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{{Short description|Expansion pack for the action role-playing video game Diablo II}}
{{Infobox CVG
{{pp-move-vandalism|small=yes}}
|title = Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2016}}
|image = [[Image:D2xbox-shot-border.jpg|250px|Cover art]]
{{Infobox video game
|developer = [[Blizzard North]]
| title = Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
|publisher = [[Blizzard Entertainment]]
| image = Diablo II - Lord of Destruction Coverart.png
|designer =
| developer = [[Blizzard North]]
|engine =
| publisher = [[Blizzard Entertainment]]
|version = 1.11b ([[September 13]], [[2005]])
| director = Tyler Thompson
|released = '''(PC)''' <br> {{flagicon|USA}} /{{flagicon|Canada}} /{{flagicon|Poland}} [[June 29]], [[2001 in video gaming|2001]] <br> '''(Mac)''' <br> {{flagicon|USA}} /{{flagicon|Canada}} [[June 29]], 2001 <br> {{flagicon|Germany}} [[March 31]], [[2003 in video gaming|2003]]
| producer = Matthew Householder<br>Kenneth Williams
|genre = [[Action role-playing game]]
| designer = David Brevik
|modes = [[Single player]], [[multiplayer game|multiplayer]]
| programmer = Theodore Bisson<br>Peter Hu<br>Doug McCreary<br>Divo Palinkas<br> Michael Scandizzo<br>Steven Woo
|ratings = [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: Mature<br />[[PEGI]]: 16+<br />[[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association|ELSPA]]: 15+ <br> [[Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|OFLC]]: MA15+ <br> [[OFLC/NZ]]: M and R16+
| writer = Evan Carroll<br>Matthew Householder<br>[[Chris Metzen]]<br>Joe Morrissey
|platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]<br />[[Mac OS]]<br />[[Mac OS X]]
| artist = Anthony Rivero<br>Alex Munn
|media = [[CD-ROM]]
| composer = [[Matt Uelmen]]
|requirements = '''Mac OS''':<br />G3 processor or better, System 8.1 or later, 64MB RAM plus Virtual Memory, 650MB drive space, 4X CD-ROM drive, 256 color display capable of 800x600, Diablo II <br />'''Windows''':<br />233 MHz Pentium or better, 32MB RAM, 650MB drive space, 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX compatible video card, Diablo II
| series = [[Diablo (series)|''Diablo'']]
|input = [[computer keyboard|Keyboard]], [[computer mouse|Mouse]]
| engine =
| released = '''Windows, Mac OS'''{{vgrelease|NA/EU|June 29, 2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diablo II: Lord of Destruction goes gold |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-ii-lord-of-destruction-goes-gold/1100-2779046/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Diablo II: Lord of Destruction coming next week |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/161778/diablo2-5.html |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Macworld |language=en}}</ref>|AU|July 20, 2001<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2001 |title=''Diablo 2'' Expansion news update |url=http://www.gamesmarket.com.au:80/info.cfm?news=news&cfid=383663&cftoken=83366022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010727153223/http://www.gamesmarket.com.au:80/info.cfm?news=news&cfid=383663&cftoken=83366022 |archive-date=July 27, 2001 |access-date=April 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 20, 2001 |title=Power House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121589142 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |pages=7 |quote=New Release//$49.80//''Diablo II Lord of Destruction'' Expansion Set}}</ref>}}'''OS X'''<br/>March 11, 2016<ref name="auto">[http://kotaku.com/years-later-blizzard-releases-a-new-diablo-ii-patch-1764232247 Years Later, Blizzard Releases a New Diablo II Patch] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406070019/http://kotaku.com/years-later-blizzard-releases-a-new-diablo-ii-patch-1764232247 |date=April 6, 2016 }} by Brian Ashcraft on kotaku.com (3/11/16)</ref>
| genre = [[Action role-playing game|Action role-playing]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/870/870952p1.html |title=RPG Vault: RPG Vault Focus: Action RPGs |publisher=Rpgvault.ign.com |date=May 2, 2008 |access-date=May 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322235404/http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/870/870952p1.html |archive-date=March 22, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[Windows]], [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]], [[OS X]]
| caption = Cover art featuring ''Baal'', the titular antagonist of the game
}}
}}


'''''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction''''' is an expansion pack for the popular [[hack and slash]] [[action role-playing game]] ''[[Diablo II]]''. Unlike the original ''[[Diablo (computer game)|Diablo]]'''s expansion pack, ''[[Diablo: Hellfire]]'', this is an official expansion designed by [[Blizzard North]].
'''''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction''''' is an [[expansion pack]] for the [[hack and slash]] [[action role-playing game]] ''[[Diablo II]]''. Unlike the original ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]''{{'}}s expansion pack, ''[[Diablo: Hellfire]]'', it is a first-party expansion developed by [[Blizzard North]].


More than just a standard expansion, Lord of Destruction (LOD) not only added content in the form of new character classes and an additional scenario, it also dramatically revamped the gameplay of the existing Diablo II for solo and especially multiplayer. As a result, LOD is largely considered a "must-buy" instead of being just an add-on and this makes it one of the most successful expansion packs of all time.
''Lord of Destruction'' added content in the form of two new character classes, new weapons and an addition of a fifth act, and also dramatically revamped the gameplay of the existing ''Diablo II'' for solo and especially multiplayer.
==Features==
[[Image:Enigma (Diablo II).jpg|thumb|right|Placing the runes "Jah", "Ith" and "Ber" (in that order) into an armour item with exactly three sockets produces the powerful Rune word "Enigma".]]
''Lord of Destruction'' adds a number of new features to the core gameplay of ''Diablo II''. These include:
* Two new character classes: the Assassin and the Druid.
* A fifth act taking place in and around Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands, with an additional act boss, Baal.
* Many new items, including new weapons and new pieces of armor:
**33 different Runes, which can be placed into sockets and provide different bonuses from gems.
***Runewords are specific sequences of runes which grant a specific set of additional bonuses (similar to the preselected bonuses of unique quality items) when socketed into an appropriate item.
**Hundreds of additional Horadric Cube recipes.
***Crafted items are very similar to rare quality items but they cannot be found in chests or dropped by monsters. They can be created with the Horadric Cube and the right ingredients. They have 3-4 predetermined properties determined by the recipe and up to 4 additional randomly selected from the same pool as rare item properties.
**Jewels gain the same random bonuses that items can. These can be placed into sockets. They have the same effect no matter what the base item is. Unique jewels are Rainbow Facets which have different bonuses to a certain element.
** Ethereal items that are normally more powerful than their standard counterparts, but they have lowered durability and cannot be repaired. However, if equipped by an NPC companion they do not lose durability. (There are different Ethereal items which have bonus stats that make them repair durability on their own)
** Charms that can be kept in the inventory and provide passive bonuses.
** Class-specific items that can only be used by a certain character, e.g. Claws for an Assassin.
** Additional unique and set items, including class-specific sets.
* An expanded stash for storing items—two times the size of the original stash.
* An alternate weapon/shield/spell setup that can be switched to via a [[hotkey]] in gameplay.
* [[Mercenary|Hirelings]] can now follow the player through all the Acts. They can also be equipped with armor and a weapon, can gain their own experience, when before they leveled up with the player, can be healed by potions, and can be resurrected when killed.
* The game can now be played at 800x600 resolution, up from 640x480.


==Story==
==Plot==
{{spoiler}}
The storyline picks up where ''Diablo II'' left off, with Baal now leading an invasion against the northern barbarian lands.His first attack, against the city of Sescheron, capital city of the Barbarian homelands, leads up to the stage where Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is set: Harrogath. Situated at the base of [[Mount Arreat]], it's home to the people who are sworn protectors of the mountain. [[Baal]] is currently besieging the city and destroying any settlements along the way up the mountain towards its summit. The hero stands tall, fighting the three Prime Evils, Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal.


After the player successfully ventures into Hell and defeats Diablo in Act IV, upon returning to the Pandemonium Fortress they are met by the Archangel Tyrael with an urgent summons. Tyrael opens a portal to Harrogath, a stronghold on Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands. As shown at the end of Act IV, while two of the Prime Evils of Hell, Diablo and Mephisto, have been defeated and their Soulstones destroyed at the Hellforge, their surviving brother Baal has retrieved his own Soulstone from the narrator Marius. Baal has raised an army and attacked Mount Arreat, whose Barbarian inhabitants are tasked with defending the Worldstone.
Baal, the Lord of Destruction, is after the Worldstone, a massive crystal-rock of transcending energies, created to prevent the High Heavens and Burning Hells to consume the mortal realm completely into their respective folds. It is the source of all the Soulstones and their powers, so Baal wishes to obtain it, corrupt it and complete [[The Prime Evils|his brothers']] plan to conquer the mortal realm and use it as a staging area to besiege the Heavens in the endless war between the two.


There are six quests in Act V. The player starts off at the stronghold of Harrogath. There are also ice caverns in the mountains, as well as hellish subterranean pits (reminiscent of Hell in Act IV) for extra monsters and experience. After reaching the summit of Arreat, the player gains access to the Worldstone Keep.
==New features==
* A ''fifth act'' taking place in and around Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands, with an additional act boss, ''[[Baal (Diablo)|Baal]]''.
* ''Ethereal items'': These items do not fully exist in the mortal plane and appear translucent to the human eye. Because of this, they cannot be repaired, but they also have better characteristics and lower requirements than their repairable equivalents.
* ''Jewels'': items serving a similar purpose to gems in that they can be placed in socketed items, but which have random characteristics as opposed to the set characteristics of gems and [[rune]]s.
* ''Charms'': items giving boosts to character's stats when kept in the inventory of the player.
* Two new character classes: the ''Assassin'' and the ''Druid''.
* An ''expanded private stash'' for storing items (double the size of the [[Diablo II]] stash).
* An ''alternate weapon/shield setup'' that can be switched between via a [[hotkey]] in gameplay.
* ''Runes'': stones that give powerful attributes to a socketed item when placed in it or even more powerful bonuses when placed in a certain order forming a "runeword" (''see section below for more information'').
* ''Hirelings'' ([[mercenary|mercenaries]]) can now follow the player outside of the Act in which they were hired. They can also be equipped with armor, a helm, and a hireling-specific weapon (as well as a shield in one case). Hirelings also gain experience and can be [[resurrected]] (for a price proportional to their level) when killed.
* ''Class-specific items'': new items that only a specific character class can use. These items often contain class-specific bonuses, often adding additional skill points for that character class.
* ''Elite items'': more powerful versions of items following the Normal and Exceptional items.
* New ''unique items'', including many Exceptional and Elite Uniques.
* New ''set items'', including sets that use Class-specific items (ie. only one character class can complete certain sets).
* The game can now be played at 800x600 resolution, up from the standard 640x480.


Many of the folk in Harrogath do not initially trust the player character (even if they are playing as the Barbarian class). The player has to slay Shenk the Overseer who is leading the assault in the Bloody Foothills in order to relieve the siege of Harrogath. The player can also rescue the captured Barbarian defenders. Completing these quests gradually helps the town inhabitants warm to the player and they will provide aid or other services.
===Rune words===

[[Image:Enigma.jpg|thumb|left|Placing the runes "Jah", "Ith" and "Ber" (in that order) into an armour item with exactly three sockets produces the powerful Rune word bonus "Enigma".]]
The player soon discovers that one of Harrogath's councilors or Elders, Nihlathak, has made a deal with Baal to spare Harrogath in return for access to the Worldstone Keep. After rescuing Anya and learning of this betrayal, the player has to find and kill Nihlathak, who is sheltered between his minions in the Halls of Vaught.
'''Rune words''' are a combination of specific [[rune]]s that are inserted into a socketed item in a specific order, producing an enhancing effect on the item. Rune words are especially powerful in versions 1.10 and 1.11, although many of the more potent, higher-level rune words are restricted to realm ''ladder'' play only.

Before gaining access to the Worldstone Keep, the player must defeat The Ancients, which are the three legendary Barbarians guarding the Worldstone – Talic the Defender, Madawc the Guardian and Korlic the Protector – who allow only the worthy to pass. After the player succeeds, the Ancients warn that Baal is already in the Keep and has blocked Tyrael's presence.

Finally, the player fights Baal in The Worldstone Chamber, after defeating his pack of minions at the Throne of Destruction. Tyrael appears after Baal is dead, congratulating the player and opening a portal to Destruction's End, the conclusion of the game. As the Worldstone is corrupted by Baal, Tyrael has no choice but to destroy it before its power of Hell takes root; the consequences of the Worldstone's destruction would not be fully known until [[Diablo III|twenty years later]].

==New classes==
{{See also|Diablo II#Character classes|l1=Diablo II character classes}}


===Assassin===
===Assassin===
The [[Assassin (character class)|Assassin]] relies on a mixture of martial arts skills and the ability to lay active traps. She can also open locked chests without the use of a key. The Assassin is voiced by Carrie Gordon Lowrey.
The [[Assassin]] either will focus on her melee abilities or her ability to lay [[trap]]s. If she is built to be a melee chacarter, she will be more subtle than the barbarian and the paladin and will not rely on brute strength. If she is built to lay [[trap]]s, she will simply put them one the ground and stand back, letting them do the work for her.


The assassin introduces a very different style of play into ''Diablo II''. Her shadow disciplines consist of Amazon-style passives and barbarian-style masteries, along with a few spells such as ''Mind Blast'' which confuse the enemy. Traps are a new way of attacking enemies; she can lay five at a time, and once laid, they fire (or activate) a given number of times at nearby enemies before dissipating.
Her Shadow Disciplines tree contains a mixture of passive bonuses (such as Claw Mastery or Weapon Block) and [[Status effect|buff]]s (such as Burst of Speed or Venom), along with a few spells such as Mind Blast which damage, stun, and confuse the enemy. She also can summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master, which are useful summons that are also capable of dealing significant damage themselves.


The Traps tree provides a few direct attacks, and more importantly, a number of summonable traps. The traps are stationary devices that will attack any hostile target in range a certain number of times before breaking. Traps are either based on fire or lightning, though the Death Sentry trap can explode nearby corpses in addition to shooting bolts of lightning. The blade trap skills are essentially ranged projectiles that cause physical damage.
The Assassin can cast spells from the ''[[Martial Arts]]'', ''Shadow Disciplines'', and ''[[Trap]]s'' skill trees.

The Martial Arts tree consists of charge-up skills and finishing moves. Attacking with a charge-up skill increases the number of charges, up to three, then the finishing move releases the charges in a single powerful blow (note that a normal attack also counts as a finishing move). The charge-up skills include attacks like Blades of Ice and Fists of Fire, which add elemental damage to the finishing blow, and also skills like Cobra Strike, which adds life and mana stealing to the finishing attack. The finishing blows are, for the most part, kicks, such as Dragon Talon, which releases a number of kicks in quick succession, and Dragon Flight, which teleports on to a target and kicks them, releasing any charges.


===Druid===
===Druid===
The [[Druid (character class)|Druid]] specialises in nature-based magic and shapeshifting, with direct damage spells and a variety of minions. The Druid is voiced by [[Michael Bell (actor)|Michael Bell]].
The [[Druid]] is the second class added to the game with the Lord of Destruction expansion. Druid skills revolve around either an elemental, shapeshifting, or a summoning skill trees. The Druid is often considered a combination of the Barbarian, Paladin, Sorceress, and Necromancer.


The Elemental tree consists of the magic of earth and sky. The 'storm' spells have effects like Cyclone Armor, which protects the Druid from the elements, and Tornado, a vortex of swirling winds that moves somewhat randomly and can deal massive damage. The 'fire' spells are more earthly than the Sorceress's, with spells like Fissure and Volcano. The ultimate Elemental spells are Hurricane and Armageddon; both create a storm that follows the Druid, damaging all that come too close.
A Druid who chooses the path of an elementalist can use skills such as [[Volcano]], [[Firestorm]] and Molten Boulder, while the latter choice of Druid focuses on summoning beasts (such as ravens, bears and wolves), spirits, and vines/"creepers" to slay enemies. [[Shapeshifting]] Druids have the ability to change into either [[Werewolf]] or [[Werebear]] form, similar to [[Lycanthropy]], with each form offering unique advantages.


The Summoning tree governs the calling of natural allies to the Druid. While the wolves and grizzly the Druid can summon are traditional melee summons, the other summoning spells are a bit different. Ravens do marginal damage, but can blind enemies and cannot be targeted. Ravens disappear after they have attacked a certain number of times. The Druid can summon [[will-o-the-wisp]]-like spirits that provide Paladin-like Auras, increasing damage, life, or returning damage back to the attacker (like the Necromancer's Iron Maiden). The Druid also can summon one of three vines. These can poison enemies from below, or consume corpses to replenish the Druid's life or mana.
The elemental skill tree is largely criticized as a watered down version on the Sorceress's Cold and Fire spells. It is also unpopular because players cannot cast elemental spells while shapeshifted. The summoning spells are moderately effective in Normal difficulty but summons are easily wiped out in Nightmare and Hell levels; though high-level Druid players still supplement their primary skill tree with spirits and vines. The shapeshifting skills are considered the most effective and powerful; the werewolf is quicker and attacks faster, while the werebear is stronger (i.e. attacks do more damage) and has more life.


The Shape-Shifting tree gives the Druid the ability to become an animal, with gigantic bonuses to life. The Druid may either become a nimble Werewolf or a large Werebear. Each form has its own special attacks, such as the Werewolf's Feral Rage, which causes the Druid to get faster and faster as he continues to attack enemies, and the Werebear's Maul, which makes the Druid swing harder and harder during attacks. The Werebear is also able to obtain substantially more life and armor than the Werewolf is. It is worth noting that all of the Druid's equipment functions as normal when shifted, if at different speeds, but the druid is virtually unable to cast spells, except for Armageddon and summoning ones.
==Critical response==
{{sect-stub}}
''Lord of Destruction'' is listed at ''[[Metacritic]]'' with an average rating of 87 (with one perfect score from ''Computer Games Online''). <ref>{{cite web|title=Diablo II: Lord of Destruction at ''Metacritic'' |url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/diablo2lordofdestruction?q=Diablo%20II |accessdate=2006-07-28}}</ref> It is desribed at ''Metacritic'' as an expansion that "should reinforce the staying power of an already legendary RPG."


==Music==
Within the Diablo 2 community the expansion caused some controversy when Blizzard patched the original game with a patch that made Nightmare and Hell skill particularly harder than before, some players felt that Blizzard was effectively forcing them to upgrade to the expansion in order to find the items and gain the abilities necessary to deal with the new challenges. The controversy was mentioned in nearly every review of Lord of Destruction at the time.


The ''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' score was recorded in Bratislava, [[Slovakia]] with the [[Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra]]. Kirk Trevor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra conducted the sessions. The music for it was written in September 2000, it was the first time when [[Matt Uelmen]] worked with the orchestra. The orchestral session for Slovakia was in January 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last=Remo |first=Chris |url=http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=1212&page=7 |title=Shack News Interview |publisher=Shacknews.com |access-date=May 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201060107/http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=1212&page=7 |archive-date=February 1, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Patch history==
The expansion was released in Summer 2001 as version 1.07, the same version as the beta, but the 1.08 patch was available for download on the same day. Within a few months, 1.09 was released. This was the last patch for two years.


The style of the score is [[modern classical]]{{Clarify|date=June 2011}} and experimental,<ref name="mp3oftheweek1">{{cite web|url=http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/mp3/|title=Battle.net Matt Uelmen Liner Notes|last=Uelmen|first=Matt|publisher=Gamasutra|access-date=January 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116235409/http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/mp3/|archive-date=January 16, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> trying to impose with a [[Richard Wagner|Wagnerian]] style.<ref name="incgamers">{{cite web|url=http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-iiis-composer-speaks/|author=Flux|title=Diablo III's Composer Speaks|publisher=incgamers.com|date=March 31, 2009|access-date=January 3, 2010|archive-date=July 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024846/http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-iiis-composer-speaks/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The much hyped patch 1.10 was released on [[October 28]] [[2003]], which radically changed gameplay. The main change was the introduction of "synergy" bonuses that would increase the power of one skill by investing in a different skill. The difficulty of monsters (especially in the Nightmare and Hell difficulties) was increased accordingly. This resulted in a greatly reduced variety of "builds" for each character, since only specific, greatly "synergised" skills were capable of dealing the large amount of damage needed to complete the game. Several high level unique items and new runewords were also added. While the most powerful runewords often required multiple rare runes, duping of rare runes made these high-end runewords widely available to the public. A new hidden Realms-only quest was also introduced. When enough ''Stone of Jordan'' rings had been sold back to [[NPC]]s on a server, ''Uber Diablo'' would appear, dropping a powerful unique ''Annihilus'' charm upon death. The ''Annihilus'' charm was untradeable and only one could be held on one character at a time. The general consensus amongst Diablo II players is that this quest was introduced to reduce the number of "duped" ''Stone of Jordan'' rings on the realms. Many believe that this plan has backfired, as the Annihilus charm is much more valuable than the Stone of Jordan, and that they have caused more duped Stone of Jordans.


===Music inspirations===
The patch was preceded by the ''Rust Storm'', a sweeping clean-up of most hacked, duped, and otherwise illegitimate items on the Realms. The patch also introduced the ''Ladder'', officially a competitive mode of Realm play that lets you get your name on a list akin to the "High Score" listing in arcade video games. Several runewords are only available on ''Ladder''. The ''Ladder'' is reset periodically – when this happens, all ''Ladder'' characters are converted to normal ''Non-Ladder'' characters. This creates a separate, initially 'dupe-free', economy on Ladder, and a fresh and equal start for all Ladder players. It was reset twice in two years, at which time a batch of new rune words was also released. The last reset was on August 5, 2005, for the release of patch 1.11.


* "Fortress" from Act V of the game, inspired by variety of operatic scores, one of them would be [[Claude Debussy]]'s [[Pelléas and Mélisande]], with a direct musical reference to a phrase from the middle of "Scene 1: Je ne pourrai" from Act I of Debussy's play.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/79635/Matt%20Uelmen-Fortress_Claude%20Debussy-Je%20Ne%20Pourrai%20Plus%20Sortir%20De%20Cette%20For%C3%AAt/ |title=Matt Uelmen's Fortress sample of Claude Debussy's Je Ne Pourrai Plus Sortir De Cette Forêt |publisher=WhoSampled |access-date=May 8, 2011}}</ref>
Patch 1.11 was a surprise for many ''Diablo II'' players, since many people from the team who made the game (and the patches up to 1.10) had left the company to found [[Flagship Studios]]. The patch introduced, among various enhancements and minor bug fixes, another ''Uber-quest'' – this time involving all three Prime Evils.You kill all of them to get a reward. The reward is the ''Hellfire Torch'', another unique, untradeable charm. On face value this charm is more powerful than its predecessor, but some players contest that the slight bonus to experience gained makes the Annihilus charm more valuable, especially when both the difficulty involved in obtaining it, and the high experience penalties in 1.11 are taken into consideration. The Annihilus charm is far rarer than the Hellfire Torch, since the Annihilus charm can only be gained with the collective sale of some 100 Stones of Jordan (exact numbers are 80-120), an expensive ring (and an item that was heavily duplicated by exploiting bugs in earlier patches, as it serves as a form of high-end currency). The Torch however just requires a player able to slay certain bosses on Hell difficulty, which is a much cheaper (albeit, harder) method.
* "Ice Caves" from Act V inspired by fragments of [[Bernard Herrmann]]'s "Vertigo" and a sequence of [[Carl Orff]]'s "Trionfo di Afrodite".
* "Ancients" from Act V contains a direct quote from [[Richard Wagner]]'s "Tristan and Isolde" Prelude to act one.
* "Siege" from Act V is inspired by fragments of "Mars" by [[Gustav Holst]] and contains a direct quote from it.<ref name="mp3oftheweek2">{{cite web|url=http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/mp3/lod.shtml|title=Battle.net Matt Uelmen Liner Notes for Lord of Destruction|last=Uelmen|first=Matt|publisher=Gamasutra|access-date=January 2, 2010}}</ref>


==Critical response==
In early June 2006 there was a server side patch installed that allow the movement of Gheeds Fortune Grand Charm, Hellfire Torch Large Charms, and the Annihilus Small Charm into the trading window. A few weeks later, another server-side patch was introduced that fixed a notorious bug involving the illegitimate stacking of damage-dealing ''auras'' on a mercenary.
===Sales===
In the United States, ''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' debuted in first place on [[NPD Intelect]]'s computer game sales rankings for June 2001.<ref name=june2001>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020203222117/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2791070,00.html |url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2791070,00.html |title=''Diablo'' holds on |work=[[GameSpot]] |author=Varanini, Giancarlo |date=July 18, 2001 |archive-date=February 3, 2002 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> It maintained the position in July and August,<ref name=gamespotsales2>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011022032925/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2809110,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2809110,00.html | title=''Diablo'' takes July | date=August 29, 2001 | author=Walker, Trey | archive-date=October 22, 2001 | work=[[GameSpot]] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=gamespotsales5>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020210224840/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2814102,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2814102,00.html | title=''Diablo II'' rules August | work=[[GameSpot]] | date=September 21, 2001 | archive-date=February 10, 2002 | author=Walker, Trey | url-status=dead }}</ref> but was dropped to #2 by ''[[The Sims (video game)|The Sims]]'' in September.<ref name=gamespotsales6>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011211181915/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2820323,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2820323,00.html | title=''Camelot'' takes the lead | author=Walker, Trey | date=October 25, 2001 | archive-date=December 11, 2001 | work=[[GameSpot]] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> Following a placement of sixth for October,<ref name=oct2001>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011202103635/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2828791,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2828791,00.html | title=''Hot Date'' holds off ''Harry Potter'' | author=Walker, Trey | date=November 29, 2001 | archive-date=December 2, 2001 | work=[[GameSpot]] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> the game totaled sales in the United States of 576,143 units by the first week of November. At the time, [[GameSpot]]'s writer Desslock noted that ''Lord of Destruction'' had "sold well and continue[s] to do so", and cited its performance as evidence that "there's probably never been a larger demand for RPGs".<ref name=desslock2001>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011124191748/http://desslock.gamespot.com/#20011123-01 | url=http://desslock.gamespot.com/#20011123-01 | title=Desslock's Ramblings - ''Wizardry 8'' Arrives, Kinda; RPG Sales Stats Updated | author=Desslock | date=November 23, 2001 | work=[[GameSpot]] | archive-date=November 24, 2001 | url-status=dead }}</ref> It fell to 19th place on NPD Intelect's chart for November, and was absent from the top 20 for December.<ref name=nov2001>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213013550/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2833845,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2833845,00.html | title=''Hot Date'' rules November | author=Walker, Trey | date=December 19, 2001 | work=[[GameSpot]] | archive-date=February 13, 2002 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=dec2001>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020127002855/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2841779,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2841779,00.html | title=''Harry Potter'' takes December | author=Walker, Trey | date=January 23, 2002 | work=[[GameSpot]] | archive-date=January 27, 2002 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> However, ''Lord of Destruction'' ultimately became the United States' fourth-best-selling computer game of 2001,<ref name=npd2001>{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030820032731/https://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_020207.htm | url=https://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_020207.htm | title=NPD Reports Annual 2001 U.S. Interactive Entertainment Sales Shatter Industry Record | publisher=[[The NPD Group]] | date=February 7, 2002 | location=[[Port Washington, New York]] | archive-date=August 20, 2003 }}</ref> with domestic sales of 859,743 units and revenues of $29.2 million.<ref name=2001nyu>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619191112/https://cat.nyu.edu/current/news/media/marklesimcity.pdf | url=https://cat.nyu.edu/current/news/media/marklesimcity.pdf | title=Markle Forum on Children and Media | author=Bradshaw, Lucy | author-link=Lucy Bradshaw (game developer) | date=January 31, 2002 | publisher=[[New York University]] | archive-date=June 19, 2004 | url-status=live }}</ref>


''Lord of Destruction'' received a "Silver" sales award from the [[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] (ELSPA),<ref name=silverelspa>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221154943/http://www.elspa.com/?i=3942 |url=http://www.elspa.com:80/?i=3942 |title=ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver |work=[[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] |archive-date=February 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.<ref name=gamasutrasales>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918063107/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |title=ELSPA: ''Wii Fit'', ''Mario Kart'' Reach Diamond Status In UK | author=Caoili, Eric | date=November 26, 2008 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In mid-August 2006, a Blizzard Representative posted a list of suggestions about things players have wanted to change. He stated that a patch is not guaranteed, but it is looking more hopeful, along with a Ladder reset (read a few paragraphs up for more information about Ladders).


By July 26, 2001, global sales of ''Lord of Destruction'' had surpassed 1 million units, while more than 2 million units had been shipped. These figures made it the fastest-selling expansion pack ever for a computer game at the time.<ref name=gamespotsales>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020210212838/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2798893,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2798893,00.html | title=''Lord of Destruction'' breaks sales record | work=[[GameSpot]] | author=Varanini, Giancarlo | date=July 26, 2001 | archive-date=February 10, 2002 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref>
==Class histories==
:<div class="noprint">''Main article{{#if:{{{2|}}}|s}}: [[Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Class Histories]]{{#if:{{{2| }}}
|{{#if:{{{3|}}}|,&#32;|&#32;and&#32;}}[[{{{2}}}]]}}{{#if:{{{3|}}}
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|, and [[{{{5}}}]]}}''{{#if:{{{6| }}}|&#32; (too many parameters in &#123;&#123;[[Template:main|main]]&#125;&#125;)}}</div>


== Trivia ==
===Reviews and awards===
{{Video game reviews
* Some undead enemies, such as Zombies, Ghouls, etc., utter words every once and a while. You usually hear them moan, but sometimes you can hear them saying "Brains," especially the unique zombie "Corpsefire" in the Den of Evil.
| MC = 87/100<ref name="MC">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/diablo-ii-lord-of-destruction/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Diablo II: Lord of Destruction for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=November 1, 2018}}</ref>
* Enemies such as "Carvers" and "Fallen" will utter names of different super unique monsters such as "Rakanishu", "Colenzo"--both of which are super uniques of the general Fallen type--and occasionally the name of the weapon "dagger".
| CGM = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=cgm>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803093633/http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/diablo-02a-r1.html |url=http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/diablo-02a-r1.html |title=''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' |author=Yans, Cindy |date=October 4, 2001 |work=[[Computer Games Magazine]] |archive-date=August 3, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Fallen (or upper class equivalent) Shamans utter the name "Bishibosh," which is another name of a super unique monster--and again, one of the same base type as the Shamans.
| CGW = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name= CWG>{{cite magazine| author=Asher, Mark |title=''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040326110925/http://www.computergaming.com/article2/0,2053,1490194,00.asp | url=http://www.computergaming.com/article2/0,2053,1490194,00.asp | archive-date=March 26, 2004|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|date=October 1, 2001 }}</ref>
* When fallen shaman die, sometimes you can hear them mutter "coward"
| GI = 7.25 out of 10<ref name=gi>{{cite magazine |author1=Brogger, Kristian |author2=Fitzloff, Jay | magazine=[[Game Informer]] | url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200109/R03.0805.1743.09294.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409050648/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200109/R03.0805.1743.09294.htm | archive-date=April 9, 2008 | date=September 2001 | title=A Friend of the Devil is a Friend of Mine | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Fallen Shamans will often say "Mephisto" and "Rakanishu," names of unique monsters in the game.
| PCF = 77%<ref name=pcf>{{cite journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020205131032/http://pcformat.co.uk/gameplay/detail.asp?id=30857 |url=http://pcformat.co.uk/gameplay/detail.asp?id=30857 |title=Review: ''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' |author=Meer, Alec |journal=[[PC Format]] |archive-date=February 5, 2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| PCGUS = 75%<ref name=pcgamerus>{{cite journal | author=Smith, Rob | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/diablo_ii_lord.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315135955/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/diablo_ii_lord.html | archive-date=March 15, 2006 | title=Reviews; ''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| PCZone = 83/100<ref name=pczonerev>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070318040156/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=3801 | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=3801 | title=''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' | author=Pratchett, Rhianna | author-link=Rhianna Pratchett | archive-date=March 18, 2007 | work=[[PC Zone]] | url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}


''Lord of Destruction'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to [[review aggregator]] [[Metacritic]].<ref name="MC"/> ''[[GameSpot]]'' awarded the game an 8.2 out of 10,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/diablo2expansionsetlod/index.html?q=diablo%20II |title=Diablo II: Lord of Destruction for PC - Diablo II: Lord of Destruction PC Game - Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Computer Game |publisher=Gamespot.com |access-date=May 8, 2011}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' administered the game an 8.8 out of 10,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/objects/015/015348.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020222110124/http://pc.ign.com/objects/015/015348.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 22, 2002 |title=IGN: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction |publisher=Pc.ign.com |access-date=May 8, 2011}}</ref> and [[GameSpy]] gave the game an 88 out of 100.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/july01/d2lod/ |title=GameSpy.com - Reviews: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=December 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203162505/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/july01/d2lod/ |archive-date=February 3, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The game has also won an award for being in the top 50 most important games of all time according to ''IGN'' magazine for its online multiplayer.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
== References ==
<references/>


Within the ''Diablo II'' community the expansion caused some controversy when Blizzard patched the original game with an update that made Nightmare and Hell difficulties particularly harder than before; some players felt that Blizzard was effectively forcing them to upgrade to the expansion in order to find the items and gain the abilities necessary to deal with the new challenges.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kasavin |first=Greg |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/diablo2expansionsetlod/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=2 |title=Gamespot Review |publisher=Gamespot.com |date=June 27, 2001 |access-date=May 8, 2011}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[StealthBot]] is an application designed to chat in private channels on [[Battle.net]].


During the [[5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], ''Lord of Destruction'' received a nomination for "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Role-Playing Game of the Year|PC Role-Playing Game of the Year]]",<ref name=aias2001-2>{{cite press release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602183409/http://www.interactive.org/newsandevents.asp?show=138&thetype=1 |url=http://www.interactive.org:80/newsandevents.asp?show=138&thetype=1 |title=Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Finalists for the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards |date=February 5, 2002 |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |archive-date=June 2, 2002 |url-status=dead |location=[[Los Angeles]] |access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> which was ultimately awarded to ''[[Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal]]''.<ref name=aias2001>{{cite press release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020306070041/http://www.interactive.org/newsandevents.asp |url=http://www.interactive.org:80/newsandevents.asp |title=Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Recipients of Fifth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards |date=March 1, 2002 |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |archive-date=March 6, 2002 |url-status=dead |location=[[Las Vegas]] |access-date=July 24, 2019 }}</ref> It was nominated as the year's best expansion pack by ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'', [[GameSpy]], [[GameSpot]] and [[RPG Vault]], but lost these awards variously to ''Throne of Bhaal'' and ''[[Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge]]''.<ref name=gamespy2001awards>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090206121431/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/index.shtml |url= http://archive.gamespy.com:80/goty2001/index.shtml |title= Welcome to the GameSpy 2001 Game of the Year Awards! |work= [[GameSpy]] |archive-date= February 6, 2009 |url-status= dead |access-date= July 24, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=rpgvault2001>{{cite web | author=Staff | url=http://rpgvaultarchive.ign.com:80/features/specials/awards01.shtml | title=The RPG Vault Awards 2001 | work=[[RPG Vault]] | date=January 18, 2002 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006130522/http://rpgvaultarchive.ign.com/features/specials/awards01.shtml | archive-date=October 6, 2007 | access-date=July 24, 2019 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=gamespot2001pc>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020204194024/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/bestof_2001/index.html |url= http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/features/pc/bestof_2001/index.html |title= GameSpot's Best and Worst PC Games of 2001 |author=GameSpot PC Staff |work= [[GameSpot]] |archive-date= February 4, 2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=cgwpremier2001>{{cite magazine | author=((Editors of ''Computer Gaming World'' ))| magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | title=Games of the Year; The Very Best of a (Sometimes) Great Year in Gaming |date=April 2002 | issue=213 | pages=69–73, 76–84 }}</ref> However, the game won ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]''{{'}}s award in this category. The editors wrote, "Add-on developers take note—the bar has been raised."<ref name=cgm11th>{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | title=11th Annual ''Computer Games'' Awards |date=March 2002 | issue=136 | pages=50–56 }}</ref>
==External links==
* [http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/ Official site]
* [http://www.diabloii.net/ DiabloII.net]
*{{moby game|id=/diablo-ii-lord-of-destruction |name= ''{{PAGENAME}}''}}


{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official|http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/}}


{{Diablo series}}
{{Blizzard}}
{{Blizzard}}


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Latest revision as of 21:03, 10 December 2024

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Cover art featuring Baal, the titular antagonist of the game
Developer(s)Blizzard North
Publisher(s)Blizzard Entertainment
Director(s)Tyler Thompson
Producer(s)Matthew Householder
Kenneth Williams
Designer(s)David Brevik
Programmer(s)Theodore Bisson
Peter Hu
Doug McCreary
Divo Palinkas
Michael Scandizzo
Steven Woo
Artist(s)Anthony Rivero
Alex Munn
Writer(s)Evan Carroll
Matthew Householder
Chris Metzen
Joe Morrissey
Composer(s)Matt Uelmen
SeriesDiablo
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS, OS X
ReleaseWindows, Mac OS
OS X
March 11, 2016[5]
Genre(s)Action role-playing[6]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is an expansion pack for the hack and slash action role-playing game Diablo II. Unlike the original Diablo's expansion pack, Diablo: Hellfire, it is a first-party expansion developed by Blizzard North.

Lord of Destruction added content in the form of two new character classes, new weapons and an addition of a fifth act, and also dramatically revamped the gameplay of the existing Diablo II for solo and especially multiplayer.

Features

[edit]
Placing the runes "Jah", "Ith" and "Ber" (in that order) into an armour item with exactly three sockets produces the powerful Rune word "Enigma".

Lord of Destruction adds a number of new features to the core gameplay of Diablo II. These include:

  • Two new character classes: the Assassin and the Druid.
  • A fifth act taking place in and around Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands, with an additional act boss, Baal.
  • Many new items, including new weapons and new pieces of armor:
    • 33 different Runes, which can be placed into sockets and provide different bonuses from gems.
      • Runewords are specific sequences of runes which grant a specific set of additional bonuses (similar to the preselected bonuses of unique quality items) when socketed into an appropriate item.
    • Hundreds of additional Horadric Cube recipes.
      • Crafted items are very similar to rare quality items but they cannot be found in chests or dropped by monsters. They can be created with the Horadric Cube and the right ingredients. They have 3-4 predetermined properties determined by the recipe and up to 4 additional randomly selected from the same pool as rare item properties.
    • Jewels gain the same random bonuses that items can. These can be placed into sockets. They have the same effect no matter what the base item is. Unique jewels are Rainbow Facets which have different bonuses to a certain element.
    • Ethereal items that are normally more powerful than their standard counterparts, but they have lowered durability and cannot be repaired. However, if equipped by an NPC companion they do not lose durability. (There are different Ethereal items which have bonus stats that make them repair durability on their own)
    • Charms that can be kept in the inventory and provide passive bonuses.
    • Class-specific items that can only be used by a certain character, e.g. Claws for an Assassin.
    • Additional unique and set items, including class-specific sets.
  • An expanded stash for storing items—two times the size of the original stash.
  • An alternate weapon/shield/spell setup that can be switched to via a hotkey in gameplay.
  • Hirelings can now follow the player through all the Acts. They can also be equipped with armor and a weapon, can gain their own experience, when before they leveled up with the player, can be healed by potions, and can be resurrected when killed.
  • The game can now be played at 800x600 resolution, up from 640x480.

Plot

[edit]

After the player successfully ventures into Hell and defeats Diablo in Act IV, upon returning to the Pandemonium Fortress they are met by the Archangel Tyrael with an urgent summons. Tyrael opens a portal to Harrogath, a stronghold on Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands. As shown at the end of Act IV, while two of the Prime Evils of Hell, Diablo and Mephisto, have been defeated and their Soulstones destroyed at the Hellforge, their surviving brother Baal has retrieved his own Soulstone from the narrator Marius. Baal has raised an army and attacked Mount Arreat, whose Barbarian inhabitants are tasked with defending the Worldstone.

There are six quests in Act V. The player starts off at the stronghold of Harrogath. There are also ice caverns in the mountains, as well as hellish subterranean pits (reminiscent of Hell in Act IV) for extra monsters and experience. After reaching the summit of Arreat, the player gains access to the Worldstone Keep.

Many of the folk in Harrogath do not initially trust the player character (even if they are playing as the Barbarian class). The player has to slay Shenk the Overseer who is leading the assault in the Bloody Foothills in order to relieve the siege of Harrogath. The player can also rescue the captured Barbarian defenders. Completing these quests gradually helps the town inhabitants warm to the player and they will provide aid or other services.

The player soon discovers that one of Harrogath's councilors or Elders, Nihlathak, has made a deal with Baal to spare Harrogath in return for access to the Worldstone Keep. After rescuing Anya and learning of this betrayal, the player has to find and kill Nihlathak, who is sheltered between his minions in the Halls of Vaught.

Before gaining access to the Worldstone Keep, the player must defeat The Ancients, which are the three legendary Barbarians guarding the Worldstone – Talic the Defender, Madawc the Guardian and Korlic the Protector – who allow only the worthy to pass. After the player succeeds, the Ancients warn that Baal is already in the Keep and has blocked Tyrael's presence.

Finally, the player fights Baal in The Worldstone Chamber, after defeating his pack of minions at the Throne of Destruction. Tyrael appears after Baal is dead, congratulating the player and opening a portal to Destruction's End, the conclusion of the game. As the Worldstone is corrupted by Baal, Tyrael has no choice but to destroy it before its power of Hell takes root; the consequences of the Worldstone's destruction would not be fully known until twenty years later.

New classes

[edit]

Assassin

[edit]

The Assassin relies on a mixture of martial arts skills and the ability to lay active traps. She can also open locked chests without the use of a key. The Assassin is voiced by Carrie Gordon Lowrey.

Her Shadow Disciplines tree contains a mixture of passive bonuses (such as Claw Mastery or Weapon Block) and buffs (such as Burst of Speed or Venom), along with a few spells such as Mind Blast which damage, stun, and confuse the enemy. She also can summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master, which are useful summons that are also capable of dealing significant damage themselves.

The Traps tree provides a few direct attacks, and more importantly, a number of summonable traps. The traps are stationary devices that will attack any hostile target in range a certain number of times before breaking. Traps are either based on fire or lightning, though the Death Sentry trap can explode nearby corpses in addition to shooting bolts of lightning. The blade trap skills are essentially ranged projectiles that cause physical damage.

The Martial Arts tree consists of charge-up skills and finishing moves. Attacking with a charge-up skill increases the number of charges, up to three, then the finishing move releases the charges in a single powerful blow (note that a normal attack also counts as a finishing move). The charge-up skills include attacks like Blades of Ice and Fists of Fire, which add elemental damage to the finishing blow, and also skills like Cobra Strike, which adds life and mana stealing to the finishing attack. The finishing blows are, for the most part, kicks, such as Dragon Talon, which releases a number of kicks in quick succession, and Dragon Flight, which teleports on to a target and kicks them, releasing any charges.

Druid

[edit]

The Druid specialises in nature-based magic and shapeshifting, with direct damage spells and a variety of minions. The Druid is voiced by Michael Bell.

The Elemental tree consists of the magic of earth and sky. The 'storm' spells have effects like Cyclone Armor, which protects the Druid from the elements, and Tornado, a vortex of swirling winds that moves somewhat randomly and can deal massive damage. The 'fire' spells are more earthly than the Sorceress's, with spells like Fissure and Volcano. The ultimate Elemental spells are Hurricane and Armageddon; both create a storm that follows the Druid, damaging all that come too close.

The Summoning tree governs the calling of natural allies to the Druid. While the wolves and grizzly the Druid can summon are traditional melee summons, the other summoning spells are a bit different. Ravens do marginal damage, but can blind enemies and cannot be targeted. Ravens disappear after they have attacked a certain number of times. The Druid can summon will-o-the-wisp-like spirits that provide Paladin-like Auras, increasing damage, life, or returning damage back to the attacker (like the Necromancer's Iron Maiden). The Druid also can summon one of three vines. These can poison enemies from below, or consume corpses to replenish the Druid's life or mana.

The Shape-Shifting tree gives the Druid the ability to become an animal, with gigantic bonuses to life. The Druid may either become a nimble Werewolf or a large Werebear. Each form has its own special attacks, such as the Werewolf's Feral Rage, which causes the Druid to get faster and faster as he continues to attack enemies, and the Werebear's Maul, which makes the Druid swing harder and harder during attacks. The Werebear is also able to obtain substantially more life and armor than the Werewolf is. It is worth noting that all of the Druid's equipment functions as normal when shifted, if at different speeds, but the druid is virtually unable to cast spells, except for Armageddon and summoning ones.

Music

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The Diablo II: Lord of Destruction score was recorded in Bratislava, Slovakia with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Kirk Trevor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra conducted the sessions. The music for it was written in September 2000, it was the first time when Matt Uelmen worked with the orchestra. The orchestral session for Slovakia was in January 2001.[7]

The style of the score is modern classical[clarification needed] and experimental,[8] trying to impose with a Wagnerian style.[9]

Music inspirations

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  • "Fortress" from Act V of the game, inspired by variety of operatic scores, one of them would be Claude Debussy's Pelléas and Mélisande, with a direct musical reference to a phrase from the middle of "Scene 1: Je ne pourrai" from Act I of Debussy's play.[10]
  • "Ice Caves" from Act V inspired by fragments of Bernard Herrmann's "Vertigo" and a sequence of Carl Orff's "Trionfo di Afrodite".
  • "Ancients" from Act V contains a direct quote from Richard Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" Prelude to act one.
  • "Siege" from Act V is inspired by fragments of "Mars" by Gustav Holst and contains a direct quote from it.[11]

Critical response

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Sales

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In the United States, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction debuted in first place on NPD Intelect's computer game sales rankings for June 2001.[12] It maintained the position in July and August,[13][14] but was dropped to #2 by The Sims in September.[15] Following a placement of sixth for October,[16] the game totaled sales in the United States of 576,143 units by the first week of November. At the time, GameSpot's writer Desslock noted that Lord of Destruction had "sold well and continue[s] to do so", and cited its performance as evidence that "there's probably never been a larger demand for RPGs".[17] It fell to 19th place on NPD Intelect's chart for November, and was absent from the top 20 for December.[18][19] However, Lord of Destruction ultimately became the United States' fourth-best-selling computer game of 2001,[20] with domestic sales of 859,743 units and revenues of $29.2 million.[21]

Lord of Destruction received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[22] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[23]

By July 26, 2001, global sales of Lord of Destruction had surpassed 1 million units, while more than 2 million units had been shipped. These figures made it the fastest-selling expansion pack ever for a computer game at the time.[24]

Reviews and awards

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Lord of Destruction received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[25] GameSpot awarded the game an 8.2 out of 10,[32] IGN administered the game an 8.8 out of 10,[33] and GameSpy gave the game an 88 out of 100.[34] The game has also won an award for being in the top 50 most important games of all time according to IGN magazine for its online multiplayer.[citation needed]

Within the Diablo II community the expansion caused some controversy when Blizzard patched the original game with an update that made Nightmare and Hell difficulties particularly harder than before; some players felt that Blizzard was effectively forcing them to upgrade to the expansion in order to find the items and gain the abilities necessary to deal with the new challenges.[35]

During the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Lord of Destruction received a nomination for "PC Role-Playing Game of the Year",[36] which was ultimately awarded to Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal.[37] It was nominated as the year's best expansion pack by Computer Gaming World, GameSpy, GameSpot and RPG Vault, but lost these awards variously to Throne of Bhaal and Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge.[38][39][40][41] However, the game won Computer Games Magazine's award in this category. The editors wrote, "Add-on developers take note—the bar has been raised."[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Diablo 2 Expansion news update". June 28, 2001. Archived from the original on July 27, 2001. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Power House". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 20, 2001. p. 7. Retrieved April 16, 2024. New Release//$49.80//Diablo II Lord of Destruction Expansion Set
  3. ^ "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction goes gold". GameSpot. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction coming next week". Macworld. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Years Later, Blizzard Releases a New Diablo II Patch Archived April 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine by Brian Ashcraft on kotaku.com (3/11/16)
  6. ^ "RPG Vault: RPG Vault Focus: Action RPGs". Rpgvault.ign.com. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  7. ^ Remo, Chris. "Shack News Interview". Shacknews.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  8. ^ Uelmen, Matt. "Battle.net Matt Uelmen Liner Notes". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  9. ^ Flux (March 31, 2009). "Diablo III's Composer Speaks". incgamers.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  10. ^ "Matt Uelmen's Fortress sample of Claude Debussy's Je Ne Pourrai Plus Sortir De Cette Forêt". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  11. ^ Uelmen, Matt. "Battle.net Matt Uelmen Liner Notes for Lord of Destruction". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  12. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (July 18, 2001). "Diablo holds on". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 3, 2002.
  13. ^ Walker, Trey (August 29, 2001). "Diablo takes July". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 22, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  14. ^ Walker, Trey (September 21, 2001). "Diablo II rules August". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 10, 2002.
  15. ^ Walker, Trey (October 25, 2001). "Camelot takes the lead". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 11, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  16. ^ Walker, Trey (November 29, 2001). "Hot Date holds off Harry Potter". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 2, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  17. ^ Desslock (November 23, 2001). "Desslock's Ramblings - Wizardry 8 Arrives, Kinda; RPG Sales Stats Updated". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001.
  18. ^ Walker, Trey (December 19, 2001). "Hot Date rules November". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Walker, Trey (January 23, 2002). "Harry Potter takes December". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 27, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  20. ^ "NPD Reports Annual 2001 U.S. Interactive Entertainment Sales Shatter Industry Record" (Press release). Port Washington, New York: The NPD Group. February 7, 2002. Archived from the original on August 20, 2003.
  21. ^ Bradshaw, Lucy (January 31, 2002). "Markle Forum on Children and Media" (PDF). New York University. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2004.
  22. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  23. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
  24. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (July 26, 2001). "Lord of Destruction breaks sales record". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 10, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  26. ^ Yans, Cindy (October 4, 2001). "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004.
  27. ^ Asher, Mark (October 1, 2001). "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". Computer Gaming World. Archived from the original on March 26, 2004.
  28. ^ Brogger, Kristian; Fitzloff, Jay (September 2001). "A Friend of the Devil is a Friend of Mine". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008.
  29. ^ Meer, Alec. "Review: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". PC Format. Archived from the original on February 5, 2002.
  30. ^ Smith, Rob. "Reviews; Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006.
  31. ^ Pratchett, Rhianna. "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". PC Zone. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007.
  32. ^ "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction for PC - Diablo II: Lord of Destruction PC Game - Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Computer Game". Gamespot.com. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  33. ^ "IGN: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". Pc.ign.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2002. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  34. ^ "GameSpy.com - Reviews: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction". Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  35. ^ Kasavin, Greg (June 27, 2001). "Gamespot Review". Gamespot.com. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  36. ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Finalists for the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (Press release). Los Angeles: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 5, 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  37. ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Recipients of Fifth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (Press release). Las Vegas: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. March 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  38. ^ "Welcome to the GameSpy 2001 Game of the Year Awards!". GameSpy. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  39. ^ Staff (January 18, 2002). "The RPG Vault Awards 2001". RPG Vault. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  40. ^ GameSpot PC Staff. "GameSpot's Best and Worst PC Games of 2001". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 4, 2002.
  41. ^ Editors of Computer Gaming World (April 2002). "Games of the Year; The Very Best of a (Sometimes) Great Year in Gaming". Computer Gaming World. No. 213. pp. 69–73, 76–84.
  42. ^ Staff (March 2002). "11th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (136): 50–56.
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