This article explains some of the major differences in game play and technical details between Diablo II and Diablo I. It's written for the Diablo II player who has never tried Diablo and wants to try the original.
Diablo I is quite similar to Diablo II, and will feel like a version of the same game to any player who tries it out. The isometric view is the same, the interface is similar, with the red/health and blue/mana bulbs, a belt for potions, icons that map skills to the left and right mouse buttons, a similar paper doll inventory, a character window, and so forth. D2 players will have no trouble picking up the gameplay nuances, interacting with NPCs, moving around the screen, and so forth.
Diablo I Basics
Diablo I is well worth trying; it's a smaller game created by a much smaller design team, but it's very polished and well-balanced, and has a much more atmospheric and creepy tone. There isn't as much to do in Diablo I: the character choices, item variety, play styles, dungeons, and monster types are much more limited, but what's there is very well-presented, and the loot system and addictiveness are just as potent as they were in the sequel. Diablo II added very little to the basic game; it just expanded on features, and while most players feel it was an improvement, there are still Diablo I loyalists willing to argue the point.
Pacing
The biggest difference a new player notices, going from D2 to D1, is the pacing. Diablo feels very slow, especially as your character walks around Tristram, and one of the best innovations added in Hellfire was the ability to doubletime jog in town. Thats not an option in Diablo, so players just have to accept it and get used to it. Fortunately, Tristram is rather small, and the slow walking speed isn't noticeable in the dungeons (aside from when you must move through a long, already cleared out section). Also, all characters can learn the Teleport skill, and while this can not be cast in town (except in some mods), it enables very rapid movement around the dungeons, all of which are much smaller (though more monster-packed) than any of the dungeons in Diablo II.
Characters
Diablo has only three character classes, each of which is designed to be played in their own unique, iconic way. The Warrior is a melee battler, best suited to using a sword/shield, with some magic for support. The Rogue is the archer, deadly and masterful with the bow, but capable of using magic quite effectively as well. The [[D1 Sorcerer|Sorcerer] is nearly a pure mage; slow and weak with weapons, he must use spells to kill with, and while getting started with a Sorcerer can be a challenge, at high levels he is by far the fastest killing character.
Skills and Spellbooks
While the Diablo characters are very different in their design, they have a great deal of overlap as well. There are no unique skills in Diablo, and other than one "ability" each character can use inherently, there are no skill trees of any type. Magic exists in the game, but it comes from spells which all characters can access, either from scrolls, charges on staffs, or by learning the spell by reading a Spellbook. All characters can read all the same spellbooks, though since there are magic requirements to read them, Rogues and especially Warriors need special +magic equipment to learn higher level spells, and to read higher levels in the same spells.
Attributes
The four attributes are very similar in name and function in D1 and D2; strength, dexterity, and vitality are identical, and the fourth is the same in all but name, Magic vs. Energy. The attributes have about the same purpose in each game, and just as in D2, different characters gain different benefits from points in each attribute. Sorcerers get more mana per magic point, Warriors get more life from each vitality point, etc.
A big change from D2 is the fact that all attributes are hard capped. Diablo characters get 5 attribute points per level up to spend as they see fit, but all the attributes have preset maximum values, at which point they turn gold and can only be boosted further by equipment. For instance, all Warriors max out at 250 strength, 50 magic, 60 dexterity, and 100 vitality. In addition to the five points per level up, elixirs may be found or purchased that add one to a given attribute, and it's necessary to consume a couple hundred of these to max out the overall stats.
The maximum values for each character's attributes are very different, providing pros and cons to each. See the character pages for more details.
Character Abilities
As in Diablo 2, characters are good at different things. Warriors swing melee weapons much more quickly than Sorcerers, who cast spells more quickly than Warriors, while Rogues leave them both in the dust at bow firing speed. The differences are extensive and more or less what you'd expect when it comes to hit recovery time, blocking speed, spell casting speed, and so forth.
Different, but not balanced. Since high level spells are the most effective weapons in Diablo I, Sorcerers are by far the most powerful/fast characters on most dungeons at higher levels. Rogues are the second fastest, since they can use magic much more effectively than Warriors.
Life and Mana
There is no life or mana regeneration in Diablo, and life and mana leech are very rare properties. As a result the game is a bit of a potion fest, with the high level play style (especially for Sorcerers) punctuated by regular trips to Adria the Witch, where the entire inventory is filled with mana potions. Pepin the healer sells healing potions, but most life for Rogues and Warriors comes from the Healing skill. Sorcerers have very low hit points and very high mana, so they universally use the very effective (overpowered) Mana Shield 100% of the time.
Resistances
There are only three types of resistances in Diablo I: fire, lightning, and magic. All direct damage spells fit into one of these categories, with one exception; Apocalypse, which deals a special type of damage that can not be resisted and that nothing is immune to. Players can raise their resistances to 75% at most. They max out there, and can not be raised any higher by any equipment. Many spells can be blocked by characters who are standing still and equipped with a shield, though this isn't always desired (low damage spells like Charged Bolt nterrupt attack animations when most players would prefer to ignore them and just take the damage).
Monsters are resistant and immune to the three types of magic as well. All monsters with a resistance have 75% to it, without exception. Monsters that are immune to a type of magic are totally immune to it; fire immune monsters won't be touched by flame spells, or even notice them. A few monster types are "triple immune" and can not be hurt by any type of spell except for Apocalypse. No monsters in Diablo have a resistance or immunity to physical damage though, so immunities and resistances are of little concern to most Warriors and Rogues. Sorcerers must join them in bashing sometimes, since they can only use Stone Curse and their weapon (and perhaps a Golem) to kill triple immunes,
Equipment
Items are more limited in Diablo. Characters wear only body armor, helms, two rings, an amulet, and perhaps a shield. There are no gloves, boots, or belts. Weapons are divided between axes (all two-handed), swords, maces, staffs, and bows. There is no item switch option, so if you want to change around your equipment, it requires opening up the inventory window and clicking and dragging. Gold is a physical item as well, and it takes up room in the inventory; 5000 per inventory spot is the limit, which means a character can only hold up to 200,000 gold. There are no socketed items, runes, jewels, or charms, and no Horadric Cube or any sort of item conversion or crafting recipes.
PvP and Friendly Fire
Playing multiplayer Diablo requires skill not to PK, but to avoid killing other players. Warriors can play in close proximity without accidentally killing each other if they're careful where they swing, but Rogues have a lot of trouble not nailing each other, and two Sorcerers can't even be on the same screen without accidentally incinerating each other with stray spells or direct hits that pass through monsters and nail other characters in the same direction. Even being off the screen is no guarantee of safety, since so many spells and arrows travel well off of the visible screen without losing any of their potency.
PvP in Diablo is very free for all. There is simply a Hostile button to click, and once the swords are crossed, anything goes. No trips to town are required before hostilities may commence. Clicking the button is totally unnecessary though, since friendly fire can hit any time, for full damage. it's not possible to target another player without being hostile, but it's trivially easy to fire spells or swing swords or fire arrows at another player, just by pointing in their direction.
Dungeon Elements
The world of Diablo is much smaller than that of Diablo II. The only town is Tristram, beneath which there are 16 dungeon levels, grouped into four sets of four levels each. Going down, they are referred to as the Church (or Cathedral), the Catacombs (Cats), the Caves, and Hell. The uppermost level of each new dungeon section has a stairway up to town, and in multiplayer games it's possible for characters of a sufficient level to descend directly to level 5, 9, or 13.
Shrines
Shrines in Diablo play a much more important role than they do in D2. Shrines may have positive or negative effects, and some of the negative ones are permanent. It's essential that you view a list of shrines and note (write down) which ones you absolutely do not want to touch. It's recommended that players never hit a Goat Shrine or Cauldron, since those create a random shrine effect which could permanently damage your character.
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Single vs Multi-Player
There are very few differences between playing single-player or multi-player Diablo II. This is not the case in Diablo, where the games
play in Diablo II, to the point where the SP experience is very nearly equal to the BNet one (with the obvious exception of other players).
This is not the case in Diablo. The single-player game is somewhat persistent: when you save your character, the game is saved with it, and loading will pick up in the exact spot that you left off. When starting a new game, Diablo will randomly generate a set of quests that you may complete in addition to some pre-set ones, and these may come with quest-specific rewards (unique items, etc). You must also manage saving your game yourself - if you quit without saving, your progress is lost. When you die in single-player, your game ends, and your options are only to reload from your previous save or start a brand-new game while re-using the same character. And, finally, the single-player game allows you only Normal difficulty - there is no Nightmare or Hell mode.
Multi-player games do not create persistent games - only characters. There are NO random quests in multi-player, only four preset ones which never change. There are no quest items. When you die in Multiplayer, you are given the option to respawn in town, just like D2. (There are scrolls and spells that may allow you to revive fallen teammates, too, so don't be so quick to revive yourself back in Tristram). And, finally, multiplayer Diablo gives you the choice of difficulty levels: you must be level 20 to start a Nightmare game, and level 30 to start a Hell game. For this reason, many players choose to play solo multiplayer games instead of single-player, as the character offers further challenges after completing the game on Normal difficulty. (Single- and multi-player characters can't be converted from one to the other.)
Items
Items underwent a serious overhaul in D2, but in Diablo, you will find only three types: normal (white), magic (blue), and Unique (gold). It is not necessary to identify an item before using it, and you may be able to use the abilities of the item without knowing what they are, but beware: there are negative magical affixes (reduced damage, lowered durability, etc.). These "cursed" items sell for virtually nothing with the shopkeepers.
Identifying items is not a free service. Deckard Cain charges 100 gold per item for identification. You may also purchase or find Identify scrolls to do the job yourself, but it is more expensive than having Cain do it.
There is no Stash in Diablo. Single-players may safely leave items on the ground in town and they will stay between save/load cycles, but when you start a new game, only the items carried on your character come with you. Also, multiplayer characters keep only their inventory between sessions - so pick everything up before you log off!
There is no way to highlight items on the ground. D2 players are used to hitting the SHIFT key every few seconds to scan for loot, but Diablo forces you to keep your eyes and ears open for things to pick up. Be especially mindful of checking around monster corpses, behind tombs, etc. when looking for dropped stuff.
When item durability reaches 0, the item is destroyed entirely. Everything is fine up until you lose that last durability point - then, the item simply disappears from your inventory. For armor, durability is lost by taking hits. Melee weapons lose durability through hitting enemies. Bows do not use arrows, but instead have a chance to lose durability whenever they are fired. The Blacksmith in town restores items to full durability with a Repair, but at a price (of course).
As mentioned above, two classes have unique abilities to work on items: the Warrior can repair items and the Sorcerer can put charges back into staves. These actions reduce the maximum durability or charges of the item (respectively) and should not be used except in extremely dire circumstances.
Some other items are now findable in Diablo, however. Scrolls come in all varieties of spells, and afford a one-time casting of the listed spell, with lower magic requirements than actually learning the listed spell. Spellbooks will teach you new spells if you can read them.
Monsters
Lastly: there is a special monster which may appear in levels 3-5 called the Black Death. These bright yellow zombies permanently take away 1 max hp every time they successfully hit your character! You should consider using ranged attacks or spells to eliminate them before they get a chance to get close.
Multiplayer
Diablo came in the days before modern ethernet networks were highly popular, and sadly it does not allow TCP/IP play over LAN. You may attempt to get one of the other methods working, but most players will hop on Battle.net instead. Here are some of the differences.
You may have only one Character per Battle.net account, and your Character Name determines the Account Name. So, if you wish to have the account "WazootyMan", you must name your character WazootyMan and then attempt to connect. Also, all Battle.net games are "open" games - that is, not hosted by Blizzard's servers. This has the unfortunate side effect that a vast majority of BNet games are filled with cheating players, hacked and duped items, and unscrupulous play. Links
Further Resources
- Freshman Diablo - a set of guides aimed at helping new players learn to play the classes effectively, defeating tough bosses, etc.
- Jarulf's Guide - Covers Diablo (and the Hellfire expansion) in extreme detail. Formulas, item prefixes/suffixes, monster lists, bugs, and more.
Source
This article was adapted from Diablo for Diablo II Players, by Greg Kennedy.
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| Quests in Diablo and Hellfire -- Quest General Info -- D1 & HF Quest Items [e] | ||||
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Dungeon: | Catacombs: | Caves: | Hell: | Hellfire Quests: |
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Uniques | Base Items | Miscellaneous Items | Characters | Other Essentials |