An update to one of the game’s most popular mods has increased the max character level to 125 and removed the cap on monster health, making the grind more deadly than ever.
Median XL 2017, the latest season in the Median mod, was released yesterday. The latest update to one of Diablo II’s most robust mods, it adds a number of new features and improvements to a beloved game that came out seventeen years ago next month. The changes include tons of new skills, improved monster AI, and more endgame uberquests—everything a committed Diablo II player could hope for.
Of course, one of the most welcome changes brought with the update will no doubt be the auto-gold pickup. Outside of towns, the coin netted by slaying grainy monsters will now update players’ purses without them having to physically collect it.
The complete change log for the 2017 update is both extensive and intimidating, especially for a game whose sequel is still getting add-ons from Blizzard (although not as many as fans would like). Indian penal code 1860.
While Diablo III gets official season with content and player resets partitioned out by Blizzard, so does Diablo II, just with the help of dedicated fans instead of a paid staff. But just because Median XL is a labor of love doesn’t mean it’s not fine-tuned and highly detailed.
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In the “highly conceptual” portion of the change log, the modders note several changes that came with the update which any but the most ardent Diablo II players might have trouble recognizing. For instance, “All animations which were previously 4 or 5 frames long are now one frame longer,” and, to get even more technical,
“With the removal of Heroic Shields and the revamped monster resistances it was necessary that we re-evaluate the amount of crushing blow as well. Due to the multi hit nature of virtually all skills this stat has always been vastly more powerful in Median than ever intended within the design of the Diablo 2 engine. Therefore we have reduced the amount of crushing blow present on items and skills by 50% with some exceptions.”
Diablo 2 Lod Patch 1.15
The result can get esoteric but is also greatly appreciated by the deeply invested, ongoing community surrounding the game. “In all honesty, thank you and the team for all the hard work and dedication for us mere plebs,” wrote one long-time forum poster, Zennith. “I hope we can show our dedication right back at you by helping to build the community, and providing helpful feedback for the new players that have decided to join us on this amazing journey.”
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Utilizing the mod requires having already downloaded Diablo II with a valid copy of the game key. You can find more information about how to download and setup the mod here.
Blizzard has only gone and released an official patch for Diablo 2, a game that's 16 years old - and hasn't been patched in five years!
The new patch - 1.14a phwoar - aims to get the old game running properly on newer operating systems. But there's a suggestion in a quote from Blizzard that there may be more support yet to come.
'It's been a long time coming but today we're releasing 1.14a for Diablo II,' wrote Classic for Blizzard on the Battle.net forum.
'This update focuses on system glitches introduced by modern operating systems .. Included with the update is a shiny new installer for OSX. We've also begun working to improve our cheat-detection and hack-prevention capabilities.
'There is still a large Diablo 2 community around the world, and we thank you for continuing to play and slay with us. This journey starts by making Diablo 2 run on modern platforms, but it does not end there.'
Wonder what Blizzard has planned? Over on its job board it spells it out. 'Compelling stories. Intense multiplayer. Endless replayability. Qualities that made StarCraft, Warcraft 3, and Diablo 2 the titans of their day,' wrote Blizzard in a 'Senior Software Engineer - Classic Games' job advert. 'Evolving operating systems, hardware, and online services have made them more difficult to be experienced by their loyal followers or reaching a new generation.
'We're restoring them to glory, and we need your engineering talents, your passion, and your ability to get tough jobs done.'
Incidentally, are any of you out there still playing Diablo 2? Post below if you are - I'm intrigued to find out why.
Meanwhile, in Diablo 3 land, the next incremental patch - 2.4.1 - has been detailed and is on the Public Test Realm now if you fancy it. It adds a bunch of new cosmetic options to make you stand out in a crowd. There's a 1000 per cent Legendary Find buff offered if you copy your character across to help test it.
Diablo 2 Latest Patch 1.14d
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