Diablo 2

[Heresson]

Hi. I've recently borowed this game from a friend oif mine. I've got through the first 2 parts (that is, I've got through Andariel and all that desert stuff). I like the game very much. I have some questioons:
what is a thawing potion for?
If I take antidote potion before going into battle, will it protect me, or will it work only after I'm being poisioned?

In one of the quests, I was given a mercenary. But she's departed me for no apparent reason. She just disappeared. Perhaps because I was moving too fast and she's got lost behind. Do mercenaries leave me about some time or will they stay with me until death? Can I have more than 1 mercenary?
Can I get back stones from socketed weapons?
Is there some quicker way for drinking health potion but right-clicking on it?
Can I save game without going out of it and appearing next time I load it in the camp?
More to follow, thank You.

[Qilue]

Re: Diablo 2

Originally posted by Heresson
Hi. I've recently borowed this game from a friend oif mine. I've got through the first 2 parts (that is, I've got through Andariel and all that desert stuff). I like the game very much. I have some questioons:
what is a thawing potion for?

Certain attacks by monsters will freeze or chill your character, you use the potion then. Some from of immunity to freezing is better though.

If I take antidote potion before going into battle, will it protect me, or will it work only after I'm being poisioned?

It only counteracts poison.

In one of the quests, I was given a mercenary. But she's departed me for no apparent reason. She just disappeared. Perhaps because I was moving too fast and she's got lost behind. Do mercenaries leave me about some time or will they stay with me until death? Can I have more than 1 mercenary?

Are you playing the game with the expansion installed? If not, then you'll have to hire another one each time they die or you change acts.

Can I get back stones from socketed weapons?

No. There's really no point anyway as they drop quite frequently.

Is there some quicker way for drinking health potion but right-clicking on it?

Yes, use the hotkey. Default is f1, f2, f3 and f4 IIRC.

Can I save game without going out of it and appearing next time I load it in the camp?

No. "Saving" just saves you character, not the world so everytime you start the game, a new map containing all new monsters is generated.

[vmxa1]

Hotkey 1/2/3/4 can be set to whatever you want.

Saves are best done at teh start of a new act. Often that is not useful, so you save and suffer doing it all again. The game respawns so all the monsters will be back more or less. This is actually a good thing as you can kill them again for XP or run past them.

I at least try to wait till I find the way point for whereever I am. Especially Act III as that is the most confusing of all of them IMO.

Mercs do get lost. They can be recovered by doing a town portal or going back to find them. If you go to town or teleport they will show up. If not they are dead. In LoD you can go to the NPC that runs merc for any town you have been to and rehire the merc or a new one.

You usually want to rehire as you probably gave some equipment to it. If you only have Act I mercs, then don't bother. Once the free one dies, I do not replace it until I get to the act that has the one I want.

When you get a socted weapon that you expect to hold onto for a long time, be careful about what you put into it. You may want to wait for perfects in the case on gems or skulls.

[Heresson]

Thank You!

You usually want to rehire as you probably gave some equipment to it

How do I give equipement to mercs? Or make them drink from well?

Sometimes I get artefacts with yellow names... these are special ones (?). Sometimes they are green - and have a name of some hero (like Tankred). Is there a point of keeping them, even if I find them actually useless? Do they have some other meaning?

No. "Saving" just saves you character, not the world so everytime you start the game, a new map containing all new monsters is generated.

oops, that means that I've got through very hard Trave-something temple city just to find all the monsters appear again? I mean, I've killed the main bad hero, so it should be OK... on the other hand, I didn;'t destroy the artefact I was supposed to destroy, because I miss an eye of some guy... which leads me to two another questions:
1) where's the "Spiders' tavern" or whatever, where the eye is hidden? Can You gimme some clues where is it located? I've searched for it over and over without success
1,5) Can I see entire map? Otherwise I don't know if there's some entrance I've missed unless I go there
2) If they tell me "hurry! hurry! Diablo's almost got there!" or sth like this, does it mean I really need to hurry, that there's some specific time after which Diablo does that and that, or is it part of the game, to build up the atmosphere and I can go round killing monsters as much as I like?

And yeah, I've wasted a dear skull (my favourite "gem") for something.

Right now I've socketed horned (great?) helmet, and socketed great maul, and socketed sword. Plus some unused gems. I have so little place for anything...

How do I set a hotkey?

Is the kind-of-Mayan-part the last one?
Is the ending really hard? The hardest moment for me yet was Andariel... But being surrounded by dozens of skeletons resurrected by their masters to the point I could not move was bad as well...
And so was temple city - all was hell, especially master hierophants (?) healing each other...
In general, these little blue and especially green creatures of the jungles seem to be strong.
Still, I love this game!
I only play it for a week, though.
Thanks again for answers!

[Dis]

I think you need to have the expansion in order to give equipment to mercs. But I believe the o key brings up their inventory.

[Dis]

spiders tavern is a dungeon/cave in the first outdoor area outside the town in act3.

you can see the entire map once you've explored the entire map (though I think it only shows a certain amount at a time). Just try to methodically go through the entire map, you'll find it. Sure there are lots of monsters. But once you kill them, they won't come back. Then you can explore at your leisure.

3) don't worry about that. There are not time limits in this game. The only time pressure you might concern yourself with is monster hitpoint regeneration. I think Duriel (act 2 main boss) does this. Perhaps Diablo as well. Just don't take all day in killing them, and you'll be fine.

yellow items, are good items, though not necessarily great. Gold ones are the really good items (I think they are called uniques- yellow ones are called rares). The gold ones look a little more beige than the yellow ones. It's not real hard to tell the difference. If you aren't sure about a yellow one equip it, and see if it gives the effects you want (your character sheet will show your damage and defense- so it's a good idea to bring up both your inventory- and character sheet at the same time- in a safe area of course). If not, then just sell the yellow items.

Green items are part of a set. When you acquire all the items in the set, you get an additional bonus on top of what the items individually give you. It's very difficult to get an entire set. I've never gotten one. If you play multiplayer, you can maybe trade for one. I never bothered with them myself. They seem like too much trouble.

Diablo himself can be tough for certain character builds. I've used multiplayer primarily to kill him. But I've done it by myself as well. Rest assured, you can do it. It just may take some time. Before you start attacking him cast a town portal (make sure you have many of these scrolls). When you die, use it to come back and make sure to cast another town portal. Then retrieve your body and resume attacking. You'll eventually get him. You can kill him without dying as well, but it takes a strong character build and the ability to dodge his lightning attack.

[vmxa1]

Heresson
"How do I give equipement to mercs? Or make them drink from well?"

One of the hotkeys (O iirc) will open the merc character inventory and you use the same paper doll to give them items.

Different mercs can have things. Some cannot have a shield, some a sword, just take a look at them or try things. I like to give them the best I can spare.

I often will drop my current one for a nightmare merc in act II or III. Just pull all their stuff before you hire a new one.

"Sometimes I get artefacts with yellow names... these are special ones (?). Sometimes they are green - and have a name of some hero (like Tankred). Is there a point of keeping them, even if I find them actually useless? Do they have some other meaning?"

Colors tell you what they are, such as IIRC gold for elite, blue for magical, green for set items.

Set items (green) can be worn and if you get enough of the set they have extra attributes. If it is a junk set or it is not useful to your character or merc, sell it.

In SP it is very very hard to get a full set for the better ones. I have played several characterss all the way through hell and hell cow level and not found even one item for some sets. Low level ones you can eventually get the whole set. Even that will take a lot of playing and Baal runs or whatever your fac is.



"1) where's the "Spiders' tavern" or whatever, where the eye is hidden? Can You gimme some clues where is it located? I've searched for it over and over without success:

Some dungeons move from spawn to spawn. The spider cavern is in the spider forest. Act III is very confusing. Just expose the whole forest and you will find it.


"1,5) Can I see entire map? Otherwise I don't know if there's some entrance I've missed unless I go there"

Not really the overhead map is not large enough to see the whole thing at once. I just go around and follow all the paths I have not been down.

"2) If they tell me "hurry! hurry! Diablo's almost got there!" or sth like this, does it mean I really need to hurry, that there's some specific time after which Diablo does that and that, or is it part of the game, to build up the atmosphere and I can go round killing monsters as much as I like?"

Ignore it, you have all the time you want. I have often got to him and tested him a bit and left. I could see I was not ready with this build and went back to bump up some more. In fact I may have to run some act boss many times to get ready.


"Right now I've socketed horned (great?) helmet, and socketed great maul, and socketed sword. Plus some unused gems. I have so little place for anything..."

There is a mule program called ATAM. It can be used to create dummy character that do nothing but hold itmes for you ttill you need them. It can also make a giant stash, but I have not used that feature.

It is some what of a cheat, but not a big deal as you only put things you already have found. You can live without it anyway, but it is an option.

"How do I set a hotkey?"

This is off the top off my head, but I think you select options and then configure. There you have a means of many hotkeys.

"Is the kind-of-Mayan-part the last one?

To me the hardest two places are Baals location where he spwans off round after round of bosses, each harder than the one before.

You can have lots of trouble in the ice caves or the world keep as you can get surrounded with some bad guys. The seals in diablos pad are bad as Oblivion Knights can be harsh.

Nightmare you lose soem of your resistance and in Hell it is even more and the monsters get extra attributes. Nightmare you start to run into immunitis and in hell they often have 2 immunities and extra fast is very dangerous.

"And so was temple city - all was hell, especially master hierophants (?) healing each other..."

Yes that place can be rough on characters that are not real strong like barbs.

"In general, these little blue and especially green creatures of the jungles seem to be strong."

You ain't seen nothing yet my friend. You will see tough in Act V facing the three barbs guards. You cannot portal out as they will be fully healed if you come back, so it is do or die. If you draw the ones with extra fast and extra strong, it is extra hard.

I may have to break this out again soon. I have two characters at level 83 or so that have not finsihed the last few quest.

Maybe just start a new one.

[vmxa1]

I misstated the gold color it is for Unique items, Rares are yellow. socketed are grey.

Elites are just exceptional items, the best in the class.

[Zero]

WiLL tRaDe 1000 SoJzzzz 4 dA WiNd FoRcE + BuRiZa + ArKaNiNeZZZZ !!!1!!!!1!!! pm IaMgAyDuPeR

good old diablo days... w00t w00t

[Dis]

ugh. That's the part I hated the worst. In fact, I never traded with anyone. . I never liked that aspect of the game.

[vmxa1]

SP players will not be seeing any SoJ, if they are patched up. No help with monsters and lots of items will never show up. Not even talking about ladder only items.

I can't recall very many monsters with regen, there are some though, but Diablo is not one of them, thankfully. Being able to run off and TP back to town and come back is the only way I could kill him with some builds. Others could go toe to toe.

It has been a few months since I last played, but it is a great game to just get lost for awhile. Just mindless bashing.

I have 1.11, but did not apply it as I have not heard anything but problems so far with it.

[Heresson]

spiders tavern is a dungeon/cave in the first outdoor area outside the town in act3.

Thanks (also for yout other answers)! I'll try to find it. haven't had time to play, I was on a trip.

3) don't worry about that. There are not time limits in this game. The only time pressure you might concern yourself with is monster hitpoint regeneration. I think Duriel (act 2 main boss) does this. Perhaps Diablo as well. Just don't take all day in killing them, and you'll be fine.

Act 2 main boss was very easy to defeat. I don't even recall drinking too many potions. Andariel was tough, though... I've just seen my life level decrease steadily... Eventually, I lured out and killed all the other monsters, and only then attacked her.

Green items are part of a set. When you acquire all the items in the set, you get an additional bonus on top of what the items individually give you. It's very difficult to get an entire set. I've never gotten one. If you play multiplayer, you can maybe trade for one. I never bothered with them myself. They seem like too much trouble.

thanks again... I think I'll sell these items. haven't seen two of a kind yet.

Diablo himself can be tough for certain character builds. I've used multiplayer primarily to kill him. But I've done it by myself as well. Rest assured, you can do it. It just may take some time. Before you start attacking him cast a town portal (make sure you have many of these scrolls). When you die, use it to come back and make sure to cast another town portal. Then retrieve your body and resume attacking. You'll eventually get him. You can kill him without dying as well, but it takes a strong character build and the ability to dodge his lightning attack.

One of the hotkeys (O iirc) will open the merc character inventory and you use the same paper doll to give them items.
(...)

thank You very much for your answers.

Some dungeons move from spawn to spawn. The spider cavern is in the spider forest. Act III is very confusing. Just expose the whole forest and you will find it.

Well, I have exposed the whole forest and haven't found it. But probably because I use town portals to get there... I indeed may have missed something close to the gate.

There is a mule program called ATAM. It can be used to create dummy character that do nothing but hold itmes for you ttill you need them. It can also make a giant stash, but I have not used that feature.
It is some what of a cheat, but not a big deal as you only put things you already have found. You can live without it anyway, but it is an option.

Thanks, very interesting.

Yes that place can be rough on characters that are not real strong like barbs.

barbs are not real strong? How come? I am a barb...

thanks again to all, bye!

I've went through Mephisto. It was suprisingly easy. I've just stood there and clicked right click endless times... And I've used just one potion I think.

[vmxa1]

I think you misread the line on the barbs. It shold mean that characters that are not as strong as barbs may have some trouble.

Of course barbs tend to have a lot of hit points and are not easy to kill. Druids and Pally often are quite strong, but Necros/Scor and such are usually weak in HP.

Not talking about how much damage they can do, but how much they can take.

[Heresson]

oh, that's right. I actually started playing as a sorceress, but switched to a barbarian. I encountered the worse part yet. I've died sth like 8 times at this point; it was next to the smithy of hell. I've went too far and died. But each time I've tried to get to the corpse I was killed as well before I did it or right after I did it, because I was surrounded by evil creatures and could not escape. Eventually I lured out the blacksmith, but he himself was the greatest challenge since Andariel as well.

[Dis]

he's kind of tough. The toughest part though is getting mobbed by all the creatures surrounding him. A good tactic especially while solo play is to lure a few out at a time.