Are people actually happy with this skill bar? I am not understanding the whole idea. I cant even play it. I feel I lose a lot of control over my toon. This is also a major change and during preorder they said not many changes, when did all this change? They were so worried of changing the game that they gave you the option whether you had gold pick-up or not. They make a big change like this and don’t give you the option. I don’t get it sorry. I want to learn how to use this new system, feel it is unfair I have to change just because people aren’t use it and use a controller, when D2 came there were no controllers on the computer. I never had any problems using even 12 F keys to change all my skills. Is there a trick to using this new skill bar?
Isn’t there an option to use the old one on PC?
Yes I just found it :/. I finally found that it was optional and was able to turn it off. So i like it now.
It being optional is a very good design choice. I have not even tried it yet. I plan to use it on a melee paladin: with the traditional setup I cannot stand having my right mouse button locked by an aura. I was hoping they would allow us to move the auras to the left button slot, but this skill hotbar thing may be a feasible solution.
It is one of the many things on my in-game to-do list 
Is there a way to get the skill bar like the one in D3? and all the rest of WOW?! Across the bottom and not have to be opened or F-key controlled? Something I can see at all times without having to do something special to do so? Just a plain action bar across the bottom …?
Go to your escape menu while in game, options, gameplay settings. There are two checkboxes. Check display active skill bindings, check quick cast skills. You can further go into the control settings and set each hotkey skillbind to different keys than the f-keys.
Setting Skillbinds: Click your right or left click active skill, hover above the skill you want to hotkey, press either your f-key or custom hotkey on which skills you wish to bind.
Keep note however, the skillbar/quick cast still works under D2’s skill restrictions and that hotkeys can be binded still to left click or right click (ie if you want to hotkey Smite on left click to F1, and Salvation Aura to right click on f-2, you would need to go into each active skill like normal). Auras will still only work on right click binds, as any other skill restrictions.
That should help! Thank you! Well, nope! I would like a bar that I don’t have to use the other keys with. Something I can click on that works like all the other action bars in Wow and Diablo 3. With this, it shows me what they are, but it has no interaction with the actual skills. I know what I’ve got them bound to but I use the pc and prefer the action bar that the other games use. Interactive action bars. To me, having to F1 whatever, slows the process down and messes with the flow. I’ve been playing for years (14?) and could be because of what I’ve gotten used to. Thank you again.
No problemo. Skill bar/fast cast is awesome, enjoy!
No. It’s just a single press action as opposed to the janky two press switch of the old system. While technically they could probably allow pressing on the skillbar itself with the mouse cursor, I don’t think it’d work too well with D2, especially with skills like Teleport, due to needing to go where mouse cursor points or having to be programed with a preset range in direction facing like controller, plus the fact you would be accidentally clicking the buttons.
Never used it that way in D3, though it’s been about a year since I last played it. I know in FF14, you can mouse click the bars, but I just use controller on it. I still love the fast cast though here in D2R, much smoother and faster to me than either manually switching skills or using the clunky swap system hotkey.
Ok, thank you. Guess my answer is - No, that’s too bad. I don’t like having to press a Function Key to swap and use but it is smoother than pulling up the skill layout thing and doing it that way. Guess there will just be some skills I don’t use. So far, I’ve done pretty good with just 2. Was just thinking I needed to change it up before trying Diablo again for the first time. Trying to be prepared. I’ve got shadow warrior, dragon talon, and dragon flight on this one. I use talon and flight to fight, and warrior to bring her back up when needed. Thank you.