Author Topic: Diablo 2: how many players?  (Read 6781 times)

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Runestar

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Diablo 2: how many players?
« on: July 06, 2009, 02:55:17 AM »
I am replaying Diablo 2 (mostly single player), and have a query. There is an option to simulate having more players to make the monsters more powerful (typically more hp) and grant more xp.

How many players do you recommend setting this at? Players8 obviously grant the most xp/loot, but they seem to take a fairly long time to kill (my charged bolt sorc seems worthless against the majority of foes I face). I am now lv24, having just completed the maggot's lair, and noticed that the foes are now giving very little xp (my guess is that there is now too great a level disparity between them and my character, resulting in a massive xp penalty).

Has there been some comparison to see which offers the best tradeoff or compromise between xp and killing speed? Bear in mind that I run untwinked characters, so they will be a lot weaker compared to those with full sets of customized gear. I am guessing either /players4 or /players5, but would like some confirmation.

Thanks all for your feedback.
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PhoenixInferno

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2009, 04:02:08 AM »
CB isn't all that great in the Maggot Lair...

But when I have the urge to play Diablo II from level 1 on single-player, I find it hard to get to Baal w/o hiting the mid-to-high 30's.  But players8 is the way to go through Nightmare.  The stupid amount of resist enemies have in Hell makes it really hard to continue that route w/o having godly equipment - my Avenger is stuck in Act 1 Hell and my Blizzard Sorcereress is stuck in Act 2 Hell (Claw Vipers... :fo)

Dan2

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2009, 04:17:44 AM »
In my experience there isn't really a reason to use anything other than players8 and normal.

If you've found that your character isn't gaining much experience, even with players8, rush ahead a bit on the normal settings (since the enemies shouldn't really pose a problem), and turn players 8 back on.
This fails pretty hard in Hell mode, but in it's f'ing Hell Mode...  It's hard enough as is.

Runestar

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2009, 04:36:49 AM »
That's an idea. Go back to players1 until I get to .... where? Which part of ACT2 can a lv24 sorc still get a decent amount of xp with players8? I checked the D2 website and it mentioned that Duriel is lv24. Does this mean that I should just rush to him on players1?

I do like the idea of taking it slowly through each area, killing each enemy and milking every last drop of xp and wealth. But the xp I am getting is too little at the moment to make the time investment worth it.

Quote
CB isn't all that great in the Maggot Lair...

Heh, my merc was doing the majority of the killing. Though I had to keep going back and forth to deal with his crappy pathfinding AI.  :(

Odd though, my charged bolts seem to hit often enough, and there are many of them, but I don't seem to be taking down any foes with it at all. Is it really because of the inflated hp values in players8, or am I missing something? Basically, my sorc has 1 point in all prereq skills, and maxed out bolt at every opportunity, with +3 charged bolt from an orb. Drains mana like water, but I am drowning in mana potions, so it really isn't an issue. Though I realized I have great difficulty in taking down powerful uniques (largely due to my inability to focus fire). Any tips here?
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RobbyPants

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2009, 12:15:31 PM »
Wow.  I didn't even know you could do that.  Where is this option?  In the screen where you create the game?

I agree with PI in that when I play normal, I'm typically about level 35 when I hit Baal.
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AfterCrescent

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2009, 01:23:41 PM »
Yeah, the inflated HP is what seems to really be kicking you.  I personally have never found Act2 to be decent experience in single player, save for the Summoner. If I were you, I'd blitz to Duriel and get to Act 3.

Robby:
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Players X

In single player

Hit Enter
Type "/players x" (without quotes)(X= a number between 1 and 8)
eg. /players 4

The game changes the difficulty depending on how high the number is. (1 being the easiest, 8 being the hardest.)
It's the same effect as being on B Net and having more than 1 player. The game's enemies get harder, drop better, and give more experience. This also affects bosses, so the /players 8 on Hell Mephisto's drops are incredible.

This doesn't effect immunities on monsters, and works in all Difficulties and all Acts.
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RobbyPants

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2009, 02:32:07 PM »
So it only affects their HP, but not resistances or immunities?  Sweet!  I need to try this out!
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It is a shame stupidity isn't painful.
Quote from: StormKnight
Totally true.  Historians believe that most past civilizations would have endured for centuries longer if they had successfully determined Batman's alignment.
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Why are so many posts on the board the equivalent of " Dear Dr. Crotch, I keep punching myself in the crotch, and my groin hurts... what should I do? How can I make my groin stop hurting?"
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I suggest carving "Don't be a dick" into him with a knife.  A dull, rusty knife.  A dull, rusty, bent, flaming knife.
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Fluffy: It's over Steve! I've got the high ground!
Steve: You underestimate my power!
Fluffy: Don't try it, Steve!
Steve: *charges*
Fluffy: *three critical strikes*
Steve: ****
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I don't even stat out commoners. Commoner = corpse that just isn't a zombie. Yet.
Quote from: CryoSilver
When I think "Old Testament Boots of Peace" I think of a paladin curb-stomping an orc and screaming "Your death brings peace to this land!"
Quote from: Orville_Oaksong
Buy a small country. Or Pelor. Both are good investments.
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AfterCrescent

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2009, 02:40:30 PM »
It definitely makes them better. They hit more often/do more damage, etc. But I haven't played in a while, so I can't recall what, if any, affect it has on resists.
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Shadowhunter

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2009, 03:22:03 PM »
Well wasn't this just wonderful to discover?
Excellent, now I can level up my amazon quicker and might even get ahold of a good pice of equipment I deem powerful enough in the long run to socket after defeating Diablo.
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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2009, 03:44:38 PM »
Not in normal difficulty. Better save that socket for gear from the harder difficulties
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Runestar

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2009, 06:48:16 AM »
So I decided to take Dan's advice and rush through to Duriel. Odd, even on /players1, he still seemed quite tough, either that or my sorc really stinks at taking on solos. I think my merc was dealing majority of the damage, my job was simply to keep feeding with with healing/full rejuv pots.

He dropped a bunch of crap, including this unique wand called maelstorm which I can't even use.  :eh

I didn't gain a lv, but I am now in ACT3. Though with my sorc seeming so lame, I will probably reroll. Any suggestions on fun builds to try out (no twinking available).

Quote
I agree with PI in that when I play normal, I'm typically about level 35 when I hit Baal.

I would be around lv31-21, IIRC. Not sure, but I seem to gain xp rather slowly (I would be around lv 26 by the time I encounter diablo). Or maybe I just don't kill enough foes.

Quote
So it only affects their HP, but not resistances or immunities?  Sweet!  I need to try this out!

It is great in the beginning, when you lv after killing just 4 fallen. But afterwards, you need to attack each foe a disproportionate amount of times to kill them, which can get tedious after a while. You would be around lv20 by the time you kill Andariel.

If I am not mistaken, they simply get more hp, but still deal the same damage, nor are their resistances affected.

Though I suppose that if you are optimized enough, the extra hp is merely a minor speedbump at best.

At the moment, I am trying out /players5. Foes appear to die readily enough, and I still get a decent amount of xp (I am lv6 by the time I complete the den of evil quest).

So what are your thoughts? Should I stick with players1 on the 1st run through? Or any recommended lv ranges for each act?
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AfterCrescent

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2009, 01:21:35 PM »
Any suggestions on fun builds to try out (no twinking available).
Summoning focused Necro. Or double club wielding barbarian.
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Soda

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2009, 01:45:01 PM »
This is making me want to play D2, but it's never as fun as I think it's gonna be.

Risada

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2009, 04:02:13 PM »
This is making me want to play D2, but it's never as fun as I think it's gonna be.

Same here, except I get lazy midway through....'cause playing alone kinda suck

Soda

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2009, 05:53:34 PM »
Same here, except I get lazy midway through....'cause playing alone kinda suck
If I have to cleanse the den of evil one more time..   :banghead

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2009, 06:17:08 PM »
This is making me want to play D2, but it's never as fun as I think it's gonna be.

Plus fucking one in the porn starlet's ass.
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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2009, 06:21:16 PM »
This is making me want to play D2, but it's never as fun as I think it's gonna be.

Plus fucking one in the porn starlet's ass.

I enjoy it, but I usually crap out in the Swamps.
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Runestar

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2009, 03:05:16 AM »
So I restarted as a titan barb (pump all points into str), 1 player. Still seemed to lv quickly enough, reaching lv12 (just completed the countess quest) after ~1.5 hours of play. Also, I seemed to have increasing problems hitting the foes reliably, plus my lack of hp is starting to become more than a slight inconvenience. It is also fun again to see foes dropping in 1-2 hits, though I am not sure if the novelty may wear off. Will probably still go /players8 against key bosses such as andariel for the better drops though.

And I was so excited to pick up a unique club (which I was mastering in) off one of the unique fallen shamans, only to discover that it was ethereal.  :banghead

And I died once, due to my complacency against a lightning enchanted foe.

Ahh...fun times ahead... :p
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Dan2

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2009, 02:20:59 PM »
Don't ditch Vitality in any build.  It's just a necessary stat.
As a Barb, you'll also need to put just a few into Dex, or you could pick up the Angelic Ring/Amulet combo for rediculous boosts to accuracy.

PhoenixInferno

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Re: Diablo 2: how many players?
« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2009, 03:45:04 PM »
Not strictly true - the trick with Titan Barb builds is that you need to have lots of life leech, and possibly strong life regeneration.  And typically, you'll want Whirlwind.