What does D2 mean to you?

For those that have played this game for many years — what keeps you coming back? Does it have a special place in your heart? Did it help you through a tough time in your life? Or have you simply played it as a way to relax from real world things.

Share your thoughts (if you’d like), I enjoy reading peoples experiences about these sorts of things.
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What D2 means to me — I started playing D2 (Classic Bnet on US-EAST) when I was 9 years old. This was in 2000, so I was very much “just a kid”. To me, this game was the perfect escape from the real world, school, home work, family stuff, all that jazz. The friends on classic Bnet and experiences I had have stuck with me for many years and will continue to do so. The first SoJ I ever found, my first perfect roll on a piece of gear, etc. D2 has helped me through many rough spots in my life, and continues to do so even now and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

I learned a thing or two about myself and humanity in my formative years. Growing up in Europe, this also was the place I made friends from other countries.

Now... why do I play? Nostalgia? Safety? Revisiting it with a more educated and mature mind?

No idea.

Just one of my favorite games, the one which gave some taste in gaming. Although I rarely achieved too much in my younger days, it's still a joy to play it right now. And I want to see more of the future for this game.

The unspoken gravitational force (pull) back to D2. The lifeline extension from simpler times.

For me, the nostalgia is jamming out to Godsmack - Voodoo among all other heavy rotations back in the early mid 2000's. Nothing better than some Maynard (Tool/APC/Puscifer) while playing D2.

Hearing/seeing mods always brought me back to check-in, but it was always about the legacy crew and homies (camaraderie).

I started when I was young too. High school in 2002. It was the first really internet focused game I played, and first RPG of any flavor. I was hooked for a long time, and between then and now came back a few times for a bit.

It is still the best game out there for feeling like a god in my opinion. Walking into a room and nuking everything while laughing. Then in the very next room puckering up because it is 3 Champion Horadrim Ancients reviving the Black Souls because I lost the roll for enemies in WSK. That balance between god most of the time, but still mortal enough to keep it interesting.

I will also be forever tuned to the gold text. My brain registers GOLD before it processes whether it is a

Thresher or just a

Cleaver. Same thing for the runes. There is always that little jolt of "ooooo, what did santa RNGesus give me?" before the usual let down, but enough great drops to make it worth it. that's RNG for

Jah! Zing!

to quote a greater mind: "left-click and watch stuff die" !

I played for the first time in 2002. My ex girlfriend got me into it and i just really enjoyed the grind. and when ladder reset it was like the game was Brand new again. really liked that aspect. and it keeps me coming back.

Diablo is a chill, no pressure game. I know some people are very intense and all about doing this or that to shave 1 second off their farming route, but I take it smooth, farm at my own pace and all that.

I've played other games (FPS, MMOs) competitively before, even stuff like poker, chess, etc... games where a single mistake can make you lose the game/a round.
Diablo 2 was always a nice change of pace from that.
Though I did dab in PVP here and there, and if there ever was an actual pvp system (other than just 'go out and fight') I would definitely take part, but in the meantime, it's just a fun, relaxed game to play.

I'll also add that right now what keeps me coming back is the level I am able to play at.

As a kid and in the past, I could maybe get to Hell cows, or barely Hell Pindle, but mostly just NM. Now, with all the experience and resources, I am walking through Hell like nothing.

It is still captivating to me to see all the famous and seemingly impossible items drop. I mean, as a kid I would join trade games and there would be the

Windforce.
"How much?"
"14 SoJs"
"I don't have that many"
"How many ya got?"
"0, but I have a

Goldwrap"
"Beat it scrub"

Now, I have found 2 WFs. Heck, I used one until I got a Faith bow that was even BETTER than that legend. Every enemy killed could drop that Griffon's or a

Zod, and that keeps me left and right clicking gleefully.

Same as a lot of others here, it seems. I played the original first and I can vividly remember how excited I was for the release of Diablo 2. Even more so with LOD. I was 14 in 2000.

It's hard to quantify exactly. No matter how many other games I try I always come back to this one. D3 was ok and I'll probably buy D4, but no other game compares to this one in my mind. D2R just made it stronger.

Everyone I know in real life has moved on to other games. But I just don't want to and I can't really say why.

Side note: I would highly recommend D1 to anyone who hasn't played it. It's a lot like D2, but a little darker. The atmosphere will feel very familiar.

The first time I played diablo was about 20 years ago. But, I've never played D2 as much as I have now with the release of the remaster. My game was chaotic - no guides, rune words. I loved to collect set things and kept a special notebook. Sometimes I played d3 or diablo clones, but I always came back to d2 again and again. Why? Probably, in any other game you don't have to wait for several months until you get the right thing or rune. Sometimes it's like going to a casino. Only with the release of the remaster, I began to play using builds, rune words. From this, the game has become completely different - unexpectedly more interesting for me. Different characters for different locations. For me, d2 is a rest after work and every day the expectation that I will see something interesting, new. I've never seen many things, so there's still a lot to go. Rare falls give a lot of joy (probably, like a child who was given a long-awaited toy) - I have not yet managed to find these feelings in any other game.

Addiction + Timewaste

These were all great to read, thanks everyone! It’s funny how sometimes all it takes is the right combination of mechanics in a game to keep you hooked for the better part of 2 decades.

I’ve played so many other ARPGs alongside D2 in that time and just always found myself coming back to D2. Ever since the remaster released last September, it’s the only game I’ve played since. It’s like reliving my childhood addiction all over again with an updated coat of paint. I still think it’s the best ARPG ever made and I could spend hours explaining why, but all of you know why, so I don’t have to

Hiyas, this game means alot to me because it was my mental health during one of the worse times of my life. In Jan, 2001 my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, its really hard watching someone you love die a day at a time, anyway after i had taken care of her needs, i would play this with 3 other friends to take me away from reality for a bit. It did for 11 months, for which i will be forever grateful, thats why this game has been my fav of all time. I also love reading all the helpful comments from this community and feel i could ask yall anything about game, for this i am also grateful. Bubs

P.S. yall dont want me as a caregiver!!! I totally suck at it!!

LuckyAce wrote: 2 years ago

For those that have played this game for many years — what keeps you coming back? Does it have a special place in your heart? Did it help you through a tough time in your life? Or have you simply played it as a way to relax from real world things.

Yes D2 has helped me on and off for many years with escaping from the stresses of real life. It was one of the first games i got obsessed with and even after getting into World of Warcraft i always came back to D2. It just has the best replay-ability of any game ive ever touched.

Even if you play it endlessly for years you can always come back and have a completely different experience due to the randomness of itemization. They sure don't make games like this beauty anymore and after the hot wet garbage that was D3, D2R is literally a Dream come true, especially now with 2.4 launching and giving us so many more builds.

My love for the game inspired me to create my New Players Guide and all my other guides because i wished when i first started that i had something telling me all about the many tiny details of the game. Even after playing for all these years i STILL kept learning new things everyday while watching these streamers so i decided to create a list with literally everything i didnt know and it became that guide lol.

BillyMaysed wrote: 2 years ago

LuckyAce wrote: 2 years ago

For those that have played this game for many years — what keeps you coming back? Does it have a special place in your heart? Did it help you through a tough time in your life? Or have you simply played it as a way to relax from real world things.

My love for the game inspired me to create my New Players Guide and all my other guides because i wished when i first started that i had something telling me all about the many tiny details of the game. Even after playing for all these years i STILL kept learning new things everyday while watching these streamers so i decided to create a list with literally everything i didnt know and it became that guide lol.

This is the same reason I finally decided to turn my knowledge on odd ball Barbarians builds into guides as well.

I’m planing on releasing a “new players” guide for the barb very soon. (hope people will enjoy it)

This is my favorite game in the world and I’ve easily sank more than 20,000 hours into it in the past 20 years

I got bullied a lot in school. Then I came home, logged on to D2 and played with all my online friends who actually were wonderful people. At the same time, I was never really good at anything as a kid. On D2 I had fully decked out characters, and could bomb through runs in no time. It made me feel good.

It was my escape from a horrible time. These days I just play it to get away from life for a bit. Not because my life sucks, but it's nice to chill out after a stressful day.

I'm a new comer, but my brother introduced me to his favorite childhood game this last fall and I love it. All the intricate build crafting and the chase for perfection.

I don't know, but something about this game hits me right in the serotonin.