So I have been reading about the latest changes (adding new runewords to the ladder for example that will be ladder only), and then today reading about NuBlizz developers are outlining dramatic changes in gameplay that include revamping Mercs, items, skill trees, etc-- nothing off of the table (their direct words, not mine.). Live service, ever changing, community engagement.
I know there is a market for recreating Diablo2 – and thats fine-- but for those who dont want new skill tree changes, merc changes, item changes, etc, my question is this:
Will the mechanical changes be introduced to non-ladder and single player accounts also?
IE: so even tho the new rune words will not filter down into the game environment where people just want to play Diablo as it was 10 years ago, will all the other avalanche of changes be forced onto those playing styles also?
If so, I guess i still have my old disks!
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Runewords after the Ladder will not be Ladder excluseive. In the next Ladder another set of RWs are going to be Ladder only, and so on. Mercenary, skill balance and item changes are going into nonladder and single player when the patch goes live. So i’m sorry if you’re not willing to give it a try, you’re best bet is Diablo2 2000. 
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Shoot!
Thats what I was afraid of!
I was hoping that D2R was going to be a home for both people wanting change and people wanting just Diablo 2 with better grpahics and QoL improvements.
TBH tho, the graphics never really bothered me, and i still have my vanilla disks from 2000.
Ill reinstall those, I just never wanted the mona lisa to be forcibly repainted.
I cant imagine playing my sorc where something like telekenesis becomes the strongest skill and the act 3 merc becomes the absolute go to (for example).
RIP the Diablo I have been playing since October 28, 2003 
Thank you so much for confirming!
edit: adding info.
- it actually was pointed out a way to stop the changes NuBlizz might try to change Diablo 2 R with! In Blizzard launchers, you can set individual games to “never update” mode !
So it IS possible to just keep playing Diablo 2 with the mechanics intended by the original developers! Yay! (it was either this or unplug the internet to stop the updating or use old disks)-- if anyone else wants to preserve the original experience of d2R launch, please pass on this tip!
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Yeah its actually very sad if they really release that patch without giving us the opportunity to play D2R the way it currently is.
Like what happened to the promised “Classic gameplay—the same Diablo II you know and love, preserved”?
I would be very disappointed.
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I just turned off automatic updates and i hope thats good enough. Heaven only knows what mess they have planned to undo the classic masterpiece by the law of unintended consquences!
I have heard that the console versions demand you log in every 30 days to authenticate with the server or else the game shuts down even though you paid for it. Im not sure if that feature applies to the PC version also (?) or could you continue to play d2R (this version, not the new patch) indefinately off line?
If you want everything unchanged, only option is d2lod
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You won’t be able to play the game at all if you turn off update, not even single player in current setup.
It is the same code same game environment and same items/ skills
They just buff the underpowered skills and add in new runewords.
It isn’t affecting your kicksin, and actually improve your trapsin by reducing the amount of synergy needed to archive same DMG.
Well yeah, it affects my Trapsin and it affects my Bowazon.
I like playing underdog classes and still perform decent - that charm will be gone.
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You’re free to handicap yourself however you wish.
Legacy D2 with modern mods for upscaling and shader support is super underrated. Legacy D2 can look amazing. And with things like the Cactus launcher, you can time travel to any old Diablo 2 patch from 1.0 to 1.14d. The original game will be preserved by a dedicated community. Meanwhile this new team can try to breathe some fresh life into my favorite video game ever. So to me it feels like win-win.
Until D2R was announced, it seemed that most of the excitement around D2 was in mods like PD2 anyway. Mods that wanted to keep the game close to vanilla D2 but improve lackluster builds and itemization. So far the D2R devs are on a similar track, obviously without going as far as a mod would in a lot of ways.
Well, 1.14d doesn’t really have anything to do with the original developers. You’d have to go all the way back to 1.10 for the last Blizzard North version of the game. 1.14d is way different than 1.10. So D2R introducing more changes isn’t really violating the original game. The original game is long lost, and you need to use something like Cactus to go back and play it.
Yeah I could play with closed eyes for example, will be very enjoyable.
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Less moronically, if you think the new bow runeword is too strong, don’t use it. If you think traps get buffed too much with fewer synergies, don’t respend the points. Your complaints are pedestrian.
I really don´t like the “just don´t use it”-argument.
Lets say we introduce a new NPC in A1 which gives you the opportunity to get instant to 99 and gives you every single items available in the game.
Do you like the idea? If not, why not? Just don´t ever speak to that NPC?
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I just installed LoD disks on an old computer (and CRT weee) – i looked over patch notes all day, and ive settled on playing 1.09. Does Blizz still offer individual patches for legacy, or is there some reliable third party site one can get individual patches? I dont think Blizz support will let anyone post links, so just general direction is find. I have zero confidence in nuBlizz designing new content and forcing it onto the solo single player via unwanted patches.
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You want the Cactus version switcher. It’s at github.com/fearedbliss/Cactus.
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Hyperbole won’t do anything to sweeten those salty purist tears.
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Trapsin is far from underdog. It has been best sin to date.
Unless by trapsin you mean fire trap or blade fury
Bowzon also isn’t getting much change, at least not for physical bows
You don’t even need vanilla disk…
You can redeem a digital copy of original D2/D2 lod on battle net, just type in your original CD key and they will throw in a copy of D2 under your account with the 26 digit CD key for you to install and play it digitally
Oooho thanks for that! I completely forgot about those vanilla downloads, and i remember entering those codes back in the day. The specific thing here tho is that the disks are nice for an offline computer.
I just need to put the appropriate patch onto a usb stick and i have the version i want.
Its a shame that Blizzard is incapable of admitting many of the older version are better than current ones or gulp, future ones.
I would have thought that the popularity of WoW classic and TBC classic would have taught them that.