Introduction Background - In the original game known as Diablo, you were pitted against what, at the time, was believed to be the Prime Evil tormenting the small town of Tristram, a resting place for the weary wanderers of Khanduras. From the start, your ultimate mission was to bring an end to the Lord of Terror, restoring peace to the people of the region, and becoming the proclaimed "hero" of the time. Spawned deep within the bowels of Hell itself, Diablo had risen to power, taking control over the twisted demons inhabiting the lower levels of a desecrated church at the outskirts of town. Releasing his minions into the mortal world to wreak havoc, terrorizing the country-side, the people of Tristram looked to the Western Cities in hopes of finding some semblance of hope. Just when things seemed like they could worsen no further, you stepped into town. Ultimately, you succeed in your quest to bring an end to Diablo, working your way through countless levels of Hell, upgrading and repairing your items as you go, and destroying any and all beasts you encounter during your crusade to meet face to face with the Prince of Darkness himself. Upon doing so, you make the sacrifice you have known must be made from the start, containing the soulstone within your own brow, and laying the evil being to rest, for a time. Obviously, evil has survived. Welcome Back - In Diablo II, return to the realm of Sanctuary. Your quest? Bring an end to the reign of terror held by the Three Prime Evils; Diablo, and his brothers, Mephisto and Baal. In the opening scenes, you find that the adventurer from the original game was not powerful enough to contain the demon spirit of Diablo, losing his mind and his soul to the Lord of Terror, who overcomes the mind of the adventurer himself, taking control of his body. Using the adventurer as a host in the process of regaining his power, replenishing his strength, and calling upon the services of his brothers, Diablo is once again set free upon Tristram, slaughtering almost every remaining member of the town, and escaping to the East. Enter you, the adventurer. Choosing one of five all-new character classes, each with distinct abilities, spells and a rich and fully detailed background, prepare to immerse yourself in a world of expansive fantasy like no other. Launching a conquest to bring about the demise of evil, you are in for the fight of your life. Gaining strengths, losing touch with weaknesses, and gaining respect and recognition as you adventure through entirely new towns, levels, and quests, you will quickly find yourself losing sleep and contact with the outside world over a game such as Diablo II. As you adventure, you will uncover the many secrets and mysteries of the storyline behind Diablo and his brothers. Tracking the Three Prime Evils throughout the realm of Sanctuary, and following them between countless dungeons, you will encounter hours of full speech and animation from non-player characters, which only adds to your experience. Learning more of the strengths and weaknesses of the Three as you adventure, you will build your character to godly levels of power, doing battle with the most powerful of Hell's minions in full color and sound. Offering a completely game-unique score of themes playing in the background throughout your games, you can expect a truly full gaming experience. Holding all of the advantages of the original Diablo game, and none of the weaknesses, Diablo II is truly a product of role-playing masters. Generating randomly off of one of the most complete and intricate game engines in the business, there are no identical adventures or experiences, therefore making Diablo II a game that will remain at the top of the sales charts for years to come. Voted by the large part of computer magazines and online resources as both the "Game of the Year" and the "Role-Playing Game of the Moment", expect nothing less than the best from this game. Sporting one of the newest, and most ingenius gaming engines on the market, Diablo II is completely replayable and different in every way each time you play. Add the ability to play with over two million other people online in real-time, it can safely be said that Diablo II is something that must be experienced to be believed. New Features - - Five all-new character classes, including the Amazon, Paladin, Sorceress, Barbarian, and Necromancer, all with unique abilities, spells, weapons, and personalities. Adapted with three-dimensional modeling technologies, and some of the most advanced animation techniques available today, expect full-motion attacks, defenses, spell effects, and countless other small movements that make such a game come to life, and be worth playing. - Four fully interactive, completely independant locations, ranging from small encampments to bustling metropolis'. Each contains unique sets of non-player characters with full interaction and speech capabilities, alongside custom animations and other movements that add a certain sense of flavor to the game. - Endless variations of completely randomly-generated dungeons, crypts, caves, and other expanses for characters to explore, do battle in, and pillage for the treasures that make a role-playing experience worth having. - Twenty-one all-new quests, each of which become increasingly difficult throughout three distinct difficulties. Ranging from simple item retrieval to intricate quests with several steps to completion, you can expect the game to last for quite some time, even during the longest sessions of play. - Completely new, upgraded, updated, and remodeled system of item generation, including new items types, such as Rares, Uniques, Sets, and a completely random generation of items with magical properties. - A new caste of evil forces, including more than four dozen individual monster types, each with several sub-species' of their type to make for a truly unique experience each time you play. Customized magical attacks and monster-specific animations make for an interactive aspect like no other in a role-playing game. - Full support over Battle.net, including all-new hack-proof realms, secure trading screens, voice-based commands, customizable hotkeys, and a horde of other features basing around holding characters on servers rather than hard-drives. This allows for the implementation of a detailed ranking system for the best of characters, allowing them to compete for prizes over a ladder. - Rankings and titles for characters on Realms, adding flavor to their skills, and affording recognition for accomplishments. Add an item-specific generation of character appearances making it extremely difficult to have two individuals looking exactly alike, and you have yourself one of the most unbelievably rich gaming environments ever created.