Diablo II ProTip Guide

By The GamePros
April 29, 2003 13:34 PM PST
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To kick off our Diablo II strategies, we've tapped some of GamePro's foremost Diablo II masters to pass on their wisdom. Sit back, relax, and enjoy random tidbits and tips from the 'Pros as Dan Amrich and Chris Patterson crack open their brains and pour their knowledge out for all to enjoy.

Dan Amrich
The three most important words in Diablo II are "Of The Leech." You can save yourself a lot of storage space if you don't have to carry around tons of potions--and the best way to do that is to acquire life-stealing weapons and jewelry with the suffix "Of The Leech" on it. If you can get about 10% total Of The Leech-ness, you should be fine; 15% would mean that, so long as you keep hitting with your weapon or don't lose the jewelry, you can get by with only two or three health potions. Try it.

If you have to dump potions to make room for other items in your inventory, dump health. As you may or may not have noticed, you can't buy mana potions in town.

Sometimes, an unenchanted Superior-grade item will be worth more than a low-level magically enchanted item--so don't throw those "normal" items away just because the text ain't blue.

When you're not questing, grab a few of the "Of Greed" enchanted items (boots, belts, rings, whatever) and fill your gold coffers--then store 'em and forget about them. Gold is relatively easy to come by, so in the long haul, you'll want boots, belts, rings, and whatever that enhance your skills, not increase your stash account. You can't kill the undead by throwing coins at them.

For you Diablo newbies, take note: When you're in the Palace at Lut Gohlein, shoot your magic attacks (or, if you're an Amazon, your arrows/bolts/javelins) through the grated walls without opening the doors. It's the proverbial fish in a barrel, except the fish shoot back...but it's still better than opening the door to let them rush you.

What the hell do you do with Wirt's Leg? You hold on to it. It's gonna come in handy late in the game.

Unlike the original game, potions in Diablo II take time to drink. Rejuvenation potions refill health and mana instantly, but regular health and mana potions do not. If you quaff one in battle, retreat (or run) while your meters refill.

Three of the same type and condition of a gem (ie three chipped diamond, three flawed topaz) can be transmuted in the Horadric Cube into one gem of the next quality level up. Similarly, three rings can be turned into one amulet and three amulets can be turned into one ring.

Learn to listen for the sound of a booby-trapped chest or urn (or whatever). If, in addition to the creaking or crashing you also hear what sounds like a log-and-rope switch being pulled, RUN. Popular traps include lightning, fire, fireballs, and flash.

Chris Patterson
If you kill the head, the body will die. Always go after creatures that can heal, resurrect or spawn other creatures first (Fallen Shaman, Blood Hawk Nest, Hollow One, Sand Maggot, etc.). Ignore the riff-raff, they'll be easy pickings once the big boys are gone.

Know your role, jabroni! If you're playing with others, work to play to your collective strengths. Don't force your necromancer or sorceress to tank for the rest of the party. It's inefficient, and will annoy your party members. Similarly, if you're not playing a melee character, be good support for the players who are in harm's way. A well-placed Curse or Glacial Spike spell will often turn the tide of a closely fought battle.

Never go adventuring without at least one Town Portal scroll, and make sure you have a hot key set for it in case things get suddenly hairy. Think of it as your American Express card.

If you just can't manage to complete a quest, go wander the wilderness for a while. After going up a level or two, you should be able to finish that quest with ease.

More to Come!
Stay tuned tomorrow when we unveil Part 2 of our Diablo II ProTip Guide, and come by on Friday when we shake the dirt off the darkest character in town? the Necromancer.