Revision as of 20:38, 11 February 2009

Introduction

Potions are not essential for survival in Diablo II since most characters have hit point regeneration equipment and/or mana and life leech, but they are definitely needed in emergencies and against tougher monsters.

Drinking potions is easy due to how the belt works. Only four slots display, but you can have 8, 12, or 16 slots in a belt, with the other layers stacked up out of sight unless/until you hover your pointer over the belt. When you drink a potion any layers up above it will drop down, like a vending machine, keeping the bottom row full as long as possible. Picking up potions restocks the belt as well, stacking like potions up so you have columns or red, blue, or purple.

Besides the healing, mana, and rejuvenation potions, there are others for specialty uses such as thawing, poison cure, and refreshing stamina. There are even throwing potions that you most certainly wouldn't want to drink, even if you were allowed to do so.

Potion Fill Rate

All mana and healing and mana potions fill over time, taking around 5.12 seconds. The amount of points you gain is averaged over the time, so if you drink a 200 point potion, you'll gain around 40 points per second for around 5 seconds.

If you drink two (or more) potions in a row, the total point fill is averaged over the total time, which adds up. Drinking a 50 and a 200 point potion at the same time will give you 250 points over 10 seconds, or around 25 per second. For this reason you do not want to drink greater with minor potions, since you'll fill up more slowly than you would with just the greater potion. This can be bad if you are in an emergency and out of rejuvenation potions.

The same addition and averaging works any time you have one potion filling and drink another one, though the second one is just added to however much you had left to go on the first one.

Double Fill Potions

Sometimes when you drink a red or blue potion you will get double the listed points from it, over the normal 5.12 seconds time. This is a game feature that's not well known, but quite beneficial. The game does this with this formula:

If Vit < 201: [Vit*2/4]/Vit

that works out to (Vit/4 = % double heal). To figure your odds for Mana Potions, just substitute your Energy for Vitality in the equation, they are exactly the same in other respects. Simplified, this is .25% chance per stat point, or 1% per 4 stat points, or 5% per 20 stat points.

This holds true up to 200 points in Energy or Vitality. Above 200 your % chance actually decreases with additional points in the stat, to the tune of this formula:

[Vit^2/4]/Vit - [(Vit - 200)^2/4]/Vit

This yields a geometric curve, rather than a constant decrease. Check the stats in the table below for a few sample values. Most characters would much prefer more points in mana or life to a better % chance of a potion doubling, so this isn't really a trade off, but it's interesting to know.

Healing Potions

Drinking a healing potion fills a certain number of points every time, depending on the potion type and which class your character is. These figures are the same for D2 or D2X.

Potion		Amazon	Barbarian	Necromancer	Paladin	Sorceress	Assassin	Druid
Minor Healing Potion		45	60	30	45	30	45	30
Light Healing Potion		75	100	50	75	50	75	50
Healing Potion		120	160	80	120	80	120	80
Greater Healing Potion		180	240	120	180	120	180	120
Super Healing Potion		300	400	200	300	200	300	200

Mana Potions

Mana regenerates and can be leeched back in D2 and D2X, so most warrior characters never add a point to their Energy, and get enough mana from leech and +mana items. Drinking a mana potion fills a certain number of points every time, depending on the potion type and which class your character is. The original five Diablo II characters have steady rates that are unchanged in the Expansion, while the Assassin and Druid have more irregular stats.

Potion		Amazon	Barbarian	Necromancer	Paladin	Sorceress	Assassin	Druid
Minor Mana Potion		30	20	40	30	40	30	40
Light Mana Potion		60	40	80	60	80	60	80
Mana Potion		90	60	120	90	120	90	120
Greater Mana Potion		120	80	160	120	160	120	160
Super Mana Potion		150	100	200	150	200	150	200

Other Drinkable Potions

Image	Potion Type	Effect
Antidote		Cures poison instantly.
Rejuvenation Potion		Refills 35% of mana and health instantly. *
Full Rejuvenation Potion		Refills 100% of mana and health instantly. *
Stamina Potion		Refills Stamina instantly.
Thawing Potion		Thaws a frozen or chilled character instantly. (Does not work against the Holy Freeze Paladin Aura.)

* Neither type of Rejuvenation Potion is subject to the doubling that all mana and health potions can do, as described at the top of the page. You'll always get 35% and 100% regardless of your Clvl, stats, etc. Note that partial rejuves will do a lot more than even super healing/mana potions once your character has very high mana or hit points.

Throwing Potions

To throw a potion equip the stack in your weapon slot, select throw to the left or right click, and go for it. Barbarians can dual wield two stacks of potions, or a potion and a weapon in the other hand. In the Expansion you can use your weapon switch slot to hold a throwing potion and switch back and forth.

All characters throw potions at the same rate, have the same range (anywhere on the screen you can target with a direct line of sight) and all potions travel at the same rate of speed in the air. Potions are thrown in a rainbow, so it takes a potion several seconds to reach the target.

Exploding potions have a radius; any targets in the radius will take the full damage. Poison potions create a gas cloud that lasts for a varying amount of time; any targets that pass through the cloud while it lasts will turn green and take the full damage. Poison potion damage doesn't stack, if you hit a monster while it's still green, the damage over time is simply reset.

Exploding potions deal fire and physical damage. Monsters may resist or be immune to one or both of these. Total damage assumes no resistances.

• Item Level: Monsters must be this level or greater to drop this item.
• All throwing potions stack up to 10 in D2 and 25 in D2X. They are sold and dropped individually in D2. In the Expansion they can not be purchased, only found, and monsters drop them in stacks of 3.
• There are no Exceptional or Elite throwing potions, what you see here are the only ones in game. This of course makes them too weak to be of much use on the higher difficulty levels.

Item		D2 Properties	D2X Properties*
Oil Potion		Radius: 2 3-5 Fire Damage	Radius: 2 24-64 Damage Clvl Req: 16
Exploding Potion		Radius: 3 6-8 Fire Damage	Radius: 3 6-30 Damage Clvl Req: 10
Fulminating Potion		Radius: 6 9-10 Fire Damage	Radius: 6 5-15 Damage Clvl Req: None
Rancid Gas Potion		Creates a poisonous cloud. Poison Damage: 168	Poison Damage: 96 Clvl Req: 16
Choking Gas Potion		Creates a poisonous cloud. Poison Damage: 75	Poison Damage: 72 Clvl Req: 10
Strangling Gas Potion		Creates a poisonous cloud. Poison Damage: 28	Poison Damage: 24 Clvl Req: None

* Properties seen in the game for D2X throwing potions do not at all match up with the stats listed in the game files.

Quest Potions

Both quest potions are used briefly, and are mostly decorative.

Image	Name	Effects
Potion of Life		Act Three, quest reward from Alkor. "Right Click to permanently add 20 to life"
Potion of Thawing		Act Five, quest item from Malah to free Anya from Prison of Ice "Use potion to thaw Anya"