Mods in the context of Diablo II, refer to modifications made to the game by fans, that alter the gameplay somehow. There are a variety of mods out there that provide all sorts of changes to character mechanics, skills, items, monsters, graphics, areas, even music and graphics. These mods often only work with one or a few specific patch versions, and often require Lord of Destruction to be installed. Mods are often not compatible with each other, though it depends on what has specifically been changed in the mod.
Mods are not to be confused, with hacks, or other programs designed for illicit use. Hacks are created with the intent of cheating on Battle.net, while mods are designed and created with the sole intention of being played offline either in singleplayer or over TCP/IP. They cannot be played on Battle.net, as the file structure is entirely different in most cases.
Total Conversions[]
Total conversion mods are large mods that overhaul the entire game more or less. They often change character skills, monsters, uniques, sets, runewords, sometimes even base items, and often add new features such as new areas or mechanics that are not present in the regular game. Some of these mods are the most popular mods, and sometimes havea community dedicated to them.
Eastern Sun[]
- Main article: Eastern Sun
Eastern Sun changes improves upon many aspects of the game, but stays true to the original pace and feel of regular Diablo. It adds and modifies skills, adds a host of new items, runes, runewords, cube recipes, monsters and areas. Players of regular Diablo will probably find their way around this mod quite easily, as it contains easy to learn systems and mechanics (such as gemwords), and also has more advanced features for players wishing to enhance their characters and experience further. The added focus on crafting and using the Horadric Cube might be a bit harder to grasp than the rest of the game, but it is very rewarding, and is carefully outlined in the Eastern Sun Database.
Median XL[]
- Main article: Median XL
Like Eastern Sun, Median also makes a lot of changes to the original Diablo II. However here, the changes are much more drastic. All characters have had all their skills replaced, and even their roles have been moved around. The Druid for example now uses the bow successfully, while the Paladin has become much more of a caster. The areas are much the same, but many optional areas, such as The Crypt, have become high-level challenges instead. Monsters are revamped, as well as the combat pace and tactical need of players. Median XL is probably harder to grasp initially, even for seasoned Diablo players.
Utility Mods[]
Not all mods are total conversions, and some mods don't even change skills and items at all. Instead, some mods focus on improving other aspects of the game.
PlugY[]
- Main article: PlugY
PlugY originally began as a mod that increased the severely limited stash size in Diablo II. Over the years however, it has developed to include a number of useful fixes and changes, such as a stats page that lists all modifiers the character has (like crushing blow %, total resists, + to attributes etc.), allowing the player to choose save path, enabling stat points and skill points to be redistributed and other things. The two most notable features are however that PlugY allows for offline players to find and kill both Diablo Clone and Chaos Tristram, as well as providing a near limitless stash that can be shared between all characters on the same computer.