Howdy folks, I just finally gave D2 a try and I really enjoy it. D2R’s graphics look fantastic. I also now see where POE got it’s inspiration from and I loved that game. Anyhow, I’m really enjoying the game and was curious what play method (online, offline, ladder) you’d reccommend for a first time player to D2. Thanks in advance.
Oh, also, how long does the ladder season last? Would you consider it too late for me to join now?
Cheers
I would say go offline and play normal and nightmare on players8, then hell on players1.
Previously I would have said online ladder because trading is fun as well, now I’d say offline.
Trading has become annoying rather than fun and the ease in which you can get items online removes the whole feeling of reward you get when you play solo.
As said offline you can set the player count which can be handy if you want to do that, but it will also generate the same map each time you restart your game (unless you change difficulties) which makes certain farming runs easier, which has it’s own charm.
It depends on what your goals are. If you want to play endgame multiplayer with all the best gear and spend thousands of hours monotonously grinding for it or enjoy spending real money on virtual gear or trading like an MMO, multiplayer is for you. Otherwise, single player offline is for you possibly with mods depending on your preferences. Also, it’s not a friendly community. If you don’t have a thick skin, single player offline is also for you. D2 community is roughly equivalent to Lost Ark.
The diablo 2 community is one of the best in gaming. The people are so nice and friendly and helping.
Id recommend you ignore ladder seasons, those are for very experienced players with lots of time.
You should play online so you can interact with the community and trade. Trading is a massive part of the game.
Goodluck! When you hit level 70 let me know, ill give you a torch and anni!
Choose online ladder and play solo, at least through normal difficulty. You will experience the story and normal game flow on your own. In multiplayer people will flood you with OP items cheapening the experience. Also in MP people usually rush through the game, they will pollute your quest status and you won’t know what happened and why.
In ladder mode there are some more runewords, and when the season ends you become non-ladder anyway, which will be in about 2 months.
If you choose offline, you won’t be able to go online if you later decide so.
As has been said before: You cannot moe from off to on or vice versa. And off you will only be able to play with yourseld, since TCP/IP and open BNet were removed from d2r.
Therefore I suggest to play online. And my impression is that the ladder is more populated than non-l. Sooner or later you might need/want help or play with others. Dependng on your class the very first play-thru might be challenging, so having the option of getting help is a plus.
Then join the d2r discord channel. THere are quite a few really decent, helpful and friendly people there.
i would only play online if i had other friends also new to the game, otherwise i would play solo offline if it was my first go again.
Play offline to get a handle on a few chars and their basics.
Then play next ladder reset. If you then decide you don’t like the ladder grind, you’re offline chars will still be there. And if you determine that you want to play non ladder online in a few months your ladder char will move to NL so you’re good to go.