I’m kindly asking the devs from the D2:R team to consider allowing the player to import their online characters to single-player. I invite anyone else to either support this post or create their own to raise awareness about this topic. I will provide my reasoning in the next paragraph, but this is opinion based and could be perceived as a rant rather than positive criticism.
-Disclaimer: The following is my reasoning, read at your leisure-
First of all, the server issues on the week-end is the main culprit of my desire to move away from the multiplayer scene. Combined with rollbacks (2) in the first few days, sitting down for a D2:R playing session is opening pandora’s box; you’re unsure of what to expect on any given day, especially on week-end. When available, rubberbanding is still noticeable, especially on less mobile class (ie: Amazon, Druid, etc) with some enemy types being better at “catching” the player in such a rubberband. Flayer, Stygian Dolls, Gloams, Act 5 Lancers, Gloombats and Blood/Death Lords. The latter won’t even animate probably, gaining ludicrous attack speed and damage without even moving on the player screen. This makes any Hardcore run for me off-limits in the current MP state.
Secondly, I respect the devs’ decision to release this remaster as close to the original as possible. I said respect, not agree. My personal take on the loot system is that FFA-loot is an archaic system that promotes competition rather than cooperation. The reward lies in higher XP gain and trivializing the game’s content. Combined with the server’s up-and-down performance, I do not get a fair share of the loot, which would be 1/8th, getting roughly 1/20th of the drops (subjective amount).
Lastly, I feel the MP’s scene denature the game’s spirit by promoting rushing past its content and therefore challenges. This one is probably more about me opting for the wrong game mode rather than an issue with MP itself, but I like to be challenged in a game. While I have several characters now who completed all quests solo, most of my friends did not do Act 2 and 3 quests even once. Multiplayer allows for skipping these far too easily. I feel like my mindset suits singleplayer better, as nothing annoys me most than my friend complaining about endgame farming being unrewarding and repetitive knowing that they skip the game’s content because of how accessible it is to get carried past every acts. Trading also contribute to speed-up gear acquisition, further reducing any sense of achievement for gearing up a character. I’d rather do my own thing in singleplayer, adjusting the player count to fit my needs with fixed maps, free of any server hick-ups.
TL;DR: This is why I ask for a mean to transfer online characters and stash to single player.