Diablo 1 on GOG?

[Nelphine]

I'd highly suggest try nightmare, even if you don't do a full run, before going to d2. The difficulty difference is important, and in general it really is a true saying to say you haven't won till you've done so on hell. (This is part of the problem with the entire Diablo series, though the worst is d3 - you don't win till you beat hell, but the story doesn't change at all. Path of exile did this much smoother, with the story keeping pace with the difficulty changes, even into mapping).

[Boro]

There are also three things that restrict hell-worthy characters some: 1.10+ monster health, 1.10+ skill synergies, and 1.07+ immunities.

Immunities are as in D1, but physical damage doesn't get a free pass. When a monster has 100% or more resistance, any effect that lowers resistances is cut 1/5th. So giving amplify damage (-100% physical resistance) to a physical immune ghost will lower it to 80%. Over 120% is unbreakable. If an immune gets enchanted of the same element, there won't be a thing that can break it.

For elemental resistances, there is the paladin (and infinity runeword granted) Conviction Aura, up to 150% resist reduction (and ability to break up to 129% immunity), and the much less powerful Lower Resist curse from the necromancer.

Sadly, Cold Mastery doesn't have the ability to affect immunes, only reducing resistances that are below 100%.

Enemy immunities are not equal either. Lightning immunes sit at 100% resist, Fire Immunes sit at 110%, cold immunes at 130%. Clearly cold immunes were designed with Cold Mastery in mind, but were left as-is after cold mastery was removed (along with the rest of resist reductions) from the immunity breaking opportunities in 1.08, and didn't get added back along with conviction and lower resist in 1.10 or so.

Monster Health and Skill Synergies go together. The first is significant in hell. 5000-15000 consistently. This, coupled with monster regeneration and high damage makes for a sizeable obstacle. However, Skill Synergies are balanced so that in order for a skill to be strong enough in hell, you'd need to invest many of your skill points in skills that synergize with your main damage skill - at the cost of secondary/tertiary damage types, utilities, etc, reducing the options that you can pick from.

[haphazard1]

Nelphine, the problem is that I was playing D1 in single player mode. So there are no nightmare or hell difficulties -- the game just ends. Unless there is some method I am not aware of to do that? I have read of being able to start a single player game in nightmare of hell by previously starting a multi-player game at those difficulties, but it sounded like a new character would be required. At some point I may come back to D1 and try a sorcerer (starting in multi-player now that I know that is the better option, although I will miss having most of the quests which were fun). But after two full passes through the labyrinth I feel like a change.

Boro, I did not understand most of that. I have heard vague rumors from travelers on the web of immunities and such, but have never (that I am aware of) encountered them. Hopefully it will make more sense later? Or maybe this would make more sense for a sorcerer in D1?

[haphazard1]

BTW, you "have to" get D2 and it's expansion LoD "Lord Of Destruction" together.

Not sure I understand this, KoP. It appears that D2 and then Lord of Destruction are available separately. Is it recommended to try the classic D2 first, or go ahead and get the expansion and play that way from the start?

Also, do I need to beware single player vs multiplayer character issues, like with D1? Any other limitations that I should be aware of before I start and invest a bunch of time in a character?

Thanks to everyone for the information and opinions. They have been very helpful.

[T-hawk]

Nelphine, the problem is that I was playing D1 in single player mode. So there are no nightmare or hell difficulties -- the game just ends.

If I'm remembering everything correctly and if it didn't change in patches: The same D1 character can play both single and multiplayer.  Only D2 separated the character types.  And when you start a multiplayer game on nightmare or hell difficulty, the entrance directly to the hell dungeon levels will be open.  Hardly anybody ever played through dungeon levels 1 to 12 on nightmare or hell.

Even if I'm wrong about the character types, I think you'd get your money's worth by playing a multiplayer sorceror character up through Hell Diablo.  The power level of him casting high-level spells is so far over and beyond the other classes.

Edit: I think I am misremembering about the character types -- but there are third-party tools that can swap out the character data between single and multiplayer saves. I used those back in the day. Not sure what still exists or works with whatever the current patches are.

[haphazard1]

T-hawk, the multi-player characters appear to be separate from the single player characters. Maybe this changed in patches or the GOG version update? But if I start multi-player it lists available characters, and none of my single player characters are shown. So it looks like characters are either single player or multi-player.

[T-hawk]

Ok, yeah, I'm misremembering, it was D2 that unified single-player and open-multiplayer.

Might still be possible to convert the SP character to multi with a third-party tool. Or else just go play a sorceror in multiplayer. Now you've got me wanting to do that.

[Nelphine]

I believe in original Diablo, difficulties are based on character level. Maybe there aren't in single player though? It's been a long time.

*Google brb*

[Nelphine]

Ah the hellfire expansion enabled the difficulties in single player.

Or an odd method of starting but not choosing a multiplayer game with an appropriate level multiplayer character followed by starting a new single player game to switch the game mode, but that's not available to you.

My bad!

[haphazard1]

No problem, Nelphine. The GOG version does not have the Hellfire expansion, although it seems like Blizzard is working through their back catalog remastering things so maybe it will become available at some point.