The Three Little Pigs
Well, guinea pigs anyway ;p This guide is dedicated to Charis, Cyrene and Nystul with my deepest appreciation. Their contributions to this article are most invaluable not only for their countless advice and inspiration as well as innumerable amount of time in play and testing, but also for letting me fry and zap, pk and mk them without a mutter. ;-D

General Tips
This and the Cooperation section covers the basics of Ironman, an Ironman Guide 101 so to speak - Use these tips and play a few games to get the feel of Ironman. The other sections of this guide will deal with slightly more advanced topics such as battle formations, specific monsters and variations on team makeup. Since there are so many variables in the game of Diablo, take these as hints and tips rather than hard rules. These tips are written based on the basic Ironman variation of warrior, rogue and mage combination unless noted otherwise, so make adjustment where necessary

Pre-game
Because Ironman games are meant to be played in sets if not finishing it in one sitting (see note), so you should expect to play for at least 3 hours at a time. Maybe the others wouldn't mind just a quickie but you should state it in the beginning if you do not have the time required. There's nothing worst than someone leaving the game after a couple of lvls - having robbed the team much needed exp points and resources.
Note: For example, after the team did a complete clear of the Church you have the option to save the characters and restart from the Catacombs at a later time. But it does come with some penalties:
- Any items you cannot carry in your inventory cannot be restored for the next game, no mule character allowed.
- You would also lose any Blood Pool or Purifying Spring as well as any unused beneficial shrines you have found on the previous set.

Hotkeys and abbreviations
Change your hotkeys F9 - F12 to communicate quickly. Some messages that are useful:
I need Heal Other
Stop
Baiting
Run and regroup at the door
Repair items please
Fall back
King Leoric!

Also, it helps to predefine some abbreviations especially when there are new people in the group. Some abbreviations we often use are:
HOP - Heal Other Please
Hopper - The person doing the Heal Other
RIP - Repair It Please
CJ - Cracker Jack (crack these barrels)
WTF - Whither came this fiend?! Hehe :)

Join Order
Warrior creates game, rogue joins next, then the mage. Other variations are possible but the "Shield" hosts game and the character with the least AC joins last. The join order is important because of the way monsters choose their targets. Without getting too technical - normally they will attack the character closest to them - but a choice have to be made when there are multiple targets in the same range, and the decision is made based on the join order. The monsters will target the game host first, then the first to join and so on. Keep in mind that this guide is written with the assumption of the aforementioned join order.

Shopping
Pool all your gold. Throw all your gold on the ground in front of Gris upon entering the game. Each player lists all BASIC armor Gris has to offer. Personally, I prefer to spend the first 250 gold pieces for a Resurrection scroll then buy the others with the left over. It makes sense since the craps you buy with the limited amount of gold you would have better replacements by level 2 or 3. Otherwise, spending that gold on 5 half potions is not a bad second choice.

When buying basic items from Gris, it helps to keep in mind that spending more does not always mean you'll get more. You want to get the highest AC possible with the least amount of gold. Durability is hardly a problem with a warrior in the party. If you are lucky you can get up to 14 AC with just 50 gold pieces. Also, the warrior can sell his club for 5 gold (probably get one from the first monster killed) and his buckler for 12 gold (if he bought a better one) if there are other good buys.

Gold and scrolls
Pick up the gold - The number of items that can lie on the floor is limited. This will prevent monsters from dropping items if the limit is filled. Also, gold serves as a tiebreaker in a tournament when the scores of two teams are equal. Pick up the scrolls too, they may come in handy later on. One Firewall scroll can make a difference when facing King Leoric without Holybolts if you know the double cast technique. Not even those humble little TP scrolls should go to waste, they serve many useful purposes ( yes, it's legal to go to town as long as you don't interact with the town folks). The Town Portal section covers some obvious and not so obvious uses of TP scroll/spell.

Basic tactics
Note: Occasionally, the word “Shield” is used in reference to the person who hosted the game. Shield is usually the warrior and host, though she can be a rogue with weapon/shield setup. The shield’s job is to hold the monsters at bay so the other members may attack without getting hit. The shield position may also be a temporary status, for example, when the warrior is near lvlup with low HP, the rogue takes the shield position while warrior tags with a bow.

DON’T be caught dead with Res scrolls in your inventory. Drop all the Resurrection scrolls by stair as soon as you enter a new level.

DON’T put Res scrolls on belt! Hehe, bad enough people (mostly me) uses up potions when typing without hitting the "enter" key first. Try to get into the habit of clicking on the mouth icon to type.

DON’T block the doorway! This is one of the major causes of death. You should not enter a room until the scout gives the signal.

DON’T change weapon/items in the middle of a battle. You cannot do anything until the change is completed, and you cannot complete the change when you get hit and so on...

Choose one member to be the leader, usually the warrior or ”Shield”. Follow his lead and stay together. Warrior cracks all barrels and rogue opens all chest and sarcophagus. Rogue should also run the cursor over doors and warn if trapped. The mage should feel free to get up and smack monsters with his staff as long as he is standing next to the warrior, and can trust him not to retreat or move off without thinking.

When entering a new level in the Churches and Hell, no one moves until everyone is down. You may activate monsters you have to handle by yourself and get killed, plus no one likes a surprise party when they just enter a new level. Note: A different tactic is used when entering the Catacombs and Caves, more on that later.

It’s now time to introduce you to the first battle formation, “Shotgun”, in conjunction with what is known as “Set and Bait”. Examine the immediate dungeon layout and go to the nearest door to setup defense there (Set), otherwise, the party have no defendable area to retreat to when overpowered by monsters. The warrior stands on one side of the door and mage the other; rouge stands a couple of squares back directly inline with the door. This is the “Rogue Shotgun” formation. One of the party (I prefer the warrior) goes in the next room and lures (Bait) a few monsters then fall back into formation. If the rouge baits, she can position herself at the door inline with the warrior and mage. Other situation may call for the “Mage Shotgun” formation when the firepower of the mage is required, especially in the catacombs when Fire Wall is available. See also the “Slant” formation when defending a corner door

After clearing the room on the left, the team can use the same door in reverse, to clear the room on the right

Rogue Shotgun formation