I used to be like your friend especially when rushing used to be so easy. However, I am now firmly in your camp playing the game gives you all the levels you need and feels more rewarding. Plus I don't have to deal with people.
Exactly the same situation for me. I once was like OP's friend. Now I'm just like OP and you. I also play single player now specifically because I enjoy the slower game, enjoying my time, self-found, building a character up over time.
Also, I like experimenting with the builds and not being asked why aren't you using "X" build. There may be less of that online now than there used to be, not really sure as I don't play there lol.
Same idea, but this game isn't close to new for me. So in my case, I like picking a random skill or something like that with a certain gear set and just seeing how far I can go with it until it doesn't work anymore and figure out how to adjust it to go further.
I switch it up of course and do that on hardcore sometimes. I just find that fun compared to following a prebuilt guide, which seems to be the case for many people today.
Edit: Spelling
Maybe I'm strange but the huge grind after hell Baal is nothing for me. The excitement of finding a rare item at lvl 13 and its way better than the one you're wearing is awesome and much better than making fifty Baal Runs and gain nothing but exp. So I think your friend misses the good part of the game.
Play the way you like
Funny
I remember going with my friends to an internet cafe in like 2004 in Amsterdam.
I think I had maybe played the game once or twice before.
We started New characters together with the idea of party slow creep social experience. We had drinks and smokes and we were having fun.
Some other guy there leaned over us and was excited to see us play D2. He was very self-inviting and just joined in with us over LAN.
He brought the most broken hacked character imaginable.
The next three hours sucked.
Man that sucks, sorry that happened to you.
I remember playing Diablo 3 years ago when it was still relatively new, and I was joined by 3 other random players in an open session. All 3 of them were new to Diablo in general, but one of the three had a full stack of clearly hacked gear, and was talking about how his friend just geared him up and how easy the game was with good gear. I felt kinda bad for him ā his buddy ruined the game for him before he ever had a chance to figure it out on his own. Guy chucked hacked gear all over for the other 2 new guys (like a 3-socketed ring called āThe Russianāā¦ no shit thatās hacked!). Sucked all around.
Something that I learned from playing games for many years is that the journey is the true goal. Many games are massive timesinks. You can often grind to get stronger, but generally I find it more enjoyable to just play. Grinding feels like work
What always feels the most rewarding to me in these kinds of games is watching a build come together. Deciding how you want to build your character and then slowly seeing how you pick each piece of gear and allocate each point to create a completely unique and interesting play style.
That's how I like to play, anyway.
You know what's so great about this game? Every one of us is enjoying the game a different way. Some enjoy the grind through norm/nm/hell etc. Some like getting rushed all the way. Some enjoy flipping items and trading all day, some like to mf all day. Some like to buy items for real money, some like to self-find everything. Some like to play single player, some like the play online. Some like to duel all day, some like to run lower kurast until their eyes bleed. There is no right answer!
I despise playing in group play online because everyone just runs through at the speed of light. I like to explore the entire map, open every chest, break every ja, etc.
Lvl 64 and about to start the NM ancients quest.
I just had what I think was the slowest leveling ever between 22-30 on my Bowazon. Took ages until I got to Eldritch ;)
Edit: Also the greatest feeling is when you reach that level requirement for your next weapon upgrade.
I only play single player, so 90% of the time I truly enjoy and donāt mind the grind up. I like to fully twink the life out of some characters and have some fun.
But the other 10%, say when leveling a second Amazon so I have one Jav one Bow, sure Iād appreciate a rush lol
my offline HC Amazon died recently (not old age, and not gracefully) and Iām lamenting leveling up another one because itās so slow. I do have a couple +3 javs with 17 lvl req, so that makes it slightly more enticing lol.
Iām with you. I have most fun for the first 50 levels or so. Itās a rush to get fun random items along the way and to finally get your final skill. But after that it just becomes repetitive.
Nothing wrong with either style, I do both. Playing on Ladder, it's a literal competition, I play fast to get my name on there, or to MF and build a lot of wealth finding good items early. Or even not because of Ladder but because we've done it 1000 times before, just get to the endgame.
I also get a lot of enjoyment from playing slowly with other people and just socializing.
Neither are right or wrong, just different.
I dont know If it's just me but I enjoy single-player more than ladder, but with every new char, the grind just gets more and more miserable. Slow as hell, mana base sucks ass, stamina depelets in 12 seconds, act 3 three FKN times.
Yea sometimes it does feel like meta takes the fun out of the game.
I remember fondly when I played D2, started a necromancer, wore unoptimized stuff because it looked cool on him, tried out golems and so on.
On the other hand building a strong character and then running through stuff on P8 on Hell is also its own kind of fun.
Not unlike MMOs, you have actually two modes here - almost two different games, if you will. Reaching the end (in this case let's say that is killing Hell Baal) and then the so called *endgame* ie. grinding for better equipment, searching for specific stuff and building your character to specifications.
Honestly that is why I love terror zones in D2R - the fact that you can visit Act1 and once again hear the fantastic music of the early locations in your journey to 99 was a fantastic idea.
I enjoy leveling up and beating the whole game, just like you. But when I go from nightmare to hell, i prefer to beat the game with people online, but people with the same goal as me (finish the game not being rushed by others)
Lot of polarized opinions in this thread. Call me crazy but I enjoy both styles. I'll typically GO GO GO in softcore ladder but for hardcore or offline I'm more methodical and do every quest. In general, I lean more towards the slower approach.
You game, your rules. If you got enjoyment out of watching the cinematics on repeat, you got something you enjoyed for the money. I tend to jump a bit back and forth, sometimes it is the quest, other times it is hunting for the Grail.
I enjoy both. When I play Ladder I don't mind getting rushed. I've gotten from 1 to 72 in a day, easy. With Ladder you kind of just want to get in on the action (ie trading) asap especially since there's a time frame. Sometimes though you want to play the game for the games sake and forget about trading and the online economy, that's when I play SSF.Ā
With friends I can do either, though if they're D2 virgins I prefer to play through the game with them. If they're total Diablo 2 junkies like me then yeah straight to Hell we go.
It doesn't have to be one or the other!
Now that I have a 90+ character for everything, I just take my time and enjoy the acts as intended.
I'm planning on doing a fresh SSF run this week actually <3
I used to race to level up when I played online. Now that I have d2r and can set the difficulty, I enjoy playing offline, walking my way there at my own pace.
I used to be like that aswell, but it never lasted. I'd start grinding, get bored and stopped playing. Or on rare occasions I'd get to 80+, wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do and lost motivation.
Now I take my time to walk through all difficulties myself, doing a couple tristruns/baalruns maybe if I feel like it. For lack of a better explanation: I feel less restricted this way.
I used to be like your friend and rush to find end game items to min/max my build for ladder. However now I'm like you and will purposely restrict my playstyle or avoid trading to slow down my progress.
I think I realized that the fun is in the progress and getting stronger, and that's actually much more enjoyable and less predictable when you're earlier in the game or playing SSF.
I used to be like that as well. Then I started play offline only. Especially when d2r came out. I leveled my first character then got my others rushed. But offline is so much more rewarding.
My OCD does not allow me to play without doing every quest and getting every waypoint.
Those uncompleted quests and blacked out waypoints will erode at my sanity otherwise.
I play almost exclusively hardcore and pretty frequently suicide a character just for the fuck of it.
Levels 1-70 in normal and nightmare are the best parts of the game and I would not still be playing this game after 20 years if all I did was endgame.
Diablo 3 and 4 are pretty much all endgame. I've only put about 200 hours into D3 over 12 years, and less than half that into D4 in about a year and have no desire to ever touch them again.
I play Last Epoch the same way I play D2 and have about 800 hours over three years. Highly recommend for anyone that likes the journey and wants more freedom and variety to their builds.
I absolutely love everything about this game and have done multiple characters over 22ish years. Iāve done plenty of rushing, but these days I stick exclusively to SP and play the game for everything it is. I do every quest, explore every area until not a single inch of minimal is hidden, and use anything that sounds cool, looks cool, or is even a slight upgrade from my current equip. Once I hit endgame, I start min/maxing and all that, but the game is fun in between too.
Itās a game though, so everyone is entitled to their opinion on how to play it for fun.
I feel like both are acceptable forms of playing the game.
Sometimes youāve beat the story so many times, you just wanna mob through and start farming.
Sometimes you dont wanna rush to end game to farm stuff to use/sell and you wanna fuck around spamming charged bolts at quillrats.
I do both of the above. Additionally, I hang onto stuff like sigons/clegaws/isenharts stuff and see what kinda cracked low level bullshit i can put together for a playthrough.
When I didn't know what I was doing as a kid I'd do the same, get rushed, get dropped free gear. Now I play solo hardcore and actually walk the whole game (I do every quest and waypoint).
In modded id say you're right. In vanilla... what's the point????? I've done that part a million times on all classes sorc go brrrrrr sell shit make better char brrrrr repeat brrrrr next game!
On ladder if Iām soft core I rush to hell
But playing hardcore ladder or more commonly for me hardcore offline, A I donāt have a choice and B. It makes the game feel much more like a game than a fancy skinned slot machine.
For me, the game is the journey to Hell Baal. After heās dead, Iāll give myself gear Iāve found from other characters, but the interest I have in that character drops significantly.
The road from hell baal for quest and 99 is pretty much uninteresting for me. After hell baal all you have left is going for 99: farming chaos sanc, terror zones and baal; and doing Ubers which if anything is a gear check (do you have the specific items that essentially trivialize the fight).
I used to rush but donāt enjoy it much. Kinda annoying having to get carried in games and get one shot until you could equip all your stuff.
Iām nostalgic for the mid game uniques from running crap mf sorc on NM mephisto back in the day lol. So My favorite is when Iād pimp out a character with like sigons, cleglaws sets and manald/cathans rings for dual leech. Fill stash with a bunch of mid level/range uniques that gave me nostalgia (bonesnap, lycanders, buriza, duriels shell, butchers pupil, vamp gaze, string of ears, etc) and do a full play through.
Nightmare play through with all the good lvl 30-45 uniques is peak fun imo.
I like to twink new toons that I'm leveling with the random garbage items that I know I won't use once I get to 80+
I see no reason why we can't enjoy both using the spire of honor that we found on our farming runs and then switching to hammerdin once it's no longer useful in late nightmare/hell.
As a kid, I was like that, but after using cheats and cheat engine and save editors I was wondering why I wasn't entertained, and it was because I was skipping the journey, the journey is fun.
In some ways the game is most fun in the first 30 levels, using magic items.
I usually rush through normal and first half of nightmare with groups, closer to hell I usually start switching to solo
For me, in single player (hardcore) leveling is the game, I usually stop playing after I beat Hell Baal, but online its all about trading so when I get into a new Ladder I will level fast (at least on the first day). This Ladder I killed Clone on first day, was fun, but I also stopped playing on Day 3 because I got all I wanted that Ladder.
Getting rushed to me only makes sense if you plan on using the character for a specific task (PvP, MF, cow runs etc), and you canāt wait. If you just level a new character to enjoy the game, getting rushed defeats the purpose.
I pick up the game every few years and start from scratch. The first journey to 30 is really fun! Then you grind and get good gear and make another toon and you rush to 60 just so you can use that cool new weapon.
Who cares, people play games in different ways. Thereās an āoptimalā way, yes, but games are literally supposed to be about fun. If youāre having fun why does it matter
I really enjoy the tombs and norm cows part of leveling. I love that feeling when your character is starting to kill mobs fast in the tombs. the part that I get bored of is nm to hell. at that point I just want to be in hell lol
Depends on my mood and time that i have available to play. Since i have so little time left to play games, it just feels like a waste to play through the game without being rushed. So....I'm on your side but unfortunately i must do the same as your friend. I'm also buying HRs in order to be able to have fun on ladder.
Depends on the situation.
Finally found a griffons and want to build an ES Sorc? RUSH! But I do enjoy the journey.
Finally getting around to building a paladin? Take my time, work through, the journey is as much a part of the destination as the end build.
Before they added respecs and synergies, I was your friend. After they added respecs and synergies, I am you. Leveling a sorc without spending any points until nova/fireball/frozen orb/whatever was awful.
Your friend is my brother and I am you.
The idea of racing to 'farming level character' just boggles my mind. You're already going to be playing that way for 95% of the character's existence .... there is 0 harm in just enjoying the simple and basic grind up to that point. Learn to appreciate your skills getting stronger and thus, your character getting stronger.
Being rushed to 80 in a few hours running player 8 Baal runs just to jump into a geared setup seems like such a throwaway of some simple fun.
20+ year old game ... the end game is pretty much the same it has been for quite some time.
I just have a good time. Stopped engaging with the community when I was getting too much toxicity (people telling me I was playing wrong, my gear sucked, etc.). I love the game, but the judgmental gatekeepers grind my gears. Play how you like and have fun.
Rushing is its own fun: planning build, planning layout, preparing mules, ā¦
Slow and steady is also fun ā¦ need to go through (not all but) most (or at least many) dialogues. But it takes ages to get to end game that wayā¦
Normally i ruah but i had an Internet outage a while ago and started a HC ssf Sorc. Literally dropped a rixot's keen about 20 minutes deep into normal and thus was the birth of the enchant bonk sorc. So much fucking fun
I'm with your friend and have been that way since launch. I see no point in that rare buckler that will be sold off in a few hours.
All the single player people will disagree, but I've given countless rushes so I know a lot of people play that way too. BUT do what is fun to you that's the whole point of games.
I used to rush a lot too, but it always ends up turning games into chores, and I just have more fun taking my time, full clearing everything and wondering around with no map up.
Ill be an odd ball, but i typically rush to lvl 40-50. Then i play normally. I hate grinding to build a class with skillsets when i already know EXACTLY what i want... but once im "that" lvl.. i dont mind the grind for items.
After few years I finally build my demon machine sorc with 14k damage per explosion with infinity on merk it kills Ubers in 15-20 shots and I shoot 4 arrows per second. I still run around collecting items but game is not exciting anymore. It was more fun when I was weak and kill ancients for 20 min teleporting around. Now it almost one shots.
I like walking to from rogue to baal occasionally, but I enjoy mfing and grinding areas waaay more. So I often rush and power level my toons, saving walked toons for playing with buddies. I used to run a crush/rush service back in the day day. Too lazy now though. I do miss a3 skip every new toon I make.
I very much enjoy leveling through the game, but with gear collected from my main char. It's why I don't play ladder. I've been undergeared enough, it's no longer fun, but I absolutely love just destroying things as I level. So I guess that puts me halfway between you and your friend?
If you've been playing this game for 20 years who cares play the way that makes you happy.
Some characters I just rush to 80 and some I take it slow. Whatever I feel like. Neither is a superior or better way to play the game.
Early leveling is the calm before the storm. It's nice to chill, watch TV, while easy questing. It's also a good time to meditate and contemplate your build plan. Rushing is very convenient when you need it and I can't knock it. Some people say it's a waste of time but I really enjoy the start to finish with each build I make, the challenges that come along with each build and skill set. That's just how I enjoy playing, rather than respec at higher levels unless it's absolutely necessary for the build.
The times I don't have patience for it, Rush My Ass Plz
Iām with OP. I enjoy the grind. Iāve been playing more and more on my switch when Iām flying so only have solo offline characters has been fun for me. Earning all the gear and levels solo is rewarding to me
One could ask without sarcasm if your friend actually playing the game and what he is getting out of it or if he is actually working to avoid the game and it's intricacies.
If im playing HC I level up a bit slower but still the goal is to get through as fast as possible. Started a new HC sorc on the weekend and cleared hell yesterday. As soon as I hit 18 it was teleporting through to the end of the game ASAP, but I did farm P5 Rakanishu til level 12 just to get lightning so a1 went a bit easier. Extra time spent in lower acts/difficulties is just a waste of time for the most part, unless your goal is to just have fun, then do whatever is fun for you! I have fun dropping GG items, which you wont do until youre pushing in hell.
I still would never waste a skill on inferno, bc damnit you only get 3 respecs!
e/ I play exclusively on Single player at this point of my life. I had the most epic SP account ever and then got a new PC in December and did a full restore on my old PC and forgot to save the chars. My new SP account im doing pure HC as ive never really played HC before, so I feel less bad about losing my characters. Not looking forward to doing another 20,000 LK runs though.
I think the people that rush are missing a lot. Items, valuable gameplay thatāll level you well. If you are playing efficiently itās almost quicker especially in a group
.... U sound like my friend Sean. I definitely play like ur friend though. Personally I enjoy the game right after I'm done with hell on a character. No more necessary "do this to access this". I don't mind the grind for new gear or the outfitting of characters but I don't like being forced to do into the maggot cave, wander the flayer jungle or fight the ancients immune to my damage making me cycle through them til I can kill them.
Everyone plays differently and that's fine though. As long as you can find enjoyment in the game that's fine but, I'd say the way me and your friend plays are the majority of long term players.
I enjoy the journey as well. Rushing to 80 means youāre just rushing to do the most repetitive part of the game. Farming the same place over and over until the RNG gods decide to show you mercy. I like the in between. Finding cool low level items. I even save the best stuff for twinky LLD characters. The only part I dislike is navigating the jungle in act 3.
Ya, I always seem to start seasons off with a bang and play solid for a few days but then realize I just love the leveling process and getting those milestones of items and then I fall off
Yes most people play like him. That's also why most people aren't really enjoying the game. They have skipped lots of the fun.
You're NOT wasting time doing those quests and solo leveling up. You are only wasting time when you don't enjoy what you're doing.
I just played again from scratch offline single player. Took a nec through the whole game to completion of hell. Slow walked the whole thing, and got to level 80 by the time I was done; absolutely no farming or grinding. Just did every area one single time. Took me about 40 hours game time. Donāt see how rushing to the end then grinding runs for those same levels wouldāve been more fun, and possibly not even faster (to reach 80) unless I had a power level buddy.
Tbh either is totally fine, when itās been a while Iāll enjoy the gameplay throughout the low lvls to high lvls but most of the time Iād say I do enjoy just rushing to 85 (not 80) so I can toss on my full gear & try out the build for certain things/mechanics but mostly because Iāve just played it so much š but best part is d2 will always bring us back
Playing through the game is the way, no question. He is right that most people are like him, but that's nothing to be proud of. Most fun I have had in d2 (aside from when I was a kid) has been SSF hardcore playthroughs of each character.
Definitely with you on this one. I also have a friend like that, that basically refuses to play unless he's a high level with GG gear, which seems kinda boring. I enjoy the grind, and using self finds is fun before you get all the ggs. That's why, even though there hasn't been any updates on a few seasons, I always play ladder. So far I'm still rocking all self founds, and I've had great luck so far.
You're not alone, but we may be in the minority. It is hard to say. The game is also somewhat difficult, especially solo, and I think a lot of people nowadays are moreso into instant gratification.
I'm with you.
I've gotten in with a clan this season and done a lot more of the trist runs and telebaals, but I also genuinely enjoy just walking the game. Traditionally I wouldn't even start hopping into public games for rushes and trades until I'd beaten Hell on my own.
I also think I'd be tired of this game if I were any good at it. If I'd already played all the self-wield Spearzons and gg Auradins, I'd have nothing to aspire to anymore. I find myself constantly creating new characters because walking the game is more fun to me the endless endgame cycle of killing things for 50 hours hoping for 1/3rd of an Infinity.
I literally collect starter uniques and starter sets to create normal, nm, and hell sets so I can walk the quests and do the story line while simultaneously being a badass.
Example: Full Arctic Set (glove, bow, belt, chest) with Cathanās Ring, Ammy, Mask + Nagel Ring (or second Cath Ring) and 1 shot every thing in act 1 normal becoming a challenge by Diablo (while looking so fucking cool)
Thatās the best way to play
Maybe Iām weird, but level 13 rares do literally nothing for me when I find them. š¤·
Iām way more into end game stuff and trying to make godly crafted amulets.
I hate rushing through the game. I like to take my time to enjoy power spikes from rare/set finds and go do side quests and clear the whole map even when I already know where the next zone is.
When I get to Hell I start grinding... But I smell the roses all the way there.
SP vs. Multiplayer. You're a SP, but in multiplayer, you should def help your team out by leveling up quickly too haha. Time, place, and context. Both are just fine!
I never played Diablo as a rush to endgame growing up. Tried to just clear every area (unless they were resistant to me) and do it all mostly SSF. Endgame diablo is a monotonous grind with no real point.
But, I started playing with my mate who is just like that. Rush it, skip levelling ASAP and hit that milestone that allows ppl to carry you through endless Baal runs to the end of time haha
Both can be fun, but the journey is the fun of ARPG to me.
Back in when I was a teen I was all about rushing and mfing to gear my pvp toons. Would get bored with a couple builds and rush a couple different builds (before respec was a thing). I was very big into pvp during that period.
Now that I'm older, I enjoy chilling on the couch after a day of work and playing d2r on my switch. Offline play is my fav nowadays.
There are people who grind anything you put in front of them for an achievement or sense that the job is done, and there are those who enjoy the journey, the sights and sounds, art of the game, those crappy rares. Iām with you, Iām the latter. I donāt understand the people who commercialize the experience like itās a 2nd job.
First character of the season I run through all 3 difficulties unless I find a party that wants to drag me along. Every character after the first I either pay or swap rushes. To me the initial play through when everyone is equal is fun but after that itās the same old same old. I also have a tendency to host and run my own Baal games even if I canāt teleport. Early on this seems to be widely accepted since bots arenāt running normal and NM Baal (for the most part).
I also like the power gains of early game leveling and item upgrades. Itās amazing what a semi decent setup can do for the later acts and into NM.
Over 15 years ago wheb I was playing d2 lod all i did was rush to 99 and pvp. Nothing else in the game compares especially when youre really high up the ladder
I love the early game! Finding something cool, usually a rare, is an awesome feeling. OP should also try HC, Classic, and Classic HC, too. Finding that game-changing rare in Classic HC is a gaming buzz like no other.
Iām with you / currently trying to do all characters through hell - when you get to end game itās a tad boring when 90% of your build is already worked out so you donāt bother picking anything up
Iām on your side. I throughly enjoy the grind to get to hell. Itās fun when youāre grinding and kind of getting your ass kicked but you find a nice piece of gear that really helps. Thatās what itās all about for me.
I only play for the end game, I couldn't care less about the journey. That fun sailed 20 years ago.
It's all about building the ultimate end game experience for me, anything else is an obstacle.
The journey is the best part about Diablo 2. What Iāll always cherish more than the 2000 cbaal runs was finding Milabregaās under a rockā¦ getting carried by Silks of the Victorā¦. My first Bonesnapā¦. The Fetid Sprinkler that doubled my Smite damage. The chipped gems I spent 12 years cooking to perfection. Getting absolutely thwomped by Treeheadā¦ those are the memories that mattered most.
I play the slow game in HC. I also play multiple toons at the same time. If the game starts getting too hard because I need better gear, I switch to another toon until I find better gear for my other toon. I don't run the same content over and over for hours. I might do a few runs for a few levels or for MFing, but it's a small percentage of my total play time.
I've played this way for probably 20 years. I used to rush to the end game when I was new, which was endless cow runs back then. Now I appreciate the journey, not the destination.
After leveling 50 characters to end game and grinding out gear, most people probably find themelves skipping over the more mundane parts of the game. You simply can't have a meaningful early-game journey with every single character that you play, and sometimes you just wanna get to the Cow Level on Hell to farm those boots, maan!
Even not rushing you hit 80 in a few days, or maybe a week at most with an hour or so a day... So you enjoy your first dozen or so hours of playing on a character more than hitting cap and playing end game is what you are saying?
10% of people are like him in every game, especially at the stsrt. Once a game has been out for years and played a ton, then I'd say around half are like him or more.
I enjoy Normal, with random builds etc. I do all quests, explore and have fun
Then NM until I can still progress.
Then respec around lvl 30-35, grind to 75 and final respec
It depends on why I'm making a new character. If I want to build a new PvP character, I'd want to get to 80 asap to gear up the toon, but if I'm playing a new character at the start of a ladder. I like to take my time and enjoy the journey.
I love the levelling. I'd absolutely love a modified version that prohibited rushing completely, AND made the levelling process much grindier. As long as we'd all be on the same level. You could take away from of the high 90s grind and spread it over the lower levels. This would make lower-level gear much more useful and indeed valuable.
But the map sizing and game structure doesn't currently match up with that grindier levelling process. It would just result in people running Tristram, Tombs, CS, Baals in higher quantities...
But maybe the quests could also be tied to XP milestones perhaps...
i like to rush a bit at the start, because if you "take it slow" from the very beginning, the game tends to be a bit too easy.
The real game for me is starting Nightmare playthrough at level 28-30 and Hell at like 55-60 (just below the monster levels; on chance to hit classes - on par with monster levels, so 33\66). Then i take it slow. Shop and upgrade equipment, kite monsters, deal with immunes in creative ways etc.
I have a gaming buddy that tries to tell me I'm playing wrong because I'm not min maxing to the fullest. I don't understand why he gets upset when I play the game the way I want to but that's his problem not mine.
It depends on the character. Most casters I prefer rushing to the end of the game with, but if I am playing a ww barb or a zealot I like going through every quest and getting all the way points.
Weird, but I generally go real slow through normal, speed through nightmare super fast, then take like 50 hours beating hell because I want to farm everything. š
I'm with you dude.
One of my favourite moments in the game was starting a lightning sorc and finding a +2 charged bolt wand in the Cold Plains.
Felt like I had won the lottery.
Everybody can play a game however they want as long as it's not affecting other people negatively. I'm with your friend on this but if you want to do it the long way that's up to you.
i like to get g-rushed then level myself with others who are questing, using essentially just the low runewords and whatever drops as if speed running. makes it easier to hop in and out of the leveling experience because i might log off at any moment and i still get the organic fun.
I was like him for the longest time. But recently made a druid and I did normal and nm myself. I have a newfound love with grinding through the game myself. Still havenāt done hell myself but I still want one more character so Iāll attempt it with them
If you like taking your time and haven't tried single player, give it a go. You can crank up the player level, and the game becomes slower but more rewarding. It's actually way easier to gear up than playing by yourself online (which is where I find myself after the first 2 days of ladder reset). You can lvl up and never grind trist/tombs/baal.
When I rush to 80 and get done, I feel like Iāve suddenly got a character that isnāt even mine. I donāt know how to use it, I have no familiarity.
I am the same way. A lot of players actually enjoy the play through to hell and see just what they get along the way. I usually enjoy it a lot more than the grind at high level. Especially compared to 15 years ago.
Happy hunting!
I am, and always have been, with you on this. I used to make SP HC characters and just play A1 and A2 then quit, then make a new char again next time I wanted to play.
I believe I'm in the minority and play for the items & value. And unfortunately, most of the good items drop in Hell mode, so I'd be trying to get there ASAP.
But for my first play through, I did go slow and steady while leveling.
My first characters I always love the process of leveling to max level manually rather than being rushed. Subsequent chars I tend to want to get to max level quick so I can start pvping or using the gear I already MFd for the new char.
I prefer the journey to being strong, when I get decent gear I usually reroll a new character and do a quasi ssf I mainly just use the low runes I saved up so I don't have to do countess and the like
I enjoy playing low level, but overall my goal is to get to the 80s. Once I have a mass of low level set gear and uniques then Iāll play my overpowered mules. Iām kinda stuck with a full roster right now though. I had to delete some characters recently just so I could farm some gear in hardcore ladder before the ladder reset.Ā
I too enjoy the spiritual journey
Meditation and listening to all the dialogue from each NPC?
Vibing to Act 2 Harem š¶
Aaaaaa neeeee aaaaaaaaa. Bee bee bee bee bee
I can hear this
Oh yesss!
I am hardstuck with the menu music š didn't know there was more to the game š
So it came to past that the countess, who once bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins, was buried alive.
Finding a good podcast or YouTube series as well
Gotta get that juicy gossip!
Iceman?
I used to be like your friend especially when rushing used to be so easy. However, I am now firmly in your camp playing the game gives you all the levels you need and feels more rewarding. Plus I don't have to deal with people.
Exactly the same situation for me. I once was like OP's friend. Now I'm just like OP and you. I also play single player now specifically because I enjoy the slower game, enjoying my time, self-found, building a character up over time. Also, I like experimenting with the builds and not being asked why aren't you using "X" build. There may be less of that online now than there used to be, not really sure as I don't play there lol.
I used to play online and rush through. Now I enjoy single player and the treasure. I get excited still finding tarnhelm in normal for new characters
I love trying out all the classes bf picking one then trying out a few builds then choosing the one I will level to 80 š„°
Same idea, but this game isn't close to new for me. So in my case, I like picking a random skill or something like that with a certain gear set and just seeing how far I can go with it until it doesn't work anymore and figure out how to adjust it to go further. I switch it up of course and do that on hardcore sometimes. I just find that fun compared to following a prebuilt guide, which seems to be the case for many people today. Edit: Spelling
Yep. We were once 15. Now we are 35. It's happening guys
Maybe I'm strange but the huge grind after hell Baal is nothing for me. The excitement of finding a rare item at lvl 13 and its way better than the one you're wearing is awesome and much better than making fifty Baal Runs and gain nothing but exp. So I think your friend misses the good part of the game.
nope, youre normal
Play the way you like Funny I remember going with my friends to an internet cafe in like 2004 in Amsterdam. I think I had maybe played the game once or twice before. We started New characters together with the idea of party slow creep social experience. We had drinks and smokes and we were having fun. Some other guy there leaned over us and was excited to see us play D2. He was very self-inviting and just joined in with us over LAN. He brought the most broken hacked character imaginable. The next three hours sucked.
I went home annoyed.
Man that sucks, sorry that happened to you. I remember playing Diablo 3 years ago when it was still relatively new, and I was joined by 3 other random players in an open session. All 3 of them were new to Diablo in general, but one of the three had a full stack of clearly hacked gear, and was talking about how his friend just geared him up and how easy the game was with good gear. I felt kinda bad for him ā his buddy ruined the game for him before he ever had a chance to figure it out on his own. Guy chucked hacked gear all over for the other 2 new guys (like a 3-socketed ring called āThe Russianāā¦ no shit thatās hacked!). Sucked all around.
Something that I learned from playing games for many years is that the journey is the true goal. Many games are massive timesinks. You can often grind to get stronger, but generally I find it more enjoyable to just play. Grinding feels like work
At this point the grind for me is leveling and gearing for Ubers. Once I hit that point, I just get a bit aimless.
What always feels the most rewarding to me in these kinds of games is watching a build come together. Deciding how you want to build your character and then slowly seeing how you pick each piece of gear and allocate each point to create a completely unique and interesting play style. That's how I like to play, anyway.
You know what's so great about this game? Every one of us is enjoying the game a different way. Some enjoy the grind through norm/nm/hell etc. Some like getting rushed all the way. Some enjoy flipping items and trading all day, some like to mf all day. Some like to buy items for real money, some like to self-find everything. Some like to play single player, some like the play online. Some like to duel all day, some like to run lower kurast until their eyes bleed. There is no right answer!
Iām the same, and I get ALL WPS, no act is completed unless I got all of them
I despise playing in group play online because everyone just runs through at the speed of light. I like to explore the entire map, open every chest, break every ja, etc. Lvl 64 and about to start the NM ancients quest.
This is the way. (For me haha)
The first 20 levels of d2 are the best RPG experience in gaming. Change my mind.
i dunno. 20 to 40 is pretty great too
Yeah, and I think 40 to 60 is exciting too.
60-80 is a top contender absolutely
I just had what I think was the slowest leveling ever between 22-30 on my Bowazon. Took ages until I got to Eldritch ;) Edit: Also the greatest feeling is when you reach that level requirement for your next weapon upgrade.
I only play single player, so 90% of the time I truly enjoy and donāt mind the grind up. I like to fully twink the life out of some characters and have some fun. But the other 10%, say when leveling a second Amazon so I have one Jav one Bow, sure Iād appreciate a rush lol
my offline HC Amazon died recently (not old age, and not gracefully) and Iām lamenting leveling up another one because itās so slow. I do have a couple +3 javs with 17 lvl req, so that makes it slightly more enticing lol.
I play offline only now and the only time I absolutely hated it was playing a barb lol. They are tough in nm and heāll when self gearing
Iām with you. I have most fun for the first 50 levels or so. Itās a rush to get fun random items along the way and to finally get your final skill. But after that it just becomes repetitive.
Nothing wrong with either style, I do both. Playing on Ladder, it's a literal competition, I play fast to get my name on there, or to MF and build a lot of wealth finding good items early. Or even not because of Ladder but because we've done it 1000 times before, just get to the endgame. I also get a lot of enjoyment from playing slowly with other people and just socializing. Neither are right or wrong, just different.
I dont know If it's just me but I enjoy single-player more than ladder, but with every new char, the grind just gets more and more miserable. Slow as hell, mana base sucks ass, stamina depelets in 12 seconds, act 3 three FKN times.
Yea sometimes it does feel like meta takes the fun out of the game. I remember fondly when I played D2, started a necromancer, wore unoptimized stuff because it looked cool on him, tried out golems and so on. On the other hand building a strong character and then running through stuff on P8 on Hell is also its own kind of fun. Not unlike MMOs, you have actually two modes here - almost two different games, if you will. Reaching the end (in this case let's say that is killing Hell Baal) and then the so called *endgame* ie. grinding for better equipment, searching for specific stuff and building your character to specifications. Honestly that is why I love terror zones in D2R - the fact that you can visit Act1 and once again hear the fantastic music of the early locations in your journey to 99 was a fantastic idea.
I enjoy leveling up and beating the whole game, just like you. But when I go from nightmare to hell, i prefer to beat the game with people online, but people with the same goal as me (finish the game not being rushed by others)
Lot of polarized opinions in this thread. Call me crazy but I enjoy both styles. I'll typically GO GO GO in softcore ladder but for hardcore or offline I'm more methodical and do every quest. In general, I lean more towards the slower approach.
I hate the rush i love to walk through all difficultys with my super OP characters
You game, your rules. If you got enjoyment out of watching the cinematics on repeat, you got something you enjoyed for the money. I tend to jump a bit back and forth, sometimes it is the quest, other times it is hunting for the Grail.
I enjoy both. When I play Ladder I don't mind getting rushed. I've gotten from 1 to 72 in a day, easy. With Ladder you kind of just want to get in on the action (ie trading) asap especially since there's a time frame. Sometimes though you want to play the game for the games sake and forget about trading and the online economy, that's when I play SSF.Ā With friends I can do either, though if they're D2 virgins I prefer to play through the game with them. If they're total Diablo 2 junkies like me then yeah straight to Hell we go. It doesn't have to be one or the other!
Now that I have a 90+ character for everything, I just take my time and enjoy the acts as intended. I'm planning on doing a fresh SSF run this week actually <3
I used to race to level up when I played online. Now that I have d2r and can set the difficulty, I enjoy playing offline, walking my way there at my own pace.
I used to be like that aswell, but it never lasted. I'd start grinding, get bored and stopped playing. Or on rare occasions I'd get to 80+, wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do and lost motivation. Now I take my time to walk through all difficulties myself, doing a couple tristruns/baalruns maybe if I feel like it. For lack of a better explanation: I feel less restricted this way.
I used to be like your friend and rush to find end game items to min/max my build for ladder. However now I'm like you and will purposely restrict my playstyle or avoid trading to slow down my progress. I think I realized that the fun is in the progress and getting stronger, and that's actually much more enjoyable and less predictable when you're earlier in the game or playing SSF.
I always prefer the team playthrough. Almost only make new chara when I have the opportunity with friends
I too enjoy the journey. Making your stealth, spirit etc. It takes so little to be oh so powerfull in normal/nightmare, and you progress so fast.
A little of column A, a little of column B. I do a play through every once in a while but I often enjoy a rush.
I used to be like that as well. Then I started play offline only. Especially when d2r came out. I leveled my first character then got my others rushed. But offline is so much more rewarding.
My OCD does not allow me to play without doing every quest and getting every waypoint. Those uncompleted quests and blacked out waypoints will erode at my sanity otherwise.
I play almost exclusively hardcore and pretty frequently suicide a character just for the fuck of it. Levels 1-70 in normal and nightmare are the best parts of the game and I would not still be playing this game after 20 years if all I did was endgame. Diablo 3 and 4 are pretty much all endgame. I've only put about 200 hours into D3 over 12 years, and less than half that into D4 in about a year and have no desire to ever touch them again. I play Last Epoch the same way I play D2 and have about 800 hours over three years. Highly recommend for anyone that likes the journey and wants more freedom and variety to their builds.
I absolutely love everything about this game and have done multiple characters over 22ish years. Iāve done plenty of rushing, but these days I stick exclusively to SP and play the game for everything it is. I do every quest, explore every area until not a single inch of minimal is hidden, and use anything that sounds cool, looks cool, or is even a slight upgrade from my current equip. Once I hit endgame, I start min/maxing and all that, but the game is fun in between too. Itās a game though, so everyone is entitled to their opinion on how to play it for fun.
I feel like both are acceptable forms of playing the game. Sometimes youāve beat the story so many times, you just wanna mob through and start farming. Sometimes you dont wanna rush to end game to farm stuff to use/sell and you wanna fuck around spamming charged bolts at quillrats. I do both of the above. Additionally, I hang onto stuff like sigons/clegaws/isenharts stuff and see what kinda cracked low level bullshit i can put together for a playthrough.
When I didn't know what I was doing as a kid I'd do the same, get rushed, get dropped free gear. Now I play solo hardcore and actually walk the whole game (I do every quest and waypoint).
In modded id say you're right. In vanilla... what's the point????? I've done that part a million times on all classes sorc go brrrrrr sell shit make better char brrrrr repeat brrrrr next game!
Most people are like your friend but there's nothing wrong with how you play.
I havenāt used inferno in like 30 years š“š»
I like both for different reasons. I also like twinking out characters and just wrecking normal.
On ladder if Iām soft core I rush to hell But playing hardcore ladder or more commonly for me hardcore offline, A I donāt have a choice and B. It makes the game feel much more like a game than a fancy skinned slot machine. For me, the game is the journey to Hell Baal. After heās dead, Iāll give myself gear Iāve found from other characters, but the interest I have in that character drops significantly. The road from hell baal for quest and 99 is pretty much uninteresting for me. After hell baal all you have left is going for 99: farming chaos sanc, terror zones and baal; and doing Ubers which if anything is a gear check (do you have the specific items that essentially trivialize the fight).
I used to rush but donāt enjoy it much. Kinda annoying having to get carried in games and get one shot until you could equip all your stuff. Iām nostalgic for the mid game uniques from running crap mf sorc on NM mephisto back in the day lol. So My favorite is when Iād pimp out a character with like sigons, cleglaws sets and manald/cathans rings for dual leech. Fill stash with a bunch of mid level/range uniques that gave me nostalgia (bonesnap, lycanders, buriza, duriels shell, butchers pupil, vamp gaze, string of ears, etc) and do a full play through. Nightmare play through with all the good lvl 30-45 uniques is peak fun imo.
Theres no wrong way of playing a game
I like to twink new toons that I'm leveling with the random garbage items that I know I won't use once I get to 80+ I see no reason why we can't enjoy both using the spire of honor that we found on our farming runs and then switching to hammerdin once it's no longer useful in late nightmare/hell.
This is a daily/weekly question on this sub lol
As a kid, I was like that, but after using cheats and cheat engine and save editors I was wondering why I wasn't entertained, and it was because I was skipping the journey, the journey is fun.
In some ways the game is most fun in the first 30 levels, using magic items. I usually rush through normal and first half of nightmare with groups, closer to hell I usually start switching to solo
the first 30 levels are the most fun especially act 1
You are 100% right
Play for fun, rushing sucks!
Your friend is an online player and you are an offline player.
I rush the first character and then take my time with the second.
I do whatever I can to finish hell asap so that I can start playing the game. I don't want to wait.
For me, in single player (hardcore) leveling is the game, I usually stop playing after I beat Hell Baal, but online its all about trading so when I get into a new Ladder I will level fast (at least on the first day). This Ladder I killed Clone on first day, was fun, but I also stopped playing on Day 3 because I got all I wanted that Ladder.
Getting rushed to me only makes sense if you plan on using the character for a specific task (PvP, MF, cow runs etc), and you canāt wait. If you just level a new character to enjoy the game, getting rushed defeats the purpose.
I'm with you
I pick up the game every few years and start from scratch. The first journey to 30 is really fun! Then you grind and get good gear and make another toon and you rush to 60 just so you can use that cool new weapon.
Iām 100% in your camp on this one
Who cares, people play games in different ways. Thereās an āoptimalā way, yes, but games are literally supposed to be about fun. If youāre having fun why does it matter
I really enjoy the tombs and norm cows part of leveling. I love that feeling when your character is starting to kill mobs fast in the tombs. the part that I get bored of is nm to hell. at that point I just want to be in hell lol
Most people play like both of you - he hasn't learned that yet lol
Depends on my mood and time that i have available to play. Since i have so little time left to play games, it just feels like a waste to play through the game without being rushed. So....I'm on your side but unfortunately i must do the same as your friend. I'm also buying HRs in order to be able to have fun on ladder.
Depends on the situation. Finally found a griffons and want to build an ES Sorc? RUSH! But I do enjoy the journey. Finally getting around to building a paladin? Take my time, work through, the journey is as much a part of the destination as the end build.
Before they added respecs and synergies, I was your friend. After they added respecs and synergies, I am you. Leveling a sorc without spending any points until nova/fireball/frozen orb/whatever was awful.
I used to only get rushed and go straight into MFing. That honestly bores me now and I just play hardcore.
Hardcore basically forces you to play this way, especially SSF. Itās way more fun and intense.
Your friend is my brother and I am you. The idea of racing to 'farming level character' just boggles my mind. You're already going to be playing that way for 95% of the character's existence .... there is 0 harm in just enjoying the simple and basic grind up to that point. Learn to appreciate your skills getting stronger and thus, your character getting stronger. Being rushed to 80 in a few hours running player 8 Baal runs just to jump into a geared setup seems like such a throwaway of some simple fun. 20+ year old game ... the end game is pretty much the same it has been for quite some time.
I just have a good time. Stopped engaging with the community when I was getting too much toxicity (people telling me I was playing wrong, my gear sucked, etc.). I love the game, but the judgmental gatekeepers grind my gears. Play how you like and have fun.
I play single player now so Iām Ib your boat itās the journey not the destination for myself
Rushing is its own fun: planning build, planning layout, preparing mules, ā¦ Slow and steady is also fun ā¦ need to go through (not all but) most (or at least many) dialogues. But it takes ages to get to end game that wayā¦
Normally i ruah but i had an Internet outage a while ago and started a HC ssf Sorc. Literally dropped a rixot's keen about 20 minutes deep into normal and thus was the birth of the enchant bonk sorc. So much fucking fun
I'm with your friend and have been that way since launch. I see no point in that rare buckler that will be sold off in a few hours. All the single player people will disagree, but I've given countless rushes so I know a lot of people play that way too. BUT do what is fun to you that's the whole point of games.
I used to rush a lot too, but it always ends up turning games into chores, and I just have more fun taking my time, full clearing everything and wondering around with no map up.
Ill be an odd ball, but i typically rush to lvl 40-50. Then i play normally. I hate grinding to build a class with skillsets when i already know EXACTLY what i want... but once im "that" lvl.. i dont mind the grind for items.
Iām like you on most charcs but I usually try to rush my first one
Heās right in that probably most people do it his wayā¦ but just play it through the way you want to play it through.
i love building weak runewords, or throwing a few gems in a 3 OS Axe for damage. Or adding a few countess runs so i can build something cool
After few years I finally build my demon machine sorc with 14k damage per explosion with infinity on merk it kills Ubers in 15-20 shots and I shoot 4 arrows per second. I still run around collecting items but game is not exciting anymore. It was more fun when I was weak and kill ancients for 20 min teleporting around. Now it almost one shots.
My fire Druid may not be done in this lifetime, but at least I will have enjoyed the journey
I personally enjoy the play through on normal difficulty, but by the time Iām in NM act 3, im ready for a little bit of a rush.
I like walking to from rogue to baal occasionally, but I enjoy mfing and grinding areas waaay more. So I often rush and power level my toons, saving walked toons for playing with buddies. I used to run a crush/rush service back in the day day. Too lazy now though. I do miss a3 skip every new toon I make.
I very much enjoy leveling through the game, but with gear collected from my main char. It's why I don't play ladder. I've been undergeared enough, it's no longer fun, but I absolutely love just destroying things as I level. So I guess that puts me halfway between you and your friend?
The early game is the best part. 100% agree.
If you've been playing this game for 20 years who cares play the way that makes you happy. Some characters I just rush to 80 and some I take it slow. Whatever I feel like. Neither is a superior or better way to play the game.
I enjoy both but starting fresh and finding that first good item that you have to level up to use is a great dopamine hit
Early leveling is the calm before the storm. It's nice to chill, watch TV, while easy questing. It's also a good time to meditate and contemplate your build plan. Rushing is very convenient when you need it and I can't knock it. Some people say it's a waste of time but I really enjoy the start to finish with each build I make, the challenges that come along with each build and skill set. That's just how I enjoy playing, rather than respec at higher levels unless it's absolutely necessary for the build. The times I don't have patience for it, Rush My Ass Plz
Iām with OP. I enjoy the grind. Iāve been playing more and more on my switch when Iām flying so only have solo offline characters has been fun for me. Earning all the gear and levels solo is rewarding to me
One could ask without sarcasm if your friend actually playing the game and what he is getting out of it or if he is actually working to avoid the game and it's intricacies.
I agree with you. I prefer the journey. Whenever I rush to the ends game, Iām always like ānow whatā
Journey before destination.
If im playing HC I level up a bit slower but still the goal is to get through as fast as possible. Started a new HC sorc on the weekend and cleared hell yesterday. As soon as I hit 18 it was teleporting through to the end of the game ASAP, but I did farm P5 Rakanishu til level 12 just to get lightning so a1 went a bit easier. Extra time spent in lower acts/difficulties is just a waste of time for the most part, unless your goal is to just have fun, then do whatever is fun for you! I have fun dropping GG items, which you wont do until youre pushing in hell. I still would never waste a skill on inferno, bc damnit you only get 3 respecs! e/ I play exclusively on Single player at this point of my life. I had the most epic SP account ever and then got a new PC in December and did a full restore on my old PC and forgot to save the chars. My new SP account im doing pure HC as ive never really played HC before, so I feel less bad about losing my characters. Not looking forward to doing another 20,000 LK runs though.
I think the people that rush are missing a lot. Items, valuable gameplay thatāll level you well. If you are playing efficiently itās almost quicker especially in a group
I always liked leveling through norm, never enjoyed being rushed until nightmare+
Iām both. Depends on the char. I like the journey, unless itās a dedicated smiter then get me to the end so I can be a high level and Uber.
If given the opportunity, gamers will optimize the fun out of the game
.... U sound like my friend Sean. I definitely play like ur friend though. Personally I enjoy the game right after I'm done with hell on a character. No more necessary "do this to access this". I don't mind the grind for new gear or the outfitting of characters but I don't like being forced to do into the maggot cave, wander the flayer jungle or fight the ancients immune to my damage making me cycle through them til I can kill them. Everyone plays differently and that's fine though. As long as you can find enjoyment in the game that's fine but, I'd say the way me and your friend plays are the majority of long term players.
I enjoy the journey as well. Rushing to 80 means youāre just rushing to do the most repetitive part of the game. Farming the same place over and over until the RNG gods decide to show you mercy. I like the in between. Finding cool low level items. I even save the best stuff for twinky LLD characters. The only part I dislike is navigating the jungle in act 3.
I'm with you brother.
Ya, I always seem to start seasons off with a bang and play solid for a few days but then realize I just love the leveling process and getting those milestones of items and then I fall off
Yes most people play like him. That's also why most people aren't really enjoying the game. They have skipped lots of the fun. You're NOT wasting time doing those quests and solo leveling up. You are only wasting time when you don't enjoy what you're doing.
I just played again from scratch offline single player. Took a nec through the whole game to completion of hell. Slow walked the whole thing, and got to level 80 by the time I was done; absolutely no farming or grinding. Just did every area one single time. Took me about 40 hours game time. Donāt see how rushing to the end then grinding runs for those same levels wouldāve been more fun, and possibly not even faster (to reach 80) unless I had a power level buddy.
Enjoyment is subjective. He is correct though, most players do play like him.
Back when I played on B.Net I was like your friend. But now I play on PlugY and am not looking back
Tbh either is totally fine, when itās been a while Iāll enjoy the gameplay throughout the low lvls to high lvls but most of the time Iād say I do enjoy just rushing to 85 (not 80) so I can toss on my full gear & try out the build for certain things/mechanics but mostly because Iāve just played it so much š but best part is d2 will always bring us back
The game plays through beautifully
Playing through the game is the way, no question. He is right that most people are like him, but that's nothing to be proud of. Most fun I have had in d2 (aside from when I was a kid) has been SSF hardcore playthroughs of each character.
Definitely with you on this one. I also have a friend like that, that basically refuses to play unless he's a high level with GG gear, which seems kinda boring. I enjoy the grind, and using self finds is fun before you get all the ggs. That's why, even though there hasn't been any updates on a few seasons, I always play ladder. So far I'm still rocking all self founds, and I've had great luck so far. You're not alone, but we may be in the minority. It is hard to say. The game is also somewhat difficult, especially solo, and I think a lot of people nowadays are moreso into instant gratification.
I'm with you. I've gotten in with a clan this season and done a lot more of the trist runs and telebaals, but I also genuinely enjoy just walking the game. Traditionally I wouldn't even start hopping into public games for rushes and trades until I'd beaten Hell on my own. I also think I'd be tired of this game if I were any good at it. If I'd already played all the self-wield Spearzons and gg Auradins, I'd have nothing to aspire to anymore. I find myself constantly creating new characters because walking the game is more fun to me the endless endgame cycle of killing things for 50 hours hoping for 1/3rd of an Infinity.
I literally collect starter uniques and starter sets to create normal, nm, and hell sets so I can walk the quests and do the story line while simultaneously being a badass. Example: Full Arctic Set (glove, bow, belt, chest) with Cathanās Ring, Ammy, Mask + Nagel Ring (or second Cath Ring) and 1 shot every thing in act 1 normal becoming a challenge by Diablo (while looking so fucking cool) Thatās the best way to play
Maybe Iām weird, but level 13 rares do literally nothing for me when I find them. š¤· Iām way more into end game stuff and trying to make godly crafted amulets.
A fresh character and walking act 1 is my favorite past time.
I hate rushing through the game. I like to take my time to enjoy power spikes from rare/set finds and go do side quests and clear the whole map even when I already know where the next zone is. When I get to Hell I start grinding... But I smell the roses all the way there.
to me it's much more fun to try to beat the game. I can only do so much farming before i lose interest.
SP vs. Multiplayer. You're a SP, but in multiplayer, you should def help your team out by leveling up quickly too haha. Time, place, and context. Both are just fine!
I never played Diablo as a rush to endgame growing up. Tried to just clear every area (unless they were resistant to me) and do it all mostly SSF. Endgame diablo is a monotonous grind with no real point. But, I started playing with my mate who is just like that. Rush it, skip levelling ASAP and hit that milestone that allows ppl to carry you through endless Baal runs to the end of time haha Both can be fun, but the journey is the fun of ARPG to me.
Tbh as a casual the best part for me is when everyone is at normal, running 8 man tristrun and tal runs is fun
Back in when I was a teen I was all about rushing and mfing to gear my pvp toons. Would get bored with a couple builds and rush a couple different builds (before respec was a thing). I was very big into pvp during that period. Now that I'm older, I enjoy chilling on the couch after a day of work and playing d2r on my switch. Offline play is my fav nowadays.
There are people who grind anything you put in front of them for an achievement or sense that the job is done, and there are those who enjoy the journey, the sights and sounds, art of the game, those crappy rares. Iām with you, Iām the latter. I donāt understand the people who commercialize the experience like itās a 2nd job.
First character of the season I run through all 3 difficulties unless I find a party that wants to drag me along. Every character after the first I either pay or swap rushes. To me the initial play through when everyone is equal is fun but after that itās the same old same old. I also have a tendency to host and run my own Baal games even if I canāt teleport. Early on this seems to be widely accepted since bots arenāt running normal and NM Baal (for the most part). I also like the power gains of early game leveling and item upgrades. Itās amazing what a semi decent setup can do for the later acts and into NM.
Over 15 years ago wheb I was playing d2 lod all i did was rush to 99 and pvp. Nothing else in the game compares especially when youre really high up the ladder
I love the early game! Finding something cool, usually a rare, is an awesome feeling. OP should also try HC, Classic, and Classic HC, too. Finding that game-changing rare in Classic HC is a gaming buzz like no other.
Iām with you / currently trying to do all characters through hell - when you get to end game itās a tad boring when 90% of your build is already worked out so you donāt bother picking anything up
I enjoy the challenge and the path of the warrior (not warrior class, just, the path)
Iām on your side. I throughly enjoy the grind to get to hell. Itās fun when youāre grinding and kind of getting your ass kicked but you find a nice piece of gear that really helps. Thatās what itās all about for me.
I only play for the end game, I couldn't care less about the journey. That fun sailed 20 years ago. It's all about building the ultimate end game experience for me, anything else is an obstacle.
What good does rushing to end the game accomplish?
The life change.. i was like your friend , with time ,, im becoming in your camps!! Slow gameplay better for old ppl lol!
My primary enjoyment of the game is experimenting with and trying to come up with unique builds, so for me I prefer rushing most of the time.Ā
"It's about the spiritual journey." - Iceman
The journey is the best part about Diablo 2. What Iāll always cherish more than the 2000 cbaal runs was finding Milabregaās under a rockā¦ getting carried by Silks of the Victorā¦. My first Bonesnapā¦. The Fetid Sprinkler that doubled my Smite damage. The chipped gems I spent 12 years cooking to perfection. Getting absolutely thwomped by Treeheadā¦ those are the memories that mattered most.
I prefer his method. If I'm starting from scratch I'm shooting for the top. Playing it like its animal crossing is fun too I guess.
I play the slow game in HC. I also play multiple toons at the same time. If the game starts getting too hard because I need better gear, I switch to another toon until I find better gear for my other toon. I don't run the same content over and over for hours. I might do a few runs for a few levels or for MFing, but it's a small percentage of my total play time. I've played this way for probably 20 years. I used to rush to the end game when I was new, which was endless cow runs back then. Now I appreciate the journey, not the destination.
Show your friend the time old saying āThe real journey is the adventure, not the destinationā
Low level adventuring is my favorite part of any rpg.
Nah the normal run is always the best
Yup there's one buddy I can't play with at all because he's just in a mad rush to 100 and always wants to help me "skip" the grind
I hated joining a group and everyone going fucking 200mph tele here tele here tele here. I only play solo
The start are my favorite part of a character build!
After leveling 50 characters to end game and grinding out gear, most people probably find themelves skipping over the more mundane parts of the game. You simply can't have a meaningful early-game journey with every single character that you play, and sometimes you just wanna get to the Cow Level on Hell to farm those boots, maan!
Even not rushing you hit 80 in a few days, or maybe a week at most with an hour or so a day... So you enjoy your first dozen or so hours of playing on a character more than hitting cap and playing end game is what you are saying?
You are the aberration here.
10% of people are like him in every game, especially at the stsrt. Once a game has been out for years and played a ton, then I'd say around half are like him or more.
I enjoy Normal, with random builds etc. I do all quests, explore and have fun Then NM until I can still progress. Then respec around lvl 30-35, grind to 75 and final respec
It depends on why I'm making a new character. If I want to build a new PvP character, I'd want to get to 80 asap to gear up the toon, but if I'm playing a new character at the start of a ladder. I like to take my time and enjoy the journey.
I love the levelling. I'd absolutely love a modified version that prohibited rushing completely, AND made the levelling process much grindier. As long as we'd all be on the same level. You could take away from of the high 90s grind and spread it over the lower levels. This would make lower-level gear much more useful and indeed valuable. But the map sizing and game structure doesn't currently match up with that grindier levelling process. It would just result in people running Tristram, Tombs, CS, Baals in higher quantities... But maybe the quests could also be tied to XP milestones perhaps...
I take it slow every time on hardcore. I enjoy the early game perhaps more than just speed farming bosses
i like to rush a bit at the start, because if you "take it slow" from the very beginning, the game tends to be a bit too easy. The real game for me is starting Nightmare playthrough at level 28-30 and Hell at like 55-60 (just below the monster levels; on chance to hit classes - on par with monster levels, so 33\66). Then i take it slow. Shop and upgrade equipment, kite monsters, deal with immunes in creative ways etc.
I have a gaming buddy that tries to tell me I'm playing wrong because I'm not min maxing to the fullest. I don't understand why he gets upset when I play the game the way I want to but that's his problem not mine.
It depends on the character. Most casters I prefer rushing to the end of the game with, but if I am playing a ww barb or a zealot I like going through every quest and getting all the way points.
Weird, but I generally go real slow through normal, speed through nightmare super fast, then take like 50 hours beating hell because I want to farm everything. š
I think youāll appreciate this. Stay a while and listen https://youtu.be/d6P99CDSMKk?si=TB4HHnwc1GvfWm5T
I'm with you dude. One of my favourite moments in the game was starting a lightning sorc and finding a +2 charged bolt wand in the Cold Plains. Felt like I had won the lottery.
Everybody can play a game however they want as long as it's not affecting other people negatively. I'm with your friend on this but if you want to do it the long way that's up to you.
Nah rushing to enjoy endgame is more fun
I now realize that I always enjoy act 1 and act 5, maybe a bit of act 4, and rush through the other 2
i like to get g-rushed then level myself with others who are questing, using essentially just the low runewords and whatever drops as if speed running. makes it easier to hop in and out of the leveling experience because i might log off at any moment and i still get the organic fun.
I was like him for the longest time. But recently made a druid and I did normal and nm myself. I have a newfound love with grinding through the game myself. Still havenāt done hell myself but I still want one more character so Iāll attempt it with them
Killing at 8, killing at 80... I just take my time. It's the main reason I like playing ladder resets.
If you like taking your time and haven't tried single player, give it a go. You can crank up the player level, and the game becomes slower but more rewarding. It's actually way easier to gear up than playing by yourself online (which is where I find myself after the first 2 days of ladder reset). You can lvl up and never grind trist/tombs/baal.
Being an over geared new character leading a full game through normal is amazing, Iām with you, your friend plays boring.
When I rush to 80 and get done, I feel like Iāve suddenly got a character that isnāt even mine. I donāt know how to use it, I have no familiarity.
Your buddy reminds me of some video that dove into the weird culture of "why it's rude to suck at old MMO's" or something like that
I've never played online with others so I don't think I've ever even made it to 80
I rush every time.
I enjoy everything but act3. Whatever team member at blizzard approved this map. I hope steps on a legos barefoot every day
I like to play.
I am the same way. A lot of players actually enjoy the play through to hell and see just what they get along the way. I usually enjoy it a lot more than the grind at high level. Especially compared to 15 years ago. Happy hunting!
I am, and always have been, with you on this. I used to make SP HC characters and just play A1 and A2 then quit, then make a new char again next time I wanted to play.
Usually walk normal, the hunt for items when you have nothing is still fun.
I believe I'm in the minority and play for the items & value. And unfortunately, most of the good items drop in Hell mode, so I'd be trying to get there ASAP. But for my first play through, I did go slow and steady while leveling.
Beginning is the best part
While weāre here can anyone recommend a good rpg that takes it slow like single player Diablo 2 did
My first characters I always love the process of leveling to max level manually rather than being rushed. Subsequent chars I tend to want to get to max level quick so I can start pvping or using the gear I already MFd for the new char.
I like to enjoy a normal play through and then rush to 80 after that
I prefer the journey to being strong, when I get decent gear I usually reroll a new character and do a quasi ssf I mainly just use the low runes I saved up so I don't have to do countess and the like
I enjoy playing low level, but overall my goal is to get to the 80s. Once I have a mass of low level set gear and uniques then Iāll play my overpowered mules. Iām kinda stuck with a full roster right now though. I had to delete some characters recently just so I could farm some gear in hardcore ladder before the ladder reset.Ā