Since Diablo II runs with 2D graphics, at 25 frames per second, events can only occur at discrete numbers of frames. As a result of this, improvements to attack rate, casting speed, hit recovery, and blocking rate are not measured in incremental improvements, but only by frames. If a normal attack with a given weapon takes 10 frames, some amount of faster attack bonus will drop it down to 9 frames, but until that amount is reached, no improvement will occur. Players call the amounts of improvement necessary to cause a change "breakpoints."
Weapon breakpoints are listed elsewhere in this wiki, since they require so much space to list for every character with every skill and every type of weapon. This page lists the other key breakpoints, those to Faster Casting Rate, Faster Hit Recovery, and Faster Blocking Rate.
Faster Block Rate Breakpoints
Faster blocking is difficult to achieve since the bonuses to it are found almost exclusively on shields.
| Character | Weapon/Skill/Form | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Amazon | 1-handed swinging weapons* | 4 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 29 | 40 | 56 | 80 | 120 | 200 | 480 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Other weapons | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | ||
| Assassin | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | |
| Barbarian | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 20 | 42 | 86 | 280 | -- | |
| Druid | Human | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | -- | -- | |
| -- | Werebear | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 10 | 16 | 27 | 40 | 65 | 109 | 223 | -- | -- | -- | |
| -- | Werewolf | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | -- | -- | |
| Necromancer | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | -- | -- | |
| Paladin | Without Holy Shield | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | |
| -- | With Holy Shield | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 86 | |
| Sorceress | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 200 | 200 | -- | -- | |
- * One-handed swinging weapons include 1-handed axes, clubs, 1-handed maces, orbs, scepters, 1-handed swords, 2-handed swords wielded in one hand, throwing axes, and wands.
Faster Casting Rate
Faster casting rate is found on a variety of equipment. This stat is most important for spell-casters, for obvious reasons. All spells are affected by this value, but note that some spells have a 1 second, or longer, delay between uses. For those spells, FCR equipment will lower the frames required for the actual casting animation, but the 1 second delay will still run (for 25 frames) after each cast.
For instance, if your character takes 11 frames to cast a spell that has a 1 second delay, that's 11 + 25 = 36 frames per use. If you you use FCR equipment to cut your casting frames to 7, you'll still have to wait 7 + 25 = 32 frames to cast it again. Saving 4 frames ever time you cast a spell will certainly add up over hundreds of casts, but the difference is less noticeable than it is with spells you can "spam" as quickly as your character can cast them.
| Frames | Amazon | A3 Mercenary | Assassin | Druid Human | Druid WW | Druid WB | Pal/Nec | Barb/Sorc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 18 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 17 | 14 | 10 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 16 | 22 | 15 | 10 | -- | -- | |||
| 15 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 19 | 6 | 7 | -- | |
| 14 | 48 | 40 | 16 | 30 | 14 | 15 | 9 | -- |
| 13 | 68 | 60 | 27 | 46 | 26 | 26 | 18 | |
| 12 | 99 | 90 | 42 | 68 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 9 |
| 11 | 152 | 140 | 65 | 99 | 60 | 63 | 48 | 20 |
| 10 | -- | -- | 102 | 163 | 95 | 99 | 75 | 37 |
| 9 | -- | -- | 174 | -- | 157 | 163 | 125 | 63 |
| 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 105 |
| 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 200 |
- * One-handed swinging weapons include 1-handed axes, clubs, 1-handed maces, orbs, scepters, 1-handed swords, 2-handed swords wielded in one hand, throwing axes, and wands.
Faster Hit Recovery
This counter registers how long your character takes to recover from a hard hit; one powerful enough to cause the hit recovery animation to trigger. Various skills and spell effects can cause all hits to trigger this animation, while they are in effect.
| Character | Weapon | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Amazon | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | -- | |
| Assassin | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | -- | |
| Barbarian | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | -- | |
| Act 5 mercenary | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | -- | |
| Druid, human | 1-handed swinging weapons* | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 29 | 42 | 63 | 99 | 174 | 456 | -- | -- | |
| -- | Other weapons | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 39 | 56 | 86 | 152 | 377 | -- | -- | |
| Druid, werebear | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 10 | 16 | 24 | 37 | 54 | 86 | 152 | 360 | -- | -- | |
| Druid, werewolf | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 20 | 42 | 86 | 280 | |
| Act 3 mercenary | All | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 24 | 32 | 46 | 63 | 86 | 133 | 232 | 600 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Necromancer | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 39 | 56 | 86 | 152 | 377 | -- | -- | |
| Paladin | Spears and staves | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 48 | 75 | 120 | 280 | -- | -- | |
| Other weapons | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | -- | ||
| Act 1 mercenary | All | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | -- | |
| Sorceress | All | -- | -- | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 30 | 42 | 60 | 86 | 142 | 280 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Act 2 mercenary | All | -- | -- | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 30 | 42 | 60 | 86 | 142 | 280 | -- | -- | -- | |
- One-handed swinging weapons include 1-handed axes, clubs, 1-handed maces, orbs, scepters, 1-handed swords, 2-handed swords wielded in one hand, throwing axes, and wands.