, while a Paladin Zeal is obviously an attack. There are a number of abilities which walk on the edge of the definition by having an attack component and a spell component as well. A few elements that seperate spells from attacks include:
# An attack uses a weapon of some type to calculate its damage, while a spell's damage is based entirely on skill level and skill damage modifiers.
# The time it takes to perform attacks is typically decided by increased attack speed modifiers (IAS), while spells' casting speed is typically decided by faster cast rate modifiers[/i] (FCR).
# Most attacks can be blocked with a shield, while spells can not. Exceptions include the Paladin's Smite skill, which can not be blocked even though it is an attack. Also, the Assassin claw block is unique in being able to block some spells.
# Attacks can return mana and life through
# leeching, while spells do not.
# Some attacks can set off "procs", spells can not.

It should be noted that the damage type is a bad way to distinguish skills and attacks. For example, War Cry is a spell that deals physical damage, while Berserk is an attack that deals magical damage.

The tricky part is when you have a skill with both an attack and a spell component. In general, these fall into two categories.
# Attack with an additional Spell damage
# Spell that enhances an attack (usually by adding non-physical damage)

For a basic list, there are: Assassin Venom(2) and elemental charge-ups(1), Amazon elemental attacks (bow and spear/javelin) (most are 1), Druid Fireclaws(1)/Rabies(2), Paladin Holy Fire/Freeze/Shock(mostly 2), Sorceress Enchant(2), and Necromancer Poison Dagger(2). The (1) or (2) indicates which cateogry it falls into. The mechanics of each skill is specific, and a few have some odd quirks attached to them.

An even worse case is the Assassin Dragon Tail which falls into a category of its own, since the Fire splash damage actually depends on how much physical kick damage is dealt to the target.

=What is the difference between a ranged and melee attack?=

These two types of attacks are very similar, but have some important differences. Disclaimer - This is intended to help distinguish game mechanics. These distinctions have nothing to do with PvP rules which are based on what players agree on.

The Assassin kicks, Paladin's Smite, and Amazon's Guided Arrow all have some exceptions to the general rules for attacks. Kicks have a different damage formula, Guided Arrow is always-hit, and the Paladin's Smite is always-hit, ignores shield blocking, and follows a different damage formula. There are also a number of odd idiosyncrasies with other skills, such as the ED on Vengeance providing elemental damage, Berserk converting the physical damage to Magic damage, and several attacks having movement involved as part of the attack.

Here's a list of the different abilities and what category they are in. After that is the list of differences between ranged and melee attacks. Anything not listed is the same for both.

Ranged Attacks
* Bow or XBow attacks (except Wereform attacks with a bow/xbow)
* Throw attacks available with javelins, and throwing axes/knives (except potions)
* Assassin's Blade Fury and Blade Sentinal
* Amazon's Bow/Xbow tree
* The physical portion of the Amazon's Plague Javelin, Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt, and Lightning Fury
* Barbarian's Double Throw (except when using a potion)

Melee Attacks
* The "Normal" attack with anything but a bow or xbow
* Barbarian Combat Skills (except Double Throw)
* Paladin's Sacrifice, Zeal, Vengeance, Charge, and Conversion
- Druid's Wereform Attacks
- Assassin's Martial Arts
- Amazon's Jab, Impale, Fend, and the physical portion of Power Strike, Charged Strike, and Lightning Strike
- Necromancer's Poison Dagger

Differences
# Crushing Blow and Open Wounds work at half-effectiveness with ranged attacks.
# Attack Rating% bonuses listed on some ranged skills are not actually applied (for example all Amazon Bow skills).
# The mod +X damage (Grief, Asteron's) is not calculated in ranged attacks.
# Iron Maiden only affects Melee attacks.
# +% <element> damage applies once to melee and zero to ranged, despite the LCS.

=How does "Absorb" really work?=

The basic idea of absorb is rather simple, it couses portions of attacks that would normally damage you to heal you instead. There are a few points regarding it that cause confusion, however.

There is a difference between percentage absorb and integer absorb. It is basically the same as the difference between DR% and DR (see section 25). Percentage absorb heals you by a fraction of the damage dealt, while integer absorb heals you by a fixed amount. For item examples we have Blackhorns Face with integer absorb, and Dwarf Star with percentage absorb.

Absorb does not save you from one-hit KOs. The damage affects your health pool before absorb is applied. If the attack reduces your life to zero, you will die.

Damage is applied in a predetermined order. It is as follows: 
1) XvX penalty (for example Player vs. Player = -5/6) 
2) Sorceress Energy Shield 
3) Necromancer Bone Armor and/or Druid Cyclone Armor 
4) Integer DR/MDR 
5) Percentage resists (including DR%) 
6) Percentage absorb 
7) Integer absorb

This is relevant, because it helps you decide what type of damage reduction modifier will serve you best. Consult LanderZs damage calculator for further information: http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html
# Percentage absorb can never heal you on its own. It is capped at 40%, meaning that even if you have maximum percentage absorb, you will still take damage. Integer absorb does not suffer from this penalty.
# Absorb actually heals you two times the listed amount both to negate the damage and to heal by the same amount.
# The "magic absorb" modifier found on safety shields and Spirit Runewords (for example) only affects "pure" magical damage, such as the Necromancer bone spells. Elemental damages like Fire damage are not affected. This has been tested by Oramin.

Most of the information used in this thread came from Tommi Gustafsson's site, which is now defunct. Most of its content can now be accessed on b_77's site:
http://www.brentmcclintock.net/diablo/index.aspx

=What are "procs" and how do they work?=

"Proc" is a collective word for all sorts of effects that can happen on striking and attacking. If an item you are using contains a line that looks similar to "X% chance to do Y when Z happens", odds are that item contains a "proc". A good example of a proc would be "5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking" found on Dracul's grasp.

=A member of my party is using Ondal's Wisdom. Is he stealing my experience?=

No, not at all. It is one of the more persistent rumours, but it is not true. As confirmed by Ortliebj, the "+x% To Experience Gained" modifier found on the staff and the popular Annihilus charm is applied after the experience has been split among the party members. It has no effect on anyone but the user.

The rumour probably originated when players using Ondal's Wisdom were called "leechers" in party games. It would be a reference to the Ondal user's reduced ability to help the party, not an experience stealing modifier.

=What kinds of life bonuses are affected by Battle Orders?=

If you are asking this sort of a question, you have probably heard that not all life is multiplied by Battle Orders and other percentage-based life boosters. This is true.

When it comes to calculating your final life, there are effectively three factors you need to consider. These factors could be called "Boostable life", "Non-boostable life" and "Percentage boosts".
# Boostable life is life gained from spent vitality points, life naturally gained per level up, +life bonuses on items, and life gained from quest rewards.
# Non-boostable life is life gained from "soft" vitality points on items, life gained from life per level bonuses on items and life gained from vitality per level bonuses on items.
# Percentage boosts are the life% bonuses that can (for examples) be seen on the skills Battle Orders, Oak Sage or Lycanthropy, and items such as Doombringer or Jah runes in armor.

For the actual calculation, add together all your boostable life sources, and calculate your life. Then add together all percentage boosts to form a single percentage, and apply it as a bonus to your boostable life. After that, add the non-boostable life.

This information would be best displayed by an equation:
Final life = Boostable_Life * (100% + Boost%)/100% + nonboostable_Life

Mana calculations follow the same equation and mechanics.

=If I create an Iron Golem from an "indestructible" item, will the golem be invulnerable to damage?=

No. Basically, the "indestructible" modifier that can be found on items like Phase Blades or items that have been socketed with a Zod rune has to do with durability. It does not literally mean that the item can not be destroyed.
Iron Golems do not seem to be affected by durability in any way. The Golem's summoning item being indestructible changes nothing for the Golem.

=How are the elemental masteries applied to attacks?=

The following section was written by Oramin.

There are 3 basic rules to determine how Elemental Masteries (e.g. Fire Mastery) increase a character's damage.

# The Elemental Masteries apply to Skills at the time of casting/application to weapons.
# They amplify Melee attacks.
# They do *not* amplify Ranged attacks.

This means that if you were to cast Enchant then Fire Mastery would apply at the time of casting (and this is already shown in your displayed Enchant damage). Holy Shock would also be amplified by Lightning Mastery when the bonus Lightning damage is applied to the weapon.

If you do a Melee attack, the Fire/Lightning damages from Enchant/Holy Shock will be boosted again by whatever the levels of FM/LM happen to be at the time of attack. You get no additional damage if you choose to do a Ranged attack.

Example:

Assume you are a Sorceress with level 20 Fire Mastery, level 20 Enchant, level 20 Lightning Mastery, and a "Dream" helm which gives level 15 Holy Shock. Further assume that you have charms which add 1-100 Lightning damage and 1-100 Fire damage and that you are using an ordinary javelin.

Level 20 Enchant (including the single point in Warmth) does 74-97 damage. 
When we include level 20 Fire Mastery (+163% damage), the displayed damage at the time of casting becomes 196-256. This Fire damage is added to the weapon. The 1-100 Fire damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Fire Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Fire damage on the weapon is now 197-356.

Level 15 Holy Shock does 1-648 damage. At the time of application to the weapon, the level 20 Lightning Mastery (+278% damage) will amplify it causing 3-2449 Lightning damage to be added to the weapon. The 1-100 Lightning damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Lightning Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Lightning damage on the weapon is now 4-2549.

Fire damage: 197-356 
Lightning damage: 4-2549

If you were throwing the javelin, the above would be the correct totals.

However, if you do a Melee attack with the javelin instead then Lightning Mastery and Fire Mastery would amplify the damages giving the following damages: 
Fire damage: (197-356) * (1 + 1.63) = 518-936 
Lightning damage: (4-2549) * (1 + 2.78) = 15-9635

Note1: Due to the LCS (Lying Character Screen) you will see Ranged attacks receiving the same amplification as Melee attacks this is *not* correct.

Note2: We were not able to determine precisely how/if FM affects the bonus Fire damage from Explosive Bolts/Arrows but as the inherent damage is negligible, don't worry about it.

=Where can I find wands with charges of Amplify Damage?=

Nowhere. Amplify Damage charges can not spawn as a random affix. The only item in the game that has Amplify Damage charges is the unique Martel de Fer, The Gavel of Pain. It has three charges of level 8 Amplify Damage. If you want a non-Necromancer character to use Amplify Damage, your best option is to get an item that procs (see section 45) the curse.

=What types of +skills work with mercenaries?=

The following quote on how the various types of +skills work when applied to mercenaries was stolen from adeyke:

* +X to all skills works.
* +X to fire skills works for the mercs with fire skills.
* +X to a specific skill the merc already has (e.g. +X to bash (barbarian only) for barb mercs, +X to inferno (sorceress only) for fire iron wolves) also works.
* +X to a specific skill the merc doesn't already have doesn't work. Barb mercs will gain nothing from +X to natural resistance (barbarian only), for example. Mercs also don't use any oskills.
* +X to skill tabs doesn't work for any merc.
* +X to class kills (e.g. +X to barbarian skills, +X to sorceress skills) doesn't work for any merc.

=What decides the Assassin's Trap laying speed?=

The trap laying speed of Assassins is decided like most attack speeds. That means it is affected by things like gear-based increased attack speed (IAS) and the weapon speed modifier (abbreviated WSM, also often called "base weapon speed"). The diablo2.ingame.de [http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/weaponspeed.php?lang=english weapon speed calculator] can calculate your trap laying speed.

The Faster Cast Rate modifier (FCR) has no effect on trap laying speed. When Assassins emphasise FCR, it is usually to speed up their casting of Mind Blast, which is affected by the Faster Cast Rate modifier.

=How long do items stay if left on the ground?=

This section belongs to Posterboy, who originally poked the information my way, and Antitrust who re-confirmed it for 1.11 and wrote the contents of the following quote:

* Socketed items, Ethereal items, Equipable White items, Runewords, Keys, Quivers, Potions, Scrolls/Tomes - vanish in 10 minutes
* Runes, Gems, Magic Items (including charms) - vanish in 20 minutes
* Rares, Uniques (including charms), Sets - vanish in 30 minutes
* Gold, Horadric cube (the only quest item I tested) - last for at least 2 hours and 36 minutes (at which point I stopped)

This was tested in Single Player. Results on the realms may be (and I actually suspect that they are) different.

=Does poison cancel Deadly Strike, Critical Strike, or Crushing Blow?=

No, it does not. There seems to be a glitch when it comes to displaying the associated "puffs" when the target is poisoned, but it is purely graphical.

=Acknowledgments=

Big thanks to the posters I have shamelessly exploited and plagiarized in order to make this thread grow:
2_Much_4_U, adeyke, Antitrust, Chaotix, Daten, Gta-maloy], Ilkori, TommiG, Oramin, Ortliebj, PeterPaulRubens and Posterboy.

And thanks to everyone who pointed out missing things and possible additions, bumped this thread, made comments, or just generally helped me in some way whether they know it or not: 
Armaege, BIGeyedBUG, Bonkshasa, Dargad, Derisive, LaughingBuddha, MicahW, MMAgCh, NickJS, Nucularterraist (Nucnuc), Orphan, sambo., Sarrick, Sol1, Technomage-C01, The_Terror_Lord, T-hawk, Veneteaou and WizAdept.

Technomage-C01 deserves special mention for keeping the thread from being munched by the B.Net Gameplay Discussion forum for more than a year and a half. And the most special thanks of all go to Ortliebj for inspiring me to make this thread. Thanks to all of you.

[[category:FAQs]]

Things you should know about Diablo 2

2009-04-22T21:03:27Z

DiMono: Astreon's Iron Wand, not Iron Ward

This massive FAQ-like compilation of interesting D2 tidbits was put together by Ernir and posted on the old Battle.net forums. ([http://classic.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=d2-general&t=1312543 Source].) The version here in this wiki is reformatted and has had numerous links added to additional information and images.

=How do Traps and Rainbow Facets work together?=

The -res% and +damage% on [[Griffon's Eye]] and [[Facets]] do not add to trap damage. With the exceptions of Fire Blast and Shock Web, the Assassin Traps are considered minions by the game. Your minions do not benefit from any -res% or +damage% your character has.

Note that Sorceress Hydras benefit from both Fire Mastery and Facets. This exception is explained by T-Hawk:

::The missiles fired by Hydra have a special-case check of their caster's "+% Fire Skill Damage" ability. That's why Hydra works with Fire Mastery and Facets. This check was added in version 1.05; before that, Fire Mastery didn't boost Hydra damage.

=Can immunities be removed?=

Yes, they can. [[Monsters]] immune to a damage type are classified as monsters with 100 or more percentage resistance to the damage type in question. If you lower the monster's resistance below 100%, you can damage the monster.

There are only two things that can remove elemental immunities: The Paladin's Conviction aura, and the Necromancer's Lower Resist curse. Conviction Aura also doesn't affect Poison resistance. The Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify can remove physical immunity.

All other types of -resist (Facets, Cold Mastery, Griffon's Eye) do NOT have an effect on immune monsters.

Also, all the spells mentioned above work at 20% efficiency when dealing with immune monsters. Example: A hell Doom Knight has 110% Fire resist, meaning it is immune to fire. That Doom Knight is hit by a level 3 Conviction Aura, which under normal circumstances would lower the monster's fire resistance by 40%. However, since the monster is immune, the Conviction aura only works at 20% efficiency, making those 40% in effect only 8%. The calculation is: 110 - 40*0.2 = 102 fire res, making the monster still immune.

This fact makes it much harder to break immunities. There are monsters whose immunities are simply impossible to break. Hell Oblivion Knights, for example, have 180% cold resist. Doesn't matter what you throw at it, it is impossible to break.

Even though you can combine Lower Resist and Conviction (the resist reduction percentages are simply lumped together and the combined number reduced to 20%), any resist >= 145 can not be broken, even with a Level 25 Conviction (-150% Resist All) and a Level 60 Lower Resist (-70% Resist All). Thanks to Technomage-C01 and BIGeyedBUG for pointing that out, and Tommi and Adeyke for the information.

-res from items and other skills are not completely useless when dealing with immune monsters, though, because once the immunity has been broken, these items take effect.

Physical immune monsters are monsters with a physical resistance of 100 or more. This immunity can (as mentioned above) be removed using the curses Amplify damage (which gives -100% physical resist) or Decrepify (which gives -50% physical resist). Again, the same penalties apply to Amplify Damage and Decrepify as to the elemental immunities.

=How do I spend my stat points for build x?=

For 95% of post-1.10 character builds, this is the recommended stat distribution:
* Strength - enough for gear.
* Dexterity - enough for gear or a block rate of 75% should you choose to.
* Vitality - everything else.
* Energy - in most cases nothing. Extremely mana-hungry casters may want to spend some here, but at the cost of the life vitality provides.

Thanks to Posterboy: Major exceptions from this rule include "glass cannon" Bowazons and Energy Shield Sorceresses.

=How do I get to Über Tristram/what do the Keys do/what are the "Übers"?=

* [[Pandemonium Event]] quest details.

Loosely based on a post made by Armaege:

The 1.11 patch added to the game a so called "Pandemonium Event" available ONLY on the realms, in hell difficulty.
To trigger the event, you must collect items called keys. There are three types. The Countess drops the Key of Terror, the false Summoner drops the Key of Hate, and Nihlathak drops the Key of Destruction.

When you have collected three keys, go anywhere in the town of Harrogath in Act 5 and transmute these three keys together in the Horadric Cube. One of three portals will open, to the Furnace of Pain, the Matron's Den, or the Forgotten Sands, in which you will fight Über-Izual, an Andariel-like creature called Lilith and Über Duriel respectively.

Each of these bosses drops one of the Prime Evil's relics, Lilith drops "Diablo's Horn", Über Duriel drops Baal's Eye, and Über Izual drops Mephisto's Brain.

When you have collected all three relics (a.k.a. body parts) you must go back to Harrogath, and transmute the three relics. This will open a portal to Über Tristram, where you will fight improved versions of the Prime Evils all at once - the Übers. Prepare for the hardest fight of your D2 career.

The last of the Prime Evils you kill will drop a large charm called the Hellfire Torch. It gives 3+ to the skill levels of a random character class, 10-20 to all resistances and attributes, a chance to cast Diablo's Firestorm on striking, 8+ to light radius and Hydra charges. This is your reward for all the trouble of collecting keys, relics, and killing the Übers.

The last Über that goes down also drops a "Standard of Heroes", one for each player in the game. These do not do anything, as far as anyone knows. They are trophies, nothing more.

=What does Standard of Heroes do?=

I repeat, there is no known use for the Standard of Heroes small charm. On this matter, I am going to quote the Blizzard forum moderator MicahW.

::''The Standard of Heroes is a trophy you get for having completed the patch 1.11 world event.

And if you don't believe MicahW, Blizzard forum moderator NickJS said this:

::''They are merely trophies. If we ever release a future patch hopefully we implement a "trophy case" to put these in. Available in Maple or Oak. You could have your friends over and show them off!

There is absolutely nothing that suggests it has a function besides looking pretty. All rumours that say otherwise are products of someone's overactive imagination, or a pitiful scam attempt. Why it has a level requirement is unknown.

=How frequently do "the Keys" drop?=

Adeyke had this to say on the matter:

::''Key of Terror has a 1/14 chance of dropping per kill in a 1-player game. Key of Hate has a 1/11 chance, while Key of Destruction has a 1/12 chance
You can get two, three, or possibly even more keys from a single drop.

These keys are nonmagical and your chance to find magic items does NOT have an effect on their drop rate. However, having more players in the game will increase your chances.

Note that even though you can find the keys in Single Player, they do not do anything there. The Pandemonium Event is exclusive to the Realms.

=Why do the Vipers in the Halls of Vaught kill my GOSU char in one hit?=
Explanation by Gta-maloy]:

::A percentage of their charge damage is included in the secondary cloud of poison. The AoE cloud. This means that you could avoid the initial poison from the spear but still get the physical + poison damage of the cloud should you run into it.

::THE CLOUD IS NOT VISIBLE. This is why many people think they get killed by something that isn't really there. The cloud will stay about five seconds AFTER the initial spear's cloud vanishes. If you do not move in this time, the second cloud will not effect you. Getting knocked back will also not trigger the second cloud. You will get poisoned by the viper and get a nice percentage of life taken away from you but it won't be over time.

;;Best thing to do is stand still when they fire or run past them at high velocity. The cloud will only form a second or two after the spear is thrown, this gives more than enough time for a character to run past them. Should you need to stop... stop and don't run or walk until five seconds after all the clouds have gone.

As for whether or not this is a bug; Blizzard forum moderator MicahW made the following statement:

Wheres the fix on those pesky Tomb Viper in Nihlathak place?

::Working as intended.

=How does Über Mephisto's Conviction aura work?=

Exactly like the corresponding Paladin aura. Über Mephisto's Conviction is level 20, and lowers your resistances to fire, lightning and cold by 125%. There are two very popular ways to get around that:

1) Stack your resists. Even though they are "capped" at 75% all resist, anything above 75% still gets counted when your resistances are lowered. If your resists are stacked more than 125% over your max, Mephisto's Conviction will do you no harm.

2) Override the effect of Mephisto's Conviction by using a higher level Conviction aura yourself. Yes, that's right. If the level of your Conviction aura is 21 or higher, Mephisto's Conviction will not affect you. Your hirelings, minions, and party members, however, will still take full penalty from the aura, so this is really a selfish but easy way to get rid of his aura.

Note on overriding Conviction - According to Sol1's and The_Terror_Lord's testing, both auras "work" if the skill levels are equal, meaning both you and Über Mephisto suffer the resistance and defense penalties. You need a higher level aura to override the other.

=Do mercenaries hired at lower levels gain better stats?=

No. No matter what you may have heard until now, the level at which the merc is hired is completely irrelevant. What does matter is the difficulty in which it was originally hired. A merc hired in normal has better stats than the same type of merc hired in nightmare, and a merc hired in nightmare has better stats than the same type of merc hired in hell. You should always hire your mercs in normal unless you need a specific aura from a nightmare act 2 merc.
* [[Mercenaries]] basic information.
* Hugely detailed [[Mercenary guide]] with strategy, skill levels, and tons more information about mercs.

=Can socketed runes poof?=

Yes, they can. Socketing a dupe protects it from "Passive Ruststorm" which is run when you enter and exit games. There is, however, nothing that can be done to save your precious dupes from the wrath of the Full Ruststorm. If your duped Enigma did survive, you were simply lucky, or you were on non-ladder where Full Ruststorm has never been run.

Ortliebj said it best:

::Full Ruststorm v2.5 will delete "dirty" items, even if they are components of other items. Full Ruststorm was last run in August of last year (2nd week, iirc).

::It will also delete items that have been tampered with in attempts to fool the Ruststorm process. In other words, personalizing your Engima won't help, so don't even try it. All eleven different attempts/strategies of which I am aware to try and circumvent this process have failed.

::When a full active Ruststorm is actually run, illegitimate items of types you've never even dreamed about will be deleted and/or invalidated.

If you have had an item disappear from your inventory, it most likely was a dupe that Ruststorm caught.

=What is the "strength bug", and how does it work?=

There are two glitches commonly referred to as the "strength bug".

The first one is rather harmless. When you don't have the base stats needed to equip an item, other players will not see the item, even though they are there and take full effect. This can be quite humorous when a "naked" barbarian stands in the middle of a monster pack and "punches" them to death. Another example is when Amazons throw Lightning Furies with their bare hands. This is not a hack, merely a display issue.

The second glitch is somewhat more serious. This is when you do not have the base OR end stats to equip an item that has +stats, making the item sustain itself. Example:

Your character has 150 strength after all gear, excluding the shield. You want to equip a Stormshield. In order to reach the 156 strength required, you put a charm in your inventory that gives you +6 to strength, giving you 156 strength, enough for Monarchs. You can now equip the shield. This brings your total strength to 186 with the strength bonus from the Stormshield. Now this is where the glitch comes is: You can now remove the charm from your inventory, but the +strength from the shield will still be enough to equip the shield. The shield is now, in effect, supporting itself. This is an extremely dangerous practise, because if you die, you will not be able to reequip all of your gear, so if you die again, you will be left with multiple corpses. Since only one corpse (the one with the most valuable items... in gold) will be transferred to the next game you enter, abusing this glitch to save stat points is an excellent way to lose your gear. Excepted from this are hardcore players, who lose all their gear anyway when they die.

On a related note, using +stats from items to equip other items is not a "glitch". This is perfectly natural. However, doing this can sometimes result in needing to click your corpse multiple times to get all your gear back, and having to pick up and reequip items when you enter a game. The order that items are respawned on your character was provided by Ortliebj:
# Head
# Neck
# Torso
# Right Hand *
# Left Hand
# Right Ring
# Left Ring
# Belt
# Feet
# Gloves
# Inventory (meaning charms, etc.)
* * Right hand from the character's perspective, so glove side and then boot side.

Ruvunal discovered the initial order of item pickup upon corpse retrieval. He tested, verified and updated it after 1.09 and 1.10.

Meaning... if your helm provides you with the stats you need to equip your armor, you will only need to click your corpse once. However, if your armor provides you with the strength you need to equip your helm, you will have to click twice, as the helm is left on the ground the first time you click.

Using +stats CAN cause you to lose items if you are killed the moment you are clicking to pick up your items and the order doesn't match with the strength requirements of the items. This is no where near as dangerous as glitch-equipping your gear, but it is nevertheless something to keep in mind.

Addition pointed out by Bonkshasa - if you have enough room in your backpack to pick up all your items, you won't lose them, even if you are not able to equip them right away. This is rarely the case these days (when PvPing your inventory is full of charms, and in PvM the potions from your belt probably filled up any available space already), but this could very well be the difference between losing your Crown of Ages or keeping it.

Disclaimer: The factual accuracy of the item pickup order is currently under dispute.

=How does the +damage from Grief and Astreon's work? And why does it look so low on the character screen?=

In most cases, the +damage from weapons such as Grief, Astreon's Iron Wand, and Stonecrusher adds directly to the weapon's base damage, meaning it is multiplied by pretty much everything. This is what can easily make a good Grief the most damaging one-hand weapon in the game.

Unfortunately this bonus to the base damage does not show up on the Lying Character Screen, not correctly at any rate. That is simply because it is out of date. I don't think the LCS has been fully updated for LoD yet.

To see your REAL damage, use [http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Weapon Damage Calculator].

Note that there are exceptions from this rule. Vengeance, for example, does not seem to use the added +damage as base weapon damage. Mikeandroe performed a series of tests on how the Vengeance damage is calculated, and the results can [http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=50089 be found here].

On the other hand, when Smite is used, the +damage is added directly to the shield's base damage. Because the most damaging Paladin shield in the game deals 46.5 average damage, the +damage makes a HUGE difference. This is why Grief and Astreon's IW are so popular (and possibly unbalancing) for Smiters.
The [[Smite FAQ]] by Oramin and Bloodshrike explains Smite in detail.

The Assassin kick attacks do not benefit from +damage in any way. Blade Fury and Blade Sentinel also do not benefit from it, although the display is incorrect. Thanks to BIGeyedBUG for bringing it to my attention, and adeyke for the information.

=How much dexterity do I need to reach max block at level x with shield y with character z?=

[http://baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr PPR's Block Calculator] can answer that.

=How can I stop monsters from regenerating?=

There are three ways:

The "Prevent Monster Heal" mod. It prevents all monsters except the Pandemonium Übers from regenerating. The Übers have been specifically made immune.

Poison. Monsters do not regenerate while poisoned. Once the poison wears off, however, they start regenerating again.
Open Wounds. Being affected by open wounds automatically sets the monsters' regeneration rate to a negative value.

Also note that these methods only negate natural regeneration. Things such as healing spells, the Prayer aura, healing potions and life leech should still work.

=How can upgraded items get a lower Defense than the item had before?=

Upgrading items does not guarantee higher stats. All it does is take a normal base item to exceptional status, or an exceptional item to elite status. The end stats depend on the stats of the upgraded base item. Vampire Gaze is probably the most famous example.

Grim helms have a defense range of 60-125. All Vampire Gaze Grim Helms have a defense of 252. This is due to the fact that when armors spawn with the enhanced defense mod, the defense is invariably set at max +1. When we are dealing with a Vampire Gaze, the base item's defense of 126 receives a 100% bonus = 252 defense.

However, when the item is upgraded, the base defense is rerolled. The defense range of Bone Visages is 100-157. Which means that a Vampire Gaze with a base item defense of 126 has a very good chance of being turned into a Bone Visage with a lower defense. In case of the worst roll imaginable, your 252 defense Vampire Gaze would go down to 200. Not good.

[http://www.cs.colostate.edu/%7Edeykea/d2armours.html Adeyke's upgrade calculator] shows how upgrading will affect the various unique items.

Note that in the 1.10 patch, ethereal armors would lose their ethereal defense bonus when upgraded, in addition to having their defense rerolled. This is no longer the case, ethereal items now retain their defense bonus (although the hack fix implemented had most unfortunate side effects). Adeyke's page still shows ethereal upgraded items with the same defense as non-ethereal ones, but nevertheless, this has been fixed.

=What level requirement will my upgraded rare item get?=

Syrith had this to say:

::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to exceptional: +5 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from exceptional to elite: +7 levels to base req
::Upgrading rare/unique from normal to elite: +12 levels to base req

Examples by Daten (slightly modified to represent updated information):

::If the item that will be upgraded has a Level Req. higher than the upgraded base item, it will get +5 Req. Example: Rare Long Sword (Lev 48 Req (the Level is determined by the Mods on the Sword)) upgrade to Rare Rune Sword (Lev 53 Req)

::If the requirements are lower than the Base Item Requirements, the upgraded Item will get: Requirement on upgraded Base Item + 5.

::Rare Sharkskin Boots (Lev 25 Req (Level is determined by the Base Item Requirements)) upgrade to Scarabshell Boots (Lev 56 Req (Scarabshell Boots = 49, +7))

=Can +to Holy Shield spawn on white scepters in 1.10/1.11?=

Yes, they can. They are obscenely rare, but they can. Normally, Holy Shield is not allowed to spawn on sceptres. However, if the game has failed six times in finding an "allowed staffmod" for the sceptre, it picks the one that was rolled last, regardless of whether or not it is on the "allowed list".

If you do not want to take my word for it, here is [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/Ernir/bnetmoment/HolyShield.jpg a screenshot of one], provided by Nucularterraist. It was taken in early ladder season three.

It has not been altered in any way. I didn't even crop the image to remove the sophisticated background chat.

=What runes can you get from the Hellforge Quest on each difficulty level?=

* Normal: El - Amn
* Nightmare: Sol - Um
* Hell: Hel - Gul

Notes: You get exactly one rune only per quest completion. There is an equal chance (1/11) of getting each rune available. Having more players in your party when you complete the quest does not increase the number of runes (although you do get more gems). So it is generally a good idea to unparty/leave the game if more than one person needs to complete the quest.

Also note that Gul is the highest rune that can drop from the Hellforge on any difficulty. The runes from Vex-Zod are impossible to get from the Forge. If someone claims they got a rune above Gul from the Forge, that person is either lying or suffers from an overactive imagination. Hephasto the Armorer can drop any rune in the game, but the Forge itself can only drop up to Gul.

* [[Rune Finder Guide by Urlik|Urlik's massive rune finding guide]].
* [[Level_1_Rushing|Level 1 rune rushing guide]].

=My Merc wears an Infinity Polearm, will the -55% Light Res work for my Sorceress/Trapsin/Tesladin?=

No it won't. -x% Elemental Damage (Cold,Fire,Lightning,Poison), as well as +x% Elemental Damage work like Sorceress Masteries. Both modifiers are only applied for attacks dealt by the Player that wears the Item (since Traps and Skeletal Mages are treated as Minons, this won't increase their Damage (see 1.)! Having the Item with the -x%/+x% Damage on the Weapon-Switch won't help either.

+x% Fire/Light/Cold Damage is added to the Sorcs Fire-, Cold- or Lightmastery. A Lightsorc with lev 31 Lightning Mastery (+410%) will only get a tiny damage Boost from a +5% Lightfacet (415%). That's why Cold Sorcs look for +5%/-x% Facets and Fire/Lightsorcs prefer +x%/-5% Facets.

To get back to the original Question: A lot of Builds that rely on Elemental Damage equip their Merc with an Infinity Polearm because of the Conviction Aura, not because of the -x% Lightning Resistance.

The above section was provided by Daten.

=Why do people talk about the "Lying Character Screen", or LCS?=

Because the screen flat out LIES about many important stats. Meaning that the numbers you see on the character screen are not the numbers the game actually uses. I do not think it has had any major updates since 1.06, so things like +damage modifiers, off-weapon ED%, etc. are NOT displayed correctly, if at all.

Gta-maloy] had this to say about it:
::That screen, in many circumstances, only properly shows resistances, the character's level, the experience gained and the damage dealt for the first two levels.

::After that is done, it sucks.

::Once you die, the Anya bug is not listed. (interjection: I, Ernir, will discuss the Anya bug below)

::Masteries and synergies are not properly multiplied together, damage modifiers are completely ignored, the equations used for AR and damage are outdated....

::The chance to block seems alright though

Ortliebj added this:

::It is broken by the time you reach a place called the "Den of Evil".

::There's even an old bug where your name can be displayed incorrectly.

=What is the "Anya bug"?=

Those who have finished the game know that when you have rescued Anya in act 5, Malah gives you a Scroll of Resistance that "permanently" increases your resistances to the elements. But we also know that Malah did not make it past Firebolt casting 101. That shoddy little scroll does not work quite the way it is supposed to.

When the scroll is cast, it does increase your resistances. But when you die, that bonus is lost, even though it does is not displayed on the Lying Character Screen. The bonus is regained when you reenter the game, but for the rest of the game in which you died, your resists are really 10% lower for each Malah scroll you used - up to 30%. That is quite a difference. Your paladin may not have 90% resist all, maybe he has 60% all res.

This is of special concern to duelers, who often die multiple times in each game - and it also means that if you lose to an elemental attack once, you are likely to keep losing.

In turn, hardcore players don't have to worry about this bug at all, for obvious reasons.

=22. What runes can the Countess Drop?=

I will address this very briefly and in the most simple way I can think of. The countess has two separate "ways to drop items". A normal drop, and a special rune drop. The rune drop is what people are looking for when they run the Countess (along with Terror keys). The "normal drop" can give you runes up to Lo in hell difficulty. However, your chances to get a Lo from her are not really any better than from any other monster.

The Rune drop can drop up to Ist in hell. The possibility of getting higher runes from this drop are far greater than from the normal drop. Again, this drop is what you are looking for.

The runes that [[the Countess]] can drop in each difficulty are:

Normal:
* Normal drop - Nef
* Rune drop - Ral

Nightmare:
* Normal drop - Ko
* Rune drop - io (eye-o)

Hell:
* Normal drop - Lo (ell-o)
* Rune drop - Ist

=What level requirement will my crafted item get?=

Gta had this to say:

::For crafted items.....figure out the highest level requirement from all affixes on the item, add ten and add three for every affix other than the set ones.

::So a ring with 6% mana leech (level req of 74) and 4 affixes (including the mana leech, excluding the life leech, str and life provided by the cast) will get +22 (10 from the cast, 12 from teh affixes). There is a rlvl 98 cap, certain charges like Lightning Strike and Freezing arrow can provoke up to rlvl 108...but this is now remedied in 1.11 and brought down to rlvl 98.

=Is there a "cap" on Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, or Deadly Strike?=

The only cap is the logical cap of 100%. You can not get these to go off more than 100% of the time you hit an enemy. Percentages over 100% (Headstriker on a high level char, for example) do not help at all. You have no chance for a double crushing blow, double bleed, 4x damage or whatever you may think that 100%+ may do.

There is a persistent rumor about these being capped at 95%. I guess this originates from the fact that you can usually only deal these out 95% of the time you attack, since the maximum chance to hit with attack-rating based attacks is 95%, but these will still go off 100% of the time you actually hit an enemy.

Short: They are all capped at 100%.

=What does "damage reduced" or "DR" mean?=

The Damage Reduced by x% mod, which is found on items such as Stormshield, Shaftstop, Verdungo's Hearty Cord and Harlequin Crest, reduces the physical damage you take by increasing your physical resistance. This has no effect on any type of magical damage.

Your physical resistance is not displayed on the character screen. Unmodified the resistance is 0%. The beforementioned items (and several more things) can bring this resistance up to 50%. 50% is the cap for physical resistance, both in PvP and PvM.

This resistance works exactly the same as elemental resistances. Example: If you are hit by a physical attack that does 100 damage and you have a total of 20% damage resistance, the damage you take will be 100-(0.20*100)= 80 damage taken.

Note that there is also a mod called "Damage Reduced By X", found on items like Gladiator's Bane and Nature's Peace. Note the lack of the percentage symbol. This reduces the damage you take by a fixed amount, not a percentage of the attack damage.

Example: You are hit by a physical attack that does 50 damage and you total Damage Reduced By 30. The attack's damage would be 50-30 = 20 damage to you.

This type of damage reduction does NOT have a cap. Also, this mod is capable of negating ALL damage you take. If the example above had been with a 25 damage attack, no damage would have been taken at all.

And which type is better? Both. DR% has an advantage when it comes to heavy hits, and DR when it comes to multiple light hits. You decide which you want.

=What is the difference between "Ignore Target's Defense" and "Always Hits"?=

The following section was mostly provided by Posterboy.

"Ignore Target's Defense" is not the same thing as "Always Hits." "Ignore Target's Defense" simply means that the targets defense rating will be set to zero in the To Hit calculation. From the Arreat Summit: "This ability will not work on Unique Monsters, Super Unique Monsters, Hirelings, other players, and Act-end bosses." Player/monster level still plays a part in the equation, and the is a min/max cap of 5%/95% chance to hit.

"Always Hits" means that this attack will bypass the To Hit formula altogether. Guided Arrow, Smite, and most spells are "Always Hits," although some, like Guided Arrow, can be blocked. That means if you had a level 2 Paladin with one point in Smite you can hit a monster like Hell Diablo consistently. Also note that "Always Hits" does not necessarily mean that you will literally always hit because there is still shield blocking, Zon Dodge/Avoid/Evade, and Assassin claw-blocking to consider, not to mention manually dodging an attack.
Note that the Assassin's claw block can block many things that ordinary shields can't.

Range is also a considerable factor when discussing attacks that always hit. Smite, for example, depends on weapon range. If the target is farther away than the weapon range allows, the animation is shown, but the opponent is not hit. This is why skilled melee characters using range 3-5 weapons can often beat Smiters that use a cookie-cutter range 2 Grief Phase Blade.

=How do synergies and +skills work together?=

There are so called "soft" skill points, and "hard" skill points. Hard skill points are the points you gain from leveling up and from quests. Soft skill points are skill points you gain from ANY gear, including charms, weapons, armor, whatever.

When calculating the level of a skill, both the soft and hard skill points are taken into account. However, when calculating how great the skill benefits from synergies, only the hard points you spend in the synergizing skill are counted in for the benefit of the synergized skill.

Example:

You have spent 20 hard points in Blessed Hammer, and 20 points in Blessed Aim. You also have a helmet that gives 2+ to all skill levels. The displayed levels of the skills are now 22 for BH, and 22 for BA as well.
But when the game calculates the benefit Blessed Hammer recieves from Blessed Aim, it applies the benefit from a level 20 Blessed Aim skill to the level 22 Blessed Hammer skill.

Exceptions from this rule include the Necromancer summon masteries and the Sorceress elemental masteries. These are not actual synergies, but rather skills whose only function is to enhance other skills. When the benefit from these is calculated, both hard and soft points are counted. The Druid summon cross-bonuses work that way as well, according to MMAgCh.

=How can I find skillers/what is the first, or best place to find skillers?=

[[Skillers[[, or Grand Charms with +to a character skill tab, require an item level of at least 50 in order to spawn. The first area in which all dropped grand charms have an item level of 50+ is the nightmare Great Marsh.

In order to maximize your chances of finding a skiller, you want the item level to be as close to 50 as possible. Why is that? Because when affixes are selected, they are chosen from all available affixes. Having a GC with an ilevel of exactly 50 is the best in this regard because they do have the possibility of getting a skiller, while the possibilities of other affixes are being kept to a minimum.

However, there is an alternate approach. Items dropped from Hell Baal have an item level of 99, and items dropped from Hell Nihlathak have an item level of 95. Grand charms dropped from these two bosses can spawn with very, very high life, namely the 41-45 to life vita suffix. Grand charms that both have +to a skill tab and high life can trade for astronomical values. However, due to the high item level, most any affix can spawn. Your chances of getting a skiller from an ilvl 95+ Grand Charms are very slim, and the chances of getting that Grand Charm to spawn with the desired 40+ life are even slimmer. However, the time and effort needed to aquire these are worth it to some.

There is a way to significantly shorten the amount of time needed to find a skiller compared to just hunting the most likely drop zones over and over. This is referred to as "rerolling" or simply "rolling". This is done by placing a Grand Charm and three perfect gems in the Horadric cube, and transmuting. This will reroll the mods on the charm, but preserving the item level. This means that if you have a Grand Charm with that perfect ilevel of 50, but it has useless mods, you can reroll it into a useful skiller. In effect, it drops the item again at the cost of three perfect gems. Be prepared to spend a lot of perfect gems, but it can be worth it.

Note that this formula works on all magical items, but it is typically used the most on Grand Charms due to the high usefulness of blue Charms compared to the usefulness of blue equippable items.

Footnote: I must admit that I slightly lied about the first place you can get a skiller the first place would be normal Baal. The items he drops have an ilevel of 60, more than enough to get a skiller. But the nightmare Great Marsh is the first area in which every monster has the possibility of dropping a skiller.

A common misconception is that MF increases the chance of getting skillers. That is simply not true. This lies in how MF works, and I direct you to Gta's Guide to all that is items again for explanation.

Good areas to hunt for skillers and rerollable Grand Charms include:
* The nightmare Great Marsh the first place they can drop, the area level is 50.
* The nightmare Flayer Jungle run more often than the Great Marsh due to the number of Flayers, which can all drop ilevel 50 Grand Charms.
* Nightmare Cows there is a very large number of easily killable cows here, and the charms they drop have a decent chance of becoming a skiller.
* Nightmare City of the Damned there is a lot of Wraith-class monsters here.
* Hell Diablo, hell Nihlathak and hell Baal all three (and those three only) have the capability to drop skillers with 41-45 to life.

=How does Magic Find work with minions?=

When a minion or mercenary makes a kill, the minions MF percentage is added to your MF percentage. However, if you make a kill while one of your minions has MF, only your MF is used. It was probably made this way to allow minion characters (Summoners, Trapassins) to hunt for items effectively, while keeping the game as balanced as possible for characters that do not depend on mercenaries or minions for the kill.

=Is there a way to resist "pure" magical damage from other players?=

Pure magical damage, such as the damage from the Barbarians Berserk, the Paladins Blessed Hammer, and the Necromancer bone spells is mostly unresistable. There are some ways to reduce the damage, but no really effective ones. The main methods are:
# There is a mod called "Magic Resistance" on crafted safety shields. This is only 5-10%, though.
# Integer magic absorb. This is found on the runewords Spirit, Oath and Crescent Moon.
# Integer magic damage reduction. This is probably the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against magical damage. This is found on Dwarf Star rings, the String of Ears Demonhide Sash, and Skin of the Vipermagi Serpentskin Armor to name a few. It wont do much against a 10000+ damage Blessed Hammer directed at your face, but it could mean the difference between surviving 2-3 hammers or 3-4.

These means of course also counteract the magical damage that monsters deal, such as the hell and nightmare guest Viper Bone Spears.

=How come my Blessed Hammers can damage monsters immune to magic?=

It simply lies in the nature of the Blessed Hammer skill to completely ignore the magical resistances of both Demon and Undead class monsters. This is part of what makes Hammerdins (Paladins that use the Blessed Hammer skill) so ridiculously powerful, the ability to pierce the resistances of virtually any monster in the game is unmatched, anywhere. The only monster types that Blessed Hammers can not damage are monsters that are both immune to magic, and of the Animal class.

As of now, there is only one monster that meets both classifications. That is the Wailing Beast in an act 3 hell Kurast Temple. Aside from that single type of monster, Blessed Hammers can damage absolutely everything.

=How does Venom work?=

Poison damage in-game is always listed as X damage over Y seconds. Unfortunately, this isn't how the game calculates it. The damage per second is X/Y. The value you should be concerned about is the damage per frame (aka bitrate), which is X/(25*Y). Most of the time when poison sources are combined (not when Venom is concerned), your bitrates are added, and your durations are averaged. In order to achieve the highest possible bitrate, you want the highest possible poison damage over the smallest possible duration.

Maximizing your final damage output involves getting the highest bitrate possible, and being able to re-apply the poison damage before the duration timer runs out.

The strength of the Assassins Venom skill does not lie in a huge displayed damage number, but rather the short duration, which can be applied multiple times in very short succession. The relatively modest displayed damage is much more effective than it looks. Lets say Venom does 400 damage over 0.4 seconds. That damage is really 1000 damage per second if you manage to constantly keep the poison up (which can be done with a speedy kick attack, for example).

A slightly worse thing about Venom is that it effectively ruins all other sources of poison on your equipment that you may have. If you have Venom active, all poison attacks are scaled down to fit the short duration of Venom. Lets say you have a charm in your inventory that does 100 poison damage over 5 seconds = 20 damage per second. Having Venom active does not actually lower the bitrate of the charm, but rather shortens the duration. When Venom is active, that charm deals 20 damage per second over 0.4 seconds = only 8 total damage for each attack. Most unimpressive.

This is why poison charms and other poison sources work very badly with Venom. If you intend to use Venom, avoid using equipment for the sole reason of added poison damage. It won't hurt you, but it won't help you (much) either.

In order to maximize your Venom damage, do three things:
# Have Venom as high of a level as possible when casting
# Have as much +% Poison Skill Damage on your gear as possible when casting and attacking
# Lower your target's Poison Resistance as much as possible

Thanks to Ilkori for updating this section. Poison is not my forte.

=I am a hardcore player. How can I avoid being killed by malicious players?=

Before we begin, there are two acronyms that need to be understood:

PK: Player killer. It can be used as a verb also; Im going to PK you, noob. The term is not to be confused with actual dueling. Duels are mutually agreed upon. Player Killers dont ask for permission.

TPPK: A number of methods that involve setting up some sort of a deathtrap, going to town, and hostiling another player in rapid succession. The goal is to catch the victim/the PKed by surprise and kill him in the process.

On how to avoid being PKed, I am simply going to quote the celebrated forum troll and TPPKer 2_Much_4_U.

<blockquote>
Wow, okay. First off, don't feel too bad about having some lowbies ganked. Happens all the time.

To help you avoid further happenings, let me run down a couple of things to look for.

1.) Paladins with red armor, red helms, and a two-handed weapon are going to pk you. Especially if you are playing in a Tomb Run game.

2.) Sorcs who tell you to leave town for an enchant could very well be baiting you to set you up for an orb tppk.

3.) Never trust necromancers, no matter what they say their build is.

4.) Level 16 characters of any type who wear Twitchthroe (you can tell they are wearing it if they have dark green, nearly black studded leather graphic armor) are at the very least llds. Some of these people like to pk in pubby games.

5.) Characters with funny, stupid, or hostile names will often be pkers. The mentality of most pks is that you kill for laughs, and a good name such as AnInnocentChild makes a funny screenshot:

''Noob was slain by AnInnocentChild.

6.) Make passworded games and set the character limit to one.

7.) Don't get rushed. Some pro pks like to help people level so the ear is higher when they kill you. Sometimes if you Baal with people they will talk to you, get to know you a little, maybe even befriend you, then they will fire an Ice Blast up your ass.

8.) Set level restrictions on all nightmare level games and above. This won't keep you from getting killed by the pros, but you will avoid sucker clans like IceNine.

9.) Be aware of the pk clans on your realm, know who the most active pks are, and never group with people who can one-shot champion monsters.

10.) Look for people using +damage gear like wands and circlets. You can never be certain that necro is a tppker, but if he has blue leather armor, doesn't display a helm graphic, and carries a plain-colored wand, he is likely using White, +3 PnB circlet, and Vipermagi. Cheap but powerful gear with very little in the way of survivability mods. Pks are built for damage, not for duels, and as such their gear will usually be easily and cheaply replaced.

11.) If you decide, against my advice, to join a pub game, be aware that the good pkers won't attack immediately. Amazons wait until a monster procs amp on you, sorcs wait until you fight a conviction aura'd mob. A good necro will use his bone walls to corral you in, or if you are melee he will wait until you are in the thick of battle and you aren't paying attention to him. Also of note, if the necro has a lot of skeles, mages, and revives, yet they all seem to die fast, he is probably a pk. Experienced nec pks will use the massive lag caused by bone structures and summons to execute you.

12.) Escape up enter is your best friend. I can do it so fast that it looks like disconnect.

13.) Set up your belt to have a full slot of major rejuvs, a full slot of town portals, and two slots of minor rejuvs. Guzzle those potes like kool-aid, they are free after all and will save your life many times.

14.) Buff your cold and poison resist. You can do this by drinking thawing potions and antidote potions. Drink the thaws so a cold sorc can't wtfown you in one shot. Drink the antis so you won't be low on health when you least expect it from poison procing mobs.

15.) Put every point you possess into vitality. You don't need anything else. My untwinked bear druid had more than 1000 life at level 18. Invest in getting lower level life scs, which you can farm on the way to Countess in Normal.

16.) If you are in a game full of tagged people, and they start moving away from you, leave the game.

17.) If a player opens a tp anywhere near you, hit your tp hotkey and leave the area.

18.) Don't start NM until level 45. Don't start Hell until level 80.

19.) Be a nice person. If you piss somebody off, they can easily put a bounty on your head and have someone smoke your ass. Ask Hurricane_Ivan, RazzerFraz, Mithrandirr, Yeti, or any of the many infamous pks just how much their ears have been worth over the years. A successful kill on a rich person's enemy can snag you upwards of a Gul rune, which is worth a lot more in hc than it is in sc.

20.) If somebody follows you around in town, they are most likely weighing you in the balance. Don't be found lacking. They will gauge your gear, how much life they think you have, and what your likely resists are. They won't attack you unless they think they can one- or two-shot you. My personal best has been two people killed with a tornado volley. I have heard of and seen screenshots of five people being killed in a single attack.

21.) Avoid wps, public portals, and starting areas.

22.) Play with friends.

=Where is the "Reziarfg" monster?=

The Reziarfg monster does not exist. If you take a careful look at the spelling of its name, you will see that is in fact the name of Geoff Fraizer, a member of the Blizzard web team, spelled backwards. The monster is a joke, nothing more. It is not found in any game file, not even a hint. If it were there, the experienced modders would have found out long ago. There simply is no monster called Reziarfg in the game.

=What does the chat gem do?=

[[The Chat Gem]] does not have a purpose. It changes colour, and sends messages like Gem Activated, Perfect Gem Activated and Mooooo. Nothing else. People use it as a marker for their channel conversations, but the gem does not affect gameplay in any way whatsoever.

If you like clicking the thing, go ahead. But know that any change you notice is a result of good-old chance.

=What are "Stacked Resists"?=

Under normal circumstances, players resistances to fire, cold, lightning and poison are capped at a maximum of 75%. Using certain items and skills you can boost the maximum resistance cap up to 95%, but no further. Therefore you can not make yourself immune to an element by boosting your maximum resistances up to 100%. When you have hit the final cap allowed by your gear and skills, the resistances will show up in golden letters on your character screen.
Whatever resistances you may have that surpass this cap are not calculated when hit with regular attacks.

However, having resistances above your displayed cap can come in handy. They will play a large role when you are affected by resistances, such as the ones from the Conviction Aura or other players Rainbow Facets. When these resistances come into effect, they start with subtracting from the resists you have over your displayed cap.

Examples:

We have player A, whose items give a total of 150% resistance to fire. 
And player B, whose items give a total of 75% resistance to fire.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player As resistances hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage. Player Bs resistances hit the cap precisely at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
In this case, the stacked resistances were useless. But when that Fireball also lowers the targets resistances, the situation changes greatly.

Player A is hit by a Fireball that does 200 damage and lowers the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball starts with affecting stacked resistances, bringing them down to a total of 100%. The players resistances still manage to hit the cap at 75%, and the player takes 25% of the damage = 50 damage. 
Player B is hit by the same Fireball that also reduces the players resistances by 50%. The Fireball can now directly lower the resistances in use, bringing the total resistance down to 25%. The player takes 75% of the damage = 150 damage, which is tree times the damage player A suffered. Resists can make a HUGE dent in anyones life bowl unless properly countered. The next section will demonstrate this.

If you expect anyone is going to attempt to lower your resists, stacking them is generally a good idea if you wish to live. Cold Sorceresses, Über Mephisto and Avenger Paladins are all infamous for their ability to lower resistances. Dont be caught off guard.

Physical resistance has its own cap too, which is at 50%. But unlike elemental resistances, this resistance is not displayed on the character screen, and is not affected by the nightmare and hell resistance penalties as far as I know. This is what is generally referred to as Damage Reduced %. Stacking this resistance against the Necromancer curses Amplify damage and Decrepify is not advisable due to how difficult it is to gain a respectable amount of this rare resist.

Resistance to pure magical damage (Blessed Hammers, Bone Spells, Berserk) is almost impossible to resist. See section 31 for the reasons. This resistance most likely has a cap, although it is absolutely impossible to hit it.

=What is the effectiveness of resistances compared to +damage%?=

This has been slightly addressed before in sections 2 and 19, but only as side points.

Many seem to think that reducing an enemy's resistances by some percentage is roughly the same as increasing your own damage by that same percentage. This is not true. When the damage is calculated, -resist% "nearly always" come out on top. The effectiveness of -resist% relies completely on the defender's resistance. For example, if a defender has 95% resistance to the damage type in question and no stacked resists, the -5% would DOUBLE the damage output. Also, if the defender has maxed resistance stacked 5% or more over the cap, -5% would do absolutely nothing. The reasons for this are purely mathematical.

For an everyday example, let's assume an attack does 200 damage, and it is applied to a target with 50% resistance to the element in question. The damage output would be 200 * 0.50 = 100 damage.

If that attack also lowered the resistance by 5%, the damage we are looking at is 200 * 0.55 = 110 damage. A 10% increase in damage. Directly increasing damage by 5% would obviously only increase damage by 5%. Oddly enough, in this case -5% > +5% applies.

Examples when resist% do NOT improve your overall damage more than +damage% are few, but they include:

A) When the target already has negative resists. Basically, -x% enemy resist is more effective against a target with positive resists, and +x% skill damage is more effective against a target with negative resists (assuming the same value of x, of course). So in other words, if you had to make a choice between a -5%/+3% facet and a -3%/+5% facet, you should know the resists of your target first and make a choice depending on whether it's positve or negative (after taking Conviction, Lower Resist, Cold Mastery, etc. into consideration.) Thanks to Posterboy for the explanation.

B) When the target already has -100% negative resists, -resist% is completely pointless. You can never reduce someone's resists below -100%.

C) When the target is using Cyclone Armor or Energy Shield. These are applied before resistances, so resist% does nothing at all until the shield has been broken.

D) In many cases, Cold Sorceresses already have more than enough resist% from their Cold Mastery skill, making +damage% more desirable.

E) When the target has enough stacked resists to completely negate your resist%.

=How does the "Eth Glitch" work?=

In Diablo 2 version 1.11 and 1.11b, there is a bug regarding the socketing of ethereal armors. Ethereal armors are assigned a 50% bonus to their base defense rating when dropped. This is normal. What is not normal is the fact that when sockets are added to an ethereal armor using the Horadric Cube, that ethereal defense bonus is applied again. The result is an armor with an absolutely impossible defense rating. Enhanced defense modifiers are then added to that base defense rating, so the difference in end defense is rather huge.

This bug appeared as a side-effect when the 1.10 ethereal armor upgrade bug was fixed (the bug is described in section 14). In order to fix that bug, a defense bonus of 50% was simply crammed into the ethereal unique armor upgrade formula. Unfortunately that fix also affected the ethereal armor socketing formula, making armors now gain a second defense bonus when socketed.

The use of this bug is very controversial, and that is the reason I haven't added this section earlier. The overwhelming number of questions asked about this forced me to make up my mind.

It is not debatable whether this is a "bug" or an "undocumented feature". It is obviously a result of a programming flaw, making it a bug. Ask anyone who has looked at the code, ethereal armors gaining defense when socketed is NOT intentional. Not a chance.

However, the community is split regarding the practical use of this bug. One half argues that since Blizzard hasn't removed the bug, they intend it to stay, and that they need the bugged armors to stay competent when compared to those who do use the bugged armors. The other half considers the use of any ingame bugs to their advantage to be cheating. Personally, I agree with the second group, and suggest that anyone who wants to consider oneself a legitimate gamer to avoid this bug until fixed.

=How do Energy Shield and "Damage taken goes to Mana" work together?=

I didn't add this section until now simply because I do not use the Energy Shield spell on any of my characters, so I have no practical experience with it. It is correct on technical issues, however. Thanks to Gta-maloy] for confirming it.

First of all, the "damage taken goes to mana" mod found on items is NOT the same as the ES damage conversion. "Damage taken goes to mana" modifiers add to your mana pool a percentage of the damage you take.
Example: A character with a "10% damage taken goes to mana" mod is hit with an attack doing 50 damage. 50 health points will be removed from your health pool. 10% of those 50 points will now add to your mana pool.

End result: Life -50, mana +5.

However, when a Sorceress using ES is hit, some of the damage is subtracted from your mana pool instead of your health pool. The percentage of the total damage converted to the mana pool is dependant on your ES level, and it maxes out at 95%, at ES slevel 40. The ratio at which the damage is converted depends on points spent in Telekinesis. The base ratio is 200%, or 2:1. With no points in TK, every health damage point converted spends 2 mana. Each point spent in TK decreases that ratio by 6.25%, bringing it down to 100% = 1:1 at level 16. Notice that the TK bonus is a synergy bonus, only hard points will work.

Which means that if a Sorceress using a level 40 ES with 16 hard points in TK is hit for 100 damage, her mana will absorb 95% of the damage, while the health pool absorbs 5%.

End result: Life -5, mana -95.

If that Sorceress also had 20% damage taken goes to mana from gear, 20% of those 5 points that were actually removed from her health pool would be added to her mana pool. That's one point. Not very impressive.

End result: Life -5, mana -94.

You can see that making an "immortal Sorceress" by combining "damage taken goes to mana" and Energy Shield is impossible.

Miscellaneous information about Energy Shield:

ES is not affected by resistances, it takes 100% damage at all times, no more or less. That can be good, and bad. Its good in the way that you don't have to worry about maxing your resistances as much as most other character types, and enemies that depend on the ability to lower your resistances will be sent home crying. It is bad in the way that you can not raise the resistances of your ES above 0%.

Note that ES does not stop poison damage. The negative regeneration rate from the Open Wounds modifier can not be absorbed either. Be careful when those are around.

And to quote PeterPaulRubens:
:the real bummer of combing DTM and ES is that DTM's mana boost is applied to your mana BEFORE the mana loss from ES is calculated. In other words, your mana can still be reduced to zero by a hit. DTM won't ever save you from having NO mana.

=What makes Anya's Red Portal go away?=

Rather simple. The Red Portal closes when you have killed [[Nihlathak]] AND gotten the [[Halls of Pain]] waypoint. As long as you don't do both, the portal stays.

=Where is the Pit, and why does it drop good items?=

Introduced in 1.10 were several areas with very high area levels. Everything can drop from the champions and unique monsters in these areas. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I can not name a single thing that can not drop in there, excluding things like the 1.11 charms and keys, Annihilus and quest items, of course.

This of course makes the areas very powerful places in which to MF. The Pit is often favoured because:
# It is easy to find. Go to the Outer Cloister waypoint and follow the road that splits to a cave (the other leading to the Black Marsh). That cave is the Pit.
# The monsters in there are relatively easy to kill for most characters.
# Aside from the drops, it offers good experience to characters in their low and mid 80s.
# The area is big, meaning lots of monsters. More monsters mean you can spend more time killing them, not finding the Pit.
# There is a sparkly-chest at the bottom of it.

When item hunting in high level areas, always kill everything.

The AreaLevel 85 areas are:
# The Pit, levels 1 and 2
# The Mausoleum next to Blood Raven. NOT the Crypt. Easy area, but does not have very many monsters.
# The Maggot Lair, level 3 only. Difficult to get to, difficult to navigate. Rarely used.
# The Ancient Tunnels, found in the Lost City. Not very easy to find since there is no road leading up to it, but it doesn't have any cold immunes at all. Cold Sorceresses love it.
# The Sewers in act 3, level 2. Where you find Khalim's Brain. Horrible access, tiny area. I've never heard of anyone using it.
# The Forgotten Temple, The Ruined Fane, and The disused Reliquary. All easily found temples in act 3, but the areas are small.
# The River of Flame. It's a relatively large area, lots of monsters, fine experience. It is however a fairly difficult area for poorly equipped characters, which is probably why it isn't used more often.
# The Chaos Sanctuary. Same as the River of Flame, but with the mercinary-slaughtering Iron-Maiden.
# The Worldstone Keep levels 1-3, and The Throne of Destruction. They are perfect in all regards but one - they are the most difficult normal areas in the game.

This is of course all assuming hell difficulty.

* Complete list of [[Level 85 Areas]], plus strategy info.

=What is NextDelay, and why is it so bad?=

I will simply quote the diabloii.net Assassin FAQ on this matter:

::NextDelay is a property that activates a hidden "hit timer" that limits how often any attack from that group(i.e. all the skills listed here) can damage a single target. This works similarly to the infamous spell timer, which limits how often any spell in that group can be cast. The difference is that the hit timer doesn't prevent you from attacking, it just sets everyone's(includes you, your minions/merc, other players(hostile/neutral/allied), and their minions/mercs) chance-to-hit that monster (with a hit timer attack) at zero until the timer runs out.

Here's a list of skills that are affected by NextDelay, and the lengths of them:

25-Frame Delay (1 second)
* Shock Web
* Blade Sentinel
* Twister
* Tornado

10-Frame Delay (0.4 seconds)
* Volcano (initial eruption)

6-Frame Delay (0.24 seconds)
* War Cry
* Grim Ward

5-Frame Delay (0.2 seconds)
* Fissure
* Volcano (small fireball)

4-Frame Delay (0.16 seconds)
* Multi Shot
* Strafe
* Lightning Strike
* Chain Lightning
* Nova
* Frost Nova
* Poison Nova
* Shock Wave
* Fist of Heavens (Holy Bolts)
* Wake of Fire
* Claws of Thunder (only 2nd and 3rd charge charges have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Phoenix Strike (only 2nd Chain Lightning and 3rd Chaos Orb charge have Next Delay. 1st charge does not trigger Next Delay)
* Dragon Flight
* Battle Cry
* Battle Command
* Battle Orders

So, the moment a certain skill from the list damages a monster, it prevents every other skill on the list from hitting the said monster for the original skill's NextDelay duration (whether from you or any other character).

=What is the difference between a damage spell and an attack?=

There is no single, easy way to seperate skills from attacks. In some cases the difference is obvious, as in a Sorceress Fireball is obviously a spell, while a Paladin Zeal is obviously an attack. There are a number of abilities which walk on the edge of the definition by having an attack component and a spell component as well. A few elements that seperate spells from attacks include:
# An attack uses a weapon of some type to calculate its damage, while a spell's damage is based entirely on skill level and skill damage modifiers.
# The time it takes to perform attacks is typically decided by increased attack speed modifiers (IAS), while spells' casting speed is typically decided by faster cast rate modifiers[/i] (FCR).
# Most attacks can be blocked with a shield, while spells can not. Exceptions include the Paladin's Smite skill, which can not be blocked even though it is an attack. Also, the Assassin claw block is unique in being able to block some spells.
# Attacks can return mana and life through
# leeching, while spells do not.
# Some attacks can set off "procs", spells can not.

It should be noted that the damage type is a bad way to distinguish skills and attacks. For example, War Cry is a spell that deals physical damage, while Berserk is an attack that deals magical damage.

The tricky part is when you have a skill with both an attack and a spell component. In general, these fall into two categories.
# Attack with an additional Spell damage
# Spell that enhances an attack (usually by adding non-physical damage)

For a basic list, there are: Assassin Venom(2) and elemental charge-ups(1), Amazon elemental attacks (bow and spear/javelin) (most are 1), Druid Fireclaws(1)/Rabies(2), Paladin Holy Fire/Freeze/Shock(mostly 2), Sorceress Enchant(2), and Necromancer Poison Dagger(2). The (1) or (2) indicates which cateogry it falls into. The mechanics of each skill is specific, and a few have some odd quirks attached to them.

An even worse case is the Assassin Dragon Tail which falls into a category of its own, since the Fire splash damage actually depends on how much physical kick damage is dealt to the target.

=What is the difference between a ranged and melee attack?=

These two types of attacks are very similar, but have some important differences. Disclaimer - This is intended to help distinguish game mechanics. These distinctions have nothing to do with PvP rules which are based on what players agree on.

The Assassin kicks, Paladin's Smite, and Amazon's Guided Arrow all have some exceptions to the general rules for attacks. Kicks have a different damage formula, Guided Arrow is always-hit, and the Paladin's Smite is always-hit, ignores shield blocking, and follows a different damage formula. There are also a number of odd idiosyncrasies with other skills, such as the ED on Vengeance providing elemental damage, Berserk converting the physical damage to Magic damage, and several attacks having movement involved as part of the attack.

Here's a list of the different abilities and what category they are in. After that is the list of differences between ranged and melee attacks. Anything not listed is the same for both.

Ranged Attacks
* Bow or XBow attacks (except Wereform attacks with a bow/xbow)
* Throw attacks available with javelins, and throwing axes/knives (except potions)
* Assassin's Blade Fury and Blade Sentinal
* Amazon's Bow/Xbow tree
* The physical portion of the Amazon's Plague Javelin, Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt, and Lightning Fury
* Barbarian's Double Throw (except when using a potion)

Melee Attacks
* The "Normal" attack with anything but a bow or xbow
* Barbarian Combat Skills (except Double Throw)
* Paladin's Sacrifice, Zeal, Vengeance, Charge, and Conversion
- Druid's Wereform Attacks
- Assassin's Martial Arts
- Amazon's Jab, Impale, Fend, and the physical portion of Power Strike, Charged Strike, and Lightning Strike
- Necromancer's Poison Dagger

Differences
# Crushing Blow and Open Wounds work at half-effectiveness with ranged attacks.
# Attack Rating% bonuses listed on some ranged skills are not actually applied (for example all Amazon Bow skills).
# The mod +X damage (Grief, Asteron's) is not calculated in ranged attacks.
# Iron Maiden only affects Melee attacks.
# +% <element> damage applies once to melee and zero to ranged, despite the LCS.

=How does "Absorb" really work?=

The basic idea of absorb is rather simple, it couses portions of attacks that would normally damage you to heal you instead. There are a few points regarding it that cause confusion, however.

There is a difference between percentage absorb and integer absorb. It is basically the same as the difference between DR% and DR (see section 25). Percentage absorb heals you by a fraction of the damage dealt, while integer absorb heals you by a fixed amount. For item examples we have Blackhorns Face with integer absorb, and Dwarf Star with percentage absorb.

Absorb does not save you from one-hit KOs. The damage affects your health pool before absorb is applied. If the attack reduces your life to zero, you will die.

Damage is applied in a predetermined order. It is as follows: 
1) XvX penalty (for example Player vs. Player = -5/6) 
2) Sorceress Energy Shield 
3) Necromancer Bone Armor and/or Druid Cyclone Armor 
4) Integer DR/MDR 
5) Percentage resists (including DR%) 
6) Percentage absorb 
7) Integer absorb

This is relevant, because it helps you decide what type of damage reduction modifier will serve you best. Consult LanderZs damage calculator for further information: http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html
# Percentage absorb can never heal you on its own. It is capped at 40%, meaning that even if you have maximum percentage absorb, you will still take damage. Integer absorb does not suffer from this penalty.
# Absorb actually heals you two times the listed amount both to negate the damage and to heal by the same amount.
# The "magic absorb" modifier found on safety shields and Spirit Runewords (for example) only affects "pure" magical damage, such as the Necromancer bone spells. Elemental damages like Fire damage are not affected. This has been tested by Oramin.

Most of the information used in this thread came from Tommi Gustafsson's site, which is now defunct. Most of its content can now be accessed on b_77's site:
http://www.brentmcclintock.net/diablo/index.aspx

=What are "procs" and how do they work?=

"Proc" is a collective word for all sorts of effects that can happen on striking and attacking. If an item you are using contains a line that looks similar to "X% chance to do Y when Z happens", odds are that item contains a "proc". A good example of a proc would be "5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking" found on Dracul's grasp.

=A member of my party is using Ondal's Wisdom. Is he stealing my experience?=

No, not at all. It is one of the more persistent rumours, but it is not true. As confirmed by Ortliebj, the "+x% To Experience Gained" modifier found on the staff and the popular Annihilus charm is applied after the experience has been split among the party members. It has no effect on anyone but the user.

The rumour probably originated when players using Ondal's Wisdom were called "leechers" in party games. It would be a reference to the Ondal user's reduced ability to help the party, not an experience stealing modifier.

=What kinds of life bonuses are affected by Battle Orders?=

If you are asking this sort of a question, you have probably heard that not all life is multiplied by Battle Orders and other percentage-based life boosters. This is true.

When it comes to calculating your final life, there are effectively three factors you need to consider. These factors could be called "Boostable life", "Non-boostable life" and "Percentage boosts".
# Boostable life is life gained from spent vitality points, life naturally gained per level up, +life bonuses on items, and life gained from quest rewards.
# Non-boostable life is life gained from "soft" vitality points on items, life gained from life per level bonuses on items and life gained from vitality per level bonuses on items.
# Percentage boosts are the life% bonuses that can (for examples) be seen on the skills Battle Orders, Oak Sage or Lycanthropy, and items such as Doombringer or Jah runes in armor.

For the actual calculation, add together all your boostable life sources, and calculate your life. Then add together all percentage boosts to form a single percentage, and apply it as a bonus to your boostable life. After that, add the non-boostable life.

This information would be best displayed by an equation:
Final life = Boostable_Life * (100% + Boost%)/100% + nonboostable_Life

Mana calculations follow the same equation and mechanics.

=If I create an Iron Golem from an "indestructible" item, will the golem be invulnerable to damage?=

No. Basically, the "indestructible" modifier that can be found on items like Phase Blades or items that have been socketed with a Zod rune has to do with durability. It does not literally mean that the item can not be destroyed.
Iron Golems do not seem to be affected by durability in any way. The Golem's summoning item being indestructible changes nothing for the Golem.

=How are the elemental masteries applied to attacks?=

The following section was written by Oramin.

There are 3 basic rules to determine how Elemental Masteries (e.g. Fire Mastery) increase a character's damage.

# The Elemental Masteries apply to Skills at the time of casting/application to weapons.
# They amplify Melee attacks.
# They do *not* amplify Ranged attacks.

This means that if you were to cast Enchant then Fire Mastery would apply at the time of casting (and this is already shown in your displayed Enchant damage). Holy Shock would also be amplified by Lightning Mastery when the bonus Lightning damage is applied to the weapon.

If you do a Melee attack, the Fire/Lightning damages from Enchant/Holy Shock will be boosted again by whatever the levels of FM/LM happen to be at the time of attack. You get no additional damage if you choose to do a Ranged attack.

Example:

Assume you are a Sorceress with level 20 Fire Mastery, level 20 Enchant, level 20 Lightning Mastery, and a "Dream" helm which gives level 15 Holy Shock. Further assume that you have charms which add 1-100 Lightning damage and 1-100 Fire damage and that you are using an ordinary javelin.

Level 20 Enchant (including the single point in Warmth) does 74-97 damage. 
When we include level 20 Fire Mastery (+163% damage), the displayed damage at the time of casting becomes 196-256. This Fire damage is added to the weapon. The 1-100 Fire damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Fire Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Fire damage on the weapon is now 197-356.

Level 15 Holy Shock does 1-648 damage. At the time of application to the weapon, the level 20 Lightning Mastery (+278% damage) will amplify it causing 3-2449 Lightning damage to be added to the weapon. The 1-100 Lightning damage from the Charms is not Skill based damage so it is not amplified by Lightning Mastery when applied to the weapon. The total Lightning damage on the weapon is now 4-2549.

Fire damage: 197-356 
Lightning damage: 4-2549

If you were throwing the javelin, the above would be the correct totals.

However, if you do a Melee attack with the javelin instead then Lightning Mastery and Fire Mastery would amplify the damages giving the following damages: 
Fire damage: (197-356) * (1 + 1.63) = 518-936 
Lightning damage: (4-2549) * (1 + 2.78) = 15-9635

Note1: Due to the LCS (Lying Character Screen) you will see Ranged attacks receiving the same amplification as Melee attacks this is *not* correct.

Note2: We were not able to determine precisely how/if FM affects the bonus Fire damage from Explosive Bolts/Arrows but as the inherent damage is negligible, don't worry about it.

=Where can I find wands with charges of Amplify Damage?=

Nowhere. Amplify Damage charges can not spawn as a random affix. The only item in the game that has Amplify Damage charges is the unique Martel de Fer, The Gavel of Pain. It has three charges of level 8 Amplify Damage. If you want a non-Necromancer character to use Amplify Damage, your best option is to get an item that procs (see section 45) the curse.

=What types of +skills work with mercenaries?=

The following quote on how the various types of +skills work when applied to mercenaries was stolen from adeyke:

* +X to all skills works.
* +X to fire skills works for the mercs with fire skills.
* +X to a specific skill the merc already has (e.g. +X to bash (barbarian only) for barb mercs, +X to inferno (sorceress only) for fire iron wolves) also works.
* +X to a specific skill the merc doesn't already have doesn't work. Barb mercs will gain nothing from +X to natural resistance (barbarian only), for example. Mercs also don't use any oskills.
* +X to skill tabs doesn't work for any merc.
* +X to class kills (e.g. +X to barbarian skills, +X to sorceress skills) doesn't work for any merc.

=What decides the Assassin's Trap laying speed?=

The trap laying speed of Assassins is decided like most attack speeds. That means it is affected by things like gear-based increased attack speed (IAS) and the weapon speed modifier (abbreviated WSM, also often called "base weapon speed"). The diablo2.ingame.de [http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/weaponspeed.php?lang=english weapon speed calculator] can calculate your trap laying speed.

The Faster Cast Rate modifier (FCR) has no effect on trap laying speed. When Assassins emphasise FCR, it is usually to speed up their casting of Mind Blast, which is affected by the Faster Cast Rate modifier.

=How long do items stay if left on the ground?=

This section belongs to Posterboy, who originally poked the information my way, and Antitrust who re-confirmed it for 1.11 and wrote the contents of the following quote:

* Socketed items, Ethereal items, Equipable White items, Runewords, Keys, Quivers, Potions, Scrolls/Tomes - vanish in 10 minutes
* Runes, Gems, Magic Items (including charms) - vanish in 20 minutes
* Rares, Uniques (including charms), Sets - vanish in 30 minutes
* Gold, Horadric cube (the only quest item I tested) - last for at least 2 hours and 36 minutes (at which point I stopped)

This was tested in Single Player. Results on the realms may be (and I actually suspect that they are) different.

=Does poison cancel Deadly Strike, Critical Strike, or Crushing Blow?=

No, it does not. There seems to be a glitch when it comes to displaying the associated "puffs" when the target is poisoned, but it is purely graphical.

=Acknowledgments=

Big thanks to the posters I have shamelessly exploited and plagiarized in order to make this thread grow:
2_Much_4_U, adeyke, Antitrust, Chaotix, Daten, Gta-maloy], Ilkori, TommiG, Oramin, Ortliebj, PeterPaulRubens and Posterboy.

And thanks to everyone who pointed out missing things and possible additions, bumped this thread, made comments, or just generally helped me in some way whether they know it or not: 
Armaege, BIGeyedBUG, Bonkshasa, Dargad, Derisive, LaughingBuddha, MicahW, MMAgCh, NickJS, Nucularterraist (Nucnuc), Orphan, sambo., Sarrick, Sol1, Technomage-C01, The_Terror_Lord, T-hawk, Veneteaou and WizAdept.

Technomage-C01 deserves special mention for keeping the thread from being munched by the B.Net Gameplay Discussion forum for more than a year and a half. And the most special thanks of all go to Ortliebj for inspiring me to make this thread. Thanks to all of you.

[[category:FAQs]]

Magic Find

2009-04-21T19:52:28Z

DiMono: Added low-level set MF - I wrote an unpublished guest article on this, it's nice to be able to put the information to use

{{Item navbox}}

Among the most fun equipment to outfit your character with are items with bonuses to Magic Find. Magic Find gear makes the items that drop more likely to be higher quality, and for most players, loading up on "MF" and going item hunting is their ultimate goal in Diablo II

=Magic Find Equipment=

You can get MF on most every type of item in the game. Gloves or Boots or jewelry with +10% or 15% or 30% won't make a real noticeable difference on their own, but as you accumulate more and more items with these bonuses, you'll start to notice that you find more Rares, Uniques, Set Items, etc.

The easiest way to add it is by socketing perfect topazes into Armor or Helm. Getting a hold of 4 socket armor and a 3 socket helm shouldn't be too hard, and that's 168% right there.

There is no cap on magic find, but there are diminishing returns as of v1.09, see the table below for the actual stats. You'll start to notice improvements at around 100% Magic Find, and by 200-300% it will start to get very addictive.

Characters who can kill with their skills, especially Sorcs, are the best at going to a very high Magic Find, since they don't need equipment for their offense. Barbarians are very good also, since they get huge hit points and resistance bonuses form their skills and stats, so need less good equipment to survive, and can dual wield Gulls or Ali Babas for a huge MF bonus from the weapon slots.

It can be a lot of fun to load up all your best +MF stuff and do item runs on normal or Nightmare where you don't really need much good gear to survive. Killing the bosses, Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal are the best drops and they can can all be reached pretty quickly, especially Meph. You won't get the best stuff, Elite set or unique items on Nightmare (some of the lowest elite item types can drop from Baal or Diablo, but your odds aren't good) but there are lots of very good Exceptional items that can be found there.

For obvious reasons, Hardcore characters have to be more careful about going all out on +MF stuff. Usually resistances drop very low when switching to the magic find equipment, and one Lightning Enchanted boss that you would normally tear right through can be suddenly deadly if your Lightning Resistance is -22%, rather than your normal 65%. For example.

=Magic Find Percentages=

Magic Find doesn't boost your odds of finding everything equally. It did in earlier versions of D2X, but as players realized the power of the modifier and began to specialize in it, Blizzard made some changes to scale back the effectiveness of the property. It's still quite useful, even at lower amounts, but thanks to the diminishing returns of magic find it's not all that beneficial to specialize entirely in MF.
* A more detailed table [[Magic find diminishing returns|can be found here]].

{|
! Magic Find
! Rare Find
! Set Find
! Unique Find
|-
| 50
| 46
| 45
| 41
|-
| 100
| 85
| 83
| 71
|-
| 200
| 150
| 142
| 111
|-
| 300
| 200
| 187
| 136
|-
| 400
| 240
| 222
| 153
|-
| 500
| 272
| 250
| 166
|-
| 750
| 333
| 300
| 187
|-
| 1000
| 375
| 333
| 200
|}

The actual % that is applied towards finding each type of item. Magical is full, Rare/Set/Uniques are less.

How much you want to wear should be based largely on these percentages. More always helps for magical items, so if you have 1000% MF virtually every monster will drop a magical item. Want normal items or socketed items? Not so much.

If you can get to 250-350% that's really all you need, in terms of finding Sets and Uniques at an increased rate. More after that generally doesn't make enough of a difference to be worth the equipment sacrifices, especially if you are playing Hardcore.

In addition to this, many monsters have unequal odds to drop the various qualities of items. Act Bosses have better odds to drop Uniques than anything else does, SuperUniques drop more uniques than random bosses, and so on.

=Magic Find FAQ=

==What exactly does +MF do?==

Basically, Magic Find makes more of the items that drop be magical or better (Rare/Set/Unique). If you have 100% +MF, if an item dropped normally had a 10% chance to be magical, it will now have a 20% chance. You won't get more items dropping, but the ones that do drop will be better items. More players in a game = more item drops, so you want to try and combine the +MF with a big MP game for the best results.

For a hypothetical example, say normally out of 100 item drops, you would get 20 magic, 2 rare, 2 set, and 1 unique. With 100% +MF you'd expect 40 magic, 4 Rare, 4 Set, and 2 Uniques. It's never exactly like this, but that's about how much it should increase.

==What are the "Magic Items" that this finds more of?==

MF doesn't make more items drop, nor does it make Elite or Exceptional items drop more often. Magic Find merely increases the chances that an item, when dropped, will be "high quality". Unique, Set, Rare, etc. With Magic Find, normal items will more often be magical or better, and items that are always at least magical (jewelry, charms, jewels, etc) more often be higher quality.

==What things doesn't MF help with?==

Magic Find helps you get more magical, set, rare, and unique items.

Magic Find % '''does not make''':

* More total items drop.

* Higher level items drop.

* More of a particular type of item (such as rings/amulets) drop.

* More Exceptional or Elite Items drop. More of the ones that do drop will be magical or better, though.

* More Charms drop.

* More Jewels drop. It does make more of the Jewels that do drop be Rare, instead of magical.

* The rarer Unique rings and amulets drop. It does increase the chances of a ring/amulet being better than magical though.

* More or less Runes drop. MF has no effect either way.

* MF is '''not''' factored into any item creation other than item drops. It does '''not''' get checked when NPC items are created, when you gamble, when you upgrade items in the Horadric Cube, etc.

==What are "High Quality" items?==

"High Quality" refers to Unique, Set, or Rare items. The sorts of things that Magic Find enables you to find more of. It does not refer to item type, since Magic Find has no effect on if a monster drops a short bow or a hydra bow.

==Since Magic Find has diminishing returns, is 110% the best?==

No, the more MF you have the better, always, in terms of getting higher quality items. 1000% will find more Uniques, over time, than 900%, and far far more than 300% or 200%. The balance comes in how long it takes you. If you can do an item finding run in 10 minutes with 1000% MF, and the same run in 3 minutes with 500% MF, it's probably better to go faster, since you could do the same run 3x, which would be better odds for good equipment over all.

==What order are items checked to drop?==

The game first determines what type of item will be dropped; Magic Find has no effect on this. Once the item is determined, your MF is checked in determining if the item is Unique, Rare, etc. The game rolls for Unique first, then Set, Rare, Magical, and normal. This is why more MF is always better, since it boosts your odds of Unique, Set, and Rare. Since SuperUniques, bosses, and Act Bosses always drop at least magical items, (and have much better odds of dropping higher quality items than normal monsters do) MF there will make a big difference.

If the game rolls a Unique, and there is no Unique of that item type you will get a Rare item with 3x normal durability. If the game rolls a set and there is no set of that item type, you will get a magical item with 3x the normal durability.

If you are tracking how many Uniques and Sets you get from item runs, you must note the durability of all Rare and Magical items to have an accurate total.

* See the [[Item Generation Tutorial]] for complete information on how items are generated in Diablo II.

==When is MF calculated?==

The MF on the character getting the kill, at the instant the monster dies, is what's checked. This means you can fire an arrow or cast a spell, then switch to bigger MF weapon/shield, and get the MF bonus from it. For example an Assassin or Sorceress can cast traps or spells with +skills weapons, then quickly switch to a Gull/Rhyme and get the bigger MF from that when the monster actually dies. This even works with arrows, you can fire Guided Arrows with your Buriza, and switch weapons to a sword/shield before the arrow hits the target, and get the MF credit as long as you switch in time.

==Does more MF help find more Charms and Jewels?==

No, this is a common misconception. Magic find will help you get more rare and unique jewels, and unique charms but since charms and jewels are always at least magical, magic find does nothing to increase their overall probability. Just the quality of the ones that do drop.

==How much Magic Find do I need?==

There is no answer to this, but the more you have the better. Noticeably better results start around 80-100%, you'll really start to like it by 200-300%. By 500% or more virtually everything that drops is magical. Since v1.09 introduced diminishing returns, it's not especially useful to get higher than 350% or so, in terms of finding more Uniques and Sets, but the higher the better for normal play.

The main issue to consider is your killing speed, compared with the diminishing returns (see the table up this page a bit). Going from 500% to 1000% MF only increases your Uniques MF from 253% to 295%, which is just a 42% improvement. If your killing speed drops 50% due to lesser equipment when you go from 500% to 1000%, you'd be better off doing twice as many runs at 500%, since with so many more items found your odds of something good would be much higher.

The main reason you want really high MF is to counter the "what if" factor. If you're playing with 400% MF and could be at 700% but slower, and you find a rare Hydra Bow, or Rare Shako, you'll probably bang your head into the keyboard, thinking "what if". Tell yourself that in the long run your 400% and faster killing will pay off, and that the item would probably have been a Rare anyway. Then bang your head a few more times.

==What are the drawbacks of high Magic Find?==

The most obvious is the equipment trade off. You'll lose many +skills, but the biggest changes are generally resistances and defense, and killing power if you are doing an MF weapon and aren't a Sorceress. The Hardcore character has to carefully evaluate their equipment changes, since death is a bad thing.

You'll find very few normal items with very high magic find. So if you want items to Imbue, or socketed items, you'll want to go easy on the Magic Find.

==Does Magic Find help with Runes?==

No, it doesn't get more Runes to drop or higher quality ones to drop. It doesn't hurt your chances either though. Some have speculated that more +MF means more magical drops, and thus fewer Runes and Gems, but that's not the case.

A more detailed explanation of how Runes are dropped might help:

All items in the game are listed in "Treasure Classes" for the purposes of determining which monsters can drop them, and what the odds are of them being dropped. There are lots of these Treasure Classes, 29 each for Armor and Weapons, as well as lots of others for other items, such as potions, scrolls, runes, etc. Each Weapon and Armor "TC" has 8 or 10 item types in it, all items with similar item levels. For example, Weapons 84 (the second highest) has these items in it: Champion axe, Cryptic sword, Demon xbow, Fanged knife, Ghost spear, Great poleaxe, Legendary mallet, Shillelagh, and Vortex orb. If you kill a monster that can drop from Weapons 84, the game will check to see if it does (it usually fails, and drops to a lower TC, which is why high level Elite items are so scarce) and if so will pick one item from the TC. Once the item type is picked, the game then checks to see if the item will be normal, socketed, magical, set, etc. This is where your MF comes in.

Runes are in different Treasure Classes than items, and so are Charms, Jewels, Gems, etc. So Magic Find doesn't have any effect on which TC is picked, just on the magical type of item that's dropped once the item to be dropped is selected. If the game picks a Rune to drop, it'll drop it, and your MF doesn't make that more or less likely, or up the chances of a higher or lower level Rune.

==Does Magic Find work for the whole party?==

No, the +MF is calculated just for the character who gets the final hit in. So if you are playing with a friend and one of you has 300% MF and the other has none, be sure the one with the +MF gets the final hit in, especially on Bosses.

==Does Magic Find work with Mercs or Minions?==

Not for things you kill, the Merc's gear has no benefit to your +MF. However for things that the Merc kills, the drop is calculated for their MF + your MF. So if you both have on 4 socket armor with perfect topazes, things you kill will have 96% +MF, but things the merc kills will calculate at +192%. Dress your Merc up with 4-topaz armor and 3-topaz helm and try to let them get the final hit, and it might be worth it.

MF does work with minions, they don't have any MF of their own, but they use yours to calculate the drop. This has been fixed from CD2, where Necromancers had it rough, since their MF wasn't checked on kills made by their minions (including monsters killing themselves with IM on).

==Does +MF help finding Exceptional and Elite items?==

No, but when an Excep or Elite does drop, the odds of it being magical or better are increased by your +MF.

==Does 100% +MF mean every item dropped is Magical?==

No, it means you'll get twice as many magical and better items dropping as you would normally. If a monster had a 1% chance to drop a magical item, it would now have a 2% chance.

==Does Magic Find work on bosses?==

Oh yes. It doesn't increase the number of items they drop, and their drops are already magical or better, so the +MF increases the odds that they'll drop better than magical stuff. Rather than normally getting 5 or 6 magical items from an Act Boss, with good MF you'll expect a couple of Rares, and maybe a Set or Unique as well.

==Does Magic Find work with Poison?==

Yes, deaths from poison over time calculate with MF now, as do merc kills, spell kills, etc. In D2C it did not, but this was fixed in v1.08.

==Do more players in a game help?==

Yes, since more players in a game = more items dropping. And each item that drops is modified by your +MF. You want to try and combine the +MF with a big MP game for the best results.

Bosses are the exception, they drop one magical or better item every time, whether there are 8 players or just you in the game. Same with SuperUniques, they always drop 2 items and 4 potions, though one or both of the items can be non-magical items, such as runes or gems. Act Bosses get a small bonus to the total number of items they drop, since their "no drop" selection is lowered by more players in the game.

==Does Magic Find work on Chests?==

Yes, in the Expansion and v1.08 Diablo II it works on everything, including chests, corpses to click, barrels, Evil Urns, hidden stashes, etc.

==Does Magic Find work with the Barb's Find Item Skill?==

Yes, it does in v1.08 D2/D2X and later. It did not in Diablo II previous to this version. This is a very good skill to use with your Barb, especially on bosses and super Uniques, which can do a full bonus drop with just one click. Just one point in Find Item is usually enough, since most Barbs have weapon switch items with +warcries on them (Echoing Swords, for example) as well as some +skills stuff, and can get Slvl 7 or 8 Find Item from that.

Some monsters don't leave a corpse that can be worked on, including all of the Act Bosses, some Super Uniques, and monsters that die frozen, but 95% or more of dead monsters can be "Horked", as it's called, for the sound the skill makes. You can Hork Fire Enchanted monsters as well, even though they blow up messily upon death.

==Does Magic Find help with Gambling?==

No, it has no effect on Gambling or the items you are offered by NPCs. (Well, more +MF you'll have more stuff to sell and thus more gold, so it helps with Gambling that way. ;)

==I've heard 149% is better than 150%?==

Not any more. After v1.08 the find item values are smoothed out to be much more uniform. Previously to this there was a rounding issue, and up to 149 was mostly a steady increase, but at 150% you suddenly would never find any normal items (just magical) and had a slightly lower chance to find Exceptional Rares. This persisted until 190% or more, when your chance for Exceptional Rares climbed higher than it was at 149%.

This has now been fixed.

==Does Magic Find work in v1.07 D2X?==

No, it's quite screwed up there, and was during most of the beta also. V1.08 fixes the problems. You'll need to patch to at least v1.07 when you first get the Expansion to have Magic Find work at all.

==Can I find only Sets and Uniques and Rares if I get my MF high enough?==

No. Some time ago in Diablo II it was possible to get only Sets and Uniques with high enough Magic Find, but this has been fixed now. In addition the whole item dropping system is totally redone for the Expansion, and Hell monsters can drop normal items, socketed items, low quality items, etc. Not just superior or magic as in Diablo II pre v1.07.

==Does MF work in single player?==

Yes, it works just the same on and off the Realms.

==Does MF have any effect when creating items in the Horadric Cube?==

No, it only factors in to item drops by monsters and chests. See [[Magic_Find#What_things_doesn.27t_MF_help_with.3F|this section for more details]].

=Item Finding Strategy=

While it's good to have all the +MF you can any time, generally you'll be limited in how much you can use in difficult areas, especially with a Hardcore character. Equip items with an MF bonus in your weapon switch and change over to them for the last shot on a boss; only what you're wearing when the monster dies is factored into the item drop equation.

It can also be helpful to wear high MF gear on a powerful character while doing easier areas, when you're sure you'll survive and kill quickly. You won't find the highest top end equipment that way, but it can be a great way to stock up on quality stuff for lower level characters.

=Best Places to Item Hunt=

Check this Magic Find Strategy Guide, it goes into much more detail on all aspects of this.

While playing just anywhere will get you more nice drops, you want to concentrate on bosses and SuperUniques to really up your chances of Uniques/Sets/Rares. Levels with lots of random bosses are good, and places where they aren't are bad. The very popular (since they are so easy) Act Five areas the Bloody Foothills and Halls of Valor are easy even in your +MF gear (beware the one Evil Urn in the Halls of Valor), but are terrible for item finding, since there aren't any bosses there, other than Dac and Shenk in the Bloody Foothills.

However the best thing to do to find items is to kill Act Bosses. Mephisto is the quickest to reach and relatively easy to kill one on one, so he's the most popular item run spot. Andariel can be good but her drops are very inconsistent. Duriel is slow to reach and usually drops very poorly. Diablo is hard to reach and hard to kill, but can drop better than Meph. Baal is the second most popular boss to run, but he takes much longer than Meph and can only drop a few things Meph can't.

Many players do the easy areas over and over again to level up, never doing any of the more difficulty areas of Act Five other than one time to finish the Quests. Then they take their higher level character and do Meph runs to find their items. This way of playing tends to get pretty boring over time, but it's very easy and is effective.

=Highest Possible Magic Find=

Mercs MF counts for things they kill, and adds to your own. So if you have 300% and your merc has 200%, for merc kills you'll have 500% effective MF. Your kills will just be your MF though, so there's no point in putting MF on your merc unless you let them kill things.

'''A Merc's maximum MF is''': The Act Three Mercs can have the highest MF. Six socketed sword (180%), shield (75%), helm (110%), and armor (147%) on an Act Three Merc for another 512% at most, and for things the Merc killed that would add to your total. Act Three mercs can't get enough strength to equip 4-socket shields (156 Str Monarch is the lightest) without adding Str from other equipment. So while 100% from 4 Ists in a shield is possible, they can't equip that with the other max MF stuff.

A more realistic and easily-obtained total for a Merc is a 168%. This is just a 4topaz armor and 3topaz helm, with their normal weapon.

These items are basically impossible to get a hold of, especially the quantity of Ist Runes (#24) needed, but it's a dream list. Don't even consider putting an Ist into Helm or Armor. Perfect Topazes are far far more common, and only 1% less than an Ist. If you get an Ist, save it for a Shield or weapon, or RuneWords, where there is no other way to add MF other than jewels, which add 15% at most.

'''Helm (110%)''' - All figures with a socketed item use Ist for 25%. Substitute a perfect topaz at 24% in all cases for actual use, you'll never have so many Ist that you use one for just 1% more MF, when Ist are so valuable to trade and are the only way to add MF to shields or weapons. MF Jewels are much harder to find than perfect topaz, and add less, so they aren't options for headgear.

* 110%: Magical Artisan's/Jeweler's Tiara of Luck (3 sockets + 26-35%)
* 100%: Magical Fortuitous Circlet of Luck (50%) + 2 sockets.
* 90%: [[Immortal_King|Immortal King's Will]] (20-40%, Barb only) + 2 sockets. (Item has sockets inherently.)
* 80%: Griswold's Valor (20-30%) + two sockets. (Item has sockets inherently.)
* 75%: Harlequin Crest (50%), or Tarnhelm (25-50%), or Stealskull (30-50%) + 1 socket.
* 75%: 3 Socketed Helm with 3 Perfect Topaz or Ist Runes. You can use a plain helm with 3 sockets and possibly bonus skills for a Druid or Barbarian. Another option is to find a magical one, "Artisan's" is a prefix that gives 3 sockets, but no +MF suffixes are found on normal helms. However if you can find an Artisan's with a nice suffix (of the whale?) it would be 3 sockets with a big suffix bonus. Also, the "Jeweler's" affix adds up to 4 sockets, but helms have a maximum of 3, so it leads to 3 sockets as well.

'''Armor (148%''') - All figures with socketed armor use an Ist Rune for 25% for the maximum possible value. Substitute a perfect topaz at 24% in all cases for actual use, you'll never have so many Ist that you use one for just 1% more MF, when Ist are so valuable to trade and are the only way to add MF to shields or weapons. MF Jewels are much harder to find than perfect topaz, and add less, so they aren't options for armor.

* 148%: Skullder's Ire (52-123%, 1.25% per Clvl, 42 minimum) +1 socket, at Clvl 99. 147% for Mercs, since they max at lvl 98.
* 113%: Tal Rasha's Guardianship (88%) +1 socket. The best bonuses of any MF armor (see also the passage about Tal's belt for further details), but extremely hard to find.
* 100%: Wealth Rune Word Armor (Beats 4[s] armor due to other bonuses, mainly 300% gold.)
* 100%-96%: Four-socketed Armor with 4 Ist Runes or perfect Topazes. The best possible would be a Jeweler's Armor of the ________. Four sockets, and pick a suffix, such as whale.

'''Weapon (180% x 2)''' - Barbarians can dual wield, so count this twice in that case. Ist and jewels are the only ways to add MF to a weapon with sockets.

Ist is 30% in weapons, the best possible jewel is 17%, both are very hard to find. In most cases you'll be able to find 10% or so MF jewels, and it's generally better to just use one of these rather than wait forever hoping to find an Ist, unless you are going to trade for it, or play a lot in hell.

The Blade of Ali Baba and the Gull aren't useful to kill with, unless you are using skills (like a Sorceress or Necromancer) since they don't do enough damage, other than saving them for just the last hit or two. A Barbarian can dual wield with a big damage sword or blunt, using just their normal weapon until the boss is almost dead, then running away to quickly switch to dual wield. Big MF weapons are nice to have for a Barb on the weapon switch also, for better luck when using Find Item.

* 180%: Six-Socketed Weapon with 6 Ist Runes. Crystal swords can have 6 sockets, and low reqs to equip.
* 159%: Blade of Ali Baba (99%, 1% MF per Clvl) item comes with two sockets.
* 130%: Gull (100%) + 1 Socket.
* 102%: Six-Socketed Weapon with 6 Emerald of Prosperity Jewels (17%) is the best possible without any Ist Runes.
* 90%: Langer Briser (30-60%) + 1 socket. The best MF with a bow/xbow that doesn't require 6 Ist or MF jewels. (Best used as a weapon switch, to get the killing shot after doing most of the damage with your main bow.)
* 80%: The Oculus (50%) + 1 socket. This is probably the best Sorceress Orb in the game, so kill the fastest and MF as well.

'''Shield (100%)''' - As with other items, Ist Runes are the best, and give 25% MF in shields, but you'll have better luck finding MF jewels. Rhyme is the easiest way to add MF on a shield, and the runes in it are much easier to find than an Ist. The socketed shields are reasonable mix and match, you could put 2 perfect diamonds and 2 Ist into a 4 socket shield, for example, and get good resistance (especially with a Paladin shield that had resistance inherently), while still having 50% MF.

* 100%: Four-Socket Shield with 4 Ist Runes. (Paladin shields all have up to four sockets, other characters will need a lot of Strength to use the Elite Kite, Tower, or Gothic shields, which can have four sockets also.)
* 75%: 3 Socket Shield with 3 Ist Runes.
* 45%: Milabrega's Orb (20%) + 1 socket.
* 25%: Rhyme Rune Word Shield.

'''Belts (30%)'''

* 30%: Goldwrap, Unique Heavy Belt.
* 10-15%: Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth. Other items from the set are useful here, since when wearing any three items from the set you get a 65% MF bonus. That on top of the 88% on the armor with one other item can beat out some other item combos, with nice bonuses too. Since only the belt and armor have MF on them, you are wasting either helm, orb, or amulet with 0% MF to do this (though you can socket the helm).

'''Boots (50%)'''

* 50%: War Traveler (30-50%) Unique Battle Boots.
* 35%: Magic Boots of Luck
* 34%: Magic Find Rare Boots (No longer possible, only on boots created pre v1.08.)

'''Gloves (40%)'''

* 40%: Chance Guards, Unique Chain Gloves. These are very nice for getting rich, with the MF and also 200% more gold.
* 34%: Rare Magic Find Gloves (No longer possible, only from pre-v1.08 gloves.)
* 25%: Magic/Rare Gloves

'''Amulets (50%)'''

* 50%: Magic Fortuitous Amulet of Luck
* 48%: Rare Amulet (No longer possible, only from pre v1.08.)
* 40%: Rare Amulet, with good other bonuses this would be the best all around.
* 78%: Tancred's Weird, with any other 1 item from the set (weapon, armor, helm, boots) the amulet gets a 78% MF bonus. This isn't better than the best possible amulet with the best possible other item of those types, but two items from Tancred's Set is an option. Consider your other equipment options carefully, but keep an eye out for this item and set. The Amulet and boots would give 78%, compared to 75% maximum possible with a v1.09 Rare amulet and Rare boots. You can beat that with older items or unique boots, but those are hard to come by.

'''Ring (40%)''' - Feel free to wear two of these.

* 40%: Fortuitous Ring of Luck.
* 32%: Rare Rings (No longer possible, only from v1.08 rings.)
* 30%: Naglering (15-30%).
* 25%: Rare Rings.

'''Charms (280%)'''

* 40%: Gheed's Fortune (20-40%)
* 7%: Small Charms. Equip up to 40 of them, but you'd be unable to pick anything up. 36 (252%) you would have room for a Cube to put things into. 35 (245%) for a cube and keys for locked chests. 30 (210%) for a Cube and space for one 3x2 item. If you are going this into +MF, probably easier to have a friend play and pick stuff up for both of you while you kill. It's better to have a 5% mf charm with hps or resistance, etc than a 7% with no other bonus, in most cases.

=Maximum possible Magic Find=

As of v1.09:
* 180% Weapon
* + 180% Weapon
* + 148% Armor
* + 80% Helm
* + 30% Belt
* + 50% Boots
* + 40% Gloves
* + 40% Ring
* + 40% Ring
* + 50% Amulet
* + 280% Charms = 1118%.

This is Barbarian only, due to the dual wielding weapons. The best for any other character must substitute a 100% shield for the 180% weapon, so 80% less and a total of 1038%. When/if Constricting Rings are ever enabled by Blizzard, you could add 60% per ring for 120% more possible MF or 1238% at most.

In v1.11, with new uniques and charms:

* 180% Weapon (6 Ist Runes)
* + 180% Weapon
* + 148% Armor (Skullder's with an Ist on a Clvl 99)
* + 110% Helm (Artificer's Tiara of Luck with 3 Ist Runes)
* + 30% Belt (Goldwrap)
* + 50% Boots (War Traveler)
* + 40% Gloves (Chance Guards)
* + 40% Ring (Magical)
* + 40% Ring (Magical)
* + 50% Amulet (Magical)
* + 299% Charms (37 7% MF, 1 40% Gheed's Fortune)
* Total = 1167% Magic Find.

=Realistic Magic Find Gear=

An easily-obtained, low-level MF set up. This doesn't assume any maximum possible values, these are amounts on Rares you can expect to gamble with other good mods, and doesn't require any Ist Runes, and no very hard to find Uniques or Set Items.

* 100% Armor (Wealth) or 96% 4T Armor
* + 72% Helm (3T or good Tarnhelm + Topaz)
* + 30% Belt (Goldwrap)
* + 15% Ring (Rare with good mods, just one ring counted)
* + 15% Amulet (Rare)
* + 20% Boots (Rare)
* + 30% Gloves (Chance Guards)
* + 19% Charms
* Total = 300%

This can be done with just 3 or 4 small Charms, or a couple and 10% Grand, etc. Note that nothing is counted from weapon or shield, since most characters have those all for damage and resistance. Rhyme (25% MF) is a nice shield if you are using a one-handed weapon, and with this set up you can be still nearly full killing power, with good resistances and hit points, etc. You can easily add 10% or more per item with slightly better Rares, so do your own math. Around 300% is a nice number, due to the steep diminishing returns you get as you move up past 200%, though the increase is still good up to 500% or so.

=Magic Find From Low Level Sets=

You can also get quality MF out of the original low-level sets and partial bonuses that were introduced in v1.10. Most of these items can be found very easily by playing or trading, which makes them easier to come by than some of the more traditional MF items listed above.

* Arctic Binding (belt) + 1 other Arctic set item = 40%
* Sigon's Sabot (boots) + 2 other Sigon's set items = 50%
* Angelic Halo (ring) + 2 other Angelic set items = 50%
* Full Angelic Raiment set = 40%
* Milebraga's Orb (shield) = 20%
* Tancred's Weird (amulet) + 1 other Tancred's set item = 78%

Along with a 3 socket helm with Perfect Topaz in it (72%) this allows for some impressive MF at very low levels, which can prove useful for hunting some other MF items such as Chance Guards, Goldwrap, and Gull:

* Level 2: Arctic Binding with Mitts (gloves) or temporarily with Furs (armor) = 40%
* Level 6: Add Sigon's Sabot with Guard and Visor (shield and helm) = 90%
* Level 12: Add Angelic Raiment + extra Halo = 230%
* Level 18: Replace Sigon's Guard and Visor with Milebraga's Orb and 3 Topaz helm = 272%
* Level 20: Replace Angelic amulet and Sigon's boots with Tancred's Weird and Hobnails (boots) = 310%

[[Category:Modifiers]]
[[category:magic Find]]
[[category:calculations]]

User talk:DiMono

2009-02-26T16:25:46Z

DiMono: /* Damn I'm cool */

==Hellfire==
Hey, saw the [[Hellfire]] update with the last(?) secret setting of the game. I know Flux is an expert, but he obviously missed that one! =) I guess this is your first, or one of your first experiences in a wiki? I just assumed as you seemed unused to edit talk pages (check out [[Help:Talk]] for tips). The edits in the article looked seamless. =) --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 15:53, 3 February 2009 (CET)

: Oh, and cool nickname. Very smart. =) --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 15:55, 3 February 2009 (CET)

:: Hey, I see you have made more D1 updates, can you see my message? =) Just press "edit" and write to reply, check out that talk page link above as well. =) --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 18:13, 6 February 2009 (CET)

::: *poke* I can seee you! =) --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 17:17, 16 February 2009 (CET)

==Damn I'm cool==
It's true. Sorry about the lack of response, I wasn't really sure if you wanted one for some reason. I've had some minor wiki experience in the past. -- 14:56, 17 February 2009 DiMono
: How can it be that everyone around the wiki start replying on the one day I had to start doing other things for a little bit?! =) Of course I wanted a reply, or else I wouldn't have posted =P

: I saw some D3 updates when I was looking quick, do you enjoy that wiki as well? --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 15:53, 26 February 2009 (CET)

:: I'm a writer and the son of an English teacher; I was just grammar updating and speeling. -- 15:07, 26 February 2009 DiMono

::: Well, you do seem like you're hanging around here at least =D One tip though, you can "sign" your messages to make it easier for people to see when they were posted. Check out the [[Help:Talk]] page. Also, nice "speeling" ;)

::: With your awesome English skills, do you think you might be able to help us with lore entries etc, or just typo fixes? --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 16:20, 26 February 2009 (CET)

:::: I'm not on here with any reliable frequency, just when I have nothing better to do. --[[User:DiMono|DiMono]] 17:25, 26 February 2009 (CET)

User talk:DiMono

2009-02-26T15:07:48Z

DiMono: /* Damn I'm cool */

Snotspill

2009-02-23T21:41:56Z

DiMono:

'''Snotspill''' is a named [[Fallen One]] in [[Diablo I]].
Specifically, he is a 'Dark One'. He also sounds adorable when he speaks.

He gives the [[Ogden's_Signn]] quest, if you haven't gotten it from Ogden, first.

If this quest is available in your game, '''Snotspill''' and his merry band of minions will appear on Level 4, guarding the way down.

{{stub}}

Ogden's Sign

2009-02-23T21:40:17Z

DiMono: /* Ogden's Sign */

[[Image:D1-npc-ogden.gif|left|frame|Ogden]]
Ogden's Sign is a quest you'll generally discover in the dungeon, when you find a talking [[Fallen One]] named [[Snotspill]]. He wants you to retrieve a "magic banner" from the "big uglies." Once you have done so, you have a choice not available on other quests in the game. You can return the sign to the NPC [[NPCs#Ogden|Ogden]] for a unique hat reward, or give it to Snotspill, for a different sort of "reward."
* See [[Fallen_One_Bosses|Snotspill's stats]]

==Ogden's Sign==
[[Image:D1-mon-snotspill.gif|frame]]
* '''Quest Name:''' Ogden's Sign
* '''Triggered By:''' Speaking to Ogden after reaching the third level of the dungeon.
* '''Frequency:''' Single player only. This quest occurs 2/3 of the time.
* '''Given by:''' [[NPCs#Ogden|Ogden]].
* '''Location:''' The sign is found in a chest guarded by several [[Overlord]]s in the central square of rooms on dungeon level 4.
* '''Reward:''' Harlequin's Crest from Ogden. Ambush and attempted murder from Snotspill.

This quest begins when Ogden speaks of small monsters stealing the sign from in front of his inn. He asks you to investigate the matter. On level 4 of the dungeon, you will find a square complex of rooms, with several Overlords and a locked chest on the left, and a single Dark One named Snotspill on the right, with the stairs to descend to level 4 behind a wall next to him. Snotspill speaks when clicked on, and demands that you return his "magic banner" from the "big uglies." He promises to reward you and to let you pass through the dungeon if you bring it to him, and brags that once he has it his kind will be strong and able to "kill all!" After speaking to Snotspill you will be able to open the chest by the Overlords, (you can kill them beforehand, or after you speak to Snotspill) and will find the sign from Ogden's Inn within it.

{| align="right"
| [[Image:D1-u-harlequin-crest.gif|frame]]
|
'''Harlequin Crest'''
Cap 
+2 all Attributes 
Armor Class: -3 
-1 Damage from Enemies 
+7 Hitpoints 
+7 Mana 
Durability: 15
|}
[[Image:D1-sign.gif|left|frame]]
(This has nothing to do with the quest, but the sign is probably the most fun thing in the game to pick up and drop, either on the ground or in the inventory. It falls very quickly, and makes an addictive "zzzzot" sort of sound when dropped.)

Once you have the sign you can give it to Snotspill, or return it to Ogden in town. Snotspill will take it, laugh madly, then "forget" about your prize and attack you, while 20 more of his kind spill out from behind a wall to join the ambush.

If you instead return the sign to Ogden, he will reward you with the Harlequin Crest unique hat, and when you head back down to the dungeon with your ears newly-warmed, Snotspill will attack you on sight. The wall behind him is open now though, and you can run for it and head down to level 5, or slaughter Snotspill and his minions.
* See [[Fallen_One_Bosses|Snotspill's stats]]

===Strategy Tips===

It's a lot of fun to hear Snotspill's crazy dialogue and then to see the ambush sprung, but strategically, it's best to return the sign to Ogden. You don't need to, but the [[D1 Unique Helms|Harlequin Crest]] is a good item for the level, and even if you don't want to wear it you can sell it for a decent price. You get a random magical item for killing Snotspill in either case.

As for Snotspill, he and his minions are great in number but like all Fallen they run when one of their kind goes down, and they're each quite weak. If you can simply target one at a time and kill it, you'll never have more than a few of them hitting you at once, and shouldn't be in too much danger. If necessary, you can beat a hasty retreat to the doorway and take them on one at a time, just as you would do with monsters who were an actual threat.

Most players find the Overlords near the locked chest to be a greater challenge than Snotspill and his fellows, but they walk so slowly that it's not too hard to beat them over time, even if you have to walk in circles around the square as you engage in a fighting retreat.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

Archbishop Lazarus

2009-02-23T21:28:39Z

DiMono: /* Archbishop Lazarus */

[[Image:D1-mon-lazarus.gif|left|frame]]
The Archbishop Lazarus quest is the second to last in ''Diablo'', and one of the most involved, in the single player game. It's less complicated in multiplayer, where it appears every game, and is enjoyed by most players as the best "item run" in the game.

Lazarus is a powerful Advocate, and facing him is the first time players really need high fire resistance in the game.
* See [[Mage Bosses|Lazarus' stats]] here.

==Archbishop Lazarus==
* '''Quest Name:''' Archbishop Lazarus
* '''Triggered By:''' Multiplayer: reaching level 14. Singleplayer: returning to Cain with the Staff of Lazarus.
* '''Frequency:''' Every game in SP and MP.
* '''Given by:''' Deckard Cain.
* '''Location:''' Dungeon Level 15 in MP, a sub-level reached through a red portal from level 15 in SP.
* '''Reward:''' Random magical item from Lazarus, two more from Blackjade and Red Vex, and the ability to descend to level 16.

Finding and killing Archbishop Lazarus is a requirement before players may make the descent to level 16, the lowest level of the dungeon, where they will ultimately do battle against the Lord of Terror himself.

===Multiplayer===
This quest is fairly simple in multiplayer. You need simply descend to level 15, head to the northern corner where Lazarus and a few helpers are always located, and kill him. Only Lazarus must be killed to complete the quest, but it's a rare player who doesn't polish off the SuperUnique witches Red Vex and Blackjade, since they're in the same room and worth a top quality item each.

Once Lazarus is dead you can return to town, where you must speak to Cain before the red portal will open, allowing you to descend to level 16.

===Single Player===
[[Image:D1-staff-of-lazarus.gif|frame]]
In single player this quest is much more complicated. Lazarus is not found on level 15. Instead you find a small area of decorations, which include the Staff of Lazarus. This item must be taken from the rack and returned to town. Then Cain will take it and deliver one of his longest (no, really) speeches:

:''This does not bode well, for it confirms my darkest fears. While I did not allow myself to believe the ancient legends, I cannot deny them now. Perhaps the time has come to reveal who I am."

:''My true name is Deckard Cain the Elder, and I am the last descendant of an ancient brotherhood that was dedicated to safeguarding the secrets of a timeless evil. An evil that quite obviously has now been released."

:''The Archbishop Lazarus, once King Leoric's most trusted advisor, led a party of simple townsfolk into the labyrinth to find the king's missing son, Albrecht. Quite some time passed before they returned, and only a few of them escaped with their lives."

:''Curse me for a fool! I should have suspected his veiled treachery then. It must have been Lazarus himself who kidnapped Albrecht and has since hidden him within the labyrinth. I do not understand why the Archbishop turned to the darkness, or what his interest is in the child. Unless he means to sacrifice him to his dark master."

:''That must be what he has planned! The survivors of his rescue party say that Lazarus was last seen running into the deepest bowels of the dungeon. You must hurry and save the prince from the sacrificial blade of this demented fiend."

[[Image:D1-sacrificial-altar.gif|frame]]After delivering the Staff of Lazarus to Cain, a red portal will appear on level 15, right beside the large pentagram on the ground (located somewhere at random on the level). Find the portal and walk through it to enter Lazarus' level, a special sub-dungeon that's stocked by [[D1 Succubus|Hell Spawn]] and [[Mage|Advocates]]. You must move through the level, using two teleporter pads to open walls, before a final teleport square becomes active, and takes you into the center portion of the level. When you appear there [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNr6PEodN0 a special short cinematic] plays, after which the game returns to normal view, and you see Lazarus beside a sacrificial altar, with two SuperUnique witches. They can not be attacked yet, but you are able to move around freely while Lazarus gives a speech about the futility of your efforts. Once he's done talking he becomes active and vulnerable, but at the same time a wall vanishes on the left side of the dungeon, spilling forth another dozen Hell Spawn and an Advocate. Most players retreat from the large room and kill off the witches in the side corridors, before heading back to deal with Lazarus and the other Advocate.

When you've killed Lazarus you must return to town, get one final speech from Cain, and then head back down again. The stairway will now have appeared in the center of the pentagram, and your destiny with Diablo awaits.

===Strategy Tips===

Rogues and Sorcerers have a much easier time with this quest than Warriors, whether on single or multiplayer. In MP, the witches and advocates in Lazarus' room can be activated or killed with ranged shots without moving in front of the doorway and waking up Lazarus. In SP, Lazarus' whole level is an enjoyable shooting gallery for a rogue, and Sorcerers don't have much troubling using Chain Lightning to plow through it either, though the various Advocates (triple immune on Hell) can be slightly more trying.

The secret room full of witches on single player Lazarus' level can be lured out a few at a time, but any character with high level Chain Lightning and enough magic resistance to take a bit of damage should just bring forth all the witches at once. Get them in one of the side corridors so your lightning is concentrated, and cook all of them at once with just a few properly aimed Chain Lightnings.
* [[Mage Bosses|Lazarus' stats]].

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

Warlord of Blood

2009-02-23T21:25:10Z

DiMono: /* The Warlord of Blood */

[[Image:D1-mon-steel-lord.gif|left|frame]]
The Warlord of Blood quest only exists in single player mode, where most players bless it for its very lucrative rewards. The Warlord himself is a fearsome Blood Knight, one who has triple immunity even on normal difficulty, which can come as quite a surprise to a Sorcerer without Stone Curse.
* See the [[Knight Bosses|Warlord of Blood's stats]] here.

==The Warlord of Blood==
* '''Quest Name:''' Warlord of Bloood
* '''Triggered By:''' Reading the Steel Tome
* '''Frequency:''' Single player only, occurs in half the games.
* '''Given by:''' The Steel Tome.
* '''Location:''' Dungeon Level 13.
* '''Reward:''' One magical sword, four random magical weapons, two random magical plate armors. (May be unique, but very rarely.)

The Warlord of Blood is always found guarding the stairs down to level 14. He and a number of other Steel Lords are in a box around the exit, along with four weapon and two armor stands. To gain access to the box you must find and read from the Steel Tome, which tells the lore of the Warlord, and causes the front wall of the box around his item depot to disappear.

:''The armories of Hell are home to the Warlord of Blood. In his wake lay the mutilated bodies of thousands. Angels and man alike have been cut down to fulfill his endless sacrifices to the dark ones who scream for one thing... blood.

[[Image:D1-book-of-blood.gif|frame]]When the player walks into sight of the Warlord, the game pauses for a moment while it loads his dialogue, so be ready to run, or click so you walk well past the box, so as not to be caught by computer lag. The Warlord's taunt goes as follows:

::''My blade sings for your blood, mortal.
::''And by my dark masters, it shall not call in vain!

There are four magical items and two magical suits of plate armor, all of random type and stats. Another random item comes when the Warlord of Blood drops his sword when he dies.

===Strategy Tips===

There will always be Steel Lords on level 13, along with the other one or two random monsters, when the Warlord quest is active.

It's not necessary to read the tome; a player with teleport can just pop over the wall, though this can be dangerous with all of the Steel Lord inside.

Easier is to use telekinesis to just grab the items over the wall.

The Warlord is one of the very few SuperUniques who are immune to fire, lightning and magic, on all difficulties. Sorcerers get to practice their "stone curse and whack" technique, and often summon a golem to speed things along. Or lure him away, or simply Chain Lightning his followers and then teleport past the Warlord, if they're not concerned with a full clear or with obtaining his weapon.
* See the [[Knight Bosses|Warlord of Blood's stats]] here.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

The Chamber of Bone

2009-02-23T21:11:55Z

DiMono: /* Strategy Tips */

The Chamber of Bone quest is found in every single player game of Diablo and Hellfire, but never in Multiplayer. The chamber is a separate dungeon level, reached from a stairway on level 6, and as the name suggests, it's simply overrun with skeletons, and a few other monsters as well.

==Chamber of Bone==
[[Image:D1-book-of-blood.gif|frame]]
* '''Quest Name:''' Chamber of Bone
* '''Triggered By:''' Reading the Mythical Book found on level 6.
* '''Frequency:''' Single player only, every game.
* '''Given by:''' Mythical Book
* '''Location:''' Sub-level reached via stairs up from dungeon level 6.
* '''Reward:''' +1 spell level to the Guardian spell. Also, six magical items are found in two mega-chests on this level.

The Chamber of Bone is reached via a stairway leading up from level 6. Initially the stairway is inaccessible; blocked off by walls surrounding it. You must find the Mythical Book, located randomly somewhere on the level, and read it to remove the outer walls and gain access to the stairs (or you can teleport over). In addition to opening up the stairs, the Mythical Book has a nifty legend:

:''Beyond the hall of heroes lies the chamber of bone. 
:''Eternal death awaits any who would seek to steal the treasures secured within this room. 
:''So speaks the lord of terror, and so it is written.''

This quest is very useful for the +Guardian spell, since it's a useful spell, the books are expensive and rare, and non-Sorcerer characters can't get enough magic to read the spell books past about level 5. (Note that more points in Guardian simply extends the duration of the dragon heads; more points in Firebolt is what increases the Guardian's damage.)

Besides the Guardian spell, there are two chests in side rooms, each of which drop 3 magical items.

===Strategy Tips===

The large central room in the Chamber of Bone has the highest density of monsters anywhere in the entire game. There are at least 70 or 80 skeletons packed into the room, along with about a dozen Hidden. They are not powerful monsters, and have only a single doorway to exit through, so most characters are able to treat this like a bonus quest. Stay right at the doorway during the battle, even if you take hits, since the skeletons will otherwise pour forth like sand from a broken hourglass. It's wise to clear out the rest of the small level before taking on the large bone room too, just so no Hidden or Chargers will wander up behind you while you're engaged with the never-ending stream of skeletons.

Spells with splash or area effect are quite useful here. A single firewall can kill dozens of skeletons, and some well placed flame waves can take out the rest in short order. Also, be careful moving into the room; just standing in front of the doorway will not alert two rows of skeletons against each side wall, and an overly-rapid advance into the bone room can result in a surrounded hero.

Finally, it's helpful to grab the gold stacks that pop out next to you while the battle is going. Initially there is no room for any item to drop inside the tomb, since it's solid monsters. Grabbing the gold as it piles up beside you is easy, and it frees the space for another shower of gold to fall, saving you on pick up time afterwards.

[[Image:Bone-chamber.gif|frame|center|The main room in the Chamber of Bone. Packed full 'o [[D1 Skeleton|Horrors]], it is.]]

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

User talk:DiMono

2009-02-17T14:56:58Z

DiMono:

Chaos Sanctuary

2009-02-12T03:19:11Z

DiMono: Added Doom Knights

The '''Chaos Sanctuary''' is the final [[level]] of [[act IV]], and lair of [[Diablo]].

{| width="80%" align="center"
|+ '''Chaos Sanctuary'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Info List'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Normal'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Nightmare'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Hell'''
|-
| '''Area Level:'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|-
| '''Spawnable Monsters:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[Oblivion Knight|Oblivion Knights]], [[Doom Knight|Doom Knights]], [[Venom Lord|Venom Lords]], [[Storm Caster|Storm Casters]]
|-
| '''Possible Monster Variants:'''
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 3
|-
| '''Random Bosses:'''
| align="center" | Yes
| align="center" | Yes
| align="center" | Yes
|-
| '''Act boss:'''
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 40)
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 62)
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 94)
|-
| '''Gold Chests:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | No
|-
| '''Waypoint:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | No
|-
| '''Level Junctions:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[River of Flame]]
|-
| '''Quests:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[Quests Act Four#Quest Three: Terror's End|4.3 Quest Three: Terror's End]]
|}

=Level Floorplan=
The Chaos Sanctuary is the last level in Act IV, and always has a similar layout. The five seals to release Diablo are distributed among three arms of the Chaos Sanctuary, each of which may have two layouts for a total of 8 possible floorplans for the level. In each arm, activating one of the seals releases a super-unique monster with minions, and all three super-uniques must be defeated in order to release Diablo.

==The Five Seals==
You always enter from the South-West, where there are no seals. Two seals are at the end of the North-West arm, where activating one of the seals releases the [[Grand Vizier of Chaos]], a unique Storm Caster. One seal is at the end of the North-East arm, and activating that seal releases [[Lord De Seis]], a unique Oblivion Knight. The last two seals are at the end of the South-East arm, where activating one of the seals releases the [[Infector of Souls]], a unique Venom Lord.

=History=
Before the Lord of Destruction expansion was released, the Chaos Sanctuary was one of the most frequently run areas of the game because of its constant layout and high experience, and also because Diablo provided some of the best item drops in the game. Now there is more experience to be had in the [[Bloody Foothills]] in [[Act V]], and [[Pindleskin]] has better drops and is easier to get to, so the Chaos Sanctuary doesn't get nearly as much foot traffic as it used to receive.

D1 Diablo (monster)

2009-02-12T03:11:55Z

DiMono: /* Diablo's Drop */ - Grammar Hammer

This page covers the monster Diablo, found in ''Diablo I''.
* Learn about [[Diablo:_D1_Quest|the Diablo quest]] in ''Diablo I''.
* The Diablo monster found in ''Diablo II'' is [[Diablo|detailed here]]. Also found in Diablo II: [[Uber Diablo]] and [[Pandemonium Diablo]].

[[Image:D1-mon-diablo.gif|frame]]
Diablo is always found within the sealed square to the lower left of the dungeon on level 16. Diablo is surrounded by a considerable number of Blood Knights and Advocates, but can be lured out without disturbing the other monsters by firing Holy Bolts at him. Lightning bolts or magical type spells will also work, since the Blood Knights and Advocates are always immune to lightning and magic.

Be sure you have picked up all of your items from town before you kill Diablo, since doing so ends the game in Diablo or Hellfire, and triggers the ending cinematic.

==Diablo's Drop==

Diablo drops like any normal monster, rather than like a boss. He is therefore not guaranteed to drop anything at all, and when he does drop it will most likely be just a pile of gold. Diablo has the highest level of any monster in the game, but is not high enough to drop an item with any of the modifiers that can only be obtained from Wirt.

There is a trick to getting the item Diablo drops (on the rare occasions that he does drop something), though. You must cast Telekinesis before he dies, so that your cursor turns into the TK grabbing icon. Hold it like that, and then use that spell to pick up whatever Diablo drops. You must have space enough in your inventory to hold it. Also note that you can not cast TK once he's dead; the grabber spell must be ready before he dies. This means you can not strike Diablo to kill him; it's easiest to wear him down to nearly dead, before using Fire Wall or Guardian or another long-lasting spell to finish him off.

==Statistics==

The [[Butcher]], [[King Leoric|The Skeleton King]], and [[D1 Diablo|Diablo]] are the three special monsters in the game. None of the three are classified as Animals, Demons, or Undead, and their stats and behaviors are unique to them, rather than borrowed or modified from other monsters.

==Statistics==

* Stats are listed by Normal / Nightmare / Hell difficulty levels.
* '''MFL:''' Magic / Fire / Lightning.
** '''I''' = Immune
**''' R''' = Resistant (75%)
** '''-''' = no resistance or immunity to that element
*** No monsters in Diablo or Hellfire have any physical resistance or immunity.
* '''Dlvl''' = Dungeon Level. The boss will be found on this level '''only if''' the base monster type spawns on that level.
*''' IntF''' = Intelligence Factor. Values are from 0-3; smarter monsters will pursue more doggedly, and the value is used in various calculations. Monsters that can Follow if you break the line of sight or open Doors are marked with F and D.
* '''Attack Type:''' Some bosses have different AI, and behave like monsters of another type. More information on attack types can be found on the [[Diablo Monsters]] page.

{| width="100%" border="1"
! align="center" | Name
! align="center" | Dungeon Level
! align="center" | IntF
! align="center" | Mlvl (combat)
! align="center" | Mlvl (drop)
! align="center" | MFL
! align="center" | Attack Type
|-
| '''Diablo (D1)'''
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 3 DF
| align="center" | 30 / 45 / 60
| align="center" | 30 / 30 / 30
| align="center" | IRR*
| align="center" | Magma Demon
|-
| '''Diablo (HF)'''
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 3 DF
| align="center" | 45 / 60 / 75
| align="center" | 45 / 45 / 45
| align="center" | IRR*
| align="center" | Magma Demon
|}
* *Diablo is also immune to Stone Curse.

==Combat Stats==

{| width="100%" border="1"
! align="center" | Name
! align="center" | Experience
! align="center" | Hit Points SP
! align="center" | Hit Points MP
! align="center" | AC
! align="center" | To/Hit
! align="center" | Damage
|-
| '''Diablo (D1)'''
| align="center" | 31,666 / 65,322 / 130,664
| align="center" | 833 / 2549 / 3432
| align="center" | 1666 / 4999 / 6667
| align="center" | 70 / 120 / 150
| align="center" | 220 / 300 / 340 *
| align="center" | 30-60 / 64-124 / 126-246
|-
| '''Diablo (HF)'''
| align="center" | 31,666 / 65,322 / 130,664
| align="center" | 1666 / 5048 / 6764
| align="center" | 3333 / 10199 / 13532
| align="center" | 90 / 140 / 170
| align="center" | 220 / 300 / 340 *
| align="center" | 30-60 / 64-124 / 126-246
|}

* * Due to a roll over bug, Diablo's to/hit is 44 on Nightmare and 84 on Hell.

==Movement Speed==

* Characters walk at 0.4 speed. See the [[Diablo Characters]] page for tables with all relevant character speeds.

{| width="100%" border="1"
! align="center" | Name
! align="center" | Walk time
! align="center" | Hit Recovery Time
! align="center" | Attack Time
! align="center" | Hit Time
|-
| '''Diablo (D1)'''
| align="center" | 0.30
| align="center" | 0.30
| align="center" | 0.80 / 0.80
| align="center" | 0.20 / 0.55
|-
| '''Diablo (HF)'''
| align="center" | 0.30
| align="center" | 0.10
| align="center" | 0.80 / 0.80
| align="center" | 0.20 / 0.55
|}

{{template:Diablo monsters}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[Category: D1 Monsters]]
[[category: Diablo I]]
[[Category: D1 Superuniques]]
[[category: D1 Demons]]

Rune hunting

2009-02-09T15:23:42Z

DiMono: /* Upgrading */

{{Item navbox|{{Runes}}}}Finding [[runes]], especially higher level runes, is an obsession for many players. This can be a chore, since there's no way to use equipment to increase your odds of finding more runes, or higher level runes. [[Magic Find]] has no effect on rune drops, either quality or quantity; the way to find runes is to kill lots of [[monster]]s in larger games, so more total [[item]]s drop.

==Monsters==
The best way to find a lot of runes, or most anything else in [[Diablo II]], is to get a lot of item drops. Since item drops are best obtained from dead [[monster]]s, and since monsters drop more items in larger games, a very good way to find more runes is to kill a lot of monsters in games with a lot of other players. (Use [[Player_Settings#The_Players_X_Command|the /players X command]] to simulate more players if you're going single player.)

Rune hunting is somewhat simplified by the fact that [[Magic Find]] is of no benefit (or penalty) to rune finding. So a character truly out to find runes can suit up in all his/her best killing gear, without giving a thought to Magic Find. This isn't highly recommended, since magic find improves the odds of finding [[Unique]] and [[Set]] items that are useful or that can be traded (for runes, perhaps), but purely from a rune hunting point of view, magic find is useless, and worse than useless if using the [[MF]] equipment slows a character's overall killing speed.

Since the goal of most players is to find higher quality runes, the hunting is best done on the highest level monsters that your character can safely and quickly kill. As with magic finding, a balance between killing speed and monster level must be found. Struggling to kill very high level monster because they have a .000001% better chance of dropping a [[Cham]], is not a wise expenditure of time or energy.

Since rune finding is largely a crap shoot, it's best to kill quickly where your character is most capable of killing quickly. Levels with a lot of monsters are best, simply to increase the total item drops. Places like the [[Secret Cow Level]], the [[Flayer Jungle]], or the surface areas of [[Act I|Act One]] (with their teeming [[Fallen]] camps) are popular killing zones due to the high density of fairly weak monsters.

===Special Monsters===
The only monster in the game with a substantially higher % chance to drop runes in [[The Countess]], found on level five of the [[Forgotten Tower]] in the [[Black Marsh]] level of [[Act I|Act One]]. Since [[v1.09]] she's had excellent odds to drop at least one rune every time, and in [[v1.10]] her odds were increased still higher. She can not drop the highest runes in the game, but hoping to see any runes above 24 or 25 (see [[rune list]] for further info) drop is a fool's game. They do fall from time to time, but the odds are lottery-winning low. Better odds are to find lots of runes in the teens and low twenties, and to [[cube]] them up, as well as trading other item finds for mid-to-high level runes, and cubing those up as well.

A few monster types have higher odds of dropping runes because they can not drop [[armor]] or [[weapon]]s, and thus spit out more runes since they have fewer other possible drops. These include [[Wraith]]s, [[Finger Mage]]s, [[Vulture Demon]]s, [[Willowisp]]s, and the [[Swarm]]. These monsters are worth harvesting while rune hunting, but they spawn infrequently and in underwhelming numbers, so few players will find it worth the effort for the slight increase in the odds of finding runes.

==Quests==
Several [[quest]]s grant runes as part of their reward.

===Forgotten Tower===
[[Quests_Act_One#Quest_Four:_The_Forgotten_Tower|This quest]] does not have a [[Rune]] as part of its reward (just a bunch of gold and minor items from a magical chest), but since [[v1.09]] [[The Countess]], a [[SuperUnique]] [[Corrupt Rogue]] you must kill to accomplish the quest, has begun dropping a rune almost every time she's killed. Her rune drops were increased still further in [[v1.10]], and she's now a very popular target for item running characters.

Which runes she can drop vary by difficulty level.
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ral]] (r08).
* Nightmare: [[El]] (r01) - [[Io]]/[[Ko]] (r18); above [[Io]] (r16) is much rarer.
* Hell: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] (r28); above [[Ist]] (r26) is much rarer.
The Countess has better odds to drop a higher level rune the first time a player kills her on [[Nightmare]] or [[Hell]] difficulties, when they get credit for completing the quest. This is reflected in the different odds for [[Io]]/[[Ko]] and [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] listed above. Her odds of dropping her highest possible runes are always astronomical, but they are slightly better the first time than the other times.

She is capable of dropping up to six runes each death, and will often drop two or three. They're very unlikely to be higher than [[Tir]] or [[Eth]], but reports of two [[Hel]]s, and a couple of other mid-level runes are not uncommon, so it's possible.

===The Hellforge===
When a character shatters [[Mephisto's Soulstone]] on the [[Quests_Act_Four#Quest_Two:_The_Hellforge|Hellforge in Act Four]], four gems and one rune drop as part of the quest reward. The runes that may be found from this quest vary by difficulty level. Which one drops is selected randomly from the following possibilities:
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Amn]] (r11).
* Nightmare: [[Sol]] (r12) - [[Um]] (r22).
* Hell: [[Hel]] (r15) - [[Gul]] (r25).
Unlike the runes from [[The Countess]], or any other monster drops in the game, the lower level runes are '''not''' more common. The odds for [[Hel]] or [[Gul]] are identical on [[Hell]], 1/11 for each. Cross your fingers.

Be sure to complete this quest when you can get your rune drop, and do not finish it with other players in your party, if they have not finished the quest already. Four gems drop for every character completing the quest, whether they're near the [[Hellforge]] or not, but only one rune will drop for the quest completion, whether one or eight characters are in the party/completing the quest.

===Rescue on Mount Arreats===
This [[Quests_Act_Five#Quest_Two:_Rescue_on_Mt._Arreat|second quest in Act Five]] is easily accomplished, and your character will receive a [[Tal]] (r07), a [[Ral]] (r08), and an [[Ort]] (r09) rune as a reward for completing it. Not a huge reward, but for players who save all their runes to upgrade, every one helps.

==Chests==
[[Chest]]s (this includes barrels, crates, hidden stashes, etc) are an excellent source of items, including runes.

===More Players = More Runes===
More players in the game increase the quantity of items found from [chest]s, by decreasing the odds that the game will select the "NoDrop" option.

Total players in the game (no party) — Chance of non-locked chest to drop nothing at all:
* 1 or 2 — 43,4%
* 3 or 4 — 29.5%
* 5 or 6 — 26,0%
* 7 or 8 — 25,2%

===Rune Quality Increases with Level===
The level that [[chest]]s drop at is determined by the area of the game they're found on; consult the [[Levels]] section for that information. The level of runes that can be found from chests progresses steadily as you move through the game.

The following list details the highest level runes you can find in any area. All of the lower level runes may also be found there, and in fact are far more likely to appear than the higher level ones.

* Act 1 [[Normal]]: No [[Rune]]s from [[Chest]]s
* Act 2 Normal: [[El]]/[[Eld]]/[[Tir]]/[[Nef]] (r01-r04)
* Act 3 Normal: [[Eth]]/[[Ith]]/[[Tal]]/[[Ral]] (r05-r08)
* Act 4 Normal: [[Ort]]/[[Thul]]/[[Amn]]/[[Sol]] (r09-r12)
* Act 5 Normal: [[Shael]]/[[Dol]] (r13-r14)
* Act 1 [[Nightmare]]: [[Hel]]/[[Io]] (r15-r16)
* Act 2 Nightmare: [[Lum]]/[[Ko]] (r17-r18)
* Act 3 Nightmare: [[Fal]]/[[Lem]] (r19-r20)
* Act 4 Nightmare: [[Pul]]/[[Um]] (r21-r22)
* Act 5 Nightmare: [[Mal]]/[[Ist]] (r23-r24)
* Act 1 [[Hell]]: [[Gul]]/[[Vex]] (r25-r26)
* Act 2 Hell: [[Ohm]]/[[Lo]] (r27-r28)
* Act 3 Hell: [[Sur]]/[[Ber]] (r29-r30)
* Act 4 Hell: [[Jah]]/[[Cham]] (r31-r32)
* Act 5 Hell: [[Zod]] (r33)

==Upgrading==
Prior to [[v1.10]], it was hit or miss obtaining runes above [[Ort]], since only the first nine runes could be upgraded in the [[Horadric Cube]]. This changed in v1.10, when [[Rune list|rune upgrade recipes]] were added that could turn [[El]]s into a [[Zod]]. That would take over 14 trillion Els, but it's now possible to upgrade to all levels of runes, which means collecting them and building toward the high level runes required by the biggest [[Runewords]] is now a possibility for all patient players. Mathematically speaking however, expecting to save and transmute the lowest runes into the highest ones is virtually impossible. It would take exactly 3,486,784,401 El runes to make a [[Pul]] rune, which is one of the first highly tradable runes, and to create your own Zod from El runes you would need 14,281,868,906,496 El runes and 1,088,393,215 assorted gems. If you are looking to make some of the highest runes you are simply wasting your time collecting any of the lower runes.

==Statistics==

Here is some hard statistics in where to find runes.

===Forgotten Tower===
This is the semi-rare runes found when defeating the countess 155 times "/players 1" and with no magic find. 
1 x [[Dol]] 
1 x [[Hel]] 
4 X [[Io]] 
1 x [[Ko]] 
1 x [[Fal]] 

===Hellforge===
All found in Hell difficulty when clearing the Hellforge quest. 
2 x [[Hel]] 
2 x [[Io]] 
2 x [[Fal]] 
1 x [[Lem]] 
1 x [[Pul]] 
3 x [[Um]] 
1 x [[Mal]] 
2 x [[Ist]] 
1 x [[Gul]] 

[[category:runes]]
[[category:Items]]

Rune hunting

2009-02-09T15:20:32Z

DiMono: /* Upgrading */

{{Item navbox|{{Runes}}}}Finding [[runes]], especially higher level runes, is an obsession for many players. This can be a chore, since there's no way to use equipment to increase your odds of finding more runes, or higher level runes. [[Magic Find]] has no effect on rune drops, either quality or quantity; the way to find runes is to kill lots of [[monster]]s in larger games, so more total [[item]]s drop.

==Monsters==
The best way to find a lot of runes, or most anything else in [[Diablo II]], is to get a lot of item drops. Since item drops are best obtained from dead [[monster]]s, and since monsters drop more items in larger games, a very good way to find more runes is to kill a lot of monsters in games with a lot of other players. (Use [[Player_Settings#The_Players_X_Command|the /players X command]] to simulate more players if you're going single player.)

Rune hunting is somewhat simplified by the fact that [[Magic Find]] is of no benefit (or penalty) to rune finding. So a character truly out to find runes can suit up in all his/her best killing gear, without giving a thought to Magic Find. This isn't highly recommended, since magic find improves the odds of finding [[Unique]] and [[Set]] items that are useful or that can be traded (for runes, perhaps), but purely from a rune hunting point of view, magic find is useless, and worse than useless if using the [[MF]] equipment slows a character's overall killing speed.

Since the goal of most players is to find higher quality runes, the hunting is best done on the highest level monsters that your character can safely and quickly kill. As with magic finding, a balance between killing speed and monster level must be found. Struggling to kill very high level monster because they have a .000001% better chance of dropping a [[Cham]], is not a wise expenditure of time or energy.

Since rune finding is largely a crap shoot, it's best to kill quickly where your character is most capable of killing quickly. Levels with a lot of monsters are best, simply to increase the total item drops. Places like the [[Secret Cow Level]], the [[Flayer Jungle]], or the surface areas of [[Act I|Act One]] (with their teeming [[Fallen]] camps) are popular killing zones due to the high density of fairly weak monsters.

===Special Monsters===
The only monster in the game with a substantially higher % chance to drop runes in [[The Countess]], found on level five of the [[Forgotten Tower]] in the [[Black Marsh]] level of [[Act I|Act One]]. Since [[v1.09]] she's had excellent odds to drop at least one rune every time, and in [[v1.10]] her odds were increased still higher. She can not drop the highest runes in the game, but hoping to see any runes above 24 or 25 (see [[rune list]] for further info) drop is a fool's game. They do fall from time to time, but the odds are lottery-winning low. Better odds are to find lots of runes in the teens and low twenties, and to [[cube]] them up, as well as trading other item finds for mid-to-high level runes, and cubing those up as well.

A few monster types have higher odds of dropping runes because they can not drop [[armor]] or [[weapon]]s, and thus spit out more runes since they have fewer other possible drops. These include [[Wraith]]s, [[Finger Mage]]s, [[Vulture Demon]]s, [[Willowisp]]s, and the [[Swarm]]. These monsters are worth harvesting while rune hunting, but they spawn infrequently and in underwhelming numbers, so few players will find it worth the effort for the slight increase in the odds of finding runes.

==Quests==
Several [[quest]]s grant runes as part of their reward.

===Forgotten Tower===
[[Quests_Act_One#Quest_Four:_The_Forgotten_Tower|This quest]] does not have a [[Rune]] as part of its reward (just a bunch of gold and minor items from a magical chest), but since [[v1.09]] [[The Countess]], a [[SuperUnique]] [[Corrupt Rogue]] you must kill to accomplish the quest, has begun dropping a rune almost every time she's killed. Her rune drops were increased still further in [[v1.10]], and she's now a very popular target for item running characters.

Which runes she can drop vary by difficulty level.
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ral]] (r08).
* Nightmare: [[El]] (r01) - [[Io]]/[[Ko]] (r18); above [[Io]] (r16) is much rarer.
* Hell: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] (r28); above [[Ist]] (r26) is much rarer.
The Countess has better odds to drop a higher level rune the first time a player kills her on [[Nightmare]] or [[Hell]] difficulties, when they get credit for completing the quest. This is reflected in the different odds for [[Io]]/[[Ko]] and [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] listed above. Her odds of dropping her highest possible runes are always astronomical, but they are slightly better the first time than the other times.

She is capable of dropping up to six runes each death, and will often drop two or three. They're very unlikely to be higher than [[Tir]] or [[Eth]], but reports of two [[Hel]]s, and a couple of other mid-level runes are not uncommon, so it's possible.

===The Hellforge===
When a character shatters [[Mephisto's Soulstone]] on the [[Quests_Act_Four#Quest_Two:_The_Hellforge|Hellforge in Act Four]], four gems and one rune drop as part of the quest reward. The runes that may be found from this quest vary by difficulty level. Which one drops is selected randomly from the following possibilities:
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Amn]] (r11).
* Nightmare: [[Sol]] (r12) - [[Um]] (r22).
* Hell: [[Hel]] (r15) - [[Gul]] (r25).
Unlike the runes from [[The Countess]], or any other monster drops in the game, the lower level runes are '''not''' more common. The odds for [[Hel]] or [[Gul]] are identical on [[Hell]], 1/11 for each. Cross your fingers.

Be sure to complete this quest when you can get your rune drop, and do not finish it with other players in your party, if they have not finished the quest already. Four gems drop for every character completing the quest, whether they're near the [[Hellforge]] or not, but only one rune will drop for the quest completion, whether one or eight characters are in the party/completing the quest.

===Rescue on Mount Arreats===
This [[Quests_Act_Five#Quest_Two:_Rescue_on_Mt._Arreat|second quest in Act Five]] is easily accomplished, and your character will receive a [[Tal]] (r07), a [[Ral]] (r08), and an [[Ort]] (r09) rune as a reward for completing it. Not a huge reward, but for players who save all their runes to upgrade, every one helps.

==Chests==
[[Chest]]s (this includes barrels, crates, hidden stashes, etc) are an excellent source of items, including runes.

===More Players = More Runes===
More players in the game increase the quantity of items found from [chest]s, by decreasing the odds that the game will select the "NoDrop" option.

Total players in the game (no party) — Chance of non-locked chest to drop nothing at all:
* 1 or 2 — 43,4%
* 3 or 4 — 29.5%
* 5 or 6 — 26,0%
* 7 or 8 — 25,2%

===Rune Quality Increases with Level===
The level that [[chest]]s drop at is determined by the area of the game they're found on; consult the [[Levels]] section for that information. The level of runes that can be found from chests progresses steadily as you move through the game.

The following list details the highest level runes you can find in any area. All of the lower level runes may also be found there, and in fact are far more likely to appear than the higher level ones.

* Act 1 [[Normal]]: No [[Rune]]s from [[Chest]]s
* Act 2 Normal: [[El]]/[[Eld]]/[[Tir]]/[[Nef]] (r01-r04)
* Act 3 Normal: [[Eth]]/[[Ith]]/[[Tal]]/[[Ral]] (r05-r08)
* Act 4 Normal: [[Ort]]/[[Thul]]/[[Amn]]/[[Sol]] (r09-r12)
* Act 5 Normal: [[Shael]]/[[Dol]] (r13-r14)
* Act 1 [[Nightmare]]: [[Hel]]/[[Io]] (r15-r16)
* Act 2 Nightmare: [[Lum]]/[[Ko]] (r17-r18)
* Act 3 Nightmare: [[Fal]]/[[Lem]] (r19-r20)
* Act 4 Nightmare: [[Pul]]/[[Um]] (r21-r22)
* Act 5 Nightmare: [[Mal]]/[[Ist]] (r23-r24)
* Act 1 [[Hell]]: [[Gul]]/[[Vex]] (r25-r26)
* Act 2 Hell: [[Ohm]]/[[Lo]] (r27-r28)
* Act 3 Hell: [[Sur]]/[[Ber]] (r29-r30)
* Act 4 Hell: [[Jah]]/[[Cham]] (r31-r32)
* Act 5 Hell: [[Zod]] (r33)

==Upgrading==
Prior to [[v1.10]], it was hit or miss obtaining runes above [[Ort]], since only the first nine runes could be upgraded in the [[Horadric Cube]]. This changed in v1.10, when [[Rune list|rune upgrade recipes]] were added that could turn [[El]]s into a [[Zod]]. That would take over 14 trillion Els, but it's now possible to upgrade to all levels of runes, which means collecting them and building toward the high level runes required by the biggest [[Runewords]] is now a possibility for all patient players. Mathematically speaking however, expecting to save and transmute the lowest runes into the highest ones is virtually impossible. It would take exactly 3,486,784,401 El runes to make a [[Pul]] rune, which is one of the first highly tradable runes, and to create your own Zod from El runes you would need 14,281,868,906,496 El runes and countless gems. If you are looking to make some of the highest runes you are simply wasting your time collecting any of the lower runes.

==Statistics==

Here is some hard statistics in where to find runes.

===Forgotten Tower===
This is the semi-rare runes found when defeating the countess 155 times "/players 1" and with no magic find. 
1 x [[Dol]] 
1 x [[Hel]] 
4 X [[Io]] 
1 x [[Ko]] 
1 x [[Fal]] 

===Hellforge===
All found in Hell difficulty when clearing the Hellforge quest. 
2 x [[Hel]] 
2 x [[Io]] 
2 x [[Fal]] 
1 x [[Lem]] 
1 x [[Pul]] 
3 x [[Um]] 
1 x [[Mal]] 
2 x [[Ist]] 
1 x [[Gul]] 

[[category:runes]]
[[category:Items]]

Rune hunting

2009-02-09T15:17:08Z

DiMono: /* Hellforge */

{{Item navbox|{{Runes}}}}Finding [[runes]], especially higher level runes, is an obsession for many players. This can be a chore, since there's no way to use equipment to increase your odds of finding more runes, or higher level runes. [[Magic Find]] has no effect on rune drops, either quality or quantity; the way to find runes is to kill lots of [[monster]]s in larger games, so more total [[item]]s drop.

==Monsters==
The best way to find a lot of runes, or most anything else in [[Diablo II]], is to get a lot of item drops. Since item drops are best obtained from dead [[monster]]s, and since monsters drop more items in larger games, a very good way to find more runes is to kill a lot of monsters in games with a lot of other players. (Use [[Player_Settings#The_Players_X_Command|the /players X command]] to simulate more players if you're going single player.)

Rune hunting is somewhat simplified by the fact that [[Magic Find]] is of no benefit (or penalty) to rune finding. So a character truly out to find runes can suit up in all his/her best killing gear, without giving a thought to Magic Find. This isn't highly recommended, since magic find improves the odds of finding [[Unique]] and [[Set]] items that are useful or that can be traded (for runes, perhaps), but purely from a rune hunting point of view, magic find is useless, and worse than useless if using the [[MF]] equipment slows a character's overall killing speed.

Since the goal of most players is to find higher quality runes, the hunting is best done on the highest level monsters that your character can safely and quickly kill. As with magic finding, a balance between killing speed and monster level must be found. Struggling to kill very high level monster because they have a .000001% better chance of dropping a [[Cham]], is not a wise expenditure of time or energy.

Since rune finding is largely a crap shoot, it's best to kill quickly where your character is most capable of killing quickly. Levels with a lot of monsters are best, simply to increase the total item drops. Places like the [[Secret Cow Level]], the [[Flayer Jungle]], or the surface areas of [[Act I|Act One]] (with their teeming [[Fallen]] camps) are popular killing zones due to the high density of fairly weak monsters.

===Special Monsters===
The only monster in the game with a substantially higher % chance to drop runes in [[The Countess]], found on level five of the [[Forgotten Tower]] in the [[Black Marsh]] level of [[Act I|Act One]]. Since [[v1.09]] she's had excellent odds to drop at least one rune every time, and in [[v1.10]] her odds were increased still higher. She can not drop the highest runes in the game, but hoping to see any runes above 24 or 25 (see [[rune list]] for further info) drop is a fool's game. They do fall from time to time, but the odds are lottery-winning low. Better odds are to find lots of runes in the teens and low twenties, and to [[cube]] them up, as well as trading other item finds for mid-to-high level runes, and cubing those up as well.

A few monster types have higher odds of dropping runes because they can not drop [[armor]] or [[weapon]]s, and thus spit out more runes since they have fewer other possible drops. These include [[Wraith]]s, [[Finger Mage]]s, [[Vulture Demon]]s, [[Willowisp]]s, and the [[Swarm]]. These monsters are worth harvesting while rune hunting, but they spawn infrequently and in underwhelming numbers, so few players will find it worth the effort for the slight increase in the odds of finding runes.

==Quests==
Several [[quest]]s grant runes as part of their reward.

===Forgotten Tower===
[[Quests_Act_One#Quest_Four:_The_Forgotten_Tower|This quest]] does not have a [[Rune]] as part of its reward (just a bunch of gold and minor items from a magical chest), but since [[v1.09]] [[The Countess]], a [[SuperUnique]] [[Corrupt Rogue]] you must kill to accomplish the quest, has begun dropping a rune almost every time she's killed. Her rune drops were increased still further in [[v1.10]], and she's now a very popular target for item running characters.

Which runes she can drop vary by difficulty level.
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ral]] (r08).
* Nightmare: [[El]] (r01) - [[Io]]/[[Ko]] (r18); above [[Io]] (r16) is much rarer.
* Hell: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] (r28); above [[Ist]] (r26) is much rarer.
The Countess has better odds to drop a higher level rune the first time a player kills her on [[Nightmare]] or [[Hell]] difficulties, when they get credit for completing the quest. This is reflected in the different odds for [[Io]]/[[Ko]] and [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] listed above. Her odds of dropping her highest possible runes are always astronomical, but they are slightly better the first time than the other times.

She is capable of dropping up to six runes each death, and will often drop two or three. They're very unlikely to be higher than [[Tir]] or [[Eth]], but reports of two [[Hel]]s, and a couple of other mid-level runes are not uncommon, so it's possible.

===The Hellforge===
When a character shatters [[Mephisto's Soulstone]] on the [[Quests_Act_Four#Quest_Two:_The_Hellforge|Hellforge in Act Four]], four gems and one rune drop as part of the quest reward. The runes that may be found from this quest vary by difficulty level. Which one drops is selected randomly from the following possibilities:
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Amn]] (r11).
* Nightmare: [[Sol]] (r12) - [[Um]] (r22).
* Hell: [[Hel]] (r15) - [[Gul]] (r25).
Unlike the runes from [[The Countess]], or any other monster drops in the game, the lower level runes are '''not''' more common. The odds for [[Hel]] or [[Gul]] are identical on [[Hell]], 1/11 for each. Cross your fingers.

Be sure to complete this quest when you can get your rune drop, and do not finish it with other players in your party, if they have not finished the quest already. Four gems drop for every character completing the quest, whether they're near the [[Hellforge]] or not, but only one rune will drop for the quest completion, whether one or eight characters are in the party/completing the quest.

===Rescue on Mount Arreats===
This [[Quests_Act_Five#Quest_Two:_Rescue_on_Mt._Arreat|second quest in Act Five]] is easily accomplished, and your character will receive a [[Tal]] (r07), a [[Ral]] (r08), and an [[Ort]] (r09) rune as a reward for completing it. Not a huge reward, but for players who save all their runes to upgrade, every one helps.

==Chests==
[[Chest]]s (this includes barrels, crates, hidden stashes, etc) are an excellent source of items, including runes.

===More Players = More Runes===
More players in the game increase the quantity of items found from [chest]s, by decreasing the odds that the game will select the "NoDrop" option.

Total players in the game (no party) — Chance of non-locked chest to drop nothing at all:
* 1 or 2 — 43,4%
* 3 or 4 — 29.5%
* 5 or 6 — 26,0%
* 7 or 8 — 25,2%

===Rune Quality Increases with Level===
The level that [[chest]]s drop at is determined by the area of the game they're found on; consult the [[Levels]] section for that information. The level of runes that can be found from chests progresses steadily as you move through the game.

The following list details the highest level runes you can find in any area. All of the lower level runes may also be found there, and in fact are far more likely to appear than the higher level ones.

* Act 1 [[Normal]]: No [[Rune]]s from [[Chest]]s
* Act 2 Normal: [[El]]/[[Eld]]/[[Tir]]/[[Nef]] (r01-r04)
* Act 3 Normal: [[Eth]]/[[Ith]]/[[Tal]]/[[Ral]] (r05-r08)
* Act 4 Normal: [[Ort]]/[[Thul]]/[[Amn]]/[[Sol]] (r09-r12)
* Act 5 Normal: [[Shael]]/[[Dol]] (r13-r14)
* Act 1 [[Nightmare]]: [[Hel]]/[[Io]] (r15-r16)
* Act 2 Nightmare: [[Lum]]/[[Ko]] (r17-r18)
* Act 3 Nightmare: [[Fal]]/[[Lem]] (r19-r20)
* Act 4 Nightmare: [[Pul]]/[[Um]] (r21-r22)
* Act 5 Nightmare: [[Mal]]/[[Ist]] (r23-r24)
* Act 1 [[Hell]]: [[Gul]]/[[Vex]] (r25-r26)
* Act 2 Hell: [[Ohm]]/[[Lo]] (r27-r28)
* Act 3 Hell: [[Sur]]/[[Ber]] (r29-r30)
* Act 4 Hell: [[Jah]]/[[Cham]] (r31-r32)
* Act 5 Hell: [[Zod]] (r33)

==Upgrading==
Prior to [[v1.10]], it was hit or miss obtaining runes above [[Ort]], since only the first nine runes could be upgraded in the [[Horadric Cube]]. This changed in v1.10, when [[Rune list|rune upgrade recipes]] were added that could turn [[El]]s into a [[Zod]]. That would take over 14 trillion Els, but it's now possible to upgrade to all levels of runes, which makes collecting and building towards the high level runes the biggest [[Runewords]] require a possibility for all patient players. Mathematically speaking however, expecting to save and transmute the lowest runes into the highest ones is virtually impossible. It would take exactly 3,486,784,401 El runes to make a [[Pul]] rune, which is one of the first highly tradable runes and to create your own Zod from El runes you would need 14,281,868,906,496 El runes and countless gems. If you are looking to make some of the highest runes you are simply wasting your time collecting any of the lower runes.

==Statistics==

Here is some hard statistics in where to find runes.

===Forgotten Tower===
This is the semi-rare runes found when defeating the countess 155 times "/players 1" and with no magic find. 
1 x [[Dol]] 
1 x [[Hel]] 
4 X [[Io]] 
1 x [[Ko]] 
1 x [[Fal]] 

===Hellforge===
All found in Hell difficulty when clearing the Hellforge quest. 
2 x [[Hel]] 
2 x [[Io]] 
2 x [[Fal]] 
1 x [[Lem]] 
1 x [[Pul]] 
3 x [[Um]] 
1 x [[Mal]] 
2 x [[Ist]] 
1 x [[Gul]] 

[[category:runes]]
[[category:Items]]

Rune hunting

2009-02-09T15:16:50Z

DiMono: /* Forgotten Tower */

{{Item navbox|{{Runes}}}}Finding [[runes]], especially higher level runes, is an obsession for many players. This can be a chore, since there's no way to use equipment to increase your odds of finding more runes, or higher level runes. [[Magic Find]] has no effect on rune drops, either quality or quantity; the way to find runes is to kill lots of [[monster]]s in larger games, so more total [[item]]s drop.

==Monsters==
The best way to find a lot of runes, or most anything else in [[Diablo II]], is to get a lot of item drops. Since item drops are best obtained from dead [[monster]]s, and since monsters drop more items in larger games, a very good way to find more runes is to kill a lot of monsters in games with a lot of other players. (Use [[Player_Settings#The_Players_X_Command|the /players X command]] to simulate more players if you're going single player.)

Rune hunting is somewhat simplified by the fact that [[Magic Find]] is of no benefit (or penalty) to rune finding. So a character truly out to find runes can suit up in all his/her best killing gear, without giving a thought to Magic Find. This isn't highly recommended, since magic find improves the odds of finding [[Unique]] and [[Set]] items that are useful or that can be traded (for runes, perhaps), but purely from a rune hunting point of view, magic find is useless, and worse than useless if using the [[MF]] equipment slows a character's overall killing speed.

Since the goal of most players is to find higher quality runes, the hunting is best done on the highest level monsters that your character can safely and quickly kill. As with magic finding, a balance between killing speed and monster level must be found. Struggling to kill very high level monster because they have a .000001% better chance of dropping a [[Cham]], is not a wise expenditure of time or energy.

Since rune finding is largely a crap shoot, it's best to kill quickly where your character is most capable of killing quickly. Levels with a lot of monsters are best, simply to increase the total item drops. Places like the [[Secret Cow Level]], the [[Flayer Jungle]], or the surface areas of [[Act I|Act One]] (with their teeming [[Fallen]] camps) are popular killing zones due to the high density of fairly weak monsters.

===Special Monsters===
The only monster in the game with a substantially higher % chance to drop runes in [[The Countess]], found on level five of the [[Forgotten Tower]] in the [[Black Marsh]] level of [[Act I|Act One]]. Since [[v1.09]] she's had excellent odds to drop at least one rune every time, and in [[v1.10]] her odds were increased still higher. She can not drop the highest runes in the game, but hoping to see any runes above 24 or 25 (see [[rune list]] for further info) drop is a fool's game. They do fall from time to time, but the odds are lottery-winning low. Better odds are to find lots of runes in the teens and low twenties, and to [[cube]] them up, as well as trading other item finds for mid-to-high level runes, and cubing those up as well.

A few monster types have higher odds of dropping runes because they can not drop [[armor]] or [[weapon]]s, and thus spit out more runes since they have fewer other possible drops. These include [[Wraith]]s, [[Finger Mage]]s, [[Vulture Demon]]s, [[Willowisp]]s, and the [[Swarm]]. These monsters are worth harvesting while rune hunting, but they spawn infrequently and in underwhelming numbers, so few players will find it worth the effort for the slight increase in the odds of finding runes.

==Quests==
Several [[quest]]s grant runes as part of their reward.

===Forgotten Tower===
[[Quests_Act_One#Quest_Four:_The_Forgotten_Tower|This quest]] does not have a [[Rune]] as part of its reward (just a bunch of gold and minor items from a magical chest), but since [[v1.09]] [[The Countess]], a [[SuperUnique]] [[Corrupt Rogue]] you must kill to accomplish the quest, has begun dropping a rune almost every time she's killed. Her rune drops were increased still further in [[v1.10]], and she's now a very popular target for item running characters.

Which runes she can drop vary by difficulty level.
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ral]] (r08).
* Nightmare: [[El]] (r01) - [[Io]]/[[Ko]] (r18); above [[Io]] (r16) is much rarer.
* Hell: [[El]] (r01) - [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] (r28); above [[Ist]] (r26) is much rarer.
The Countess has better odds to drop a higher level rune the first time a player kills her on [[Nightmare]] or [[Hell]] difficulties, when they get credit for completing the quest. This is reflected in the different odds for [[Io]]/[[Ko]] and [[Ist]]/[[Lo]] listed above. Her odds of dropping her highest possible runes are always astronomical, but they are slightly better the first time than the other times.

She is capable of dropping up to six runes each death, and will often drop two or three. They're very unlikely to be higher than [[Tir]] or [[Eth]], but reports of two [[Hel]]s, and a couple of other mid-level runes are not uncommon, so it's possible.

===The Hellforge===
When a character shatters [[Mephisto's Soulstone]] on the [[Quests_Act_Four#Quest_Two:_The_Hellforge|Hellforge in Act Four]], four gems and one rune drop as part of the quest reward. The runes that may be found from this quest vary by difficulty level. Which one drops is selected randomly from the following possibilities:
* Normal: [[El]] (r01) - [[Amn]] (r11).
* Nightmare: [[Sol]] (r12) - [[Um]] (r22).
* Hell: [[Hel]] (r15) - [[Gul]] (r25).
Unlike the runes from [[The Countess]], or any other monster drops in the game, the lower level runes are '''not''' more common. The odds for [[Hel]] or [[Gul]] are identical on [[Hell]], 1/11 for each. Cross your fingers.

Be sure to complete this quest when you can get your rune drop, and do not finish it with other players in your party, if they have not finished the quest already. Four gems drop for every character completing the quest, whether they're near the [[Hellforge]] or not, but only one rune will drop for the quest completion, whether one or eight characters are in the party/completing the quest.

===Rescue on Mount Arreats===
This [[Quests_Act_Five#Quest_Two:_Rescue_on_Mt._Arreat|second quest in Act Five]] is easily accomplished, and your character will receive a [[Tal]] (r07), a [[Ral]] (r08), and an [[Ort]] (r09) rune as a reward for completing it. Not a huge reward, but for players who save all their runes to upgrade, every one helps.

==Chests==
[[Chest]]s (this includes barrels, crates, hidden stashes, etc) are an excellent source of items, including runes.

===More Players = More Runes===
More players in the game increase the quantity of items found from [chest]s, by decreasing the odds that the game will select the "NoDrop" option.

Total players in the game (no party) — Chance of non-locked chest to drop nothing at all:
* 1 or 2 — 43,4%
* 3 or 4 — 29.5%
* 5 or 6 — 26,0%
* 7 or 8 — 25,2%

===Rune Quality Increases with Level===
The level that [[chest]]s drop at is determined by the area of the game they're found on; consult the [[Levels]] section for that information. The level of runes that can be found from chests progresses steadily as you move through the game.

The following list details the highest level runes you can find in any area. All of the lower level runes may also be found there, and in fact are far more likely to appear than the higher level ones.

* Act 1 [[Normal]]: No [[Rune]]s from [[Chest]]s
* Act 2 Normal: [[El]]/[[Eld]]/[[Tir]]/[[Nef]] (r01-r04)
* Act 3 Normal: [[Eth]]/[[Ith]]/[[Tal]]/[[Ral]] (r05-r08)
* Act 4 Normal: [[Ort]]/[[Thul]]/[[Amn]]/[[Sol]] (r09-r12)
* Act 5 Normal: [[Shael]]/[[Dol]] (r13-r14)
* Act 1 [[Nightmare]]: [[Hel]]/[[Io]] (r15-r16)
* Act 2 Nightmare: [[Lum]]/[[Ko]] (r17-r18)
* Act 3 Nightmare: [[Fal]]/[[Lem]] (r19-r20)
* Act 4 Nightmare: [[Pul]]/[[Um]] (r21-r22)
* Act 5 Nightmare: [[Mal]]/[[Ist]] (r23-r24)
* Act 1 [[Hell]]: [[Gul]]/[[Vex]] (r25-r26)
* Act 2 Hell: [[Ohm]]/[[Lo]] (r27-r28)
* Act 3 Hell: [[Sur]]/[[Ber]] (r29-r30)
* Act 4 Hell: [[Jah]]/[[Cham]] (r31-r32)
* Act 5 Hell: [[Zod]] (r33)

==Upgrading==
Prior to [[v1.10]], it was hit or miss obtaining runes above [[Ort]], since only the first nine runes could be upgraded in the [[Horadric Cube]]. This changed in v1.10, when [[Rune list|rune upgrade recipes]] were added that could turn [[El]]s into a [[Zod]]. That would take over 14 trillion Els, but it's now possible to upgrade to all levels of runes, which makes collecting and building towards the high level runes the biggest [[Runewords]] require a possibility for all patient players. Mathematically speaking however, expecting to save and transmute the lowest runes into the highest ones is virtually impossible. It would take exactly 3,486,784,401 El runes to make a [[Pul]] rune, which is one of the first highly tradable runes and to create your own Zod from El runes you would need 14,281,868,906,496 El runes and countless gems. If you are looking to make some of the highest runes you are simply wasting your time collecting any of the lower runes.

==Statistics==

Here is some hard statistics in where to find runes.

===Forgotten Tower===
This is the semi-rare runes found when defeating the countess 155 times "/players 1" and with no magic find. 
1 x [[Dol]] 
1 x [[Hel]] 
4 X [[Io]] 
1 x [[Ko]] 
1 x [[Fal]] 

===Hellforge===
All found in Hell difficulty when clearing the Hellforge quest.
2 x [[Hel]] 
2 x [[Io]] 
2 x [[Fal]] 
1 x [[Lem]] 
1 x [[Pul]] 
3 x [[Um]] 
1 x [[Mal]] 
2 x [[Ist]] 
1 x [[Gul]] 

[[category:runes]]
[[category:Items]]

Jarulf's Guide

2009-02-09T15:06:14Z

DiMono: Grammar Hammer

Jarulf, AKA Pedro Faria, is an amateur programmer and long time Diablo fan. He rose to prominence in the Diablo community in the days shortly after the game's release due to his contributions to numerous Diablo forums, and his encyclopedic knowledge of the game. Jarulf was one of the pioneers in extracting information directly from the game files, and he shared it freely with other players. Eventually he began compiling his information into a guide, which grew and grew to become the accepted reference guide for Diablo and Hellfire.

The guide is now over 200 pages in Word format, and it contains facts, figures, and formulas for almost everything you could ever want to know about Diablo and Hellfire. Most of the tables, formulas, and figures in this wiki are taken from, or cross-checked with, Jarulf's Guide.

As a measure of his fame in the community, Jarulf was one of the few honored by having his name included in the possible [[Mercenaries#Names_3|mercenary names]] in ''Diablo II''.

==Drawbacks of the Guide==

The sheer size and comprehensiveness of the guide puts some players off. (It's a huge, 4meg, 207+ page Word document.) The guide is not written for beginners; it will do you much more good if you already possess a fairly high level of knowledge about ''Diablo''. You'll also do well to get over any fears you might have of math and formulas, since quite a few of those are presented. The guide can also prove somewhat difficult to navigate since it is, after all, a word document. There aren't internal (or external) hyperlinks, though you can double click items in the table of contents and jump straight to them.

Jarulf's Guide does not contain images, strategies, trivia, external links, or opinions; it's a very encyclopedia-styled document, presented in straight Word format. It's a reference document, one that's best used to check stats or figures or facts. The guide is an invaluable resource, but for everyday use many users prefer websites that present the same (and more) information in a more accessible, paginated, navigable, visual format.

==Download the Guide==

Jarulf's Guide can [http://www.lurkerlounge.com/content/view/751/110/ be obtained here]. The most recent version is v1.62, updated June 8, 2001.

{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:hellfire]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

Chaos Sanctuary

2009-02-09T14:59:40Z

DiMono: Added descriptive content about the level, and updated

The '''Chaos Sanctuary''' is the final [[level]] of [[act IV]], and lair of [[Diablo]].

{| width="80%" align="center"
|+ '''Chaos Sanctuary'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Info List'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Normal'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Nightmare'''
! width="25%" align="center" | '''Hell'''
|-
| '''Area Level:'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|-
| '''Spawnable Monsters:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[Oblivion Knight|Oblivion Knights]], [[Venom Lord|Venom Lords]], [[Storm Caster|Storm Casters]]
|-
| '''Possible Monster Variants:'''
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 3
|-
| '''Random Bosses:'''
| align="center" | Yes
| align="center" | Yes
| align="center" | Yes
|-
| '''Act boss:'''
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 40)
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 62)
| align="center" | [[Diablo]] (mlvl 94)
|-
| '''Gold Chests:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | No
|-
| '''Waypoint:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | No
|-
| '''Level Junctions:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[River of Flame]]
|-
| '''Quests:'''
| colspan="3" align="center" | [[Quests Act Four#Quest Three: Terror's End|4.3 Quest Three: Terror's End]]
|}

=Level Floorplan=
The Chaos Sanctuary is the last level in Act IV, and always has a similar layout. The five seals to release Diablo are distributed among three arms of the Chaos Sanctuary, each of which may have two layouts for a total of 8 possible floorplans for the level. In each arm, activating one of the seals releases a super-unique monster with minions, and all three super-uniques must be defeated in order to release Diablo.

==The Five Seals==
You always enter from the South-West, where there are no seals. Two seals are at the end of the North-West arm, where activating one of the seals releases the [[Grand Vizier of Chaos]], a unique Storm Caster. One seal is at the end of the North-East arm, and activating that seal releases [[Lord De Seis]], a unique Oblivion Knight. The last two seals are at the end of the South-East arm, where activating one of the seals releases the [[Infector of Souls]], a unique Venom Lord.

=History=
Before the Lord of Destruction expansion was released, the Chaos Sanctuary was one of the most frequently run areas of the game because of its constant layout and high experience, and also because Diablo provided some of the best item drops in the game. Now there is more experience to be had in the [[Bloody Foothills]] in [[Act V]], and [[Pindleskin]] has better drops and is easier to get to, so the Chaos Sanctuary doesn't get nearly as much foot traffic as it used to receive.

D1 Spellbooks

2009-02-05T06:13:56Z

DiMono: /* Phasing */

Unlike Diablo II with its skill trees of unique abilities for each character, Diablo featured no special attack skills at all. In Diablo and Hellfire all of the characters can cast the same spells from scrolls, charges on staffs, or from memory, after learning the spells by reading spell books.

==Spell Basics==

* Spellbooks have magic requirements to read, which increase 20% with each level of the spell. (Maxing out at 255.)
** Reading a spell book adds a small amount of mana to the available pool. (The amount is equal to the magical requirement to read level 1 of that book.)
* Casting spells costs mana, an amount that's different for every spell, and which (generally) decreases (to a pre-set hard cap) at higher levels of the spell.
** Casting spells from scrolls and charges on items does not cost mana.
* Spell levels max out at 15 from reading books.
** Various unique and magical items add 1 or 2 to all spell levels.
*** The most possible with legitimate equipment is +5, and the highest possible spell level is 20. +1 [[D1 Unique Armor|Naj's Light Plate]], +2 [[D1 Prefixes|Archangel's]] Staff, +2 [[D1 Unique Helms|Thinking Cap]].)
* Most spells can be found on scrolls, which have magic requirements to cast, but do not cost mana. Casting a spell from a scroll casts it at the level your character has learned up to (or level 1 if it's not a spell you have read a book for). Scroll magic requirements are always the same, regardless of what level the spell is being cast at.
** Some spells can only be found on scrolls and not in spell books.
* Most spells can be found in charges on items; on staffs and some unique items. Some Hellfire spells can only be found on staffs.

==The Spellbook==

Opening up your character's spellbook (S = hotkey) pulls up a menu on the right side of the screen. Every spell your character has learned (by reading a spellbook), is listed in the spell menu. There are four pages of spells in Diablo, and five in Hellfire. Spells are arranged (roughly) by increasing strength, with the spells with the lowest requirements on page one, and the highest on page four. The table below replicates the spellbook.

{| width="100%"
! Page One
! Page Two
! Page Three
! Page Four
! Page Five (Hellfire)
|-
| ''Inherent Skill''
| Resurrect
| Phasing
| Nova
| Lightning Wall
|-
| Firebolt
| Fire Wall
| Mana Shield
| Golem
| Immolation
|-
| Charged Bolt
| Telekinesis
| Elemental
| Teleport
| Warp
|-
| Holy Bolt
| Lightning
| Fireball
| Apocalypse
| Reflect
|-
| Healing
| Town Portal
| Flame Wave
| Bone Spirit
| Ring of Fire
|-
| Inferno
| Stone Curse
| Guardian
| --
| Search
|}

* Only found in multiplayer games: Heal Other, Resurrect.
* Scrolls only: Identify, Infravision.
* Scrolls/Staffs only: Resurrect, Apocalypse, Nova. (Apocalypse and Nova exist in book form in Hellfire.)
* Spells added in Hellfire: Lightning Wall, Immolation, Warp, Reflect, Berserk, Ring of Fire, Search, Jester, Magi, Mana.
** Staffs only: Jester, Magi, Mana.

==Character Inherent Skills==

Each of the characters has an inherent skill of varying utility. They can use these skills from level 1, and they do not cost mana to use.

===Rogue===
[[Image:D1-icon-trap-disarm.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Rogue|Rogues]] can always recognize, and have a chance to disarm, the traps found on doors and chests. Since the damage from trapped objects isn't very high in Diablo or Hellfire, this isn't an especially useful skill. Traps deeper in the dungeon are harder to disarm than those in the upper levels, and rogues have better odds of disarming them with higher dexterity. The forumula is as follows:
# x = 2·Dex - 5·dlvl
# if x > Rnd[100], trap is disarmed

===Sorcerer===
[[Image:D1-icon-staff-recharge.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] can recharge the charges on a staff, though the maximum number of charges will always decrease slightly, usually by 1 or 2. A staff with 20 charges would go from 0/20 to 19/19 or 18/18. Since there is no way to increase the maximum charges on a staff, this skill should never be used on a staff you are using long term. However, if you find a staff of Fireball or Guardian early and just want to have some fun with it and cast a lot of spells without using any mana, knock yourself out.

The formula for determining the recharge, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current charges is equal to max charges or max charges is equal to 0, exit
# x = Rnd[clvl/qlvl(book)] + 1
# decrease MaxChrg by 1
# add x to CurChrg
# if CurChrg < MaxChrg, goto 3.
# CurChrg = MaxChrg

===Warrior===
[[Image:D1-icon-repair.gif|frame]]
The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] can repair the durability of an item, but the item will always lose a point or two of maximum durability. A sword worn down to 2/50 would be replenished to 49/49, for example. This should not be used on quality weapons you're going to keep long term, but it's very handy on items you know you'll replace if you do not want to return to town. Item durability can be increased in Diablo via [[D1 Shrines|Hidden Shrines]], and by [[D1_Hellfire_Oils#Durability_Improvements|various oils]] in Hellfire, so repair-lowered durability can be regained.

This skill isn't often needed in Diablo and Hellfire, since repair costs aren't that high and gold is plentiful. In various Diablo and Hellfire mods, this skill becomes far more important, since repair costs can be quite steep, and the higher difficulty means that repairs are required more often.

The formula for determining the repair, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current durability is equal to max durability, exit
# x = 0
# add (clvl + Rnd[clvl]) to x
# y = [MaxDur/(clvl+9)], if less than 1 set to 1
# decrease MaxDur by y
# if x + CurDur < MaxDur, goto 3.
# CurDur = MaxDur

If max durability reaches 0, the item is destroyed.

===Bard===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Bard|Bards]] are only playable in Hellfire, once they've been enabled by the [[Command.txt]] file.

The Bard can use the Identify skill inherently, with no mana cost. She thus saves herself ever having to pay Deckard Cain 100 gold, and need not stay a while and listen at any time, other than when she needs his interaction to further a quest.

===Barbarian===
[[Image:D1-icon-rage.gif|frame]]
The Hellfire [[D1 Barbarian|Barbarian]] has a skill called Rage. This skill is a short term buff that boosts his strength, vitality, and dexterity for 12 seconds. After that time he enters a 12 second lethargy phase, when those same attributes are reduced by the same amount. Afterwards his vitality is supposed to suffer a permanent penalty, however due to a bug in Hellfire, clicking on any item in his inventory will reset the vitality loss.

The calculations:
# For 12 seconds it adds: 2·clvl to Strength and Vitality and 1.5·clvl to Dexterity.
# For 12 more seconds, during a lethargy phase, it decreases Strength, Dexterity and Vitality by the same amount (counted from normal values).
# Afterwards you lose 2·Vit life. There is a bug however so if you click on any item in your inventory your life is restored.

===Monk===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
The [[D1 Monk|Monk]] has inherent access to the Search skill. It works just as it does for other characters; the Monk just doesn't need to read a book to learn it or spend mana to cast it.

==Spell Damage==

Determining your character's spell damage is notoriously difficult in Diablo and Hellfire, since the values scale up with character level. Determining the damage requires some math, which Jarulf explains in section 4.1.2 of [[Jarulf's Guide|his guide]]. How much good this explanation does you depends largely on how closely you're willing to embrace algebra. Since most readers feel their eyes glaze at the first equation, the calculation explanations are not reproduced here.

The calculations are presented for each skill below, if you're mathematically-inclined type who can find some use from them.

==Mana Costs for Spells==

All spells cost mana to cast from memory (they are free from staves and scrolls). The amount of mana they cost has a preset value, which decreases by a set amount each level, until it reaches some preset minimum amount.

There is a major exception to this, in that it costs Rogues, Monks, and Bards only 75% of the usual mana requirement. Warriors, Barbarians, and Sorcerers incur the full 100% cost, except in Hellfire v1.01, where the Sorcerer's spells cost only 50%. Regardless of the 50 and 75% values, no character ever expends less than the listed minimum.

Casting spells from scrolls and staff charges does not cost any mana, but there are magic requirements.
* Staffs: Magic requirement is equal to the magic required to read the level 1 book.
* Scrolls: Magic req is usually lower than staffs/book reading.

===Diablo Spell Costs===

{|
! rowspan="2" | Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 14
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 13 / 9 / 1
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 13 / 7 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 35
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 9 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 7 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 31
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 0.5
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 17
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 29
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 21
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 8 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 51
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 47
|-
| '''Healing'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 7
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 11
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 19
|-
| '''Infravision'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 23
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 5 / 3 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 5 / 5 / 3
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 25
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 8 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 33
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 8
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 81
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|}

===Hellfire Spell Costs===

The following spells are found in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but not in book form. See above for figure and column explanations.

{|
! rowspan="2" |
Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Magi'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Mana'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 15 / 15 / 14
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|}

==Magic Requirements for Spellbooks==

A handy chart from Jarulf's Guide. This lists the magic required to read every level of spellbook in Diablo and Hellfire. The formula is very simple: books have a set amount at level 1, which then increases 20% per level. Any values over 213 are automatically set to 255. (The initial amount is also how much mana the blue bulb fills up when a character reads a book of that type.)

In Diablo, Rogues and Warriors can not achieve 255 magic no matter what equipment they assemble, (Rogues can get to 245, Warriors to 225) so can not read higher level spellbooks and must hunt for [[D1 Shrines|Enchanted Shrines]] to boost their spells to 15. In Hellfire all of the characters except the Barbarian can get to over 255 magic, thanks to some of the new uniques. See all the [[Diablo_Characters#Max_Stats_with_Equipment|max possible attributes here]].

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | 84
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 144
| align="center" | 172
| align="center" | 206
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 21
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Healing'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 126
| align="center" | 151
| align="center" | 181
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|}

===Hellfire Spellbook Magic Requirements===

Books found only in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but only on scrolls and staves, not books. The other spells are all new and unique to Hellfire.

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 178
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 42
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 72
| align="center" | 86
| align="center" | 103
| align="center" | 123
| align="center" | 147
| align="center" | 176
| align="center" | 211
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|}

==Diablo Spells==

Information and relevant calculations for every spell in the game. Calculations from [[Jarulf's Guide]].

===Apocalypse===
[[Image:D1-icon-apocalypse.jpg|frame]]
Apocalypse is the ultimate spell in Diablo. It creates a blossom of fire beneath a monster's feet, but is not fire damage. Apoc is a special type of damage that can not be resisted, and that no monster is immune to. In Diablo it hits everything on the screen, even over walls, and is frequently used to decimate the creatures inside of Diablo's square before the bone levers are thrown.

In Hellfire the spell can be learned from spellbooks, but they are only dropped by Na-Krul, and the spell requires a line of sight to work; it can't be used over walls anymore.
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''Clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''6·clvl
* '''Real damage: '''Itt(clvl, Rnd[6] + 1)
* '''Speed: '''Hits everything in range when cast.
* '''Blockable: '''Yes
* '''Available: '''Scrolls and staffs only in Diablo. On books as well in Hellfire, but the only way to get a book is to kill Na-Krul.

===Blood Star===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-star.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell most commonly seen being cast by Witches. Each Blood Star moves relatively slowly and in a straight line. There is no splash damage. This is the only viable, magic-type skill to kill targets at a distance, but the fact that it does so much less damage than comparable fire or lightning spells means it is very seldom used, except in special circumstances. (There are no monsters who are immune to Fire and Lightning in but not Magic in Diablo. There are a few in Hellfire.)

Blood Star has a special extra cost to cast; draining 5 life along with the mana cost. When cast with a Mana Shield active, it costs 5 extra mana. This cost is applied even if it's cast from charges.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage: '''3·slvl + [Mag/2] - [Mag/8]
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

[[Image:D1-rogue-corpse-cover2.gif|center|frame|Witches fire Bloodstars at a covering Rogue.]]

===Bone Spirit===
[[Image:D1-icon-bonespirit-sp.gif|frame]]
Fires a pink, ghostly creature that moves relatively slowly, but that can home in on the target. The damage is percentage based, making this skill very damaging to monsters with full hit points, but virtually useless on ones nearer death. The damage is resisted, just like any other magic-based spell, if the monster has magic resistance.

Like Blood Star, Bone Spirit costs life as well as mana to cast, draining 6 life along with the mana cost. This cost is applied even if the spell is cast from charges on a staff. It costs 6 extra mana if you have Mana Shield active.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage against monster: '''1/3 of targets HP
* '''Damage against player: '''1/6 of targets life
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Chain Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-chain-lightning.gif|frame]]
The biggest killing lightning type spell in the game, and a spell that can deal the most damage per cast. Chain Lightning sends one bolt where your cursor points, and another one for each target in range (range is calculated irrelevant of walls and other obstacles), each time it is cast. The range increases with more points in the spell, as does the damage per bolt. This spell would clear entire levels in a single use if not for the "sprite limit" in Diablo/Hellfire. The game's engine will only display 255 sprites at once, and since each bolt from the Chain Lightning creates quite a few sprites, numerous "gaps" appear in the bolts. As a result, some strategy is required to use Chain Lightning effectively.

Players need to know where the monsters are around them, whether they are on the other side of a wall or not. For instance, it's wise to stand beside a wall so not many sprites will appear in that direction when you want to fire them forward. Alternatively, hordes of monsters on the other side of a wall can be very useful if you maneuver so that the nearby monsters are between you and that wall with the monsters past it.

The damage from each bolt is calculated multiple times per bolt, as they appear to move past. According to [[Jarulf's Guide]], each bolt does a hit check each 0.05 seconds, for a total of [slvl/2] + 6 times per bolt.
* '''Spell: '''Chain Lightning
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl] + Rnd[2] + 2
* '''Bolts: '''1 + numbers of monsters in range
* '''Range: '''2 + slvl (max 18)
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2] + 6)/20 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

[[Image:D1-chain-lightning2.gif|frame|center|One bolt shoots at each enemy in range. Positioning your character in a corner or against a wall, so the bolts concentrate on a few targets, instead of shooting in every direction, is an essential tactic.]]

===Charged Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-charged-bolt-sp.gif|frame]]
Charged Bolt sends out several small squares of electricity per use. These squares move semi-randomly in the direction the caster is facing, spreading out and usually bouncing off of walls. They are not especially damaging, but can be useful to "wake up" all of the non-lightning immune monsters in a room, bringing them out to fight while leaving the other monsters in the area undisturbed.

This spell can be quite annoying when used by mages; not for the tiny damage, but because it causes characters with a shield to stop to block.
* '''Spell: '''Charged Bolt
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''1
* '''Max. Damage: '''1 + [Mag/4]
* '''Number of bolts: '''4 + [slvl/2]
* '''Speed: '''8
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Elemental===
[[Image:D1-icon-elemental.gif|frame]]
Elemental fires a running, target-homing human-shaped fire elemental. This one is far less useful than it would seem, for while the damage displays the same as Fireball, Fireball is boosted by a buggy, non-displayed splash damage. Elemental does not deal that splash damage, and as a result it's less than half as damaging as Fireball. Even though it doesn't "splash" like a Fireball, each Elemental can hit two targets if they are very close together.

Elemental splash damage is 1/64th of the total damage. It is applied each .05 seconds for .7 seconds (14 tries) and is not blockable. Thus, as is the case with Fireball, the splash damage from an Elemental will deal damage even if the spell itself is blocked.
* '''Spell: '''Elemental
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' (4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)/2
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable:''' Yes

===Fireball===
[[Image:D1-icon-fireball.gif|frame]]
The most popular fire spell in the game, and a hugely damaging spell against single targets or tightly-packed groups. Fireball moves very quickly (increasing with Slvl) and its damage increases with Slvl and Clvl, making it indispensible for all Sorcerers and many other character builds as well. Each fireball deals a splash of damage that's equal to the damage of the spell itself. The fireball or the splash can be blocked, but not both, and monsters that can't block always take both, making this one basically double damage against most enemies.

Like all projectiles in Diablo and Hellfire, Fireball is best fired at targets approaching in straight lines. It's extremely accurate against stationary targets, whatever their orientation to the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Fireball
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl (max 50)
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Firebolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-firebolt.gif|frame]]
A fire projectile spell that's quite handy early in the game. It's basically a Fireball, but with much lower damage and no splash.

The fire damage dealt by the dragons of the Guardian spell is determined by the Firebolt spell, so characters will want to max this one out, even if they never cast Firebolt itself.
* '''Spell: '''Firebolt
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''1 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Max. Damage: '''10 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + slvl + [Mag/8] + 1
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Fire Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-firewall.gif|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Firewalls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Very useful early and mid-game, especially against monsters stuck on the other side of an obstacle. Most monsters will not advance into the flames, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Firewall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and roast since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself.

The central sprite of the firewall does double damage. Unlike most spells, Firewall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Fire Wall
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8
* '''Duration:''' 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Flame Wave===
[[Image:D1-icon-flamewave.gif|frame]]
This spell basically creates a moving firewall, one that moves across the level until it hits a wall. The extend of the Flame Wave increases with more points in the spell, and it can be wider than the visible screen at high levels. The killing power of this one is far less than Fireball, but it's a useful way to wake up all of the monsters in an area and bring them out to fight without disturbing the fire immunes in the area.

This spell can hit the player who casts it, (if you teleport quickly into it) and the fire is counted as damage from a trap.
* '''Spell: '''Flame Wave
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''6 + 6·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''60 + 6·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + clvl + 1
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Number of flames: '''5 + [slvl/2]
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Flash===
[[Image:D1-icon-flash.gif|frame]]
Flash is a sort of 1-space radius Nova spell, hitting anything in melee range with magical damage. This appears to be a powerful spell, by the damage display, but it's hampered by bugs and does far less damage than displayed. As most players have noticed, when basking in the ineffective version of it cast by monster mages.

There are actually two spells cast; the first hits targets in front of and to the sides of the character, while the second covers the three rear spaces. Like other timed spells, Flash hits once every .05 seconds, for a total of 19 attempts in just less than a second.
* '''Spell: '''Flash
* '''Type: '''magic
* '''Min. Damage: '''[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Max. Damage: '''2·[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''3·clvl/2 · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''3·clvl · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage 1: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[20] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Real Damage 2: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[2] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Duration: '''0.95 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Golem===
[[Image:D1-icon-golem.gif|frame]]
A summonable stone man, the Golem is a slow moving but fairly damaging companion, most commonly used by sorcerers against triple immune monsters. Golems can also be helpful to distract enemies, and to kill targets on the other side of a wall. They benefit greatly from the stone curse spell, since if their targets are stationary and helpless, the golem hits with every strike and takes no damage during the battle. Golems are not useful against higher level melee monsters, who will kill them quickly. A single golem can terrorize entire levels in the Church, though.

Golems are primarily useful against Advocates, since they can withstand a lot of damage from Flash spells, and are not touched by the Advocates' Fireballs. They are less successful against Witches, and take damage from Bloodstar. Also, due to a bug in the Golem's light radius (it's set to infinite) every witch on the level sees the golem the moment he's cast, and will fire at him if they have a line of sight. Golems home in on nearby enemies. If nothing is nearby, they will walk in the direction their caster is facing.

Only one golem may be active at once. If the spell is cast again, an active golem will crumble to gravel. Players gain full experience for kills made by their golem. Golems are hostile to each other, and will fight if there are two of them (from two players) in the same area. Yes, this can be funny to watch.
* '''Spell: '''Golem
* '''Type: '''Physical damage.
* '''Stated damage: '''11-17 (meaningless figure)
* '''Golem stats:'''
** '''HP:''' 2·maxmana/3 + 10·slvl
** '''AC:''' 25
** '''To Hit:''' 40 + 2·clvl + 5·slvl
** '''Min. Damage:''' 8 + 2·slvl
** '''Max. Damage: '''16 + 2·slvl
** '''mlvl: '''12 (modified for difficulty)
** '''HP regeneration: '''1.9, 4.1 and 6.6 each second on normal, nightmare and hell difficulty (same as for normal monster)
** '''Walk Speed:''' 0.80 (this is slower than most monsters)
** '''Hit Recovery Time:''' 0.0 (instantaneous)
** '''Attack Time:''' 0.60
** '''Hit Time:''' 0.35
** '''Resistances: '''None
** '''Immunities: '''Apocalypse, Stone Curse and Telekinesis

===Guardian===
[[Image:D1-icon-guardian.gif|frame]]
A three-headed, firebolt-spitting dragon is summoned, tunneling up from the ground in the location targeted with the spell. Guardians can only be cast in the line of sight, and not over walls or through doors. These are not especially useful to kill with, on higher levels, but are such fun to cast that many players enjoy using them anyway. They can be useful to shoot into a room you have not yet entered, but they are inefficient. The Guardians only shoot at whatever target is nearest, and if it's fire immune their shots will pass harmlessly.

The damage from a Guardian is equal to the damage of the casting character's Firebolt spell; the damage listed on the Guardian spell itself is meaningless. Higher levels of Guardian affect only the duration of the dragon, not the damage. Players gain full experience for kills made by their Guardians.
* '''Spell: '''Guardian
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 1 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 10 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(1 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(10 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Duration: '''4·slvl/5 + 2·clvl/5 seconds (maximum 24 seconds, minimum 0.8 seconds)
* '''Fire frequency: '''every 0.8 second
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Healing===
[[Image:D1-icon-healing.gif|frame]]
An essential skill for all non-mana shield using characters, and even those types enjoy it, from time to time. Higher levels (Slvl and Clvl) lower the mana cost and increase the healing, so it's useful to build this one up even for Warriors, Barbarians, and other rock-headed melee fighters. Reading lots of Healing books is mandatory for Barbarians, since the cost of Healing increases with the hit points of the character. As these screenshots illustrate, a level 29 Barbarian with typical equipment can't even come close to casting a Healing spell, at [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost2.gif|level 3]] or even [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost1.gif|level 6]], since his high hit points make the spell cost far more mana than he can scratch up.

Healing is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the healing effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell:''' Healing
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Mana Cost:''' 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing:''' bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Heal Other===
[[Image:D1-icon-heal-other.gif|frame]]
This spell is only found in multiplayer. It works much like Healing, except that casting it gives a target for the pointer, and the benefit will be granted to whichever player is clicked on. It can be hard to click on a friend, if they're moving or there are monsters crowded around them, and few players will wait on this spell, since drinking a potion is instantly beneficial.
* '''Spell: '''Heal Other
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Mana Cost: '''8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Monk: 3.0
** Warrior and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Holy Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-holy-bolt.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell that fires a gray Firebolt. This one hits only the undead though, and the damage scales up quite quickly, so most sorcerers find it quite useful in the early going. The utility is quite limited by the fact that Fireball does much more damage as soon as it comes online, but moreover by the fact that there are no undead monsters found in the Caves or Hell. Hellfire added a few in the Hive and Crypt, but Holy Bolt doesn't do enough damage to be very effective in the late game.

It is quite useful for one thing; luring Diablo out of his square, since he is the only monster affected by Holy Bolt on his level (or anywhere in the game deeper than about Dlvl 7). It can't kill him in any reasonable amount of time, but it will wake him up and bring him out without disturbing the knights and Advocates around him.

Nothing resists Holy Bolt in ''Diablo''. In ''Hellfire'', Diablo and the Bone Demons are resistant to it.
* '''Spell: '''Holy Bolt
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''9 + clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''18 + clvl
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl

===Identify===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
In Diablo and Hellfire, items can be equipped and used without being identified. However, all magical and unique items found in the dungeons or given as quest rewards are unidentified, and must be identified (by this spell or by Deckard Cain) before their special properties become active.

Identify is not found on spellbooks, and can only be cast from staff charges or scrolls.

===Inferno===
[[Image:D1-icon-inferno.gif|frame]]
Inferno looks like a powerful flamethrower of a spell, but it actually emits a fairly weak puff of flame that's less damaging than most other flame spells, and far less than Lightning Bolt.

The spell always has the same range and duration, regardless of the Slvl or Clvl. The differences in damage are by distance from the caster. Inferno blows three spaces, and spends longer in each of them, progressively. Like other duration spells in Diablo, there is a damage check every .05 seconds, so Inferno hits 20, 25, and 30 times, moving away from the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Inferno
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''3
* '''Max. Damage: 6 + 3·clvl/2
* '''Real Damage: '''(3·(Rnd[clvl]+Rnd[2]) + 6)/16
* '''Range: '''3
* '''Duration: '''1, 1.25 and 1.50 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Infravision===
[[Image:D1-icon-infravision.gif|frame]]
Infravision shows every monster on the screen, even those over walls or otherwise out of the line of sight. Monsters in sight display normally; monsters out of your sight show up in bright red. Their names and stats do not highlight, but recognizing them by type is easy enough.

Infravision is only found only on scrolls, staff charges, and as the benefit after drinking from a [[D1_Shrines#Springs_and_Pools|Murky Pool]]. It's never found in book form.
* '''Spell:''' Infravision
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Duration:''' Rec(slvl, 79.2) seconds
* '''Murky pools:''' (Duration depends on the level the pool is found on. Murky pools never appear in the Hive or Crypt levels.)
** '''Church:''' slvl = 2
** '''Catacombs:''' slvl = 4
** '''Caves:''' slvl = 6
** '''Hell:''' slvl = 8

===Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-lightning.gif|frame]]
Lightning fires a wide strip of lightning at high speed in a straight line. Lightning passed through all soft targets, only vanishing once it runs into a wall or other solid object. It's the first really useful combat spell most Sorcerers learn. The listed damage isn't that much higher than Firebolt or other early spells, but this one's ability to hit multiple targets, and to hit each one multiple times, makes it quite powerful.

Each bolt hits multiple times, calculating the damage every .05 seconds, for a total [slvl/2]+6 times.
* '''Spell:''' Lightning
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl]+ Rnd[2] + 2Speed: 32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2]+6)/20 seconds
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Mana Shield===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana-shield.gif|frame]]
A defensive spell, Mana Shield allows the caster to lessen the damage taken, and causes all damage taken to deduct from the mana pool, rather than from the life. This spell is mandatory for higher level Sorcerers who usually have hundreds of more points in mana than life, but can also be used by Rogues and other characters with moderately high mana who need or want an extra defensive buffer.

Mana Shield turns off each time your character leaves a level, so be sure you recast it first thing after you take the stairs down. Countless Sorcerers have stupidly lost their lives teleporting right into battle without first engaging their Mana Shield on the new level.

If a character takes damage greater than their current life, they will neither be stunned nor pushed back by it. This can be exploited with mana shield and -life equipment (or bugs, such as the yellow zombies removing 1 life point permanently with each hit in early versions of Diablo).
* '''Spell:''' Mana Shield
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Damage reduction in Diablo: '''33%
* '''Damage reduction in Hellfire: '''Bugged. The spell is supposed to increase the damage reduction with increasing levels, but actually does the opposite. Formula: 100/(3· slvl)% The max slvl is 7, in this formula.
* '''Duration: '''Infinite. Only ends when mana drops to zero, or when you leave the current dungeon level.

===Nova===
[[Image:D1-icon-nova.gif|frame]]
A powerful lightning spell, Nova sends out an explosion of lighting in an expanding circle; albeit one riddled with gaps. Nova is more useful than Chain Lightning only when totally surrounded by monsters, when the sprite limits would cut Chain Lightning's effectiveness.

Nova is only found on scrolls and staffs in Diablo. In Hellfire it can be found in book form.
* '''Spell: '''Nova
* '''Type:''' lightning
* '''Min. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 2 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 15 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' 5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage:''' 5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage:''' Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed:''' 16
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Phasing===
[[Image:D1-icon-phasing.gif|frame]]
This spell is a random teleport. Using it instantly transports the player to a random location somewhere on the visible screen. It's only utility is as an emergency escape spell, if your character is surrounded by enemies. Since Phasing is non-targeting, it casts .05 faster than Teleport, and can therefore be useful to escape when stunlocked. Warp is a better choice in Hellfire, since it will take you further away, and to a predictable location. 
'''Spell:''' Phasing 
'''Type:''' n/a

===Resurrect===
[[Image:D1-icon-resurrect.gif|frame]]
Only available in Multiplayer. Resurrect is targeted on a dead character's corpse. It will always bring them back to life, there's no skill or level check. Resurrected characters have 10 hit points (or less, if their maximum life is lower than 10) and no mana.

===Stone Curse===
[[Image:D1-icon-stone-curse.gif|frame]]
A hugely useful spell, Stone Curse turns the targeted monster to stone, rendering them statues: helpless, immobile, and defenseless. Immunities are not countered, but stoned monsters have zero Armor Class and will be hit by every attack. They remain material objects, and must be walked around by other monsters. A row of stoned monsters can provide a useful barrier against enemies.

Diablo, Na-Krul, and other players are immune to stone curse. Monsters that are already stoned, or who are charging or phasing in or out are temporarily immune to stone curse. Mages will dodge it at times; teleporting once, then again if you attempt to stone them as soon as they reappear. Allow them to rematerialize long enough to attempt to cast a spell, then stone them.

You can not cast it on your own Golem.

Stone Curse can not be cast again on a monster that's already stunned. You must wait for it to wear off before casting it again on the same target.

'''Spell:''' Stone Curse 
'''Type:''' n/a 
'''Duration:''' 4.8 + 0.8·slvl seconds (12 sec max)

===Telekinesis===
[[Image:D1-icon-telekinesis.gif|frame]]
A spell used to pick up items from a distance, or to throw switches, pull levers, activate shrines, etc. It works over walls on any item or object you can see. Very useful to retrieve items after dying, to open up Diablo's box without entering the other boxes, to use shrines or grab books from bookshelves from a distance. Players must have enough space to hold the item they attempt to pick up with TK.

When used on monsters TK can knock them back. This does no damage, but counts as a form of damage sufficient to enable the TK'er to receive experience when another player kills the monster. Using TK on a stone cursed monster will immediately remove the Stone Curse effect. Some superunique monsters are immune to TK: Snotspill, Gharbad the Weak, Zhar the Mad, Warlord of Blood, Lachdanan, Arch-Bishop Lazarus, Blackjade and Red Vex.

===Teleport===
[[Image:D1-icon-teleport.gif|frame]]
One of the most useful skills in the game; teleport allows your character to move to any location you can point to, whether you have a line of sight there or not. Great to move quickly around the levels, to escape monsters, to back up to gain more room to fire spells or arrows, etc.

When cast by selecting Teleport on the right skill icon, the spell will be cast instantly with a right click. When cast by right clicking on a scroll in the inventory or belt, the cursor becomes a targeting arrow and the character moves with the next right click of the mouse.

===Town Portal===
[[Image:D1-icon-town-portal.gif|frame]]
Players create a blue portal that can be stepped into to return instantly to town. Town Portals remain open indefinitely, until the character who cast it uses it to return to the dungeon from town. If two or more players cast town portals, they can keep them open forever by only returning via the portal cast by the other player. Each character can have only one active Town Portal, and if a second is cast the first will vanish.

==Hellfire Spells==

Brand new spells introduced in the Hellfire expansion pack. None of these can be found in Diablo. Some existing Diablo spells were also modified in Hellfire, as noted in the above section. Apocalypse and Nova are findable in book form in Hellfire, when they were only scrolls/staff charges in Diablo.

===Berserk===
[[Image:D1-icon-berserk.jpg|frame]]
Berserk is a curse-like spell that resets a monster's AI, and makes them hostile to their own kind. Monsters will fight other monsters when Berserked, but they are not necessarily on the character's side; they simply attack whatever is nearest. This spell is best used as a decoy or diversion; turning an army of monsters with Berserk can be amusing, but it's not an especially viable strategy.

Berserked monsters deal enhanced damage, (20-30% + Slvl). Players do not receive experience for monsters killed by a Berserker. Berserkers are not immune to player damage, and can be killed just like any other monster.

Though Berserk does not deal direct damage, it is considered a form of magic, and thus will not work on magic immune monsters. All unique and special monsters are also immune, as are monsters in mid-charge or who are phasing in or out. There is a 50% chance that magic resistant monsters will not be Berserked.

===Immolation===
[[Image:D1-icon-immolation.jpg|frame]]
A fire-based version of Nova; this spell shoots out a ring of Fireballs. They are much less damaging than actual Fireballs, and do the same damage as Nova, but look just like Fireballs.
* '''Spell: '''Immolation
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 2 + clvl/2)
* '''Max. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 15 + clvl/2)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed: '''16 + slvl

===Jester===
[[Image:D1-icon-jester.jpg|frame]]
Jester is only found on staffs. Jester staffs will cast a semi-random spell each time the charges are used. Spells are fired at the character's appropriate Slvl, or at level 1 if the character has not yet read a book for that spell.
Spells included are:
* '''Firebolt: '''20%
* ''' Apocalypse:''' 10%
* ''' Chain lightning:''' 10%
* ''' Fireball: '''10%
* ''' Fire Wall: '''10%
* ''' Guardian: '''10%
* ''' Teleport: '''10%
* ''' Town Portal: '''10%
* ''' Stone Curse: '''10%

===Lightning Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-light-wall.jpg|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Lightning Walls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Most monsters will not advance into the lightning, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Lightning Wall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and sizzle since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the line of fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself. The central sprite of the Lightning Wall does double damage, so be sure you target the monster you are using it on.

Like Firewall, Lightning Walls work best when cast in a straight line, rather than diagonal, since there are gaps between the active sprites on diagonal walls. Lightning Wall deals double the damage of a Firewall, but it seems to have more gaps and spaces, since monsters are more likely to walk right through it.

Unlike most spells, Lightning Wall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Lightning Wall
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/4
* '''Duration: '''12.75 + 12.75·slvl seconds
* '''Number of bolts: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Magi===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
Found only in charges on staffs, the Magi charges work like drinking a full mana potion. They completely refill the mana of the caster, unlike the partial mana fill granted by the Mana charges.

===Mana===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
A spell that works just like healing, but one that refills the mana globe instead of the life bulb.

The Mana spell is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the mana filling effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell: '''Mana
* '''Min. Mana: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Mana: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Mana restore: '''bonus·(Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6] + 1) + Rnd[10] + 1)
* '''* Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per mana, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Sorcerer: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 1.0

===Reflect===
[[Image:D1-icon-reflect.jpg|frame]]
This spell creates an armor icon that floats above the character's head, much like the mana shield graphic. It's used by melee fighters and other characters who wish to reduce the damage they take from being hit by melee attackers.

Reflect reduces melee damage by 20-29% and reflects that much of the damage back to the attacking monster. The spell lasts for a given number of hits, or until you leave the current dungeon level. It's a good idea to recast this one after each major battle, lest it expire in mid-battle and leave you surrounded and taking extra damage per hit.
A higher Slvl allows the spell to take more hits before expiring. Blocking counts as a hit to Reflect.
* '''Spell: '''Reflect
* '''Duration: '''slvl·clvl hits. Or until you leave the current dungeon level.

===Ring of Fire===
[[Image:D1-icon-ring-of-fire.jpg|frame]]
Ring of Fire casts a circular Firewall all around the player. It does the same damage and has the same duration as Firewall, but there are gaps in the circle that monsters will enter through, so it's not a very effective defense, in of itself. Players will take damage from their own Rings of Fire, with that damage treated as though it had been inflicted by a trap.

The flame does a damage check every .05 seconds for a total of 160 + 160·slvl times.
* '''Spell: '''Ring of Fire
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + clvl·2
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + clvl·2
* '''Duration: '''12 + 8·slvl seconds
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8Duration: 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''22
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Search===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
Perhaps the most useful feature added in Hellfire, this one causes items on the ground to light up as though they were being highlighted by the pointer. It also makes dropped items show up with a blue square on the minimap. Search in vain for that dinging ring no more.

Search is an inherent skill for the Monk class. Other characters must learn it from books and spend mana to cost it. Casting Search several times in a row will make it last much longer than it does from a single cast.
* '''Spell: '''Search
* '''Duration:''' 12.25 + 10·slvl + clvl seconds

===Warp===
[[Image:D1-icon-warp.jpg|frame]]
Works like Phasing, but instantly teleports the character to the nearest stairway. A useful escape skill, but also helpful when rushing through levels and trying to find the way down, which most players do in the Hive, for instance.

The key to using it well in that way is to get away from the stairs going up. Teleport or hustle to some distant corner of the map, cast Warp, and you'll pop straight to the stairs down, if they're closer than the ones you started from. If you return to the starting spot, then run in a different direction and try it again.

==Diablo Demo Spells==

Many of the spells in the demo were unbalanced and buggy, but they had some interesting effects not found in the final game. We don't have full stats for these, just the icons and a quick description of how they worked. Thanks to [http://www.ladyofthecake.com/diablo/spells.htm Lady of the Cake] for most of the info in this section. The following skills were only found in the demo, and are not in the final game, though a few of the icons were eventually reused.

===Blood Boil===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-boil.gif|frame]]
An odd sort of proximity-based magical attack. When cast with enemies nearby, they would take huge damage, as though their blood was boiling from within. Presumably it did not work on undead, since skeletons pretty clearly lack blood.

===Blood Ritual===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-ritual.gif|frame]]
A spell-casters aid, this one transferred health points to mana points. It's interesting to think who would use this in the final game. Sorcerers wouldn't much bother, since they have such high mana and low hit points anyway. Rogues, before going into mini-mage mode? Bards?

===Doom Serpents===
[[Image:D1-icon-doom-serpent.gif|frame]]
This one summoned two serpents from out of the ground, which then slithered over to attack nearby targets. They did not attack the Undead. The graphics were not finished, and it's hard to see who would have found this useful in the final game, when so many spells do the same thing, but more quickly, and against Undead as well.

===Ethereal===
[[Image:D1-icon-ethereal.gif|frame]]
A precursor to Stone Curse, this one turned living things solid. It did not work on the Undead.

===Invisibility===
[[Image:D1-icon-invisible.gif|frame]]
From an early vision of Diablo, when stealth and tactics were part of the plan, rather than massive brute force destruction. If the icon looks familiar, it was used for the Sorceress' teleport skill in ''Diablo II''.

===Sentinel===
A sort of traveling Guardian, this one summoned an eyeball that hovered beside your character and shot Firebolts at nearby enemies. It followed, but lagged a bit, and could be led into a room, then left inside with the monsters if you hurried out and shut the door. Monsters did not attack the Sentinel as they do not attack Guardians.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Basics]]
[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:D1 Uniques]]
[[Category:Hellfire]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Spellbooks

2009-02-05T06:10:50Z

DiMono: /* Lightning Wall */

Unlike Diablo II with its skill trees of unique abilities for each character, Diablo featured no special attack skills at all. In Diablo and Hellfire all of the characters can cast the same spells from scrolls, charges on staffs, or from memory, after learning the spells by reading spell books.

==Spell Basics==

* Spellbooks have magic requirements to read, which increase 20% with each level of the spell. (Maxing out at 255.)
** Reading a spell book adds a small amount of mana to the available pool. (The amount is equal to the magical requirement to read level 1 of that book.)
* Casting spells costs mana, an amount that's different for every spell, and which (generally) decreases (to a pre-set hard cap) at higher levels of the spell.
** Casting spells from scrolls and charges on items does not cost mana.
* Spell levels max out at 15 from reading books.
** Various unique and magical items add 1 or 2 to all spell levels.
*** The most possible with legitimate equipment is +5, and the highest possible spell level is 20. +1 [[D1 Unique Armor|Naj's Light Plate]], +2 [[D1 Prefixes|Archangel's]] Staff, +2 [[D1 Unique Helms|Thinking Cap]].)
* Most spells can be found on scrolls, which have magic requirements to cast, but do not cost mana. Casting a spell from a scroll casts it at the level your character has learned up to (or level 1 if it's not a spell you have read a book for). Scroll magic requirements are always the same, regardless of what level the spell is being cast at.
** Some spells can only be found on scrolls and not in spell books.
* Most spells can be found in charges on items; on staffs and some unique items. Some Hellfire spells can only be found on staffs.

==The Spellbook==

Opening up your character's spellbook (S = hotkey) pulls up a menu on the right side of the screen. Every spell your character has learned (by reading a spellbook), is listed in the spell menu. There are four pages of spells in Diablo, and five in Hellfire. Spells are arranged (roughly) by increasing strength, with the spells with the lowest requirements on page one, and the highest on page four. The table below replicates the spellbook.

{| width="100%"
! Page One
! Page Two
! Page Three
! Page Four
! Page Five (Hellfire)
|-
| ''Inherent Skill''
| Resurrect
| Phasing
| Nova
| Lightning Wall
|-
| Firebolt
| Fire Wall
| Mana Shield
| Golem
| Immolation
|-
| Charged Bolt
| Telekinesis
| Elemental
| Teleport
| Warp
|-
| Holy Bolt
| Lightning
| Fireball
| Apocalypse
| Reflect
|-
| Healing
| Town Portal
| Flame Wave
| Bone Spirit
| Ring of Fire
|-
| Inferno
| Stone Curse
| Guardian
| --
| Search
|}

* Only found in multiplayer games: Heal Other, Resurrect.
* Scrolls only: Identify, Infravision.
* Scrolls/Staffs only: Resurrect, Apocalypse, Nova. (Apocalypse and Nova exist in book form in Hellfire.)
* Spells added in Hellfire: Lightning Wall, Immolation, Warp, Reflect, Berserk, Ring of Fire, Search, Jester, Magi, Mana.
** Staffs only: Jester, Magi, Mana.

==Character Inherent Skills==

Each of the characters has an inherent skill of varying utility. They can use these skills from level 1, and they do not cost mana to use.

===Rogue===
[[Image:D1-icon-trap-disarm.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Rogue|Rogues]] can always recognize, and have a chance to disarm, the traps found on doors and chests. Since the damage from trapped objects isn't very high in Diablo or Hellfire, this isn't an especially useful skill. Traps deeper in the dungeon are harder to disarm than those in the upper levels, and rogues have better odds of disarming them with higher dexterity. The forumula is as follows:
# x = 2·Dex - 5·dlvl
# if x > Rnd[100], trap is disarmed

===Sorcerer===
[[Image:D1-icon-staff-recharge.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] can recharge the charges on a staff, though the maximum number of charges will always decrease slightly, usually by 1 or 2. A staff with 20 charges would go from 0/20 to 19/19 or 18/18. Since there is no way to increase the maximum charges on a staff, this skill should never be used on a staff you are using long term. However, if you find a staff of Fireball or Guardian early and just want to have some fun with it and cast a lot of spells without using any mana, knock yourself out.

The formula for determining the recharge, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current charges is equal to max charges or max charges is equal to 0, exit
# x = Rnd[clvl/qlvl(book)] + 1
# decrease MaxChrg by 1
# add x to CurChrg
# if CurChrg < MaxChrg, goto 3.
# CurChrg = MaxChrg

===Warrior===
[[Image:D1-icon-repair.gif|frame]]
The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] can repair the durability of an item, but the item will always lose a point or two of maximum durability. A sword worn down to 2/50 would be replenished to 49/49, for example. This should not be used on quality weapons you're going to keep long term, but it's very handy on items you know you'll replace if you do not want to return to town. Item durability can be increased in Diablo via [[D1 Shrines|Hidden Shrines]], and by [[D1_Hellfire_Oils#Durability_Improvements|various oils]] in Hellfire, so repair-lowered durability can be regained.

This skill isn't often needed in Diablo and Hellfire, since repair costs aren't that high and gold is plentiful. In various Diablo and Hellfire mods, this skill becomes far more important, since repair costs can be quite steep, and the higher difficulty means that repairs are required more often.

The formula for determining the repair, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current durability is equal to max durability, exit
# x = 0
# add (clvl + Rnd[clvl]) to x
# y = [MaxDur/(clvl+9)], if less than 1 set to 1
# decrease MaxDur by y
# if x + CurDur < MaxDur, goto 3.
# CurDur = MaxDur

If max durability reaches 0, the item is destroyed.

===Bard===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Bard|Bards]] are only playable in Hellfire, once they've been enabled by the [[Command.txt]] file.

The Bard can use the Identify skill inherently, with no mana cost. She thus saves herself ever having to pay Deckard Cain 100 gold, and need not stay a while and listen at any time, other than when she needs his interaction to further a quest.

===Barbarian===
[[Image:D1-icon-rage.gif|frame]]
The Hellfire [[D1 Barbarian|Barbarian]] has a skill called Rage. This skill is a short term buff that boosts his strength, vitality, and dexterity for 12 seconds. After that time he enters a 12 second lethargy phase, when those same attributes are reduced by the same amount. Afterwards his vitality is supposed to suffer a permanent penalty, however due to a bug in Hellfire, clicking on any item in his inventory will reset the vitality loss.

The calculations:
# For 12 seconds it adds: 2·clvl to Strength and Vitality and 1.5·clvl to Dexterity.
# For 12 more seconds, during a lethargy phase, it decreases Strength, Dexterity and Vitality by the same amount (counted from normal values).
# Afterwards you lose 2·Vit life. There is a bug however so if you click on any item in your inventory your life is restored.

===Monk===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
The [[D1 Monk|Monk]] has inherent access to the Search skill. It works just as it does for other characters; the Monk just doesn't need to read a book to learn it or spend mana to cast it.

==Spell Damage==

Determining your character's spell damage is notoriously difficult in Diablo and Hellfire, since the values scale up with character level. Determining the damage requires some math, which Jarulf explains in section 4.1.2 of [[Jarulf's Guide|his guide]]. How much good this explanation does you depends largely on how closely you're willing to embrace algebra. Since most readers feel their eyes glaze at the first equation, the calculation explanations are not reproduced here.

The calculations are presented for each skill below, if you're mathematically-inclined type who can find some use from them.

==Mana Costs for Spells==

All spells cost mana to cast from memory (they are free from staves and scrolls). The amount of mana they cost has a preset value, which decreases by a set amount each level, until it reaches some preset minimum amount.

There is a major exception to this, in that it costs Rogues, Monks, and Bards only 75% of the usual mana requirement. Warriors, Barbarians, and Sorcerers incur the full 100% cost, except in Hellfire v1.01, where the Sorcerer's spells cost only 50%. Regardless of the 50 and 75% values, no character ever expends less than the listed minimum.

Casting spells from scrolls and staff charges does not cost any mana, but there are magic requirements.
* Staffs: Magic requirement is equal to the magic required to read the level 1 book.
* Scrolls: Magic req is usually lower than staffs/book reading.

===Diablo Spell Costs===

{|
! rowspan="2" | Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 14
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 13 / 9 / 1
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 13 / 7 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 35
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 9 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 7 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 31
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 0.5
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 17
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 29
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 21
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 8 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 51
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 47
|-
| '''Healing'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 7
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 11
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 19
|-
| '''Infravision'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 23
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 5 / 3 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 5 / 5 / 3
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 25
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 8 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 33
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 8
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 81
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|}

===Hellfire Spell Costs===

The following spells are found in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but not in book form. See above for figure and column explanations.

{|
! rowspan="2" |
Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Magi'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Mana'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 15 / 15 / 14
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|}

==Magic Requirements for Spellbooks==

A handy chart from Jarulf's Guide. This lists the magic required to read every level of spellbook in Diablo and Hellfire. The formula is very simple: books have a set amount at level 1, which then increases 20% per level. Any values over 213 are automatically set to 255. (The initial amount is also how much mana the blue bulb fills up when a character reads a book of that type.)

In Diablo, Rogues and Warriors can not achieve 255 magic no matter what equipment they assemble, (Rogues can get to 245, Warriors to 225) so can not read higher level spellbooks and must hunt for [[D1 Shrines|Enchanted Shrines]] to boost their spells to 15. In Hellfire all of the characters except the Barbarian can get to over 255 magic, thanks to some of the new uniques. See all the [[Diablo_Characters#Max_Stats_with_Equipment|max possible attributes here]].

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | 84
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 144
| align="center" | 172
| align="center" | 206
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 21
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Healing'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 126
| align="center" | 151
| align="center" | 181
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|}

===Hellfire Spellbook Magic Requirements===

Books found only in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but only on scrolls and staves, not books. The other spells are all new and unique to Hellfire.

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 178
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 42
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 72
| align="center" | 86
| align="center" | 103
| align="center" | 123
| align="center" | 147
| align="center" | 176
| align="center" | 211
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|}

==Diablo Spells==

Information and relevant calculations for every spell in the game. Calculations from [[Jarulf's Guide]].

===Apocalypse===
[[Image:D1-icon-apocalypse.jpg|frame]]
Apocalypse is the ultimate spell in Diablo. It creates a blossom of fire beneath a monster's feet, but is not fire damage. Apoc is a special type of damage that can not be resisted, and that no monster is immune to. In Diablo it hits everything on the screen, even over walls, and is frequently used to decimate the creatures inside of Diablo's square before the bone levers are thrown.

In Hellfire the spell can be learned from spellbooks, but they are only dropped by Na-Krul, and the spell requires a line of sight to work; it can't be used over walls anymore.
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''Clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''6·clvl
* '''Real damage: '''Itt(clvl, Rnd[6] + 1)
* '''Speed: '''Hits everything in range when cast.
* '''Blockable: '''Yes
* '''Available: '''Scrolls and staffs only in Diablo. On books as well in Hellfire, but the only way to get a book is to kill Na-Krul.

===Blood Star===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-star.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell most commonly seen being cast by Witches. Each Blood Star moves relatively slowly and in a straight line. There is no splash damage. This is the only viable, magic-type skill to kill targets at a distance, but the fact that it does so much less damage than comparable fire or lightning spells means it is very seldom used, except in special circumstances. (There are no monsters who are immune to Fire and Lightning in but not Magic in Diablo. There are a few in Hellfire.)

Blood Star has a special extra cost to cast; draining 5 life along with the mana cost. When cast with a Mana Shield active, it costs 5 extra mana. This cost is applied even if it's cast from charges.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage: '''3·slvl + [Mag/2] - [Mag/8]
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

[[Image:D1-rogue-corpse-cover2.gif|center|frame|Witches fire Bloodstars at a covering Rogue.]]

===Bone Spirit===
[[Image:D1-icon-bonespirit-sp.gif|frame]]
Fires a pink, ghostly creature that moves relatively slowly, but that can home in on the target. The damage is percentage based, making this skill very damaging to monsters with full hit points, but virtually useless on ones nearer death. The damage is resisted, just like any other magic-based spell, if the monster has magic resistance.

Like Blood Star, Bone Spirit costs life as well as mana to cast, draining 6 life along with the mana cost. This cost is applied even if the spell is cast from charges on a staff. It costs 6 extra mana if you have Mana Shield active.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage against monster: '''1/3 of targets HP
* '''Damage against player: '''1/6 of targets life
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Chain Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-chain-lightning.gif|frame]]
The biggest killing lightning type spell in the game, and a spell that can deal the most damage per cast. Chain Lightning sends one bolt where your cursor points, and another one for each target in range (range is calculated irrelevant of walls and other obstacles), each time it is cast. The range increases with more points in the spell, as does the damage per bolt. This spell would clear entire levels in a single use if not for the "sprite limit" in Diablo/Hellfire. The game's engine will only display 255 sprites at once, and since each bolt from the Chain Lightning creates quite a few sprites, numerous "gaps" appear in the bolts. As a result, some strategy is required to use Chain Lightning effectively.

Players need to know where the monsters are around them, whether they are on the other side of a wall or not. For instance, it's wise to stand beside a wall so not many sprites will appear in that direction when you want to fire them forward. Alternatively, hordes of monsters on the other side of a wall can be very useful if you maneuver so that the nearby monsters are between you and that wall with the monsters past it.

The damage from each bolt is calculated multiple times per bolt, as they appear to move past. According to [[Jarulf's Guide]], each bolt does a hit check each 0.05 seconds, for a total of [slvl/2] + 6 times per bolt.
* '''Spell: '''Chain Lightning
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl] + Rnd[2] + 2
* '''Bolts: '''1 + numbers of monsters in range
* '''Range: '''2 + slvl (max 18)
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2] + 6)/20 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

[[Image:D1-chain-lightning2.gif|frame|center|One bolt shoots at each enemy in range. Positioning your character in a corner or against a wall, so the bolts concentrate on a few targets, instead of shooting in every direction, is an essential tactic.]]

===Charged Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-charged-bolt-sp.gif|frame]]
Charged Bolt sends out several small squares of electricity per use. These squares move semi-randomly in the direction the caster is facing, spreading out and usually bouncing off of walls. They are not especially damaging, but can be useful to "wake up" all of the non-lightning immune monsters in a room, bringing them out to fight while leaving the other monsters in the area undisturbed.

This spell can be quite annoying when used by mages; not for the tiny damage, but because it causes characters with a shield to stop to block.
* '''Spell: '''Charged Bolt
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''1
* '''Max. Damage: '''1 + [Mag/4]
* '''Number of bolts: '''4 + [slvl/2]
* '''Speed: '''8
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Elemental===
[[Image:D1-icon-elemental.gif|frame]]
Elemental fires a running, target-homing human-shaped fire elemental. This one is far less useful than it would seem, for while the damage displays the same as Fireball, Fireball is boosted by a buggy, non-displayed splash damage. Elemental does not deal that splash damage, and as a result it's less than half as damaging as Fireball. Even though it doesn't "splash" like a Fireball, each Elemental can hit two targets if they are very close together.

Elemental splash damage is 1/64th of the total damage. It is applied each .05 seconds for .7 seconds (14 tries) and is not blockable. Thus, as is the case with Fireball, the splash damage from an Elemental will deal damage even if the spell itself is blocked.
* '''Spell: '''Elemental
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' (4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)/2
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable:''' Yes

===Fireball===
[[Image:D1-icon-fireball.gif|frame]]
The most popular fire spell in the game, and a hugely damaging spell against single targets or tightly-packed groups. Fireball moves very quickly (increasing with Slvl) and its damage increases with Slvl and Clvl, making it indispensible for all Sorcerers and many other character builds as well. Each fireball deals a splash of damage that's equal to the damage of the spell itself. The fireball or the splash can be blocked, but not both, and monsters that can't block always take both, making this one basically double damage against most enemies.

Like all projectiles in Diablo and Hellfire, Fireball is best fired at targets approaching in straight lines. It's extremely accurate against stationary targets, whatever their orientation to the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Fireball
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl (max 50)
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Firebolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-firebolt.gif|frame]]
A fire projectile spell that's quite handy early in the game. It's basically a Fireball, but with much lower damage and no splash.

The fire damage dealt by the dragons of the Guardian spell is determined by the Firebolt spell, so characters will want to max this one out, even if they never cast Firebolt itself.
* '''Spell: '''Firebolt
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''1 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Max. Damage: '''10 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + slvl + [Mag/8] + 1
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Fire Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-firewall.gif|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Firewalls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Very useful early and mid-game, especially against monsters stuck on the other side of an obstacle. Most monsters will not advance into the flames, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Firewall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and roast since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself.

The central sprite of the firewall does double damage. Unlike most spells, Firewall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Fire Wall
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8
* '''Duration:''' 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Flame Wave===
[[Image:D1-icon-flamewave.gif|frame]]
This spell basically creates a moving firewall, one that moves across the level until it hits a wall. The extend of the Flame Wave increases with more points in the spell, and it can be wider than the visible screen at high levels. The killing power of this one is far less than Fireball, but it's a useful way to wake up all of the monsters in an area and bring them out to fight without disturbing the fire immunes in the area.

This spell can hit the player who casts it, (if you teleport quickly into it) and the fire is counted as damage from a trap.
* '''Spell: '''Flame Wave
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''6 + 6·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''60 + 6·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + clvl + 1
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Number of flames: '''5 + [slvl/2]
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Flash===
[[Image:D1-icon-flash.gif|frame]]
Flash is a sort of 1-space radius Nova spell, hitting anything in melee range with magical damage. This appears to be a powerful spell, by the damage display, but it's hampered by bugs and does far less damage than displayed. As most players have noticed, when basking in the ineffective version of it cast by monster mages.

There are actually two spells cast; the first hits targets in front of and to the sides of the character, while the second covers the three rear spaces. Like other timed spells, Flash hits once every .05 seconds, for a total of 19 attempts in just less than a second.
* '''Spell: '''Flash
* '''Type: '''magic
* '''Min. Damage: '''[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Max. Damage: '''2·[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''3·clvl/2 · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''3·clvl · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage 1: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[20] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Real Damage 2: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[2] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Duration: '''0.95 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Golem===
[[Image:D1-icon-golem.gif|frame]]
A summonable stone man, the Golem is a slow moving but fairly damaging companion, most commonly used by sorcerers against triple immune monsters. Golems can also be helpful to distract enemies, and to kill targets on the other side of a wall. They benefit greatly from the stone curse spell, since if their targets are stationary and helpless, the golem hits with every strike and takes no damage during the battle. Golems are not useful against higher level melee monsters, who will kill them quickly. A single golem can terrorize entire levels in the Church, though.

Golems are primarily useful against Advocates, since they can withstand a lot of damage from Flash spells, and are not touched by the Advocates' Fireballs. They are less successful against Witches, and take damage from Bloodstar. Also, due to a bug in the Golem's light radius (it's set to infinite) every witch on the level sees the golem the moment he's cast, and will fire at him if they have a line of sight. Golems home in on nearby enemies. If nothing is nearby, they will walk in the direction their caster is facing.

Only one golem may be active at once. If the spell is cast again, an active golem will crumble to gravel. Players gain full experience for kills made by their golem. Golems are hostile to each other, and will fight if there are two of them (from two players) in the same area. Yes, this can be funny to watch.
* '''Spell: '''Golem
* '''Type: '''Physical damage.
* '''Stated damage: '''11-17 (meaningless figure)
* '''Golem stats:'''
** '''HP:''' 2·maxmana/3 + 10·slvl
** '''AC:''' 25
** '''To Hit:''' 40 + 2·clvl + 5·slvl
** '''Min. Damage:''' 8 + 2·slvl
** '''Max. Damage: '''16 + 2·slvl
** '''mlvl: '''12 (modified for difficulty)
** '''HP regeneration: '''1.9, 4.1 and 6.6 each second on normal, nightmare and hell difficulty (same as for normal monster)
** '''Walk Speed:''' 0.80 (this is slower than most monsters)
** '''Hit Recovery Time:''' 0.0 (instantaneous)
** '''Attack Time:''' 0.60
** '''Hit Time:''' 0.35
** '''Resistances: '''None
** '''Immunities: '''Apocalypse, Stone Curse and Telekinesis

===Guardian===
[[Image:D1-icon-guardian.gif|frame]]
A three-headed, firebolt-spitting dragon is summoned, tunneling up from the ground in the location targeted with the spell. Guardians can only be cast in the line of sight, and not over walls or through doors. These are not especially useful to kill with, on higher levels, but are such fun to cast that many players enjoy using them anyway. They can be useful to shoot into a room you have not yet entered, but they are inefficient. The Guardians only shoot at whatever target is nearest, and if it's fire immune their shots will pass harmlessly.

The damage from a Guardian is equal to the damage of the casting character's Firebolt spell; the damage listed on the Guardian spell itself is meaningless. Higher levels of Guardian affect only the duration of the dragon, not the damage. Players gain full experience for kills made by their Guardians.
* '''Spell: '''Guardian
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 1 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 10 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(1 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(10 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Duration: '''4·slvl/5 + 2·clvl/5 seconds (maximum 24 seconds, minimum 0.8 seconds)
* '''Fire frequency: '''every 0.8 second
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Healing===
[[Image:D1-icon-healing.gif|frame]]
An essential skill for all non-mana shield using characters, and even those types enjoy it, from time to time. Higher levels (Slvl and Clvl) lower the mana cost and increase the healing, so it's useful to build this one up even for Warriors, Barbarians, and other rock-headed melee fighters. Reading lots of Healing books is mandatory for Barbarians, since the cost of Healing increases with the hit points of the character. As these screenshots illustrate, a level 29 Barbarian with typical equipment can't even come close to casting a Healing spell, at [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost2.gif|level 3]] or even [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost1.gif|level 6]], since his high hit points make the spell cost far more mana than he can scratch up.

Healing is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the healing effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell:''' Healing
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Mana Cost:''' 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing:''' bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Heal Other===
[[Image:D1-icon-heal-other.gif|frame]]
This spell is only found in multiplayer. It works much like Healing, except that casting it gives a target for the pointer, and the benefit will be granted to whichever player is clicked on. It can be hard to click on a friend, if they're moving or there are monsters crowded around them, and few players will wait on this spell, since drinking a potion is instantly beneficial.
* '''Spell: '''Heal Other
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Mana Cost: '''8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Monk: 3.0
** Warrior and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Holy Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-holy-bolt.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell that fires a gray Firebolt. This one hits only the undead though, and the damage scales up quite quickly, so most sorcerers find it quite useful in the early going. The utility is quite limited by the fact that Fireball does much more damage as soon as it comes online, but moreover by the fact that there are no undead monsters found in the Caves or Hell. Hellfire added a few in the Hive and Crypt, but Holy Bolt doesn't do enough damage to be very effective in the late game.

It is quite useful for one thing; luring Diablo out of his square, since he is the only monster affected by Holy Bolt on his level (or anywhere in the game deeper than about Dlvl 7). It can't kill him in any reasonable amount of time, but it will wake him up and bring him out without disturbing the knights and Advocates around him.

Nothing resists Holy Bolt in ''Diablo''. In ''Hellfire'', Diablo and the Bone Demons are resistant to it.
* '''Spell: '''Holy Bolt
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''9 + clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''18 + clvl
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl

===Identify===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
In Diablo and Hellfire, items can be equipped and used without being identified. However, all magical and unique items found in the dungeons or given as quest rewards are unidentified, and must be identified (by this spell or by Deckard Cain) before their special properties become active.

Identify is not found on spellbooks, and can only be cast from staff charges or scrolls.

===Inferno===
[[Image:D1-icon-inferno.gif|frame]]
Inferno looks like a powerful flamethrower of a spell, but it actually emits a fairly weak puff of flame that's less damaging than most other flame spells, and far less than Lightning Bolt.

The spell always has the same range and duration, regardless of the Slvl or Clvl. The differences in damage are by distance from the caster. Inferno blows three spaces, and spends longer in each of them, progressively. Like other duration spells in Diablo, there is a damage check every .05 seconds, so Inferno hits 20, 25, and 30 times, moving away from the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Inferno
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''3
* '''Max. Damage: 6 + 3·clvl/2
* '''Real Damage: '''(3·(Rnd[clvl]+Rnd[2]) + 6)/16
* '''Range: '''3
* '''Duration: '''1, 1.25 and 1.50 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Infravision===
[[Image:D1-icon-infravision.gif|frame]]
Infravision shows every monster on the screen, even those over walls or otherwise out of the line of sight. Monsters in sight display normally; monsters out of your sight show up in bright red. Their names and stats do not highlight, but recognizing them by type is easy enough.

Infravision is only found only on scrolls, staff charges, and as the benefit after drinking from a [[D1_Shrines#Springs_and_Pools|Murky Pool]]. It's never found in book form.
* '''Spell:''' Infravision
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Duration:''' Rec(slvl, 79.2) seconds
* '''Murky pools:''' (Duration depends on the level the pool is found on. Murky pools never appear in the Hive or Crypt levels.)
** '''Church:''' slvl = 2
** '''Catacombs:''' slvl = 4
** '''Caves:''' slvl = 6
** '''Hell:''' slvl = 8

===Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-lightning.gif|frame]]
Lightning fires a wide strip of lightning at high speed in a straight line. Lightning passed through all soft targets, only vanishing once it runs into a wall or other solid object. It's the first really useful combat spell most Sorcerers learn. The listed damage isn't that much higher than Firebolt or other early spells, but this one's ability to hit multiple targets, and to hit each one multiple times, makes it quite powerful.

Each bolt hits multiple times, calculating the damage every .05 seconds, for a total [slvl/2]+6 times.
* '''Spell:''' Lightning
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl]+ Rnd[2] + 2Speed: 32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2]+6)/20 seconds
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Mana Shield===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana-shield.gif|frame]]
A defensive spell, Mana Shield allows the caster to lessen the damage taken, and causes all damage taken to deduct from the mana pool, rather than from the life. This spell is mandatory for higher level Sorcerers who usually have hundreds of more points in mana than life, but can also be used by Rogues and other characters with moderately high mana who need or want an extra defensive buffer.

Mana Shield turns off each time your character leaves a level, so be sure you recast it first thing after you take the stairs down. Countless Sorcerers have stupidly lost their lives teleporting right into battle without first engaging their Mana Shield on the new level.

If a character takes damage greater than their current life, they will neither be stunned nor pushed back by it. This can be exploited with mana shield and -life equipment (or bugs, such as the yellow zombies removing 1 life point permanently with each hit in early versions of Diablo).
* '''Spell:''' Mana Shield
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Damage reduction in Diablo: '''33%
* '''Damage reduction in Hellfire: '''Bugged. The spell is supposed to increase the damage reduction with increasing levels, but actually does the opposite. Formula: 100/(3· slvl)% The max slvl is 7, in this formula.
* '''Duration: '''Infinite. Only ends when mana drops to zero, or when you leave the current dungeon level.

===Nova===
[[Image:D1-icon-nova.gif|frame]]
A powerful lightning spell, Nova sends out an explosion of lighting in an expanding circle; albeit one riddled with gaps. Nova is more useful than Chain Lightning only when totally surrounded by monsters, when the sprite limits would cut Chain Lightning's effectiveness.

Nova is only found on scrolls and staffs in Diablo. In Hellfire it can be found in book form.
* '''Spell: '''Nova
* '''Type:''' lightning
* '''Min. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 2 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 15 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' 5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage:''' 5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage:''' Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed:''' 16
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Phasing===
[[Image:D1-icon-phasing.gif|frame]]
This spell is a random teleport. Using it instantly transports the player to a random location somewhere on the visible screen. It's only utility is an an emergency escape spell, if your character is surrounded by enemies. Since Phasing is non-targeting, it casts .05 faster than Teleport, and can therefore be useful to escape when stunlocked. Warp is a better choice in Hellfire, since it will take you further away, and to a predictable location. 
'''Spell:''' Phasing 
'''Type:''' n/a

===Resurrect===
[[Image:D1-icon-resurrect.gif|frame]]
Only available in Multiplayer. Resurrect is targeted on a dead character's corpse. It will always bring them back to life, there's no skill or level check. Resurrected characters have 10 hit points (or less, if their maximum life is lower than 10) and no mana.

===Stone Curse===
[[Image:D1-icon-stone-curse.gif|frame]]
A hugely useful spell, Stone Curse turns the targeted monster to stone, rendering them statues: helpless, immobile, and defenseless. Immunities are not countered, but stoned monsters have zero Armor Class and will be hit by every attack. They remain material objects, and must be walked around by other monsters. A row of stoned monsters can provide a useful barrier against enemies.

Diablo, Na-Krul, and other players are immune to stone curse. Monsters that are already stoned, or who are charging or phasing in or out are temporarily immune to stone curse. Mages will dodge it at times; teleporting once, then again if you attempt to stone them as soon as they reappear. Allow them to rematerialize long enough to attempt to cast a spell, then stone them.

You can not cast it on your own Golem.

Stone Curse can not be cast again on a monster that's already stunned. You must wait for it to wear off before casting it again on the same target.

'''Spell:''' Stone Curse 
'''Type:''' n/a 
'''Duration:''' 4.8 + 0.8·slvl seconds (12 sec max)

===Telekinesis===
[[Image:D1-icon-telekinesis.gif|frame]]
A spell used to pick up items from a distance, or to throw switches, pull levers, activate shrines, etc. It works over walls on any item or object you can see. Very useful to retrieve items after dying, to open up Diablo's box without entering the other boxes, to use shrines or grab books from bookshelves from a distance. Players must have enough space to hold the item they attempt to pick up with TK.

When used on monsters TK can knock them back. This does no damage, but counts as a form of damage sufficient to enable the TK'er to receive experience when another player kills the monster. Using TK on a stone cursed monster will immediately remove the Stone Curse effect. Some superunique monsters are immune to TK: Snotspill, Gharbad the Weak, Zhar the Mad, Warlord of Blood, Lachdanan, Arch-Bishop Lazarus, Blackjade and Red Vex.

===Teleport===
[[Image:D1-icon-teleport.gif|frame]]
One of the most useful skills in the game; teleport allows your character to move to any location you can point to, whether you have a line of sight there or not. Great to move quickly around the levels, to escape monsters, to back up to gain more room to fire spells or arrows, etc.

When cast by selecting Teleport on the right skill icon, the spell will be cast instantly with a right click. When cast by right clicking on a scroll in the inventory or belt, the cursor becomes a targeting arrow and the character moves with the next right click of the mouse.

===Town Portal===
[[Image:D1-icon-town-portal.gif|frame]]
Players create a blue portal that can be stepped into to return instantly to town. Town Portals remain open indefinitely, until the character who cast it uses it to return to the dungeon from town. If two or more players cast town portals, they can keep them open forever by only returning via the portal cast by the other player. Each character can have only one active Town Portal, and if a second is cast the first will vanish.

==Hellfire Spells==

Brand new spells introduced in the Hellfire expansion pack. None of these can be found in Diablo. Some existing Diablo spells were also modified in Hellfire, as noted in the above section. Apocalypse and Nova are findable in book form in Hellfire, when they were only scrolls/staff charges in Diablo.

===Berserk===
[[Image:D1-icon-berserk.jpg|frame]]
Berserk is a curse-like spell that resets a monster's AI, and makes them hostile to their own kind. Monsters will fight other monsters when Berserked, but they are not necessarily on the character's side; they simply attack whatever is nearest. This spell is best used as a decoy or diversion; turning an army of monsters with Berserk can be amusing, but it's not an especially viable strategy.

Berserked monsters deal enhanced damage, (20-30% + Slvl). Players do not receive experience for monsters killed by a Berserker. Berserkers are not immune to player damage, and can be killed just like any other monster.

Though Berserk does not deal direct damage, it is considered a form of magic, and thus will not work on magic immune monsters. All unique and special monsters are also immune, as are monsters in mid-charge or who are phasing in or out. There is a 50% chance that magic resistant monsters will not be Berserked.

===Immolation===
[[Image:D1-icon-immolation.jpg|frame]]
A fire-based version of Nova; this spell shoots out a ring of Fireballs. They are much less damaging than actual Fireballs, and do the same damage as Nova, but look just like Fireballs.
* '''Spell: '''Immolation
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 2 + clvl/2)
* '''Max. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 15 + clvl/2)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed: '''16 + slvl

===Jester===
[[Image:D1-icon-jester.jpg|frame]]
Jester is only found on staffs. Jester staffs will cast a semi-random spell each time the charges are used. Spells are fired at the character's appropriate Slvl, or at level 1 if the character has not yet read a book for that spell.
Spells included are:
* '''Firebolt: '''20%
* ''' Apocalypse:''' 10%
* ''' Chain lightning:''' 10%
* ''' Fireball: '''10%
* ''' Fire Wall: '''10%
* ''' Guardian: '''10%
* ''' Teleport: '''10%
* ''' Town Portal: '''10%
* ''' Stone Curse: '''10%

===Lightning Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-light-wall.jpg|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Lightning Walls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Most monsters will not advance into the lightning, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Lightning Wall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and sizzle since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the line of fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself. The central sprite of the Lightning Wall does double damage, so be sure you target the monster you are using it on.

Like Firewall, Lightning Walls work best when cast in a straight line, rather than diagonal, since there are gaps between the active sprites on diagonal walls. Lightning Wall deals double the damage of a Firewall, but it seems to have more gaps and spaces, since monsters are more likely to walk right through it.

Unlike most spells, Lightning Wall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Lightning Wall
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/4
* '''Duration: '''12.75 + 12.75·slvl seconds
* '''Number of bolts: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Magi===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
Found only in charges on staffs, the Magi charges work like drinking a full mana potion. They completely refill the mana of the caster, unlike the partial mana fill granted by the Mana charges.

===Mana===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
A spell that works just like healing, but one that refills the mana globe instead of the life bulb.

The Mana spell is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the mana filling effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell: '''Mana
* '''Min. Mana: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Mana: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Mana restore: '''bonus·(Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6] + 1) + Rnd[10] + 1)
* '''* Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per mana, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Sorcerer: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 1.0

===Reflect===
[[Image:D1-icon-reflect.jpg|frame]]
This spell creates an armor icon that floats above the character's head, much like the mana shield graphic. It's used by melee fighters and other characters who wish to reduce the damage they take from being hit by melee attackers.

Reflect reduces melee damage by 20-29% and reflects that much of the damage back to the attacking monster. The spell lasts for a given number of hits, or until you leave the current dungeon level. It's a good idea to recast this one after each major battle, lest it expire in mid-battle and leave you surrounded and taking extra damage per hit.
A higher Slvl allows the spell to take more hits before expiring. Blocking counts as a hit to Reflect.
* '''Spell: '''Reflect
* '''Duration: '''slvl·clvl hits. Or until you leave the current dungeon level.

===Ring of Fire===
[[Image:D1-icon-ring-of-fire.jpg|frame]]
Ring of Fire casts a circular Firewall all around the player. It does the same damage and has the same duration as Firewall, but there are gaps in the circle that monsters will enter through, so it's not a very effective defense, in of itself. Players will take damage from their own Rings of Fire, with that damage treated as though it had been inflicted by a trap.

The flame does a damage check every .05 seconds for a total of 160 + 160·slvl times.
* '''Spell: '''Ring of Fire
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + clvl·2
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + clvl·2
* '''Duration: '''12 + 8·slvl seconds
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8Duration: 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''22
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Search===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
Perhaps the most useful feature added in Hellfire, this one causes items on the ground to light up as though they were being highlighted by the pointer. It also makes dropped items show up with a blue square on the minimap. Search in vain for that dinging ring no more.

Search is an inherent skill for the Monk class. Other characters must learn it from books and spend mana to cost it. Casting Search several times in a row will make it last much longer than it does from a single cast.
* '''Spell: '''Search
* '''Duration:''' 12.25 + 10·slvl + clvl seconds

===Warp===
[[Image:D1-icon-warp.jpg|frame]]
Works like Phasing, but instantly teleports the character to the nearest stairway. A useful escape skill, but also helpful when rushing through levels and trying to find the way down, which most players do in the Hive, for instance.

The key to using it well in that way is to get away from the stairs going up. Teleport or hustle to some distant corner of the map, cast Warp, and you'll pop straight to the stairs down, if they're closer than the ones you started from. If you return to the starting spot, then run in a different direction and try it again.

==Diablo Demo Spells==

Many of the spells in the demo were unbalanced and buggy, but they had some interesting effects not found in the final game. We don't have full stats for these, just the icons and a quick description of how they worked. Thanks to [http://www.ladyofthecake.com/diablo/spells.htm Lady of the Cake] for most of the info in this section. The following skills were only found in the demo, and are not in the final game, though a few of the icons were eventually reused.

===Blood Boil===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-boil.gif|frame]]
An odd sort of proximity-based magical attack. When cast with enemies nearby, they would take huge damage, as though their blood was boiling from within. Presumably it did not work on undead, since skeletons pretty clearly lack blood.

===Blood Ritual===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-ritual.gif|frame]]
A spell-casters aid, this one transferred health points to mana points. It's interesting to think who would use this in the final game. Sorcerers wouldn't much bother, since they have such high mana and low hit points anyway. Rogues, before going into mini-mage mode? Bards?

===Doom Serpents===
[[Image:D1-icon-doom-serpent.gif|frame]]
This one summoned two serpents from out of the ground, which then slithered over to attack nearby targets. They did not attack the Undead. The graphics were not finished, and it's hard to see who would have found this useful in the final game, when so many spells do the same thing, but more quickly, and against Undead as well.

===Ethereal===
[[Image:D1-icon-ethereal.gif|frame]]
A precursor to Stone Curse, this one turned living things solid. It did not work on the Undead.

===Invisibility===
[[Image:D1-icon-invisible.gif|frame]]
From an early vision of Diablo, when stealth and tactics were part of the plan, rather than massive brute force destruction. If the icon looks familiar, it was used for the Sorceress' teleport skill in ''Diablo II''.

===Sentinel===
A sort of traveling Guardian, this one summoned an eyeball that hovered beside your character and shot Firebolts at nearby enemies. It followed, but lagged a bit, and could be led into a room, then left inside with the monsters if you hurried out and shut the door. Monsters did not attack the Sentinel as they do not attack Guardians.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Basics]]
[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:D1 Uniques]]
[[Category:Hellfire]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Spellbooks

2009-02-05T06:06:17Z

DiMono: /* Blood Ritual */

Unlike Diablo II with its skill trees of unique abilities for each character, Diablo featured no special attack skills at all. In Diablo and Hellfire all of the characters can cast the same spells from scrolls, charges on staffs, or from memory, after learning the spells by reading spell books.

==Spell Basics==

* Spellbooks have magic requirements to read, which increase 20% with each level of the spell. (Maxing out at 255.)
** Reading a spell book adds a small amount of mana to the available pool. (The amount is equal to the magical requirement to read level 1 of that book.)
* Casting spells costs mana, an amount that's different for every spell, and which (generally) decreases (to a pre-set hard cap) at higher levels of the spell.
** Casting spells from scrolls and charges on items does not cost mana.
* Spell levels max out at 15 from reading books.
** Various unique and magical items add 1 or 2 to all spell levels.
*** The most possible with legitimate equipment is +5, and the highest possible spell level is 20. +1 [[D1 Unique Armor|Naj's Light Plate]], +2 [[D1 Prefixes|Archangel's]] Staff, +2 [[D1 Unique Helms|Thinking Cap]].)
* Most spells can be found on scrolls, which have magic requirements to cast, but do not cost mana. Casting a spell from a scroll casts it at the level your character has learned up to (or level 1 if it's not a spell you have read a book for). Scroll magic requirements are always the same, regardless of what level the spell is being cast at.
** Some spells can only be found on scrolls and not in spell books.
* Most spells can be found in charges on items; on staffs and some unique items. Some Hellfire spells can only be found on staffs.

==The Spellbook==

Opening up your character's spellbook (S = hotkey) pulls up a menu on the right side of the screen. Every spell your character has learned (by reading a spellbook), is listed in the spell menu. There are four pages of spells in Diablo, and five in Hellfire. Spells are arranged (roughly) by increasing strength, with the spells with the lowest requirements on page one, and the highest on page four. The table below replicates the spellbook.

{| width="100%"
! Page One
! Page Two
! Page Three
! Page Four
! Page Five (Hellfire)
|-
| ''Inherent Skill''
| Resurrect
| Phasing
| Nova
| Lightning Wall
|-
| Firebolt
| Fire Wall
| Mana Shield
| Golem
| Immolation
|-
| Charged Bolt
| Telekinesis
| Elemental
| Teleport
| Warp
|-
| Holy Bolt
| Lightning
| Fireball
| Apocalypse
| Reflect
|-
| Healing
| Town Portal
| Flame Wave
| Bone Spirit
| Ring of Fire
|-
| Inferno
| Stone Curse
| Guardian
| --
| Search
|}

* Only found in multiplayer games: Heal Other, Resurrect.
* Scrolls only: Identify, Infravision.
* Scrolls/Staffs only: Resurrect, Apocalypse, Nova. (Apocalypse and Nova exist in book form in Hellfire.)
* Spells added in Hellfire: Lightning Wall, Immolation, Warp, Reflect, Berserk, Ring of Fire, Search, Jester, Magi, Mana.
** Staffs only: Jester, Magi, Mana.

==Character Inherent Skills==

Each of the characters has an inherent skill of varying utility. They can use these skills from level 1, and they do not cost mana to use.

===Rogue===
[[Image:D1-icon-trap-disarm.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Rogue|Rogues]] can always recognize, and have a chance to disarm, the traps found on doors and chests. Since the damage from trapped objects isn't very high in Diablo or Hellfire, this isn't an especially useful skill. Traps deeper in the dungeon are harder to disarm than those in the upper levels, and rogues have better odds of disarming them with higher dexterity. The forumula is as follows:
# x = 2·Dex - 5·dlvl
# if x > Rnd[100], trap is disarmed

===Sorcerer===
[[Image:D1-icon-staff-recharge.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] can recharge the charges on a staff, though the maximum number of charges will always decrease slightly, usually by 1 or 2. A staff with 20 charges would go from 0/20 to 19/19 or 18/18. Since there is no way to increase the maximum charges on a staff, this skill should never be used on a staff you are using long term. However, if you find a staff of Fireball or Guardian early and just want to have some fun with it and cast a lot of spells without using any mana, knock yourself out.

The formula for determining the recharge, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current charges is equal to max charges or max charges is equal to 0, exit
# x = Rnd[clvl/qlvl(book)] + 1
# decrease MaxChrg by 1
# add x to CurChrg
# if CurChrg < MaxChrg, goto 3.
# CurChrg = MaxChrg

===Warrior===
[[Image:D1-icon-repair.gif|frame]]
The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] can repair the durability of an item, but the item will always lose a point or two of maximum durability. A sword worn down to 2/50 would be replenished to 49/49, for example. This should not be used on quality weapons you're going to keep long term, but it's very handy on items you know you'll replace if you do not want to return to town. Item durability can be increased in Diablo via [[D1 Shrines|Hidden Shrines]], and by [[D1_Hellfire_Oils#Durability_Improvements|various oils]] in Hellfire, so repair-lowered durability can be regained.

This skill isn't often needed in Diablo and Hellfire, since repair costs aren't that high and gold is plentiful. In various Diablo and Hellfire mods, this skill becomes far more important, since repair costs can be quite steep, and the higher difficulty means that repairs are required more often.

The formula for determining the repair, from Jarulf's Guide:
# if current durability is equal to max durability, exit
# x = 0
# add (clvl + Rnd[clvl]) to x
# y = [MaxDur/(clvl+9)], if less than 1 set to 1
# decrease MaxDur by y
# if x + CurDur < MaxDur, goto 3.
# CurDur = MaxDur

If max durability reaches 0, the item is destroyed.

===Bard===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
[[D1 Bard|Bards]] are only playable in Hellfire, once they've been enabled by the [[Command.txt]] file.

The Bard can use the Identify skill inherently, with no mana cost. She thus saves herself ever having to pay Deckard Cain 100 gold, and need not stay a while and listen at any time, other than when she needs his interaction to further a quest.

===Barbarian===
[[Image:D1-icon-rage.gif|frame]]
The Hellfire [[D1 Barbarian|Barbarian]] has a skill called Rage. This skill is a short term buff that boosts his strength, vitality, and dexterity for 12 seconds. After that time he enters a 12 second lethargy phase, when those same attributes are reduced by the same amount. Afterwards his vitality is supposed to suffer a permanent penalty, however due to a bug in Hellfire, clicking on any item in his inventory will reset the vitality loss.

The calculations:
# For 12 seconds it adds: 2·clvl to Strength and Vitality and 1.5·clvl to Dexterity.
# For 12 more seconds, during a lethargy phase, it decreases Strength, Dexterity and Vitality by the same amount (counted from normal values).
# Afterwards you lose 2·Vit life. There is a bug however so if you click on any item in your inventory your life is restored.

===Monk===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
The [[D1 Monk|Monk]] has inherent access to the Search skill. It works just as it does for other characters; the Monk just doesn't need to read a book to learn it or spend mana to cast it.

==Spell Damage==

Determining your character's spell damage is notoriously difficult in Diablo and Hellfire, since the values scale up with character level. Determining the damage requires some math, which Jarulf explains in section 4.1.2 of [[Jarulf's Guide|his guide]]. How much good this explanation does you depends largely on how closely you're willing to embrace algebra. Since most readers feel their eyes glaze at the first equation, the calculation explanations are not reproduced here.

The calculations are presented for each skill below, if you're mathematically-inclined type who can find some use from them.

==Mana Costs for Spells==

All spells cost mana to cast from memory (they are free from staves and scrolls). The amount of mana they cost has a preset value, which decreases by a set amount each level, until it reaches some preset minimum amount.

There is a major exception to this, in that it costs Rogues, Monks, and Bards only 75% of the usual mana requirement. Warriors, Barbarians, and Sorcerers incur the full 100% cost, except in Hellfire v1.01, where the Sorcerer's spells cost only 50%. Regardless of the 50 and 75% values, no character ever expends less than the listed minimum.

Casting spells from scrolls and staff charges does not cost any mana, but there are magic requirements.
* Staffs: Magic requirement is equal to the magic required to read the level 1 book.
* Scrolls: Magic req is usually lower than staffs/book reading.

===Diablo Spell Costs===

{|
! rowspan="2" | Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 14
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 13 / 9 / 1
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 13 / 7 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 35
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 9 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 7 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 31
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 0.5
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 17
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 29
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 21
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 8 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 51
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 47
|-
| '''Healing'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| colspan="4" align="center" | Special: Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl mana to cast.
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 7
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 2
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 11
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 6 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 19
|-
| '''Infravision'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 23
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 5 / 3 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | O
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 1 / 1 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 5 / 5 / 3
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 25
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 8 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 33
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 8
| align="center" | 5 / 4 / 1
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 81
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | O
|}

===Hellfire Spell Costs===

The following spells are found in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but not in book form. See above for figure and column explanations.

{|
! rowspan="2" |
Spells:
! colspan="4" align="center" | Mana Cost
! colspan="2" align="center" | Magic Requirement
|-
! align="center" | Initial
! align="center" | Decrease per Slvl
! align="center" | Minimum
! align="center" | Slvl you reach minimum (100% / 75% / 50%)
! align="center" | Staff and Slvl 1
! align="center" | Scroll
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 150
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 90
| align="center" | 11 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 117
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Magi'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Mana'''
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | --
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 10 / 6 / 1
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 57
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 8 / 6 / 3
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | --
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 15 / 15 / 14
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 7 / 5 / 1
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | O
|}

==Magic Requirements for Spellbooks==

A handy chart from Jarulf's Guide. This lists the magic required to read every level of spellbook in Diablo and Hellfire. The formula is very simple: books have a set amount at level 1, which then increases 20% per level. Any values over 213 are automatically set to 255. (The initial amount is also how much mana the blue bulb fills up when a character reads a book of that type.)

In Diablo, Rogues and Warriors can not achieve 255 magic no matter what equipment they assemble, (Rogues can get to 245, Warriors to 225) so can not read higher level spellbooks and must hunt for [[D1 Shrines|Enchanted Shrines]] to boost their spells to 15. In Hellfire all of the characters except the Barbarian can get to over 255 magic, thanks to some of the new uniques. See all the [[Diablo_Characters#Max_Stats_with_Equipment|max possible attributes here]].

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Blood Star'''
| align="center" | 70
| align="center" | 84
| align="center" | 100
| align="center" | 144
| align="center" | 172
| align="center" | 206
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Bone Spirit'''
| align="center" | 34
| align="center" | 40
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Chain Lightning'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Charged Bolt'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Elemental'''
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Fireball'''
| align="center" | 48
| align="center" | 57
| align="center" | 68
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Firebolt'''
| align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 21
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
|-
| '''Fire Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flame Wave'''
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Flash'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Golem'''
| align="center" | 81
| align="center" | 97
| align="center" | 116
| align="center" | 139
| align="center" | 166
| align="center" | 199
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Guardian'''
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Healing'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Heal Other'''
| align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
|-
| '''Holy Bolt'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Inferno'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Mana Shield'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Phasing'''
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Stone Curse'''
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Telekinesis'''
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Teleport'''
| align="center" | 105
| align="center" | 126
| align="center" | 151
| align="center" | 181
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Town Portal'''
| align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 24
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 33
| align="center" | 39
| align="center" | 46
| align="center" | 55
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 79
| align="center" | 94
| align="center" | 112
| align="center" | 134
| align="center" | 160
| align="center" | 192
| align="center" | 255
|}

===Hellfire Spellbook Magic Requirements===

Books found only in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but only on scrolls and staves, not books. The other spells are all new and unique to Hellfire.

{| width="100%"
! align="center" | Level:
! align="center" | 1
! align="center" | 2
! align="center" | 3
! align="center" | 4
! align="center" | 5
! align="center" | 6
! align="center" | 7
! align="center" | 8
! align="center" | 9
! align="center" | 10
! align="center" | 11
! align="center" | 12
! align="center" | 13
! align="center" | 14
! align="center" | 15
|-
| '''Apocalypse'''
| align="center" | 149
| align="center" | 178
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Berserk'''
| align="center" | 35
| align="center" | 42
| align="center" | 50
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 72
| align="center" | 86
| align="center" | 103
| align="center" | 123
| align="center" | 147
| align="center" | 176
| align="center" | 211
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Immolation'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Lightning Wall'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Nova'''
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Reflect'''
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Ring of Fire'''
| align="center" | 27
| align="center" | 32
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 45
| align="center" | 54
| align="center" | 64
| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | 91
| align="center" | 109
| align="center" | 130
| align="center" | 156
| align="center" | 187
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Search'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|-
| '''Warp'''
| align="center" | 25
| align="center" | 30
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 43
| align="center" | 51
| align="center" | 61
| align="center" | 73
| align="center" | 87
| align="center" | 104
| align="center" | 124
| align="center" | 148
| align="center" | 177
| align="center" | 212
| align="center" | 255
| align="center" | 255
|}

==Diablo Spells==

Information and relevant calculations for every spell in the game. Calculations from [[Jarulf's Guide]].

===Apocalypse===
[[Image:D1-icon-apocalypse.jpg|frame]]
Apocalypse is the ultimate spell in Diablo. It creates a blossom of fire beneath a monster's feet, but is not fire damage. Apoc is a special type of damage that can not be resisted, and that no monster is immune to. In Diablo it hits everything on the screen, even over walls, and is frequently used to decimate the creatures inside of Diablo's square before the bone levers are thrown.

In Hellfire the spell can be learned from spellbooks, but they are only dropped by Na-Krul, and the spell requires a line of sight to work; it can't be used over walls anymore.
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''Clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''6·clvl
* '''Real damage: '''Itt(clvl, Rnd[6] + 1)
* '''Speed: '''Hits everything in range when cast.
* '''Blockable: '''Yes
* '''Available: '''Scrolls and staffs only in Diablo. On books as well in Hellfire, but the only way to get a book is to kill Na-Krul.

===Blood Star===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-star.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell most commonly seen being cast by Witches. Each Blood Star moves relatively slowly and in a straight line. There is no splash damage. This is the only viable, magic-type skill to kill targets at a distance, but the fact that it does so much less damage than comparable fire or lightning spells means it is very seldom used, except in special circumstances. (There are no monsters who are immune to Fire and Lightning in but not Magic in Diablo. There are a few in Hellfire.)

Blood Star has a special extra cost to cast; draining 5 life along with the mana cost. When cast with a Mana Shield active, it costs 5 extra mana. This cost is applied even if it's cast from charges.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage: '''3·slvl + [Mag/2] - [Mag/8]
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

[[Image:D1-rogue-corpse-cover2.gif|center|frame|Witches fire Bloodstars at a covering Rogue.]]

===Bone Spirit===
[[Image:D1-icon-bonespirit-sp.gif|frame]]
Fires a pink, ghostly creature that moves relatively slowly, but that can home in on the target. The damage is percentage based, making this skill very damaging to monsters with full hit points, but virtually useless on ones nearer death. The damage is resisted, just like any other magic-based spell, if the monster has magic resistance.

Like Blood Star, Bone Spirit costs life as well as mana to cast, draining 6 life along with the mana cost. This cost is applied even if the spell is cast from charges on a staff. It costs 6 extra mana if you have Mana Shield active.
* '''Type: '''Magic
* '''Damage against monster: '''1/3 of targets HP
* '''Damage against player: '''1/6 of targets life
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Chain Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-chain-lightning.gif|frame]]
The biggest killing lightning type spell in the game, and a spell that can deal the most damage per cast. Chain Lightning sends one bolt where your cursor points, and another one for each target in range (range is calculated irrelevant of walls and other obstacles), each time it is cast. The range increases with more points in the spell, as does the damage per bolt. This spell would clear entire levels in a single use if not for the "sprite limit" in Diablo/Hellfire. The game's engine will only display 255 sprites at once, and since each bolt from the Chain Lightning creates quite a few sprites, numerous "gaps" appear in the bolts. As a result, some strategy is required to use Chain Lightning effectively.

Players need to know where the monsters are around them, whether they are on the other side of a wall or not. For instance, it's wise to stand beside a wall so not many sprites will appear in that direction when you want to fire them forward. Alternatively, hordes of monsters on the other side of a wall can be very useful if you maneuver so that the nearby monsters are between you and that wall with the monsters past it.

The damage from each bolt is calculated multiple times per bolt, as they appear to move past. According to [[Jarulf's Guide]], each bolt does a hit check each 0.05 seconds, for a total of [slvl/2] + 6 times per bolt.
* '''Spell: '''Chain Lightning
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl] + Rnd[2] + 2
* '''Bolts: '''1 + numbers of monsters in range
* '''Range: '''2 + slvl (max 18)
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2] + 6)/20 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

[[Image:D1-chain-lightning2.gif|frame|center|One bolt shoots at each enemy in range. Positioning your character in a corner or against a wall, so the bolts concentrate on a few targets, instead of shooting in every direction, is an essential tactic.]]

===Charged Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-charged-bolt-sp.gif|frame]]
Charged Bolt sends out several small squares of electricity per use. These squares move semi-randomly in the direction the caster is facing, spreading out and usually bouncing off of walls. They are not especially damaging, but can be useful to "wake up" all of the non-lightning immune monsters in a room, bringing them out to fight while leaving the other monsters in the area undisturbed.

This spell can be quite annoying when used by mages; not for the tiny damage, but because it causes characters with a shield to stop to block.
* '''Spell: '''Charged Bolt
* '''Type: '''Lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''1
* '''Max. Damage: '''1 + [Mag/4]
* '''Number of bolts: '''4 + [slvl/2]
* '''Speed: '''8
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Elemental===
[[Image:D1-icon-elemental.gif|frame]]
Elemental fires a running, target-homing human-shaped fire elemental. This one is far less useful than it would seem, for while the damage displays the same as Fireball, Fireball is boosted by a buggy, non-displayed splash damage. Elemental does not deal that splash damage, and as a result it's less than half as damaging as Fireball. Even though it doesn't "splash" like a Fireball, each Elemental can hit two targets if they are very close together.

Elemental splash damage is 1/64th of the total damage. It is applied each .05 seconds for .7 seconds (14 tries) and is not blockable. Thus, as is the case with Fireball, the splash damage from an Elemental will deal damage even if the spell itself is blocked.
* '''Spell: '''Elemental
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' (4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)/2
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Blockable:''' Yes

===Fireball===
[[Image:D1-icon-fireball.gif|frame]]
The most popular fire spell in the game, and a hugely damaging spell against single targets or tightly-packed groups. Fireball moves very quickly (increasing with Slvl) and its damage increases with Slvl and Clvl, making it indispensible for all Sorcerers and many other character builds as well. Each fireball deals a splash of damage that's equal to the damage of the spell itself. The fireball or the splash can be blocked, but not both, and monsters that can't block always take both, making this one basically double damage against most enemies.

Like all projectiles in Diablo and Hellfire, Fireball is best fired at targets approaching in straight lines. It's extremely accurate against stationary targets, whatever their orientation to the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Fireball
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl (max 50)
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Firebolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-firebolt.gif|frame]]
A fire projectile spell that's quite handy early in the game. It's basically a Fireball, but with much lower damage and no splash.

The fire damage dealt by the dragons of the Guardian spell is determined by the Firebolt spell, so characters will want to max this one out, even if they never cast Firebolt itself.
* '''Spell: '''Firebolt
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''1 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Max. Damage: '''10 + slvl + [Mag/8]
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + slvl + [Mag/8] + 1
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Fire Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-firewall.gif|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Firewalls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Very useful early and mid-game, especially against monsters stuck on the other side of an obstacle. Most monsters will not advance into the flames, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Firewall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and roast since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself.

The central sprite of the firewall does double damage. Unlike most spells, Firewall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Fire Wall
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8
* '''Duration:''' 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Flame Wave===
[[Image:D1-icon-flamewave.gif|frame]]
This spell basically creates a moving firewall, one that moves across the level until it hits a wall. The extend of the Flame Wave increases with more points in the spell, and it can be wider than the visible screen at high levels. The killing power of this one is far less than Fireball, but it's a useful way to wake up all of the monsters in an area and bring them out to fight without disturbing the fire immunes in the area.

This spell can hit the player who casts it, (if you teleport quickly into it) and the fire is counted as damage from a trap.
* '''Spell: '''Flame Wave
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''6 + 6·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''60 + 6·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[10] + clvl + 1
* '''Speed: '''16
* '''Number of flames: '''5 + [slvl/2]
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Flash===
[[Image:D1-icon-flash.gif|frame]]
Flash is a sort of 1-space radius Nova spell, hitting anything in melee range with magical damage. This appears to be a powerful spell, by the damage display, but it's hampered by bugs and does far less damage than displayed. As most players have noticed, when basking in the ineffective version of it cast by monster mages.

There are actually two spells cast; the first hits targets in front of and to the sides of the character, while the second covers the three rear spaces. Like other timed spells, Flash hits once every .05 seconds, for a total of 19 attempts in just less than a second.
* '''Spell: '''Flash
* '''Type: '''magic
* '''Min. Damage: '''[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Max. Damage: '''2·[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''3·clvl/2 · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''3·clvl · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage 1: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[20] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Real Damage 2: '''[3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[2] + 1))/2]/64
* '''Duration: '''0.95 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Golem===
[[Image:D1-icon-golem.gif|frame]]
A summonable stone man, the Golem is a slow moving but fairly damaging companion, most commonly used by sorcerers against triple immune monsters. Golems can also be helpful to distract enemies, and to kill targets on the other side of a wall. They benefit greatly from the stone curse spell, since if their targets are stationary and helpless, the golem hits with every strike and takes no damage during the battle. Golems are not useful against higher level melee monsters, who will kill them quickly. A single golem can terrorize entire levels in the Church, though.

Golems are primarily useful against Advocates, since they can withstand a lot of damage from Flash spells, and are not touched by the Advocates' Fireballs. They are less successful against Witches, and take damage from Bloodstar. Also, due to a bug in the Golem's light radius (it's set to infinite) every witch on the level sees the golem the moment he's cast, and will fire at him if they have a line of sight. Golems home in on nearby enemies. If nothing is nearby, they will walk in the direction their caster is facing.

Only one golem may be active at once. If the spell is cast again, an active golem will crumble to gravel. Players gain full experience for kills made by their golem. Golems are hostile to each other, and will fight if there are two of them (from two players) in the same area. Yes, this can be funny to watch.
* '''Spell: '''Golem
* '''Type: '''Physical damage.
* '''Stated damage: '''11-17 (meaningless figure)
* '''Golem stats:'''
** '''HP:''' 2·maxmana/3 + 10·slvl
** '''AC:''' 25
** '''To Hit:''' 40 + 2·clvl + 5·slvl
** '''Min. Damage:''' 8 + 2·slvl
** '''Max. Damage: '''16 + 2·slvl
** '''mlvl: '''12 (modified for difficulty)
** '''HP regeneration: '''1.9, 4.1 and 6.6 each second on normal, nightmare and hell difficulty (same as for normal monster)
** '''Walk Speed:''' 0.80 (this is slower than most monsters)
** '''Hit Recovery Time:''' 0.0 (instantaneous)
** '''Attack Time:''' 0.60
** '''Hit Time:''' 0.35
** '''Resistances: '''None
** '''Immunities: '''Apocalypse, Stone Curse and Telekinesis

===Guardian===
[[Image:D1-icon-guardian.gif|frame]]
A three-headed, firebolt-spitting dragon is summoned, tunneling up from the ground in the location targeted with the spell. Guardians can only be cast in the line of sight, and not over walls or through doors. These are not especially useful to kill with, on higher levels, but are such fun to cast that many players enjoy using them anyway. They can be useful to shoot into a room you have not yet entered, but they are inefficient. The Guardians only shoot at whatever target is nearest, and if it's fire immune their shots will pass harmlessly.

The damage from a Guardian is equal to the damage of the casting character's Firebolt spell; the damage listed on the Guardian spell itself is meaningless. Higher levels of Guardian affect only the duration of the dragon, not the damage. Players gain full experience for kills made by their Guardians.
* '''Spell: '''Guardian
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 1 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage: '''Rec(slvl, 10 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''(1 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''(10 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Duration: '''4·slvl/5 + 2·clvl/5 seconds (maximum 24 seconds, minimum 0.8 seconds)
* '''Fire frequency: '''every 0.8 second
* '''Blockable: '''Yes

===Healing===
[[Image:D1-icon-healing.gif|frame]]
An essential skill for all non-mana shield using characters, and even those types enjoy it, from time to time. Higher levels (Slvl and Clvl) lower the mana cost and increase the healing, so it's useful to build this one up even for Warriors, Barbarians, and other rock-headed melee fighters. Reading lots of Healing books is mandatory for Barbarians, since the cost of Healing increases with the hit points of the character. As these screenshots illustrate, a level 29 Barbarian with typical equipment can't even come close to casting a Healing spell, at [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost2.gif|level 3]] or even [[:Image:D1-barb-healing-cost1.gif|level 6]], since his high hit points make the spell cost far more mana than he can scratch up.

Healing is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the healing effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell:''' Healing
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Mana Cost:''' 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing:''' bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Heal Other===
[[Image:D1-icon-heal-other.gif|frame]]
This spell is only found in multiplayer. It works much like Healing, except that casting it gives a target for the pointer, and the benefit will be granted to whichever player is clicked on. It can be hard to click on a friend, if they're moving or there are monsters crowded around them, and few players will wait on this spell, since drinking a potion is instantly beneficial.
* '''Spell: '''Heal Other
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Mana Cost: '''8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
* '''Min. Healing: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Healing: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Healing: '''bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
* '''Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Monk: 3.0
** Warrior and Barbarian: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Sorcerer: 1.0

===Holy Bolt===
[[Image:D1-icon-holy-bolt.gif|frame]]
A projectile spell that fires a gray Firebolt. This one hits only the undead though, and the damage scales up quite quickly, so most sorcerers find it quite useful in the early going. The utility is quite limited by the fact that Fireball does much more damage as soon as it comes online, but moreover by the fact that there are no undead monsters found in the Caves or Hell. Hellfire added a few in the Hive and Crypt, but Holy Bolt doesn't do enough damage to be very effective in the late game.

It is quite useful for one thing; luring Diablo out of his square, since he is the only monster affected by Holy Bolt on his level (or anywhere in the game deeper than about Dlvl 7). It can't kill him in any reasonable amount of time, but it will wake him up and bring him out without disturbing the knights and Advocates around him.

Nothing resists Holy Bolt in ''Diablo''. In ''Hellfire'', Diablo and the Bone Demons are resistant to it.
* '''Spell: '''Holy Bolt
* '''Type: '''Special
* '''Min. Damage: '''9 + clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''18 + clvl
* '''Speed: '''16 + 2·slvl

===Identify===
[[Image:D1-icon-identify.gif|frame]]
In Diablo and Hellfire, items can be equipped and used without being identified. However, all magical and unique items found in the dungeons or given as quest rewards are unidentified, and must be identified (by this spell or by Deckard Cain) before their special properties become active.

Identify is not found on spellbooks, and can only be cast from staff charges or scrolls.

===Inferno===
[[Image:D1-icon-inferno.gif|frame]]
Inferno looks like a powerful flamethrower of a spell, but it actually emits a fairly weak puff of flame that's less damaging than most other flame spells, and far less than Lightning Bolt.

The spell always has the same range and duration, regardless of the Slvl or Clvl. The differences in damage are by distance from the caster. Inferno blows three spaces, and spends longer in each of them, progressively. Like other duration spells in Diablo, there is a damage check every .05 seconds, so Inferno hits 20, 25, and 30 times, moving away from the caster.
* '''Spell: '''Inferno
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''3
* '''Max. Damage: 6 + 3·clvl/2
* '''Real Damage: '''(3·(Rnd[clvl]+Rnd[2]) + 6)/16
* '''Range: '''3
* '''Duration: '''1, 1.25 and 1.50 seconds
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Infravision===
[[Image:D1-icon-infravision.gif|frame]]
Infravision shows every monster on the screen, even those over walls or otherwise out of the line of sight. Monsters in sight display normally; monsters out of your sight show up in bright red. Their names and stats do not highlight, but recognizing them by type is easy enough.

Infravision is only found only on scrolls, staff charges, and as the benefit after drinking from a [[D1_Shrines#Springs_and_Pools|Murky Pool]]. It's never found in book form.
* '''Spell:''' Infravision
* '''Type:''' n/a
* '''Duration:''' Rec(slvl, 79.2) seconds
* '''Murky pools:''' (Duration depends on the level the pool is found on. Murky pools never appear in the Hive or Crypt levels.)
** '''Church:''' slvl = 2
** '''Catacombs:''' slvl = 4
** '''Caves:''' slvl = 6
** '''Hell:''' slvl = 8

===Lightning===
[[Image:D1-icon-lightning.gif|frame]]
Lightning fires a wide strip of lightning at high speed in a straight line. Lightning passed through all soft targets, only vanishing once it runs into a wall or other solid object. It's the first really useful combat spell most Sorcerers learn. The listed damage isn't that much higher than Firebolt or other early spells, but this one's ability to hit multiple targets, and to hit each one multiple times, makes it quite powerful.

Each bolt hits multiple times, calculating the damage every .05 seconds, for a total [slvl/2]+6 times.
* '''Spell:''' Lightning
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4
* '''Max. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rnd[clvl]+ Rnd[2] + 2Speed: 32
* '''Duration: '''([slvl/2]+6)/20 seconds
* '''Speed: '''32
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Mana Shield===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana-shield.gif|frame]]
A defensive spell, Mana Shield allows the caster to lessen the damage taken, and causes all damage taken to deduct from the mana pool, rather than from the life. This spell is mandatory for higher level Sorcerers who usually have hundreds of more points in mana than life, but can also be used by Rogues and other characters with moderately high mana who need or want an extra defensive buffer.

Mana Shield turns off each time your character leaves a level, so be sure you recast it first thing after you take the stairs down. Countless Sorcerers have stupidly lost their lives teleporting right into battle without first engaging their Mana Shield on the new level.

If a character takes damage greater than their current life, they will neither be stunned nor pushed back by it. This can be exploited with mana shield and -life equipment (or bugs, such as the yellow zombies removing 1 life point permanently with each hit in early versions of Diablo).
* '''Spell:''' Mana Shield
* '''Type: '''n/a
* '''Damage reduction in Diablo: '''33%
* '''Damage reduction in Hellfire: '''Bugged. The spell is supposed to increase the damage reduction with increasing levels, but actually does the opposite. Formula: 100/(3· slvl)% The max slvl is 7, in this formula.
* '''Duration: '''Infinite. Only ends when mana drops to zero, or when you leave the current dungeon level.

===Nova===
[[Image:D1-icon-nova.gif|frame]]
A powerful lightning spell, Nova sends out an explosion of lighting in an expanding circle; albeit one riddled with gaps. Nova is more useful than Chain Lightning only when totally surrounded by monsters, when the sprite limits would cut Chain Lightning's effectiveness.

Nova is only found on scrolls and staffs in Diablo. In Hellfire it can be found in book form.
* '''Spell: '''Nova
* '''Type:''' lightning
* '''Min. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 2 + [clvl/2])
* '''Max. Damage:''' 5·Rec(slvl, 15 + [clvl/2])
* '''Quick Min. Damage:''' 5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage:''' 5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage:''' Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed:''' 16
* '''Blockable:''' No

===Phasing===
[[Image:D1-icon-phasing.gif|frame]]
This spell is a random teleport. Using it instantly transports the player to a random location somewhere on the visible screen. It's only utility is an an emergency escape spell, if your character is surrounded by enemies. Since Phasing is non-targeting, it casts .05 faster than Teleport, and can therefore be useful to escape when stunlocked. Warp is a better choice in Hellfire, since it will take you further away, and to a predictable location. 
'''Spell:''' Phasing 
'''Type:''' n/a

===Resurrect===
[[Image:D1-icon-resurrect.gif|frame]]
Only available in Multiplayer. Resurrect is targeted on a dead character's corpse. It will always bring them back to life, there's no skill or level check. Resurrected characters have 10 hit points (or less, if their maximum life is lower than 10) and no mana.

===Stone Curse===
[[Image:D1-icon-stone-curse.gif|frame]]
A hugely useful spell, Stone Curse turns the targeted monster to stone, rendering them statues: helpless, immobile, and defenseless. Immunities are not countered, but stoned monsters have zero Armor Class and will be hit by every attack. They remain material objects, and must be walked around by other monsters. A row of stoned monsters can provide a useful barrier against enemies.

Diablo, Na-Krul, and other players are immune to stone curse. Monsters that are already stoned, or who are charging or phasing in or out are temporarily immune to stone curse. Mages will dodge it at times; teleporting once, then again if you attempt to stone them as soon as they reappear. Allow them to rematerialize long enough to attempt to cast a spell, then stone them.

You can not cast it on your own Golem.

Stone Curse can not be cast again on a monster that's already stunned. You must wait for it to wear off before casting it again on the same target.

'''Spell:''' Stone Curse 
'''Type:''' n/a 
'''Duration:''' 4.8 + 0.8·slvl seconds (12 sec max)

===Telekinesis===
[[Image:D1-icon-telekinesis.gif|frame]]
A spell used to pick up items from a distance, or to throw switches, pull levers, activate shrines, etc. It works over walls on any item or object you can see. Very useful to retrieve items after dying, to open up Diablo's box without entering the other boxes, to use shrines or grab books from bookshelves from a distance. Players must have enough space to hold the item they attempt to pick up with TK.

When used on monsters TK can knock them back. This does no damage, but counts as a form of damage sufficient to enable the TK'er to receive experience when another player kills the monster. Using TK on a stone cursed monster will immediately remove the Stone Curse effect. Some superunique monsters are immune to TK: Snotspill, Gharbad the Weak, Zhar the Mad, Warlord of Blood, Lachdanan, Arch-Bishop Lazarus, Blackjade and Red Vex.

===Teleport===
[[Image:D1-icon-teleport.gif|frame]]
One of the most useful skills in the game; teleport allows your character to move to any location you can point to, whether you have a line of sight there or not. Great to move quickly around the levels, to escape monsters, to back up to gain more room to fire spells or arrows, etc.

When cast by selecting Teleport on the right skill icon, the spell will be cast instantly with a right click. When cast by right clicking on a scroll in the inventory or belt, the cursor becomes a targeting arrow and the character moves with the next right click of the mouse.

===Town Portal===
[[Image:D1-icon-town-portal.gif|frame]]
Players create a blue portal that can be stepped into to return instantly to town. Town Portals remain open indefinitely, until the character who cast it uses it to return to the dungeon from town. If two or more players cast town portals, they can keep them open forever by only returning via the portal cast by the other player. Each character can have only one active Town Portal, and if a second is cast the first will vanish.

==Hellfire Spells==

Brand new spells introduced in the Hellfire expansion pack. None of these can be found in Diablo. Some existing Diablo spells were also modified in Hellfire, as noted in the above section. Apocalypse and Nova are findable in book form in Hellfire, when they were only scrolls/staff charges in Diablo.

===Berserk===
[[Image:D1-icon-berserk.jpg|frame]]
Berserk is a curse-like spell that resets a monster's AI, and makes them hostile to their own kind. Monsters will fight other monsters when Berserked, but they are not necessarily on the character's side; they simply attack whatever is nearest. This spell is best used as a decoy or diversion; turning an army of monsters with Berserk can be amusing, but it's not an especially viable strategy.

Berserked monsters deal enhanced damage, (20-30% + Slvl). Players do not receive experience for monsters killed by a Berserker. Berserkers are not immune to player damage, and can be killed just like any other monster.

Though Berserk does not deal direct damage, it is considered a form of magic, and thus will not work on magic immune monsters. All unique and special monsters are also immune, as are monsters in mid-charge or who are phasing in or out. There is a 50% chance that magic resistant monsters will not be Berserked.

===Immolation===
[[Image:D1-icon-immolation.jpg|frame]]
A fire-based version of Nova; this spell shoots out a ring of Fireballs. They are much less damaging than actual Fireballs, and do the same damage as Nova, but look just like Fireballs.
* '''Spell: '''Immolation
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 2 + clvl/2)
* '''Max. Damage: '''5·Rec(slvl, 15 + clvl/2)
* '''Quick Min. Damage: '''5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Quick Max. Damage: '''5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
* '''Real Damage: '''Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
* '''Number of bolts:''' 92
* '''Speed: '''16 + slvl

===Jester===
[[Image:D1-icon-jester.jpg|frame]]
Jester is only found on staffs. Jester staffs will cast a semi-random spell each time the charges are used. Spells are fired at the character's appropriate Slvl, or at level 1 if the character has not yet read a book for that spell.
Spells included are:
* '''Firebolt: '''20%
* ''' Apocalypse:''' 10%
* ''' Chain lightning:''' 10%
* ''' Fireball: '''10%
* ''' Fire Wall: '''10%
* ''' Guardian: '''10%
* ''' Teleport: '''10%
* ''' Town Portal: '''10%
* ''' Stone Curse: '''10%

===Lightning Wall===
[[Image:D1-icon-light-wall.jpg|frame]]
An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Lightning Walls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Most monsters will not advance into the lightning, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Lightning Wall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and sizzle since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself. The central sprite of the Lightning Wall does double damage, so be sure you target the monster you are using.

Like Firewall, Lightning Walls work best when cast in a straight line, rather than diagona, since there are gaps between the active sprites on diagonal walls. Lightning Wall deals double the damage of a Firewall, but it seems to have more gaps and spaces, since monsters are more likely to walk right through it.

Unlike most spells, Lightning Wall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.
* '''Spell: '''Lightning Wall
* '''Type: '''lightning
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + 2·clvl
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + 2·clvl
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/4
* '''Duration: '''12.75 + 12.75·slvl seconds
* '''Number of bolts: '''11
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Magi===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
Found only in charges on staffs, the Magi charges work like drinking a full mana potion. They completely refill the mana of the caster, unlike the partial mana fill granted by the Mana charges.

===Mana===
[[Image:D1-icon-mana.jpg|frame]]
A spell that works just like healing, but one that refills the mana globe instead of the life bulb.

The Mana spell is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the mana filling effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.
* '''Spell: '''Mana
* '''Min. Mana: '''bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
* '''Max. Mana: '''bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
* '''Real Mana restore: '''bonus·(Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6] + 1) + Rnd[10] + 1)
* '''* Bonus: '''Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per mana, generally speaking. {See the [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs#Partial_Potion_Calculations|Partial potion calculations]] information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
** Sorcerer: 2.0
** Rogue and Bard: 1.5
** Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 1.0

===Reflect===
[[Image:D1-icon-reflect.jpg|frame]]
This spell creates an armor icon that floats above the character's head, much like the mana shield graphic. It's used by melee fighters and other characters who wish to reduce the damage they take from being hit by melee attackers.

Reflect reduces melee damage by 20-29% and reflects that much of the damage back to the attacking monster. The spell lasts for a given number of hits, or until you leave the current dungeon level. It's a good idea to recast this one after each major battle, lest it expire in mid-battle and leave you surrounded and taking extra damage per hit.
A higher Slvl allows the spell to take more hits before expiring. Blocking counts as a hit to Reflect.
* '''Spell: '''Reflect
* '''Duration: '''slvl·clvl hits. Or until you leave the current dungeon level.

===Ring of Fire===
[[Image:D1-icon-ring-of-fire.jpg|frame]]
Ring of Fire casts a circular Firewall all around the player. It does the same damage and has the same duration as Firewall, but there are gaps in the circle that monsters will enter through, so it's not a very effective defense, in of itself. Players will take damage from their own Rings of Fire, with that damage treated as though it had been inflicted by a trap.

The flame does a damage check every .05 seconds for a total of 160 + 160·slvl times.
* '''Spell: '''Ring of Fire
* '''Type: '''fire
* '''Min. Damage: '''4 + clvl·2
* '''Max. Damage: '''40 + clvl·2
* '''Duration: '''12 + 8·slvl seconds
* '''Real Damage: '''(Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8Duration: 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
* '''Number of flames: '''22
* '''Blockable: '''No

===Search===
[[Image:D1-icon-search.jpg|frame]]
Perhaps the most useful feature added in Hellfire, this one causes items on the ground to light up as though they were being highlighted by the pointer. It also makes dropped items show up with a blue square on the minimap. Search in vain for that dinging ring no more.

Search is an inherent skill for the Monk class. Other characters must learn it from books and spend mana to cost it. Casting Search several times in a row will make it last much longer than it does from a single cast.
* '''Spell: '''Search
* '''Duration:''' 12.25 + 10·slvl + clvl seconds

===Warp===
[[Image:D1-icon-warp.jpg|frame]]
Works like Phasing, but instantly teleports the character to the nearest stairway. A useful escape skill, but also helpful when rushing through levels and trying to find the way down, which most players do in the Hive, for instance.

The key to using it well in that way is to get away from the stairs going up. Teleport or hustle to some distant corner of the map, cast Warp, and you'll pop straight to the stairs down, if they're closer than the ones you started from. If you return to the starting spot, then run in a different direction and try it again.

==Diablo Demo Spells==

Many of the spells in the demo were unbalanced and buggy, but they had some interesting effects not found in the final game. We don't have full stats for these, just the icons and a quick description of how they worked. Thanks to [http://www.ladyofthecake.com/diablo/spells.htm Lady of the Cake] for most of the info in this section. The following skills were only found in the demo, and are not in the final game, though a few of the icons were eventually reused.

===Blood Boil===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-boil.gif|frame]]
An odd sort of proximity-based magical attack. When cast with enemies nearby, they would take huge damage, as though their blood was boiling from within. Presumably it did not work on undead, since skeletons pretty clearly lack blood.

===Blood Ritual===
[[Image:D1-icon-blood-ritual.gif|frame]]
A spell-casters aid, this one transferred health points to mana points. It's interesting to think who would use this in the final game. Sorcerers wouldn't much bother, since they have such high mana and low hit points anyway. Rogues, before going into mini-mage mode? Bards?

===Doom Serpents===
[[Image:D1-icon-doom-serpent.gif|frame]]
This one summoned two serpents from out of the ground, which then slithered over to attack nearby targets. They did not attack the Undead. The graphics were not finished, and it's hard to see who would have found this useful in the final game, when so many spells do the same thing, but more quickly, and against Undead as well.

===Ethereal===
[[Image:D1-icon-ethereal.gif|frame]]
A precursor to Stone Curse, this one turned living things solid. It did not work on the Undead.

===Invisibility===
[[Image:D1-icon-invisible.gif|frame]]
From an early vision of Diablo, when stealth and tactics were part of the plan, rather than massive brute force destruction. If the icon looks familiar, it was used for the Sorceress' teleport skill in ''Diablo II''.

===Sentinel===
A sort of traveling Guardian, this one summoned an eyeball that hovered beside your character and shot Firebolts at nearby enemies. It followed, but lagged a bit, and could be led into a room, then left inside with the monsters if you hurried out and shut the door. Monsters did not attack the Sentinel as they do not attack Guardians.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Basics]]
[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:D1 Uniques]]
[[Category:Hellfire]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Bows

2009-02-05T06:04:34Z

DiMono:

All base bows have the same firing rate in Diablo and Hellfire.

Unlike melee weapon damage, bow damage is added onto your character's base damage from their attributes, rather than modified by it. In the case of the Rogue, her base damage from strength and durability makes up the great majority of her total damage, so her choice of bow doesn't make that large a difference in the damage she delivers. For this reason, many high level rogues prefer a bow with a resistance prefix, instead of a damage one, since it allows them more freedom in their other equipment selections.

All bows look the same when equipped on your character.

{|
! valign="top" |
Bow Type
! align="center" valign="top" | Image
! align="center" valign="top" | Damage
! align="center" valign="top" | Average
! align="center" valign="top" | Durability
! align="center" valign="top" | Requirements
! align="center" valign="top" | Price
! align="center" valign="top" | Qlvl
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 4
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30
| align="center" valign="middle" | -
| align="center" valign="middle" | 100
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long Bow *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25 Str 30 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 250
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Hunter's Bow *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-huntersbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2 - 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40
| align="center" valign="middle" | 20 Str 35 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 350
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Composite Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-compositebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3 - 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25 Str 40 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 600
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short Battle Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortbattlebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3 - 7
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 Str 50 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 750
| align="center" valign="middle" | 9
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long Battle Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longbattlebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 10
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 50
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 Str 60 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1,000
| align="center" valign="middle" | 11
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short War Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortwarbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4 - 8
| align="center" valign="middle" | 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 55
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35 Str 70 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1,500
| align="center" valign="middle" | 15
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long War Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longwarbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 14
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 60
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45 Str 80 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2,000
| align="center" valign="middle" | 19
|}

* *The Long Bow and Hunter's bows use the same item graphic.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Body Armor

2009-02-05T06:04:04Z

DiMono:

Basic body armor stats for Diablo and Hellfire.

Body Armor

Armor can be divided into three types, light, medium, and plate. All armors of each type look the same on your character, but changing between the types will give your character a new look. Changing your helm or shield does not affect your character's look; just the body armor. Armor types are purely cosmetic in Diablo/Hellfire; they do not slow your movement speed or cause greater stamina drain or any of the added weight penalties you see in Diablo 2.

* '''Light Armor: '''Rags, cape, cloak, robe, quilted armor, leather armor, hard leather armor, studded leather armor.
* '''Medium Armor:''' Ring mail, chain mail, scale mail, splint mail.
* '''Heavy/Plate Armor:''' Breast Plate, Plate Mail, Field Plate, Gothic Plate, Full Plate Mail.

{|
! valign="top" | Type
! align="center" valign="top" | Image
! align="center" valign="top" | Armor Class
! align="center" valign="top" | Durability
! align="center" valign="top" | Requirements
! align="center" valign="top" | Price
! align="center" valign="top" | qlvl
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Rags'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-rags.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2 - 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Cape'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-cape.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 12
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 10
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Cloak'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-cloak.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3 - 7
| align="center" valign="middle" | 18
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Robe'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-robe.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4 - 7
| align="center" valign="middle" | 24
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 75
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Quilted Armor'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-quilted-armor.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7 - 10
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 200
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Leather Armor'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-leather-armor.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 10 - 13
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 300
| align="center" valign="middle" | 6
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Hard Leather Armor'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-hard-leather-armor.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 11- 14
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40
| align="center" valign="middle" | --
| align="center" valign="middle" | 450
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Studded Leather Armor'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-studded-leather-armor.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 15 - 17
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 20 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 700
| align="center" valign="middle" | 9
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Ring Mail'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-ringmail.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 17 - 20
| align="center" valign="middle" | 50
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 900
| align="center" valign="middle" | 11
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Chain Mail'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-chain-mail.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 18 - 22
| align="center" valign="middle" | 55
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1,250
| align="center" valign="middle" | 13
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Scale Mail'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-scale-mail.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 23 - 28
| align="center" valign="middle" | 60
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2,300
| align="center" valign="middle" | 15
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Splint Mail'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-splintmail.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 - 35
| align="center" valign="middle" | 65
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3,250
| align="center" valign="middle" | 17
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Breast Plate'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-breastplate.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 20 - 24
| align="center" valign="middle" | 80
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2,800
| align="center" valign="middle" | 16
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Plate Mail *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-fieldplate.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 42 - 50
| align="center" valign="middle" | 75
| align="center" valign="middle" | 60 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4600
| align="center" valign="middle" | 19
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Field Plate *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-fieldplate.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40 - 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 80
| align="center" valign="middle" | 65 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5,800
| align="center" valign="middle" | 21
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Gothic Plate'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-gothic-plate.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 50 - 60
| align="center" valign="middle" | 100
| align="center" valign="middle" | 80 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 8,000
| align="center" valign="middle" | 23
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Full Plate Mail'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-a-full-plate-mail.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 60 - 75
| align="center" valign="middle" | 90
| align="center" valign="middle" | 90 Str
| align="center" valign="middle" | 6,500
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25
|}

* *Field Plate and Plate Mail use the same item graphic.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Bows

2009-02-05T06:00:30Z

DiMono:

All base bows have the same firing rate in Diablo and Hellfire.

Unlike melee weapon damage, bow damage is added onto your character's base damage from their attributes, rather than modified by it. In the case of the Rogue, her base damage from strength and durability makes up the great majority of her total damage, so her choice of bow doesn't make that large a difference in the damage she delivers. For this reason, many high level rogues prefer a bow with a resistance prefix, instead of a damage one, since it allows them more freedom in their other equipment selections.

All bows look the same when equipped on your character.

{|
! valign="top" |
Bow Type
! align="center" valign="top" | Image
! align="center" valign="top" | Damage
! align="center" valign="top" | Average
! align="center" valign="top" | Durability
! align="center" valign="top" | Requirements
! align="center" valign="top" | Price
! align="center" valign="top" | Qlvl
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 4
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30
| align="center" valign="middle" | -
| align="center" valign="middle" | 100
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long Bow *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25 Str 30 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 250
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Hunter's Bow *'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-huntersbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2 - 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 40
| align="center" valign="middle" | 20 Str 35 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 350
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Composite Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-compositebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3 - 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 25 Str 40 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 600
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short Battle Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortbattlebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 3 - 7
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 Str 50 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 750
| align="center" valign="middle" | 9
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long Battle Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longbattlebow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 10
| align="center" valign="middle" | 5.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 50
| align="center" valign="middle" | 30 Str 60 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1,000
| align="center" valign="middle" | 11
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Short War Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-shortwarbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 4 - 8
| align="center" valign="middle" | 6
| align="center" valign="middle" | 55
| align="center" valign="middle" | 35 Str 70 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1,500
| align="center" valign="middle" | 15
|-
| align="left" valign="middle" | '''Long War Bow'''
| align="center" valign="top" | [[Image:D1-b-longwarbow.gif]]
| align="center" valign="middle" | 1 - 14
| align="center" valign="middle" | 7.5
| align="center" valign="middle" | 60
| align="center" valign="middle" | 45 Str 80 Dex
| align="center" valign="middle" | 2,000
| align="center" valign="middle" | 19
|}

* The Long Bow and Hunter's bows use the same item graphic.

{{template:Diablo items}}

[[Category:D1 Items]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 NPCs

2009-02-05T05:52:55Z

DiMono: /* Lazarus */

{{Class navbox}}NPCs, Non-Player Characters, are found in town where they buy and sell items, and give out quests and quest rewards. They are also useful sources of information about the quests and the game plot, and can sometimes deliver up juicy tidbits of gossip.

==Diablo NPCs==

===Adria the Witch===

[[Image:D1-npc-adria.gif|frame]]
Adria the Witch is located on an island in the far upper right corner of town. She is the only NPC who sells books, mana potions, scrolls (Pepin sells healing and resurrection scrolls only), and staffs. (Griswold and Wirt sell staffs in Hellfire, but not in Diablo, and they do not sell or buy staffs with spell charges.) Adria also buys all of those items, none of which Griswold will purchase, as well as buying all types of potions, elixirs, and oils and runes in Hellfire.

She is involved in the single player-only Black Mushroom quest in Diablo.

Adria sells:
* Unlimited quantities of mana potions, full mana potions, and town portal scrolls. In addition to those she has 7-14 other items, which can be staffs, books, scrolls, mana potions (unlimited quantity), rejuvenation potions, and elixirs.
** In Hellfire Adria only sells/buys staffs with spell charges. She also sells runes.

Read [[Adria|more about her]] and see all of her character dialogues.

===Deckard Cain===
[[Image:D1-npc-deckard-cain.gif|frame]]
Deckard Cain is found near the well in the center of town. He provides most of the game lore and plot info, gives a number of quests, and identifies items for 100 gold each.

Cain is the only NPC from Diablo to appear (as an NPC) in Diablo II.

===Farnum the Drunk===
[[Image:D1-npc-farnum.gif|frame]]
Farnum, the town drunk, can be found to the far south of town, next to the last structure in that direction. He sits there and provides nothing but rambling and sometimes panicked gossips, none of which are required for any quests. From his alarming dialogues, Farnum was one of the men who ventured into the labyrinth to find the missing prince. He narrowily escaped death at the hands (cleaver) of the Butcher, and has retreated into the bottom of a jug of ale to try and forget his terror.

===Griswold the Blacksmith===
[[Image:D1-npc-griswold2.gif|frame]]
Griswold is located in the center of Tristram, facing Cain and the town well. He is the most useful NPC for most characters, thanks to his convenient location and the fact that he is the only NPC who buys weapons, armor, and jewelry. He is also the only NPC who handles repairs, and he sells a wide variety of normal and magical weapons and armor. Griswold also gives out a few single player quests and quest rewards.

[[Griswold]] returns in Diablo II, as a monster.

Griswold sells:
* '''Normal quality items:''' 10-19 items, with a different selection each time your character returns to town. The items are randomly-generated based on the deepest dungeon level you've reached that game (singleplayer) or your character's level (multiplayer).
** Item types: helms, body armor, swords, blunts, bows. (Also staffs, in Hellfire.)
* '''Magical items:''' 6 items in Diablo or 15 in Hellfire. The items remain for the entire game unless you level up or buy something. Items increase in potential ilvl as they move down his list. Their Ilvl is determined by the Dlvl in singleplayer, or your Clvl in multiplayer.
** Item types: helms, body armor, swords, blunts, bows. (Staffs in Hellfire. Jewelry only in singleplayer D1 or HF.)

Griswold buys all of these types of items, but does not buy potions, elixirs, runes, oils, or staffs (in Diablo) or staffs with magical charges (in Hellfire).

Griswold's Ilvl maxes out at 30, so he can not sell any items with mods [[D1 Modifiers|higher then qlvl 30]]. This includes useful properties such as: of the mammal, of the whale, holy, godly, weird, strange, Champion's, of carnage, of slaughter, of osmosis, of burning, of thunder, or emerald. Wirt's Qlvl goes up to 60, so he can sell all of these, though price restrictions and other complications mean that some can never be found on the the same item (such as the mythical Godly Plate of the Whale).

====Hellfire Inventory Strategy.====
[[Image:D1-hellfire-inv.gif|thumb|The Hellfire inventory trick.]]
In Hellfire, Griswold (and Wirt) will offer progressively better items of each type. Items your character has in their inventory when Griswold generates his items (when you start the game, level up, or buy something from him) are checked for sales price, and Griswold will try to offer items that sell for at least 80% as much as what you already have. This can be exploited by buying and saving more and more expensive items of each type, so that the gear Griswold offers continually increases in price and quality. One item of each type can be carried, as seen in the screenshot. Unique items generally sell for less than top magical ones, which is why this character has an obsidian/stars helm, along with her Royal Circlet and Thinking Cap.

The quantity and quality of items is clearly affected by this; if a character has a good quality item of every type except, for example, an axe, Griswold will offer 10 or 12 low quality axes out of his 15 total magical items. By the same token, if a character has a very good sword, armor, and shield, they will almost never see any items of those types, since Griswold's inventory will be clogged by low quality axes, blunts, bows, and helms. Characters are essentially forced to carry one of each item type, even item types they'll never use, if they want to ever see items of the types they do use.

As a result of this game feature, almost all Hellfire characters can acquire very high quality armor and weapons. Only jewelry remains a challenge, in multiplayer Hellfire, since Griswold and Wirt do not sell it. (They do in singleplayer, as shown in the image below.

[[Image:D1-hellfire-obzod1.gif|frame|center|Obsidian jewelry of the Zodiac is expensive, but well worth it. Single player Hellfire only.]]

===Gillian the Barmaid===
[[Image:D1-npc-gillian.gif|frame]]
Gillian is found in front of a house just to the west of Ogden's Inn. She is not a merchant and does not give or reward any quests, and her only purpose in Diablo is to relate pointless and boring gossips about her sick mother.

In Hellfire she has a quest speech about the Cathedral Map, as part of the [[Grave Matters]] quest. It's not necessary to speak with her to complete the quest.

:''My grandmother often tells me stories about the strange forces that inhabit the graveyard outside of the church, and it may well interest you to hear one of them. She said that if you were to leave the proper offering in the cemetery, enter the cathedral to pray for the dead, and then return, the offering would be altered in some strange way. I don't know if this is just the talk of an old sick woman, but anything seems possible these days.''

===Ogden the Innkeeper===
[[Image:D1-npc-ogden.gif|frame]]
Ogden gives new characters his standard "thank goodness you've returned, my friend" speech, and then fades into irrelevance. He does not buy or sell anything, but gives a quest reward for one quest in singleplayer, [[Ogden%27s_Sign|Ogden's Sign]]. If the heroes in Diablo ever slept or ate, he'd be a lot more useful.

===Pepin the Healer===
[[Image:D1-npc-pepin.gif|frame]]
Pepin is found to the lower left of town, across the square from Griswold. He is the healer, and will restore any character's health to full (if you click the option to do so in Diablo, or simply talk to him in Hellfire). Pepin has a variety of quest dialogues, but is an essential player in just one, [[The Black Mushroom]], when he sends you to find a demon's brain and takes it in exchange for the spectral elixir.

Pepin sells:
* Unlimited quantities of healing potions, full healing potions, and resurrection scrolls (MP only). He also offers 7-14 other items, with a selection that resets each time you return from the dungeons. The items include scrolls of healing, elixirs, rejuvenation potions, and full rejuv potions.
* Elixirs: Pepin sells strength, dexterity, and magic elixirs (but never vitality), once characters satisfy some basic requirement.
** Elixir availability. Pepin sells elixirs to in multiplayer games once a character reaches level 26. In singleplayer, he sells elixirs once a character has entered Hell (Dlvl 13), the Hive, or the Crypt. His selection of elixirs is random in multiplayer. In singleplayer it is focused; he only sells elixirs that boost attributes you have not yet maxed out.

===Wirt the Peg-Legged Boy===
[[Image:D1-npc-wirt.gif|left|frame]]
Wirt is found to the far left of town, over a bridge and past the entrance to the Caves. It's a long, winding walk in Diablo, made much more bearable by the fast walk in Hellfire. Wirt sells items, but only one at a time, and he'll only show it to you after his infamous 50 gold fee. Wirt's graft engendered extreme hostility in most Diablo players, and his fate as a gold-popping corpse in Diablo II was a form of fan service.

[[Image:D1-wirt-merciless-bow-thunder3.gif|right|thumb|Only possible from Wirt.]]
Despite his maddening cover charge, Wirt is a very useful resource, since he can sell items that are otherwise unobtainable in the game. Wirt's items can go up to Ilvl 60, which means any prefix or suffix can occur on them, including the dozen or so that Griswold will never sell. Despite his ability to sell any modifier, Wirt can not sell every potential item, due to the way prefixes, suffixes, and item types interact, and the hard cap placed on Wirt's top prices. For instance, the legendary GPoW, Godly Plate of the Whale, can not be found (no monster can drop Qlvl modifiers that high) but it can be purchased from Wirt. Only in lower quality base armor though, since on gothic plate or full plate mail the item would exceed the price cap.

'''Wirt sells:'''
* '''In Diablo:'''
** '''Weapons:''' All types of weapons except staffs.
** '''Armor:''' Body armor, helms, and shields. (Jewelry only in singleplayer.)
* '''In Hellfire:''' The item types he offers vary by character, and he will never sell some types of items to some characters. The items he does not sell are listed below:
** '''Warrior:''' Bows and staffs.
** '''Rogue:'''Axes, blunts, swords, staffs, and shields.
** '''Sorcerer:''' Axes, blunts, bows, and staffs.
** '''Monk:''' Blunts, bows, shields, and medium armor (chain and ring).
** '''Bard:''' Axes, blunts, and staffs.
** '''Barbarian:''' Bows and staffs.

[[Image:D1-wirt-gpow.gif|center|frame|It does exist! (Just not on gothic or FPM.) Offered in multiplayer Hellfire.]]

==Hellfire NPCs==

Hellfire added three NPCs, two of whom only appear once their quests are enabled with the [[command.txt]]. None of them are merchants.

===Lester the Farmer===
[[Image:D1-npc-lester-farmer2.gif|frame]][[Image:D1-rune-bomb.gif|left|frame]]
Lester the Farmer is found near the upper right corner of the pasture, near the cows and the northern bridge to Adria's island. He gives [[The Farmer's Orchard]] quest, in which he explains that he can't get his cows to the pasture over a bridge near town, since a strange swelling has appeared there in the ground. Once a character reaches level 15, or enters the Caves (Dlvl 9) Lester will drop a Rune Bomb when you speak with him. The bomb must be dropped on or near the ground swelling to blow open an entrance to the Hive.

After you've blown up the Hive opening, return to Lester. He will drop the Auric Amulet as a reward.

===The Complete Nut===
[[Image:D1-npc-complete-nut.gif|left|frame]][[Image:D1-npc-moose.gif|frame]]
The Complete Nut is only enabled by adding the "cowtest" line in the [[command.txt]] document. He replaces Lester the Farmer, and can be found standing in Lester's spot amidst the cows, where he gives you [[The Jersey's Jersey]] quest. To complete this you must find the Nut's brown suit on level 4 of the Hive. Once you return it you're given the [[D1_Unique_Jewelry#Auric_Amulet|Auric Amulet]], and the [[D1_Unique_Armor#Bovine_Plate|Bovine Plate Armor]].

===Celia===
[[Image:D1-npc-celia2.gif|frame]]
Celia is a little girl found on Adria's island after a character has entered the Hive. She gives a tearful speech about her missing friend "Theo" and the monster who took him. Theo turns out to be a teddy bear who is dropped by the Hork Demon, found on level 3 of the Hive. When you return Theo, Celia drops a magical amulet. If this quest is not enabled, the Hork Demon will drop a magical amulet when it is killed.

==Monster NPCs==
A few of the monsters have speaking roles as part of various quests, or just to add atmosphere to the storyline.

===Gharbad the Weak===
[[Image:D1-mon-gharbad.gif|left|frame]]
Gharbad is a deceptive goatman who is found on level 4 of the Church. He is found standing somewhere on the level, and can not be attacked initially. His speech is amusingly-accented, and in it he begs for his life and promises to reward you if you'll spare him. A character must leave the screen, then return after a moment to get the item, and receive more promises of better items if you'll spare Gharbad. He must be left alone, then returned to twice more, and on the final time Gharbad snaps and says the item is too good to give away. "This too good for you. You want? You take!" With that he attacks, but lives up to his name, and can be killed fairly easily. He drops the second magical item when he dies.

See the [[Gharbad the Weak]] quest page for full details. This quest only occurs in singleplayer games.

===Snotspill===
[[Image:D1-mon-snotspill.gif|frame]]
Snotspill is a Dark One, a blue type of Fallen. He is found in a special architectural area of level 4 of the Church, and is part of the [[Ogden%27s_Sign|Ogden's Sign]] quest. See that page for full details. This quest only occurs in single player games.

===Zhar the Mad===
[[Image:D1-mon-zhar-the-mad.gif|left|frame]]
[[Zhar the Mad]] is a mage-type quest monster found in one of the small library rooms on level 8. He can not be attacked initially, though he turns to watch the player while he talks in his crazy voice. Zhar will drop a random spellbook when first clicked on, and will not attack the player unless/until he is provoked by additional clicks, or by the character clicking on the bookshelf beside where Zhar is studying. At that point Zhar mutters madly, "Your curiosity will be the death of you." and attacks.

Zhar is a much-weakened Advocate, and can cast fireballs and teleport, just like the Advocates found on level 16. He drops a spellbook when killed.

===Lachdanan===
[[Image:D1-mon-lachdanan.gif|frame]]
[[Lachdanan]] is one of King Leoric's knights, found on level 14 of the dungeon, and gives the Lachdanan quest. He speaks to you when clicked on, telling a sad tale of being betrayed and cursed by the mad king. Lachdanan requires a special golden elixir to free him from the curse he's been placed under. The elixir is found on level 15 of the dungeon.

When returned to Lachdanan, he vanishes in a flash of flame, dropping a random magical weapon, and the unique [[D1_Unique_Helms#Veil_of_Steel|Veil of Steel helm]]. Singleplayer only.

===Lazarus===
[[Image:D1-mon-lazarus.gif|left|frame]]
Lazarus is the author of the various books found on dark altars throughout the dungeons. They tell the plot of the game, and speak of how he served his master by kidnapping Prince Albrecht and luring the villagers to their doom in the depths of the catacombs.

In singleplayer games, Lazarus has an additional cinematic and a speech when you find him in his special, custom level. In multiplayer he is found in a little room in the upper corner of level 15. He gives the same speech when activated, but can be killed before he finishes talking, if you're quick.

===The Defiler===
[[Image:D1-mon-defiler.jpg|frame]]
The Defiler is found on level 4 of the Hive, where she drops the Cathedral Map players require to enter the Crypt levels, initiating the [[Grave Matters]] quest.

The Defiler, AKA the Hive Queen, speaks in an annoying, buzzing voice when you first enter level 2 and 4 of the Hive, and has another speech when she's finally encountered face to face.

===Na-Krul===
[[Na-Krul_Quest|Na-Krul]] gives a short, menacing speech when he's released from his prison on level 4 of the Crypt levels.
:''Ha, ha, ha...Free! Ha, ha, ha...Free to confront the one who banished me to the void, Diablo! 
:''And free to reward you, little mortal with your death!

[[Image:D1-mon-na-krull.jpg|thumb|100px|Na-Krul]]
Na-Krul also has an Easter Egg dialogue that's enabled by the command.txt option.

:''Hi! I'm free, free to confront the little man who banished me, Diablo. 
:''Hi, Everybody, and I'm free to reward you, little mortal, 
:''with these Aerosmith tickets. 
:''You'll be getting backstage passes, 
:''You'll get to meet Steven Tyler and the whole band. 
:''This Friday at the Coliseum. 
:''Thanks for getting me out of there. 
:''By the way, I'm gonna have to kill you. (pause) 
:''I'll be right back with the traffic and weather together.

His speech is the same whether you free him with the lever, or by reading the books in sequence to weaken him.

{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[Category: D1 NPCs]]
[[category: Diablo I]]

D1 Differences

2009-02-05T05:31:21Z

DiMono: /* Single vs Multi-Player */

This article explains the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.

Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.

This article is focused on Diablo I, though it includes some mentions of Hellfire, Diablo's expansion pack. [[Hellfire]] added 3 new characters, some new types of minor items (oils and runes), eight additional levels, and various conveniences such as fast walk in town. See the Hellfire page for more information about the expansion additions.

==Diablo I Basics==
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.

==Pacing==
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in [[Hellfire]] was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this cannot be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.

==Movement and Physics==
Another big change between the games is that everything in Diablo is laid out on a rigid X/Y axis. The game world can be thought of as a large sheet of graph paper, and every item, character, and monster can only take up one square. This is evident when you drop items, since 8 will surround you, and the 9th will fall where you are standing, and it's impossible to drop any more. Only 8 monsters can fit around a character, and if you put yourself into a corner only 3 can get into range. This makes using the terrain in the dungeons a major part of the game's strategy.

Players and monsters will always stand exactly in a square when they finish their movement. It's impossible to attack or cast a spell while moving between two squares. This can be used to your advantage, since monsters that are hit while moving between two squares will be knocked back to the last one they were standing in. Thus if a monster is trying to advance on you and you keep hitting it before it can move entirely into the next square, it will be repeatedly pushed back.

Characters using ranged attacks are advised to fire down the straight lines, especially at monsters that advance along them, such as Knights or Skeletons. Monsters (and characters) are very hard to hit with a projectile when targeting them diagonally. If a group of enemies is coming in, shoot in a straight line, move over a step, shoot down that line, etc. By the same token, characters attacking arrow or spell-firing enemies should move in a zig zag pattern to greatly reduce the number of hits they will take on their way in.

==Stash==
There is no stash in Diablo. When you create a new game, only the items your character is wearing or carrying go with them. Items can be left lying on the ground during games, and in fact that's usually what players do, since the inventory needs to be cleared out to stock up on potions. Just don't forget to pick all of your stuff up before you quit the game.

==Characters==
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]] is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer]] is a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.

===Character Abilities===
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.

Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.

===Skills and Spellbooks===
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a [[D1 Spellbooks|Spellbook]]. Spells increase in power and decrease in mana cost with each book that your character reads, and they are hard capped at level 15.

All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.

===Attributes===
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.

A big change from D2 is the fact that all [[Diablo_Characters#Starting.2FMax_Stats|attributes are hard capped]] in D1. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs|elixirs]] may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute. It's necessary to consume a couple hundred elixirs to max out the overall stats.

The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing strengths and limitations to each. Warriors max out at 60 dexterity, and therefore need equipment to obtain a sufficient to/hit. Rogues only get 55 strength, so must specialize their equipment to wear the heaviest (90 str req) plate mail. And so forth. See the individual character pages for more details.

===Life and Mana===
[[Image:Mana-potions.gif|frame|Typical inventory for a Sorcerer heading down into the dungeons.]]
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties, and only work with melee weapons. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.

===Death===
Death in Diablo comes to everyone, sooner or later. It's a non-factor in single player. When you die in SP you can only start a new game, or load from your last save point. There is no "restart in town" option. It's wise to save often in single player, since few things are more annoying than dying after a long play session only to realize you'll have to repeat all those areas since you hadn't saved for an hour.

When you die in a multiplayer game, your corpse "pops" and everything your character had equipped falls to the ground. This makes recovering your loot after death a real challenge, one that's compounded by the smaller dungeons, more persistent monsters, and the lack of a running speed. On the bright side, telekinesis can pick up anything you target it on, and all characters can learn the teleport spell. Rogues and Warriors are advised to carry (at least) a spare weapon they can leave in town, since it's usually necessary to kill a few monsters to get your stuff back.

==Resistances==
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception, [[D1_Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and cannot be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt can cause you to block and interrupt your attack animation).

Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. Many monsters are double immune, and a few types are "triple immune" and cannot be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes.

==Equipment==
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. Bows come with unlimited arrows, but they have durability just like other weapons. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold.

There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes. There are no rare or set items in Diablo, and no exceptional or elite types either. You can find the same quality of items on normal as on hell, and item finding works virtually the same in the deepest levels of normal difficulty as it does in nightmare or hell.

Item durability is hardcore in Diablo -- items that drop to 0 durability are destroyed in the process. No taking them back to town to repair; if they hit zero, they vanish forever. It's not wise to press on with a battle once the golden "low durability" icon appears for your weapon, and if it goes red, stop fighting right that second. The pain of breaking your favorite weapon trying to kill one last monster is one of the true heartbreaks in Diablo.

Items in Diablo can be equipped without being identified, though you will not gain the benefits of the item. There are cursed items in Diablo and Hellfire, prefixes and suffixes that lower your attributes or damage. (Some variants, such as the Beyond Naked Mages, wear these items exclusively). To identify items take them to Deckard Cain. He charges 100 per identify, and while there are identify scrolls to be found and purchased, there are no tomes to put them in, making it impractical to carry enough to ID everything in the dungeon. ([[D1 Bard|Bards]] can Identify as their inherent ability.)

Finding items that have dropped on the ground can be a challenge. Hellfire added the Search skill, but in Diablo you have to find it with your eyeballs, or by moving your mouse around and looking for the hover description to pop up. Rogues and Sorcerers are often tormented by the "ding" of a ring or amulet dropping off the screen, since they know how much trouble they'll have finding it.

==PvP and Friendly Fire==
There is a hostile button in Diablo, but the only difference it makes is allowing you to select the other player as a target. The button is almost irrelevant, since it's trivially easy to swing, shoot, or cast in the direction of another player, and since there is unlimited friendly fire in Diablo and Hellfire, they're dead meat whether you've gone hostile or not.

Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill to '''avoid''' killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally chopping other players, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not hitting other players (usually when they walk into the Rogue's firing line), and Sorcerers have a hard time playing on the same level, much less the same screen, as other players. It's surpassingly easy to kill a friend with a stray Fireball or Chain Lightning, even if they're well out of visual range. When the inevitable happens, clear the area as quickly as you can and use a resurrection scroll or else cast a safe Town Portal (if they've restarted in town) near the pile of items your dead friend popped.

==Dungeon Elements==
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are [[Diablo Levels|16 dungeon levels]] grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.

===Shrines===
[[D1 Shrines|Shrines]] in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.

==Single vs Multi-Player==

There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo I. Most obviously, single player Diablo characters are truly single player. They cannot play in any sort of MP game. Single player games are saved exactly as they are; all the monsters, level layouts, items on the ground, etc, are preserved exactly. Be sure you save frequently, since if you didn't you will have to load from the last save point, and it's no fun to have to clear a level for the second time since you forgot to save for the past hour. Diablo does not support nightmare or hell difficulties for single player characters (Hellfire does). There is a work around possible in Diablo, though. If you play a multiplayer game, then exit it and start a single player game, the difficulty of the SP game will be the same as the MP game played beforehand.

Multiplayer Diablo I is equivalent to singleplayer Diablo II. Characters are saved on your computer and can be played solo or with friends in a TCP/IP or LAN game. There are no saved games; just your character's state and the equipment they're using and carrying is saved. There are only 4 [[Diablo Quests|quests]] in multiplayer Diablo I, and they occur in every game. Multiplayer is also much harder on Nightmare and Hell, where the monsters have about double the hit points they do in single player. You must be level 20 to create a nightmare game and level 30 to create a hell game.

Another major difference between SP and MP Diablo and Hellfire is level up speed. Multiplayer monsters have more hit points, and are worth far less experience. Characters gain no more than 200 exp/Clvl in MP Diablo or Hellfire (up to 10,000 at level 50), while there is no cap in SP, and each monster in hell can be worth 100,000 and more. A SP character can reach level 44 or 45 in the time it takes to get to level 29 or 30 in multiplayer, and getting an MP character over level 40 requires many dozens more games than it does in singleplayer.

===Battle.net===
Diablo was the game that Battle.net was launched to support, and you may still play the game online via Blizzard's service. Diablo also supports modem-to-modem, serial port, and LAN via IPX (NOT TCP/IP!) play, and though these generally provide lower latency than the Battle.net servers, they are much more difficult to configure properly. There is no security on Diablo games or characters, and it's recommended that you back up your character files before playing online with anyone you don't know, since character corrupting hacks abound.

==Monsters==
Monsters are fairly similar between the games. There are no champions or random bosses in Diablo, but there are a fair number of superuniques, most of whom spawn with minions who are stronger than regular monsters of their type. They do not gain extra random abilities on Nightmare and Hell.

Monsters display kill counters in Diablo, and each time you bag one of a given type, the number of killed goes up. At 15 kills you get some information on the monster's resistances, and at 30 kills you are shown the full resistances and immunities.

One special monster to note: The Black Death is a bright yellow zombie found on levels 3-5. They permanently steal one of your hit points each time they strike you, and should be avoided at all cost. Do not fight them melee, if you can help it, and do not let them hit you or that's a hit point you will never get back.

==Further Resources==

* [http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml Freshman Diablo] - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
* [[Jarulf's Guide]] - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.

===Source===

This article was adapted from [http://kennedy.greg.googlepages.com/d4d2.html Diablo for Diablo II Players], by Greg Kennedy.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:D1 Basics]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Differences

2009-02-05T05:27:49Z

DiMono: /* PvP and Friendly Fire */

This article explains the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.

Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.

This article is focused on Diablo I, though it includes some mentions of Hellfire, Diablo's expansion pack. [[Hellfire]] added 3 new characters, some new types of minor items (oils and runes), eight additional levels, and various conveniences such as fast walk in town. See the Hellfire page for more information about the expansion additions.

==Diablo I Basics==
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.

==Pacing==
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in [[Hellfire]] was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this cannot be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.

==Movement and Physics==
Another big change between the games is that everything in Diablo is laid out on a rigid X/Y axis. The game world can be thought of as a large sheet of graph paper, and every item, character, and monster can only take up one square. This is evident when you drop items, since 8 will surround you, and the 9th will fall where you are standing, and it's impossible to drop any more. Only 8 monsters can fit around a character, and if you put yourself into a corner only 3 can get into range. This makes using the terrain in the dungeons a major part of the game's strategy.

Players and monsters will always stand exactly in a square when they finish their movement. It's impossible to attack or cast a spell while moving between two squares. This can be used to your advantage, since monsters that are hit while moving between two squares will be knocked back to the last one they were standing in. Thus if a monster is trying to advance on you and you keep hitting it before it can move entirely into the next square, it will be repeatedly pushed back.

Characters using ranged attacks are advised to fire down the straight lines, especially at monsters that advance along them, such as Knights or Skeletons. Monsters (and characters) are very hard to hit with a projectile when targeting them diagonally. If a group of enemies is coming in, shoot in a straight line, move over a step, shoot down that line, etc. By the same token, characters attacking arrow or spell-firing enemies should move in a zig zag pattern to greatly reduce the number of hits they will take on their way in.

==Stash==
There is no stash in Diablo. When you create a new game, only the items your character is wearing or carrying go with them. Items can be left lying on the ground during games, and in fact that's usually what players do, since the inventory needs to be cleared out to stock up on potions. Just don't forget to pick all of your stuff up before you quit the game.

==Characters==
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]] is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer]] is a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.

===Character Abilities===
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.

Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.

===Skills and Spellbooks===
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a [[D1 Spellbooks|Spellbook]]. Spells increase in power and decrease in mana cost with each book that your character reads, and they are hard capped at level 15.

All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.

===Attributes===
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.

A big change from D2 is the fact that all [[Diablo_Characters#Starting.2FMax_Stats|attributes are hard capped]] in D1. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs|elixirs]] may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute. It's necessary to consume a couple hundred elixirs to max out the overall stats.

The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing strengths and limitations to each. Warriors max out at 60 dexterity, and therefore need equipment to obtain a sufficient to/hit. Rogues only get 55 strength, so must specialize their equipment to wear the heaviest (90 str req) plate mail. And so forth. See the individual character pages for more details.

===Life and Mana===
[[Image:Mana-potions.gif|frame|Typical inventory for a Sorcerer heading down into the dungeons.]]
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties, and only work with melee weapons. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.

===Death===
Death in Diablo comes to everyone, sooner or later. It's a non-factor in single player. When you die in SP you can only start a new game, or load from your last save point. There is no "restart in town" option. It's wise to save often in single player, since few things are more annoying than dying after a long play session only to realize you'll have to repeat all those areas since you hadn't saved for an hour.

When you die in a multiplayer game, your corpse "pops" and everything your character had equipped falls to the ground. This makes recovering your loot after death a real challenge, one that's compounded by the smaller dungeons, more persistent monsters, and the lack of a running speed. On the bright side, telekinesis can pick up anything you target it on, and all characters can learn the teleport spell. Rogues and Warriors are advised to carry (at least) a spare weapon they can leave in town, since it's usually necessary to kill a few monsters to get your stuff back.

==Resistances==
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception, [[D1_Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and cannot be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt can cause you to block and interrupt your attack animation).

Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. Many monsters are double immune, and a few types are "triple immune" and cannot be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes.

==Equipment==
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. Bows come with unlimited arrows, but they have durability just like other weapons. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold.

There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes. There are no rare or set items in Diablo, and no exceptional or elite types either. You can find the same quality of items on normal as on hell, and item finding works virtually the same in the deepest levels of normal difficulty as it does in nightmare or hell.

Item durability is hardcore in Diablo -- items that drop to 0 durability are destroyed in the process. No taking them back to town to repair; if they hit zero, they vanish forever. It's not wise to press on with a battle once the golden "low durability" icon appears for your weapon, and if it goes red, stop fighting right that second. The pain of breaking your favorite weapon trying to kill one last monster is one of the true heartbreaks in Diablo.

Items in Diablo can be equipped without being identified, though you will not gain the benefits of the item. There are cursed items in Diablo and Hellfire, prefixes and suffixes that lower your attributes or damage. (Some variants, such as the Beyond Naked Mages, wear these items exclusively). To identify items take them to Deckard Cain. He charges 100 per identify, and while there are identify scrolls to be found and purchased, there are no tomes to put them in, making it impractical to carry enough to ID everything in the dungeon. ([[D1 Bard|Bards]] can Identify as their inherent ability.)

Finding items that have dropped on the ground can be a challenge. Hellfire added the Search skill, but in Diablo you have to find it with your eyeballs, or by moving your mouse around and looking for the hover description to pop up. Rogues and Sorcerers are often tormented by the "ding" of a ring or amulet dropping off the screen, since they know how much trouble they'll have finding it.

==PvP and Friendly Fire==
There is a hostile button in Diablo, but the only difference it makes is allowing you to select the other player as a target. The button is almost irrelevant, since it's trivially easy to swing, shoot, or cast in the direction of another player, and since there is unlimited friendly fire in Diablo and Hellfire, they're dead meat whether you've gone hostile or not.

Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill to '''avoid''' killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally chopping other players, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not hitting other players (usually when they walk into the Rogue's firing line), and Sorcerers have a hard time playing on the same level, much less the same screen, as other players. It's surpassingly easy to kill a friend with a stray Fireball or Chain Lightning, even if they're well out of visual range. When the inevitable happens, clear the area as quickly as you can and use a resurrection scroll or else cast a safe Town Portal (if they've restarted in town) near the pile of items your dead friend popped.

==Dungeon Elements==
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are [[Diablo Levels|16 dungeon levels]] grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.

===Shrines===
[[D1 Shrines|Shrines]] in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.

==Single vs Multi-Player==

There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo I. Most obviously, single player Diablo characters are truly single player. They can not play in any sort of MP game. Single player games are saved exactly as they are; all the monsters, level layouts, items on the ground, etc, are preserved exactly. Be sure you save frequently, since if you did you will have to load from the last save point, and it's no fun to have to clear a level for the second time since you forgot to save for the past hour. Diablo does not support nightmare or hell difficulties for single player characters (Hellfire does). There is a work around possible in Diablo, though. If you play a multiplayer game, then exit it and start a single player game, the difficulty of the SP game will be the same as the MP game played before hand.

Multiplayer Diablo I is equivalent to singleplayer Diablo II. Characters are saved on your computer and can be played solo or with friends in a TCP/IP or LAN game. There are no saved games; just your character's state and the equipment they're using and carrying is saved. There are only 4 [[Diablo Quests|quests]] in multiplayer Diablo I, and the same four are found every game. Multiplayer is also much harder on Nightmare and Hell, where the monsters have about double the hit points they do in single player. You must be level 20 to create a nightmare game and level 30 to create a hell game.

Another major difference between SP and MP Diablo and Hellfire is level up speed. Multiplayer monsters have more hit points, and are worth far less experience. Characters gain no more than 200 exp/Clvl in MP Diablo or Hellfire (up to 10,000 at level 50), while there is no cap in SP, and each monster in hell can be worth 100,000 and more. A SP character can reach level 44 or 45 in the time it takes to get to level 29 or 30 multiplayer, and getting an MP character over level 40 requires many dozens more games than it does in singleplayer.

===Battle.net===
Diablo was the game that Battle.net was launched to support, and you may still play the game online via Blizzard's service. Diablo also supports modem-to-modem, serial port, and LAN via IPX (NOT TCP/IP!) play, and though these generally provide lower latency than the Battle.net servers, they are much more difficult to configure properly. There is no security on Diablo games or characters, and it's recommended that you back up your character files before playing online with anyone you don't know, since character corrupting hacks abound.

==Monsters==
Monsters are fairly similar between the games. There are no champions or random bosses in Diablo, but there are a fair number of superuniques, most of whom spawn with minions who are stronger than regular monsters of their type. They do not gain extra random abilities on Nightmare and Hell.

Monsters display kill counters in Diablo, and each time you bag one of a given type, the number of killed goes up. At 15 kills you get some information on the monster's resistances, and at 30 kills you are shown the full resistances and immunities.

One special monster to note: The Black Death is a bright yellow zombie found on levels 3-5. They permanently steal one of your hit points each time they strike you, and should be avoided at all cost. Do not fight them melee, if you can help it, and do not let them hit you or that's a hit point you will never get back.

==Further Resources==

* [http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml Freshman Diablo] - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
* [[Jarulf's Guide]] - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.

===Source===

This article was adapted from [http://kennedy.greg.googlepages.com/d4d2.html Diablo for Diablo II Players], by Greg Kennedy.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:D1 Basics]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Differences

2009-02-05T05:24:43Z

DiMono: /* Resistances */

This article explains the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.

Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.

This article is focused on Diablo I, though it includes some mentions of Hellfire, Diablo's expansion pack. [[Hellfire]] added 3 new characters, some new types of minor items (oils and runes), eight additional levels, and various conveniences such as fast walk in town. See the Hellfire page for more information about the expansion additions.

==Diablo I Basics==
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.

==Pacing==
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in [[Hellfire]] was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this cannot be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.

==Movement and Physics==
Another big change between the games is that everything in Diablo is laid out on a rigid X/Y axis. The game world can be thought of as a large sheet of graph paper, and every item, character, and monster can only take up one square. This is evident when you drop items, since 8 will surround you, and the 9th will fall where you are standing, and it's impossible to drop any more. Only 8 monsters can fit around a character, and if you put yourself into a corner only 3 can get into range. This makes using the terrain in the dungeons a major part of the game's strategy.

Players and monsters will always stand exactly in a square when they finish their movement. It's impossible to attack or cast a spell while moving between two squares. This can be used to your advantage, since monsters that are hit while moving between two squares will be knocked back to the last one they were standing in. Thus if a monster is trying to advance on you and you keep hitting it before it can move entirely into the next square, it will be repeatedly pushed back.

Characters using ranged attacks are advised to fire down the straight lines, especially at monsters that advance along them, such as Knights or Skeletons. Monsters (and characters) are very hard to hit with a projectile when targeting them diagonally. If a group of enemies is coming in, shoot in a straight line, move over a step, shoot down that line, etc. By the same token, characters attacking arrow or spell-firing enemies should move in a zig zag pattern to greatly reduce the number of hits they will take on their way in.

==Stash==
There is no stash in Diablo. When you create a new game, only the items your character is wearing or carrying go with them. Items can be left lying on the ground during games, and in fact that's usually what players do, since the inventory needs to be cleared out to stock up on potions. Just don't forget to pick all of your stuff up before you quit the game.

==Characters==
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]] is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer]] is a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.

===Character Abilities===
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.

Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.

===Skills and Spellbooks===
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a [[D1 Spellbooks|Spellbook]]. Spells increase in power and decrease in mana cost with each book that your character reads, and they are hard capped at level 15.

All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.

===Attributes===
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.

A big change from D2 is the fact that all [[Diablo_Characters#Starting.2FMax_Stats|attributes are hard capped]] in D1. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs|elixirs]] may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute. It's necessary to consume a couple hundred elixirs to max out the overall stats.

The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing strengths and limitations to each. Warriors max out at 60 dexterity, and therefore need equipment to obtain a sufficient to/hit. Rogues only get 55 strength, so must specialize their equipment to wear the heaviest (90 str req) plate mail. And so forth. See the individual character pages for more details.

===Life and Mana===
[[Image:Mana-potions.gif|frame|Typical inventory for a Sorcerer heading down into the dungeons.]]
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties, and only work with melee weapons. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.

===Death===
Death in Diablo comes to everyone, sooner or later. It's a non-factor in single player. When you die in SP you can only start a new game, or load from your last save point. There is no "restart in town" option. It's wise to save often in single player, since few things are more annoying than dying after a long play session only to realize you'll have to repeat all those areas since you hadn't saved for an hour.

When you die in a multiplayer game, your corpse "pops" and everything your character had equipped falls to the ground. This makes recovering your loot after death a real challenge, one that's compounded by the smaller dungeons, more persistent monsters, and the lack of a running speed. On the bright side, telekinesis can pick up anything you target it on, and all characters can learn the teleport spell. Rogues and Warriors are advised to carry (at least) a spare weapon they can leave in town, since it's usually necessary to kill a few monsters to get your stuff back.

==Resistances==
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception, [[D1_Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and cannot be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt can cause you to block and interrupt your attack animation).

Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. Many monsters are double immune, and a few types are "triple immune" and cannot be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes.

==Equipment==
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. Bows come with unlimited arrows, but they have durability just like other weapons. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold.

There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes. There are no rare or set items in Diablo, and no exceptional or elite types either. You can find the same quality of items on normal as on hell, and item finding works virtually the same in the deepest levels of normal difficulty as it does in nightmare or hell.

Item durability is hardcore in Diablo -- items that drop to 0 durability are destroyed in the process. No taking them back to town to repair; if they hit zero, they vanish forever. It's not wise to press on with a battle once the golden "low durability" icon appears for your weapon, and if it goes red, stop fighting right that second. The pain of breaking your favorite weapon trying to kill one last monster is one of the true heartbreaks in Diablo.

Items in Diablo can be equipped without being identified, though you will not gain the benefits of the item. There are cursed items in Diablo and Hellfire, prefixes and suffixes that lower your attributes or damage. (Some variants, such as the Beyond Naked Mages, wear these items exclusively). To identify items take them to Deckard Cain. He charges 100 per identify, and while there are identify scrolls to be found and purchased, there are no tomes to put them in, making it impractical to carry enough to ID everything in the dungeon. ([[D1 Bard|Bards]] can Identify as their inherent ability.)

Finding items that have dropped on the ground can be a challenge. Hellfire added the Search skill, but in Diablo you have to find it with your eyeballs, or by moving your mouse around and looking for the hover description to pop up. Rogues and Sorcerers are often tormented by the "ding" of a ring or amulet dropping off the screen, since they know how much trouble they'll have finding it.

==PvP and Friendly Fire==
There is a hostile button in Diablo, but the only difference it makes is allowing you to select the other player as a target. The button is almost irrelevant, since it's trivially easy to swing, shoot, or cast in the direction of another player, and since there is unlimited friendly fire in Diablo and Hellfire, they're dead meat whether you've gone hostile or not.

Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill to '''avoid''' killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally chopping other players, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not hitting nailing other players (usually when they walk into the Rogue's firing line), and Sorcerers have a hard time playing on the same level, much less the same screen, as other players. It's surpassingly easy to kill a friend with a stray Fireball or Chain Lightning, even if they're well out of visual range. When the inevitable happens, clear the area as quickly as you can and use a resurrection scroll or else cast a safe Town Portal (if they've restarted in town) near the pile of items your dead friend popped.

==Dungeon Elements==
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are [[Diablo Levels|16 dungeon levels]] grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.

===Shrines===
[[D1 Shrines|Shrines]] in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.

==Single vs Multi-Player==

There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo I. Most obviously, single player Diablo characters are truly single player. They can not play in any sort of MP game. Single player games are saved exactly as they are; all the monsters, level layouts, items on the ground, etc, are preserved exactly. Be sure you save frequently, since if you did you will have to load from the last save point, and it's no fun to have to clear a level for the second time since you forgot to save for the past hour. Diablo does not support nightmare or hell difficulties for single player characters (Hellfire does). There is a work around possible in Diablo, though. If you play a multiplayer game, then exit it and start a single player game, the difficulty of the SP game will be the same as the MP game played before hand.

Multiplayer Diablo I is equivalent to singleplayer Diablo II. Characters are saved on your computer and can be played solo or with friends in a TCP/IP or LAN game. There are no saved games; just your character's state and the equipment they're using and carrying is saved. There are only 4 [[Diablo Quests|quests]] in multiplayer Diablo I, and the same four are found every game. Multiplayer is also much harder on Nightmare and Hell, where the monsters have about double the hit points they do in single player. You must be level 20 to create a nightmare game and level 30 to create a hell game.

Another major difference between SP and MP Diablo and Hellfire is level up speed. Multiplayer monsters have more hit points, and are worth far less experience. Characters gain no more than 200 exp/Clvl in MP Diablo or Hellfire (up to 10,000 at level 50), while there is no cap in SP, and each monster in hell can be worth 100,000 and more. A SP character can reach level 44 or 45 in the time it takes to get to level 29 or 30 multiplayer, and getting an MP character over level 40 requires many dozens more games than it does in singleplayer.

===Battle.net===
Diablo was the game that Battle.net was launched to support, and you may still play the game online via Blizzard's service. Diablo also supports modem-to-modem, serial port, and LAN via IPX (NOT TCP/IP!) play, and though these generally provide lower latency than the Battle.net servers, they are much more difficult to configure properly. There is no security on Diablo games or characters, and it's recommended that you back up your character files before playing online with anyone you don't know, since character corrupting hacks abound.

==Monsters==
Monsters are fairly similar between the games. There are no champions or random bosses in Diablo, but there are a fair number of superuniques, most of whom spawn with minions who are stronger than regular monsters of their type. They do not gain extra random abilities on Nightmare and Hell.

Monsters display kill counters in Diablo, and each time you bag one of a given type, the number of killed goes up. At 15 kills you get some information on the monster's resistances, and at 30 kills you are shown the full resistances and immunities.

One special monster to note: The Black Death is a bright yellow zombie found on levels 3-5. They permanently steal one of your hit points each time they strike you, and should be avoided at all cost. Do not fight them melee, if you can help it, and do not let them hit you or that's a hit point you will never get back.

==Further Resources==

* [http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml Freshman Diablo] - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
* [[Jarulf's Guide]] - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.

===Source===

This article was adapted from [http://kennedy.greg.googlepages.com/d4d2.html Diablo for Diablo II Players], by Greg Kennedy.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:D1 Basics]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Differences

2009-02-05T05:18:01Z

DiMono: /* Movement and Physics */

This article explains the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.

Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.

This article is focused on Diablo I, though it includes some mentions of Hellfire, Diablo's expansion pack. [[Hellfire]] added 3 new characters, some new types of minor items (oils and runes), eight additional levels, and various conveniences such as fast walk in town. See the Hellfire page for more information about the expansion additions.

==Diablo I Basics==
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.

==Pacing==
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in [[Hellfire]] was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this cannot be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.

==Movement and Physics==
Another big change between the games is that everything in Diablo is laid out on a rigid X/Y axis. The game world can be thought of as a large sheet of graph paper, and every item, character, and monster can only take up one square. This is evident when you drop items, since 8 will surround you, and the 9th will fall where you are standing, and it's impossible to drop any more. Only 8 monsters can fit around a character, and if you put yourself into a corner only 3 can get into range. This makes using the terrain in the dungeons a major part of the game's strategy.

Players and monsters will always stand exactly in a square when they finish their movement. It's impossible to attack or cast a spell while moving between two squares. This can be used to your advantage, since monsters that are hit while moving between two squares will be knocked back to the last one they were standing in. Thus if a monster is trying to advance on you and you keep hitting it before it can move entirely into the next square, it will be repeatedly pushed back.

Characters using ranged attacks are advised to fire down the straight lines, especially at monsters that advance along them, such as Knights or Skeletons. Monsters (and characters) are very hard to hit with a projectile when targeting them diagonally. If a group of enemies is coming in, shoot in a straight line, move over a step, shoot down that line, etc. By the same token, characters attacking arrow or spell-firing enemies should move in a zig zag pattern to greatly reduce the number of hits they will take on their way in.

==Stash==
There is no stash in Diablo. When you create a new game, only the items your character is wearing or carrying go with them. Items can be left lying on the ground during games, and in fact that's usually what players do, since the inventory needs to be cleared out to stock up on potions. Just don't forget to pick all of your stuff up before you quit the game.

==Characters==
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]] is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer]] is a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.

===Character Abilities===
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.

Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.

===Skills and Spellbooks===
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a [[D1 Spellbooks|Spellbook]]. Spells increase in power and decrease in mana cost with each book that your character reads, and they are hard capped at level 15.

All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.

===Attributes===
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.

A big change from D2 is the fact that all [[Diablo_Characters#Starting.2FMax_Stats|attributes are hard capped]] in D1. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs|elixirs]] may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute. It's necessary to consume a couple hundred elixirs to max out the overall stats.

The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing strengths and limitations to each. Warriors max out at 60 dexterity, and therefore need equipment to obtain a sufficient to/hit. Rogues only get 55 strength, so must specialize their equipment to wear the heaviest (90 str req) plate mail. And so forth. See the individual character pages for more details.

===Life and Mana===
[[Image:Mana-potions.gif|frame|Typical inventory for a Sorcerer heading down into the dungeons.]]
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties, and only work with melee weapons. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.

===Death===
Death in Diablo comes to everyone, sooner or later. It's a non-factor in single player. When you die in SP you can only start a new game, or load from your last save point. There is no "restart in town" option. It's wise to save often in single player, since few things are more annoying than dying after a long play session only to realize you'll have to repeat all those areas since you hadn't saved for an hour.

When you die in a multiplayer game, your corpse "pops" and everything your character had equipped falls to the ground. This makes recovering your loot after death a real challenge, one that's compounded by the smaller dungeons, more persistent monsters, and the lack of a running speed. On the bright side, telekinesis can pick up anything you target it on, and all characters can learn the teleport spell. Rogues and Warriors are advised to carry (at least) a spare weapon they can leave in town, since it's usually necessary to kill a few monsters to get your stuff back.

==Resistances==
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception; [[D1_Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and can not be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt can cause you to block and interrupt your attack animation).

Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. Many monsters are double immune, and a few types are "triple immune" and can not be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes.

==Equipment==
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. Bows come with unlimited arrows, but they have durability just like other weapons. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold.

There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes. There are no rare or set items in Diablo, and no exceptional or elite types either. You can find the same quality of items on normal as on hell, and item finding works virtually the same in the deepest levels of normal difficulty as it does in nightmare or hell.

Item durability is hardcore in Diablo -- items that drop to 0 durability are destroyed in the process. No taking them back to town to repair; if they hit zero, they vanish forever. It's not wise to press on with a battle once the golden "low durability" icon appears for your weapon, and if it goes red, stop fighting right that second. The pain of breaking your favorite weapon trying to kill one last monster is one of the true heartbreaks in Diablo.

Items in Diablo can be equipped without being identified, though you will not gain the benefits of the item. There are cursed items in Diablo and Hellfire, prefixes and suffixes that lower your attributes or damage. (Some variants, such as the Beyond Naked Mages, wear these items exclusively). To identify items take them to Deckard Cain. He charges 100 per identify, and while there are identify scrolls to be found and purchased, there are no tomes to put them in, making it impractical to carry enough to ID everything in the dungeon. ([[D1 Bard|Bards]] can Identify as their inherent ability.)

Finding items that have dropped on the ground can be a challenge. Hellfire added the Search skill, but in Diablo you have to find it with your eyeballs, or by moving your mouse around and looking for the hover description to pop up. Rogues and Sorcerers are often tormented by the "ding" of a ring or amulet dropping off the screen, since they know how much trouble they'll have finding it.

==PvP and Friendly Fire==
There is a hostile button in Diablo, but the only difference it makes is allowing you to select the other player as a target. The button is almost irrelevant, since it's trivially easy to swing, shoot, or cast in the direction of another player, and since there is unlimited friendly fire in Diablo and Hellfire, they're dead meat whether you've gone hostile or not.

Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill to '''avoid''' killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally chopping other players, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not hitting nailing other players (usually when they walk into the Rogue's firing line), and Sorcerers have a hard time playing on the same level, much less the same screen, as other players. It's surpassingly easy to kill a friend with a stray Fireball or Chain Lightning, even if they're well out of visual range. When the inevitable happens, clear the area as quickly as you can and use a resurrection scroll or else cast a safe Town Portal (if they've restarted in town) near the pile of items your dead friend popped.

==Dungeon Elements==
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are [[Diablo Levels|16 dungeon levels]] grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.

===Shrines===
[[D1 Shrines|Shrines]] in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.

==Single vs Multi-Player==

There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo I. Most obviously, single player Diablo characters are truly single player. They can not play in any sort of MP game. Single player games are saved exactly as they are; all the monsters, level layouts, items on the ground, etc, are preserved exactly. Be sure you save frequently, since if you did you will have to load from the last save point, and it's no fun to have to clear a level for the second time since you forgot to save for the past hour. Diablo does not support nightmare or hell difficulties for single player characters (Hellfire does). There is a work around possible in Diablo, though. If you play a multiplayer game, then exit it and start a single player game, the difficulty of the SP game will be the same as the MP game played before hand.

Multiplayer Diablo I is equivalent to singleplayer Diablo II. Characters are saved on your computer and can be played solo or with friends in a TCP/IP or LAN game. There are no saved games; just your character's state and the equipment they're using and carrying is saved. There are only 4 [[Diablo Quests|quests]] in multiplayer Diablo I, and the same four are found every game. Multiplayer is also much harder on Nightmare and Hell, where the monsters have about double the hit points they do in single player. You must be level 20 to create a nightmare game and level 30 to create a hell game.

Another major difference between SP and MP Diablo and Hellfire is level up speed. Multiplayer monsters have more hit points, and are worth far less experience. Characters gain no more than 200 exp/Clvl in MP Diablo or Hellfire (up to 10,000 at level 50), while there is no cap in SP, and each monster in hell can be worth 100,000 and more. A SP character can reach level 44 or 45 in the time it takes to get to level 29 or 30 multiplayer, and getting an MP character over level 40 requires many dozens more games than it does in singleplayer.

===Battle.net===
Diablo was the game that Battle.net was launched to support, and you may still play the game online via Blizzard's service. Diablo also supports modem-to-modem, serial port, and LAN via IPX (NOT TCP/IP!) play, and though these generally provide lower latency than the Battle.net servers, they are much more difficult to configure properly. There is no security on Diablo games or characters, and it's recommended that you back up your character files before playing online with anyone you don't know, since character corrupting hacks abound.

==Monsters==
Monsters are fairly similar between the games. There are no champions or random bosses in Diablo, but there are a fair number of superuniques, most of whom spawn with minions who are stronger than regular monsters of their type. They do not gain extra random abilities on Nightmare and Hell.

Monsters display kill counters in Diablo, and each time you bag one of a given type, the number of killed goes up. At 15 kills you get some information on the monster's resistances, and at 30 kills you are shown the full resistances and immunities.

One special monster to note: The Black Death is a bright yellow zombie found on levels 3-5. They permanently steal one of your hit points each time they strike you, and should be avoided at all cost. Do not fight them melee, if you can help it, and do not let them hit you or that's a hit point you will never get back.

==Further Resources==

* [http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml Freshman Diablo] - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
* [[Jarulf's Guide]] - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.

===Source===

This article was adapted from [http://kennedy.greg.googlepages.com/d4d2.html Diablo for Diablo II Players], by Greg Kennedy.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:D1 Basics]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

D1 Differences

2009-02-05T05:15:44Z

DiMono: /* Pacing */

This article explains the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.

Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.

This article is focused on Diablo I, though it includes some mentions of Hellfire, Diablo's expansion pack. [[Hellfire]] added 3 new characters, some new types of minor items (oils and runes), eight additional levels, and various conveniences such as fast walk in town. See the Hellfire page for more information about the expansion additions.

==Diablo I Basics==
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.

==Pacing==
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in [[Hellfire]] was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this cannot be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.

==Movement and Physics==
Another big change between the games is that everything in Diablo is laid out on a rigid X/Y axis. The game world can be thought of as a large sheet of graph paper, and every item, character, and monster can only take up one square. This is evident when you drop items, since 8 will surround you, and 9th will fall where you are standing, and it's impossible to drop any more. Only 8 monsters can fit in around a character, and if you put yourself into a corner only 3 can get into range. This makes using the terrain in the dungeons a major part of the game's strategy.

Players and monsters will always stand exactly in a square when they finish their movement. It's impossible to attack or cast a spell while moving between two squares. This can be used to your advantage, since monsters hit while moving between two squares will be knocked back to the last one they were standing in. Thus if a monster is trying to advance on you and you keep hitting it before it can move entirely into the next square, it will be repeatedly pushed back.

Characters using ranged attacks are advised to fire down the straight lines, especially at monsters that advance along them, such as Knights or Skeletons. Monsters (and characters) are very hard to hit with a projectile when targeting them diagonally. If a group of enemies is coming in, shoot in a straight line, move over a step, shoot down that line, etc. By the same token, characters attacking arrow or spell-firing enemies should move in a zig zag pattern to greatly reduce the number of hits they will take on their way in.

==Stash==
There is no stash in Diablo. When you create a new game, only the items your character is wearing or carrying go with them. Items can be left lying on the ground during games, and in fact that's usually what players do, since the inventory needs to be cleared out to stock up on potions. Just don't forget to pick all of your stuff up before you quit the game.

==Characters==
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]] is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]] is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer]] is a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.

===Character Abilities===
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.

Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.

===Skills and Spellbooks===
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a [[D1 Spellbooks|Spellbook]]. Spells increase in power and decrease in mana cost with each book that your character reads, and they are hard capped at level 15.

All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.

===Attributes===
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.

A big change from D2 is the fact that all [[Diablo_Characters#Starting.2FMax_Stats|attributes are hard capped]] in D1. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, [[D1_Potions_and_Elixirs|elixirs]] may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute. It's necessary to consume a couple hundred elixirs to max out the overall stats.

The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing strengths and limitations to each. Warriors max out at 60 dexterity, and therefore need equipment to obtain a sufficient to/hit. Rogues only get 55 strength, so must specialize their equipment to wear the heaviest (90 str req) plate mail. And so forth. See the individual character pages for more details.

===Life and Mana===
[[Image:Mana-potions.gif|frame|Typical inventory for a Sorcerer heading down into the dungeons.]]
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties, and only work with melee weapons. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.

===Death===
Death in Diablo comes to everyone, sooner or later. It's a non-factor in single player. When you die in SP you can only start a new game, or load from your last save point. There is no "restart in town" option. It's wise to save often in single player, since few things are more annoying than dying after a long play session only to realize you'll have to repeat all those areas since you hadn't saved for an hour.

When you die in a multiplayer game, your corpse "pops" and everything your character had equipped falls to the ground. This makes recovering your loot after death a real challenge, one that's compounded by the smaller dungeons, more persistent monsters, and the lack of a running speed. On the bright side, telekinesis can pick up anything you target it on, and all characters can learn the teleport spell. Rogues and Warriors are advised to carry (at least) a spare weapon they can leave in town, since it's usually necessary to kill a few monsters to get your stuff back.

==Resistances==
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception; [[D1_Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and can not be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt can cause you to block and interrupt your attack animation).

Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. Many monsters are double immune, and a few types are "triple immune" and can not be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes.

==Equipment==
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. Bows come with unlimited arrows, but they have durability just like other weapons. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold.

There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes. There are no rare or set items in Diablo, and no exceptional or elite types either. You can find the same quality of items on normal as on hell, and item finding works virtually the same in the deepest levels of normal difficulty as it does in nightmare or hell.

Item durability is hardcore in Diablo -- items that drop to 0 durability are destroyed in the process. No taking them back to town to repair; if they hit zero, they vanish forever. It's not wise to press on with a battle once the golden "low durability" icon appears for your weapon, and if it goes red, stop fighting right that second. The pain of breaking your favorite weapon trying to kill one last monster is one of the true heartbreaks in Diablo.

Items in Diablo can be equipped without being identified, though you will not gain the benefits of the item. There are cursed items in Diablo and Hellfire, prefixes and suffixes that lower your attributes or damage. (Some variants, such as the Beyond Naked Mages, wear these items exclusively). To identify items take them to Deckard Cain. He charges 100 per identify, and while there are identify scrolls to be found and purchased, there are no tomes to put them in, making it impractical to carry enough to ID everything in the dungeon. ([[D1 Bard|Bards]] can Identify as their inherent ability.)

Finding items that have dropped on the ground can be a challenge. Hellfire added the Search skill, but in Diablo you have to find it with your eyeballs, or by moving your mouse around and looking for the hover description to pop up. Rogues and Sorcerers are often tormented by the "ding" of a ring or amulet dropping off the screen, since they know how much trouble they'll have finding it.

==PvP and Friendly Fire==
There is a hostile button in Diablo, but the only difference it makes is allowing you to select the other player as a target. The button is almost irrelevant, since it's trivially easy to swing, shoot, or cast in the direction of another player, and since there is unlimited friendly fire in Diablo and Hellfire, they're dead meat whether you've gone hostile or not.

Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill to '''avoid''' killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally chopping other players, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not hitting nailing other players (usually when they walk into the Rogue's firing line), and Sorcerers have a hard time playing on the same level, much less the same screen, as other players. It's surpassingly easy to kill a friend with a stray Fireball or Chain Lightning, even if they're well out of visual range. When the inevitable happens, clear the area as quickly as you can and use a resurrection scroll or else cast a safe Town Portal (if they've restarted in town) near the pile of items your dead friend popped.

==Dungeon Elements==
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are [[Diablo Levels|16 dungeon levels]] grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.

===Shrines===
[[D1 Shrines|Shrines]] in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.

==Single vs Multi-Player==

There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo I. Most obviously, single player Diablo characters are truly single player. They can not play in any sort of MP game. Single player games are saved exactly as they are; all the monsters, level layouts, items on the ground, etc, are preserved exactly. Be sure you save frequently, since if you did you will have to load from the last save point, and it's no fun to have to clear a level for the second time since you forgot to save for the past hour. Diablo does not support nightmare or hell difficulties for single player characters (Hellfire does). There is a work around possible in Diablo, though. If you play a multiplayer game, then exit it and start a single player game, the difficulty of the SP game will be the same as the MP game played before hand.

Multiplayer Diablo I is equivalent to singleplayer Diablo II. Characters are saved on your computer and can be played solo or with friends in a TCP/IP or LAN game. There are no saved games; just your character's state and the equipment they're using and carrying is saved. There are only 4 [[Diablo Quests|quests]] in multiplayer Diablo I, and the same four are found every game. Multiplayer is also much harder on Nightmare and Hell, where the monsters have about double the hit points they do in single player. You must be level 20 to create a nightmare game and level 30 to create a hell game.

Another major difference between SP and MP Diablo and Hellfire is level up speed. Multiplayer monsters have more hit points, and are worth far less experience. Characters gain no more than 200 exp/Clvl in MP Diablo or Hellfire (up to 10,000 at level 50), while there is no cap in SP, and each monster in hell can be worth 100,000 and more. A SP character can reach level 44 or 45 in the time it takes to get to level 29 or 30 multiplayer, and getting an MP character over level 40 requires many dozens more games than it does in singleplayer.

===Battle.net===
Diablo was the game that Battle.net was launched to support, and you may still play the game online via Blizzard's service. Diablo also supports modem-to-modem, serial port, and LAN via IPX (NOT TCP/IP!) play, and though these generally provide lower latency than the Battle.net servers, they are much more difficult to configure properly. There is no security on Diablo games or characters, and it's recommended that you back up your character files before playing online with anyone you don't know, since character corrupting hacks abound.

==Monsters==
Monsters are fairly similar between the games. There are no champions or random bosses in Diablo, but there are a fair number of superuniques, most of whom spawn with minions who are stronger than regular monsters of their type. They do not gain extra random abilities on Nightmare and Hell.

Monsters display kill counters in Diablo, and each time you bag one of a given type, the number of killed goes up. At 15 kills you get some information on the monster's resistances, and at 30 kills you are shown the full resistances and immunities.

One special monster to note: The Black Death is a bright yellow zombie found on levels 3-5. They permanently steal one of your hit points each time they strike you, and should be avoided at all cost. Do not fight them melee, if you can help it, and do not let them hit you or that's a hit point you will never get back.

==Further Resources==

* [http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml Freshman Diablo] - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
* [[Jarulf's Guide]] - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.

===Source===

This article was adapted from [http://kennedy.greg.googlepages.com/d4d2.html Diablo for Diablo II Players], by Greg Kennedy.

{{Template:D1 Quests}}
{{Template:Diablo items}}

[[category:D1 Quests]]
[[category:D1 Basics]]
[[category:Diablo I]]

Talk:Superunique Treasure Classes

2009-02-03T07:34:24Z

DiMono: Someone should be TClass 90 in Hell

Shouldn't Baal or Pindleskin (I forget which) be TClass 90 in Hell?

Hellfire

2009-02-03T07:32:34Z

DiMono: /* Undocumented Features */

Hellfire is an expansion pack for ''Diablo''. Hellfire is an add-on, not a full new game, and once Hellfire is installed the Diablo CD must be in your cd-rom drive to play. This wiki contains full information for Diablo I and Hellfire. See the [[D1 Diablo Game|Diablo I Main Page]] for a directory structure.

==Hellfire Features==
Hellfire adds one character class, the [[D1 Monk|Monk]], two new dungeon areas the [[Diablo Levels#The Hive|Hive]] and the [[Diablo Levels#The Crypt|Crypt]], a few new [[D1 Shrines#Hellfire|shrines]], some new item [[D1 Modifiers|prefixes]] and [[D1 Modifiers|suffixes]], a few new uniques (mostly [[D1 Unique Jewelry|jewelry]]), and new specialty items including [[D1_Hellfire_Oils|oils]] and [[D1_Hellfire_Runes|runes]]. Other improvements and enhancements include numerous bug fixes, the ability to move at a double-speed walk while in town, and the option to select Nightmare and Hell difficulty levels in single player. [[D1 NPCs#Griswold the Blacksmith|Griswold]] sells more items than he did in Diablo, and he will attempt to offer you higher quality items than you currently possess, making it possible to buy very high quality gear. A few new spells are added, and every spell can be learned by reading books, including [[D1 Spellbooks#Apocalypse|Apocalypse]], which could only be used from scrolls and staff charges in Diablo.

===Undocumented Features===
There are several undocumented features in Hellfire. While the product works with single player or multiplayer in v1.00, the official v1.01 patch removes multiplayer capability. It's easy to unlock the multiplayer capability (Hellfire can not be played over Battle.net, but works nicely with a LAN or TCP/IP) though, and there are additional features available as well. There are also two additional characters to choose from; the [[D1 Barbarian|Barbarian]] (who uses the [[D1 Warrior|Warrior]]'s graphics) and the [[D1 Bard|Bard]] (who uses the [[D1 Rogue|Rogue]]'s graphics). A couple of additional quests can be enabled as well, and [[Na-Krul]] can be given a humorous bonus speech. Finally, it's possible to lock the color palette in the Hive to always be consistent rather than chosen at random as most palettes are.

====Unlocking the Undocumented Features====

You must have hellfire installed on your machine before any of the following will do you any good. We do not have information about where you can obtain Hellfire. Neither Sierra nor Blizzard sell it through their online store, it is not part of the Diablo Battlechest, and few stores will have the game in stock at this time. You can find used copies through Amazon.com and other game retailers, but they are usually expensive. Checking ebay.com might be your best bet, or finding a friend who owns it who would let you borrow it. You do not need the Hellfire CD to run the game, once it's installed.

# [http://www.diii.net/files/hellfire-all.zip Download this file] (640k, zip) hosted by the Unofficial Diablo Site. It contains Sierra's official Hellfire v1.01 patch (also can [ftp://ftp.sierra.com/pub/patches/pc/hf101.exe be downloaded directly] from the Sierra site), the hacked hellfrui.dll you need to enable multiplayer in Hellfire v1.01, and the command.txt file.
# Open the zip and run hf101.exe to upgrade to the Hellfire v1.01 patch.
# Extract hellfrui.dll and command.txt to your hellfire folder (C:/sierra/hellfire by default). Hellfrui.dll will overwrite the existing version of the file.
# That's it. The [[D1 Bard|Bard]], [[D1 Barbarian|Barbarian]], the [[Celia%27s_Theodore|Theo quest]], [[The_Jersey%27s_Jersey|Cow quest]], and multiplayer are now enabled.

=====Command.txt Editing=====

If you wish to disable any of the features enabled by the [[command.txt]], simply delete the mention of that item in the code. For instance, if you wanted to not include the silly cow suit quest, just remove that portion from the code, turning this:

cowquest;theoquest;bardtest;multitest;barbariantest;

into this:

theoquest;bardtest;multitest;barbariantest;

Be sure you don't change the spacing or leave an extra semicolon. To enable the fixed Hive palette, add '''nestart;''' to command.txt.

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[[category:Diablo I]]
[[category:Hellfire]]

Talk:Hellfire

2009-02-03T07:28:24Z

DiMono: Pointing out another hidden feature

There's another undocumented feature in Hellfire, where you can add nestart; to command.txt to force the same colour palette every time you play in the hive. Otherwise, the palette is chosen randomly, as per usual.