Customer Reviews

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Expansion Set

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's simply amazing how character development can go in so many directions with this game. Seven character classes are now offered, and focusing on certain options within any of the 3 different "skill trees" of each class can itself forever change the way in which you relate to the game. Characters can become so specialized that names have been attributed to them (lexicons can be found on the Net); for example, if you choose to play a character from the new Druid class, he can be differentiated into a Shifter, Summoner, Elementist, Botanist, Windbreaker, Bowling Druid, etc. [lingo used by D2:LoD addicts, these aren't terms that the game itself uses]. It could be said that choosing from these different paths renews the playability of the game, as you are forced to figure out new strategies to survive, especially in the Nightmare and Hell difficulty settings.
I've been playing this expansion since its release, and can hardly believe how much I yet have to learn. The Druid class is a clever addition to original 5, and quite different from the others; the new Assassin class I cannot in good faith critique, as I have only developed one character from that class. Act 5 has a much different flavor, and disposing of Baal can be a highly frustrating task, if you don't have a plan [Hint: get his back against the wall on the runway, slow him down, and hit him without a pause]. The addition of charms and class-specific items vastly improves your chances for survival, and the new set items are geared towards the more advanced players. However, other improvements put forth in the expansion balance it out in favor of the enemy (e.g., you can no longer dominate simply by having a Level 25 Fire Wall).
Lately I've discovered several websites devoted to the game, and features of the game that previously made little sense now are revealed as worthwhile to me. If you are getting the impression that this game can create a black hole in your weekly schedule, then I think I have gotten my point across. For example, tonite I am supposed to be reading an article titled "Parenteral Nutrition in Pregnancy," but instead I am researching new strategies to keep my Necromancer alive (can you blame me?)
Finally, there is the adrenaline rush motive. When trying to stay alive during some of the more challenging moments, your heart will be racing and you might even break into a sweat. Warnings written in the other reviews (about how addiction to this game can trash your GPA and cause your girlfriend to seek out someone who has never heard of Diablo or its sequels) should be taken very seriously. As a graduate student I came close to smashing the disc on several occasions with the thought of freeing myself...that would doubtless have been a waste of money, as I would have promptly jogged down to the store to pick up another copy.

This is a truly addictive game, folks. I'm talking heroin for the mind here.
I actually avoided Diablo I altogether and put off playing Diablo II as long as possible. I knew that all my friends and many family members were playing it constantly, but I had better things to do. I have played Role Playing games for decades (in fact, I have one of the original Greyhawk/Blackpool sets somewhere in my attic from my D&D days), so it was not any personal distaste for the genre. I just knew there was some reason I had to avoid it. I played dozens of other Computer RPGs and RTS games in the meantime and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Finally, when the Lord of Destruction Expansion patch came out, I could avoid it no further. All the reviews insisted that it was the most wonderful thing ever, and I decided to give it a shot (literally, as I prefer archer characters that can stand away from the big ugly monsters and not get immediately smashed to the ground). Needless to say, I soon realized why I had been avoiding it. I was completely addicted. So much so, that I am STILL playing it to the exclusion of Elder Scrolls, Neverwinter Nights, Heroes of Might and Magic, Wizardry IX etc. I should note that I actually own and hugely enjoy each of those titles- they just can't compete right now.

It's not that the game itself is all that complicated. It's more the wide variety of ways characters can be developed. The huge assortment of set items, unique weapons and apparel is amazing (and frustratingly difficult to collect). I have a personal goal of collecting every item possible- legitimately, not through some script hack as many other players seem to do- before actually stopping. Now that the latest patch is nearly complete, I now have even more things to collect. Somehow, Blizzard struck a near-perfect balance with a simple game that can be rendered as complex as your personality requires.

I thought this game was excelent. 5 areas, 27 quests, normal, magic, rare, and super rare items, hundreds of differnet monsters, 5 final monster and much more. I never liked Blizzard games, but my brother wanted this since his freind had it. Ever since then DiabloII was on my top 5 list. I recomend you to buy it.

The original Diablo opened up a new type of gaming experience for players everywhere. Customizable characters, stats, weapons, and spells made the player feel totally free and in control of the game they were playing. Only drawback was the battles. They were remembered, and there fore no new enemies appeared and therefore quests to do nothing but level up were out of the question.
Diablo II takes the best of the original, beefs it up, and then multiplies its greatness by 100. This game totally kicks the big one. Characters with skill classes, certain abilities that are useful in both single and multiplayer, and not to mention just how great it looks. The game offers so much with TONS of new items, skills and enemies. Not to mention the replay value. The game is so great that even if you lvl a character up to the highest it can go, you can pick another type of character and still want to do it all over again. The expansion brings even more to the game, with new resolution, and two new character classes and even MORE items. Both characters are extremely good and can be put to great uses. If you are for summoning then the durid is your kinda guy, if your for up front attack and enjoy using skills that kick the [pooh] out of anything and everything then the assasin is your cup of tea. Its all up to the player.
The Multiplayer option is the games overall high point I beleive, although it is great to do a one player quest, having others join your party proves beneficial in both experience and items. You also have the ability to duel other players in game as a test of skill.
So overall I believe this game to be the best of its class, and its popularity will never die out. If you get this game and the expansion you will not be disapointed in the slightest.

So, anyone who has played PC RPGs knows about the Diablo series. D1 was the hybrid that bridged the RPG and action game with an insane atmosphere and basically began the item-hunting craze with random item generation. D2 built on that and is still the standard by which any action/RPG hybrid is judged and is still played by many, many people. After you play this expansion for a while, though, try going back to D2 without it. You can't. You just can't. That's what an expansion pack should be, and that's why this is another standard of comparison.

The new act obviously adds play time for everyone, and the new classes allow replayability no matter how high your old classic characters are. Everyone forgets the other things that make this one of the best expansions of all time, though. Think about runes and runewords. If you go back to the original, you miss them. You wonder why those little stones don't drop, you forget why you ever played Countess runs, and you can't make those sweet runewords any more, then you realize they were added in the expansion. You go back to a high level character in higher difficulties and look at your items. Everything was rare, right? Then you look at your high level expansion characters and you have rares, (useful) sets, upper tier uniques, and legendary items. Things like these, the things you don't realize after playing the expansion for a while - that's what makes this so great. Once you play with the expansion for a while, you can't go back to the original - but before you got the expansion, the original was one of the most fun games you've ever played anyhow.

IMO, this is the best expansion pack ever released for a game. The game was an all-time great without it. The expansion adds huge amounts of content and replay time. After you've played with the expansion, you don't want to go back to the original. It's still being played by thousands of people even when it's very old and long-forgotten from the mainstream. THAT is what comes with a successful expansion pack, and this set the standard for all games to come.

This may sound funny but I am a 48 year old mom. I wanted to play the game so I would have something in common with my youngest who is 13 and hard to have things in common with. I found the game surprisingly fun and addictive. I am having trouble with the graphics on my new laptop (Vista) but have no trouble at all with my Dell Windows XP desktop so I am sure it is not the game. I recommend this game. It's not so easy as to be boring but not so hard that even I (NOT a "gamer") can keep up fairly well.

I have been playing this game for a very long time and im still finding more and more things to do that i have never done before! If u have never played this game then you need to try it! When u do try Diablo 2 make shure you at least know a little about this game trust me it is awsome! there are thousands of items to use Swords, Sheilds, Armor, boots, belts ect. but dont just belive me try it for urself there are also SETS to collect that make your character look really good and give a serious boost in every ability. there are 8 different characters but you can make many different "specialtys" for your character! like for an assasin you can make pure martial arts assasin, for sorcerer u can make pure fire or ice OR lightning! There are sooo many different ways to go about creating your character but dont choose just one make many characters if you like. you can also play online for no extra charge and have others help you out in your game as u also can help them! you can trade items or gold if youd like many things and friends to find! my account on D2 is listed as my name so contact me if you need some help or just want to know the ropes :)

The expansion pack adds a lot to the game, including many new weapons, an entire new land, and two more characters to choose from. The new land is great, but I must say that the two new characters are not that good, and if your only buying this game for the new characters, don't bother. The assassin is is a verrrry big disapointment, but the druid is pretty cool.
One of the reasons that I loved he first one is another reason why I love the expansion. It isnt a game you complete in one night, and after having it for months, i still havent completed it, but I don't really play every day. And the addition of the fifth level only adds to it, making only more likeable. Another great improvement is the expansion of your stash, allowing you to store more items.
Overall, this game is a fun RPG and will keep you entertained and surprise you for months.

The Diablo 2 exp is full of great additions to the game and is a must for any Diablo 2 gamer!

i love this game i play for hours and i dont even notice! this game is so addictive! But, you have not seen the best of it untill you have played this game online. The game is fun by its self in singleplayer but man, on multiplayer this game rocks!!! i love this game and if you played it then you would see what i see in it and you would also play for ever... (just so you know i am not under 13 i just dont feel unsafe with the e-mail thing :D )