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1eyedking

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l1eyedkingl

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About this mod

Diablo II: Merciless is a hardcore and nostalgic take on the ARPG classic, heavily inspired by traditional Roguelikes and Path of Exile's earlier Beta days.

Permissions and credits

 
Watch the short teaser!
 
There's also a full trailer available.

(note: the teaser and trailer do not include the changes performed in the most recent updates)



V1.4 - "Runebinder" Update now available!
You can access 1.5 Dev Releases on Discord

Spoiler:  
Show

COMING SOON - V1.5 – "Socketathon" Update

Features available on the Dev version:

  • Starting from Act 2 Normal, Unique and Champion monsters will occasionally perform a special Rune Drop. The amount of Runes and Rune levels they roll are the equivalent of a Forgotten Tower run for that difficulty (ie., up to Ral on Normal, Io on Nightmare, and Ist on Hell). This effectively reintroduces Countess Rune drops back into the game, just at a more unpredictable pace.
  • Rune 3-to-1 Recipes have been restored. Since Runebinding crafts have Runes as resources, 3-to-1 Rune Recipes now present a harder choice and are no longer as uninspired an upgrade decision.
  • Runeword variance rebalance:
    • The formula for a Runeword's affix range now is: min Affix = [sum of Rune levels]% to 100% of the Affix's max (rounded up). The maximum minimum affix is 90%. This change is a massive buff to endgame Runewords from Merciless 1.0.
      • eg., Enigma (Jah Ith Ber) = (31 + 6 + 30) = 67-100% of Affix ranges:
        • +2 Skills
        • 30-45% FRW
        • 517-775 Defense
        • etc.
    • If the min Affix calculated is higher than the original Runeword, the original min Affix takes over (eg., Call to Arms defaults to +1-6 to its Skills).
    • For negative values, the formula is inverse: -100% to -[100 - sum of Rune levels]%
  • Smithing Gems:
    • Distillation Gems have been renamed to Smithing Gems to better indicate their new function, and no longer get converted to Elixirs as drops from Nightmare onwards.
    • Smithing Colored Gems can be purchased for 500 Gold at Smith NPCs (Charsi, Farah, Hratli, Halbu, and Larzuk).
    • New Recipe of Restoration:
      • 1× Smithing Gem + Low Quality Item → Normal/Superior Item
    • New Recipe of Tempering:
      • 1× Tempering Skull + Normal Item → Superior Item
    • Both crafts have a 5% chance of outputting an Ethereal item.
    • New Recipes of Smithing:
      • 1× Smithing Gem + Normal Item → Repaired and Replenished Normal Item
      • 2× Smithing Gems + Magic/Rare Item → Repaired and Replenished Magic/Rare Item
      • 3× Smithing Gems + Set/Unique Item → Repaired and Replenished Set/Unique Item
  • Socketing Gems:
    • A new type of non-socketable Gems, which can be obtained by combining 3× Dust with Smithing Gems, and enable crafting sockets on items. The craft may be attempted as many times as your resources allow, or until at least one socket is created on the item.
      • New Recipes of Socketing:
        • 1× Socketing Gem + 1× Normal Item → Magic Item w/chance to add 1-2 sockets
        • 1× Socketing Gem + 1× Magic Item → Magic Item w/chance to add 1-2 sockets
      • New Recipes of Perforation:
        • 1× Perforating Skull + 1× Normal Item → Normal Item w/chance to add sockets up to the item's maximum
          This craft is analogue to D2 vanilla's Perfect Amethyst socketing craft.
        • 1× Perforating Skull + 1× Magic Item → Magic Item w/same Affixes and chance to add 1-2 sockets
      • Gloves, One-Handed Weapons, Shields, Helms, Boots and Belts can have a maximum of 1 socket at 33% chance per craft.
      • Body Armors and Two-Handed Weapons can have a maximum of 2 sockets (16% chance for 1×, 16% chance for 2×).
  • All Normal Gloves and Boots (except Basic Leather Gloves and Boots) can spawn with up to 1 socket.
  • Sockets do not spawn as a modifier on Magic or Rare Gloves and Boots, and can only be obtained via Socketing or Perforating Recipes.
  • Gems, Runes and Jewels can no longer be removed from socketed items.
  • Recipes of Distillation have been discontinued.
  • Rebalanced Recipes of Saturation and Desaturation, which can now swap Alternation and Entropy Gems' color, as well as create the new Socketing Gems:
    • Socketing Gems: 3× Dust + 1× Smithing Gem
    • Transformation Gems: 10× Dust + 1× Transformation Gem
    • Alternation Gems: 15× Dust + 1× Alternation Gem
    • Arcane Gems: 20× Dust + 1× Arcane Gem
    • Entropy Gems: 30× Dust + 1× Entropy Gem
  • Dust now stacks to 80.
  • Since sockets are a much more powerful option for Magic Items, Runebinding crafts have been moved into 4-Affix Rares (ie., items crafted with Transformation or Alternation Gems), which now display a 'Transformed' property to better indicate they've been created this way, and are possible Runebinding candidates.
  • The only exception to the above is Jewelry: only Magic Rings and Amulets can be runebound.
  • Better-scaling ED% and flat ED affixes on Melee Weapons.
  • All Elixirs are now available for purchase.
In development:
  • More sockets can roll on lighter Armor.
  • Movement Skill rebalance. You'll be able to reduce cooldowns by investing points into the skills themselves, or from +Skills on items.
  • Socketed/Heavy Armor rebalance. It's currently somewhat prohibitive for Casters to access 6-os Armors because of their high Strength requirements, but at the same time Heavier Armors should reward players more for their investment.
  • Skill rebalance and partial restoration.

V1.4 – "Runebinder" Update

  • All Gem and Rune bonuses have been reverted to their original values.
  • A new crafting system breathing new life into Runes and Magic items: Runebinding. By transmuting 1-3× Runes with a Magic item in the Cube, you will be able to bind their properties to your equipment. How many Runes of the same type you spend will determine your chances of imbuing the item, and the variability of the modifier.
    • Low Runes (El-Io) can be imbued as follows:
      • 1× Low Rune: 50% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power.
      • 2× Low Runes: 70% chance of granting 50-100% of the Rune's power.
      • 3× Low Runes: 90% chance of granting 25-100% of the Rune's power.
        (For example, a Magic Helmet transmuted with 2× Ral Runes has a 70% chance of acquiring an extra 15-30% to Fire Resist affix.)
    • Mid Runes (Lum-Ist) have better outcomes:
      • 1× Mid Rune: 70% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power.
      • 2× Mid Runes: 90% chance of granting 50-100% of the Rune's power.
    • High Runes (Gul-Zod) have only a single craft available:
      • 1× High Rune: 90% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power.
    • The minimum value of a modifier is always 1, and properties such as Cannot Be Frozen are always imbued if the craft succeeds.
    • Once a Runebinding attempt on a Magic item has been performed, the item can no longer be modified, independently of the craft having failed or not.
    • Gloves, Boots and Rings scale to half of the Rune's Armor bonus (eg., a Ral Rune can be imbued for at most 15% to Fire Resist)
    • Belts and Amulets scale to half of the Rune's Shield bonus (eg., an Um Rune can be imbued for at most 11% to All Resists).
    • Magic Belts with 1 socket can be runebound.
    • Weapons, Body Armors, Helms, and Shields have the potential of inheriting their full respective bonus.
    • The logic for this system is as follows: if you want an almost guaranteed chance of the affix sticking in, it's probably because the item is already very good, so it should be getting a lower average roll (with a chance of still being perfect). Otherwise, you can just gamble one or two Runes and get a higher average modifier for a lucky chance of turning a mediocre item into something good.
  • Transformation and Alternation Gems will create Rare items with up to 4 affixes, effectively bridging the gap between Magic items (2 affixes max) and full Rares (6 affixes).
  • The only exception are Alternation Diamonds and Jewels, which will remain Magic when reforged.
  • Larzuk's quest and reward have been made available again in the Modder's Cut Edition. Choose what items to socket carefully.
  • The following Recipes have been rebalanced:
    • Colored Gems:
      • Transformation Gems grant 4× Dust of their respective color (previously 1×)
      • Arcane Gems grant 6× Dust of their respective color (previously 3×).
    • Skulls:
      • Transformation Skulls grant 3× Bone Dust (previously 1×).
      • Arcane Skulls grant 4-5× Bone Dust (previously 3×).
    • Diamonds:
      • Transformation Diamonds grant 2× Diamond Dust (previously 1×).
      • Arcane Diamonds grant 3× Diamond Dust.
    • Set items grant 2-3× Diamond Dust (previously 2×).
    • Elixirs now require 3× Distillation Gems to be crafted (previously 1×).
  • Chromatic Jewelry has been discontinued and no longer drops. Whatever items you've already acquired will still remain, however. They will be completely removed in Merciless 2.0.
  • All Obols grant up to 4 additional modifiers (previously 5), for a total of 5 affixes including their guaranteed property.
  • The Resistance penalties for all difficulties have been rebalanced:
    • Normal: -10% (previously 0%).
    • Nightmare: -40% (previously -50%).
    • Hell: -80% (previously -90%)
  • Stealth now rolls +1-25% FRW and +1-25% FCR (previously +1-15% and +1-20% respectively).
  • Affix weighting rebalance. Generally, most higher tier affixes are harder to obtain (but not prohibitively so), and "endgame" affixes have been removed. The concept will return on a later version.
  • Bugfixes:
    • Skill descriptions that had negative values now display correctly (eg., Conviction Aura).
    • Throwing Mastery Barbarian passive now grants its bonus.
    • Obols:
      • Warrior's, Poisoner's, Arsonist's, Hierophant's, and Cryomancer's Obols now grant the correct affix on Blunt and Ranged Weapons.
      • Poisoner's Obols now grant Poison Skill Damage on Amulets (previously bugged on Rings).
      • Haste Obols now grant their correct IAS affix on all Weapons.

V1.3 –"Chromatic Jewelry" & "Greed is Good" Updates

Version 1.3 is a substantial update for Diablo II: Merciless, which includes the introduction of an entirely new item archetype, and an Affix and Magic Find rebalance.


"Chromatic Jewelry"
Progression to Hell in Merciless is currently a bit harder than in Vanilla D2, mainly due to the All Resistances rebalance. In Update 1.3, you'll now be able to tip Lady Luck in your favor by transmuting the new rerolling currency Gems with Chromatic Jewelry, a new thematic item archetype that drops more rarely, incentivizing players to reforge them with their associated Gems:

  • Chromatic Jewels, distinguishable by their silver jewelry and Jewel's color, have different affix weightings each, making them more likely to roll certain modifiers:
    • Redstone Jewels favor Strength, Life, Weapon Damage, Fire, and Melee/Combat Skills.
    • Greenstone Jewels favor Dexterity, Defense, Attack Rating, Speed, Lightning, and Ranged/Passive Skills.
    • Bluestone Jewels favor Energy, Mana, Spell Damage, Cold, and Spell/Summon Skills.
  • Chromatic Rings, distinguishable by their silver jewelry and Gem's color, will roll their respective Resistance much more often:
    • Ruby Rings favor Fire Resistance.
    • Emerald Rings favor Lightning Resistance, and Poison Resistance slightly.
    • Sapphire Rings favor Cold Resistance.
    • Emerald Rings favor Poison Resistance.
  • Chromatic Amulets, distinguishable by their silver jewelry and stone's color, will roll their respective Stat much more often:
    • Bear Amulets favor Strength.
    • Cobra Amulets favor Dexterity.
    • Owl Amulets favor Energy.
  • Chromatic Jewelry can be reforged by cubing them along their associated Gems, as well as Diamonds and Royal Skulls:
    • Alternation and Entropy Rubies reroll Redstone Jewels, Ruby Rings, and Bear Amulets.
    • Alternation and Entropy Emeralds reroll Greenstone Jewels, Emerald Rings, and Cobra Amulets.
    • Alternation and Entropy Sapphires reroll Bluestone Jewels, Sapphire Rings, and Owl Amulets.
  • Chromatic Jewelry grants Bone Dust when transmuted.
  • Normal Rings, Amulets and Jewels remain affix-neutral.
  • There are no Set or Unique Chromatic Jewelry. (Yet…)

"Greed is Good"
There's been another set of changes in an effort to boost D2's item-hunting spirit, while rebalancing some of the Affixes that were harder to acquire, as well as making the transition into Hell smoother:
  • Hell's Resistance penalty has been reduced to -90% (previously -100%).
  • Dust no longer drops from monsters. Their drops were replacing Charms, and this slot has now been filled by Chromatic Jewelry.
  • Affix values have been reviewed and changed:
    • The affix weighting of high-level tiers has been rebalanced and should now be more frequent.
    • Two additional tiers of Life/Mana Steal have been added (10-12% and 13-15%), and in general have been made available sooner.
    • '% Extra Gold From Monsters' modifiers have been restored to the game.
    • '% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items' now shows up sooner (ilvl 10), and scales faster.
    • Maximum Resistances on items are now 50% (previously 48%), and higher tiers have been made available sooner.
  • New endgame Oskill suffixes (ilvl 77+) are now available. They are exceedingly rare to appear:
    • "of Telekinesis": +1 Telekinesis, available on Gloves.
    • "of Energy Shield": +1 Energy Shield, available on generic Helms.
    • "of Charge": +1 Charge, available on generic Shields.
    • "of Evasion": +1 Dodge/Avoid/Evade, available on Boots.
    • "of Teleportation": +1 Teleport, available on Body Armor.
  • The '% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items' and '% Extra Gold From Monsters' modifiers on Unique and Set Items have been restored to their original values.
  • The '% Extra Gold From Monsters' and 'Reduced Vendor Prices' modifiers now roll again on Runewords.
  • Set items no longer grant an exponential MF bonus. The concept of exponential Set bonuses will be revisited in a future version of the mod.
  • Gheed's Fortune has been added to the Sundering Charm drop pool.
  • Vitality and starting Life handicaps have been removed in both the normal mod and the Modder's Cut Edition.
  • The Resistances handicap has been removed in the Modder's Cut Edition.
  • Sundering Charms and Elixirs' Resistance penalty has been halved.
  • Tokens of Absolution now cost 250,000 Gold.
  • All Obols can now grant up to 5 additional modifiers, and the higher tiers' drop chances have been increased.
  • Unique and Set items that granted All Elemental Resists now also grant Poison Resistance.
    • Trang-Oul's Set no longer grants 15% Mana Regeneration.
    • Naj's Ancient Set no longer grants +20 Replenish Life. This change and the one above were made to make room for Poison Resistance.
    • Set pieces that grant All Elemental Resistances after equipping more Set gear will now grant Poison Resistance when equipping its next Set piece.
  • Gloves now roll +To Amazon Tab Skills, and Boots roll +To Assassin's.
  • The Act 2 Mercenary will trigger its Jab skill much less often at level 1 (-90%), but will progressively use it more and more as he levels up.
  • The sprite color of Bone Dust is now a bit more saturated to better distinguish it from Diamond Dust.
  • Very minor bugfix related to Cold Damage.
  • Bear Form grants 50% Maximum Life (previously 75%).
  • Repair costs have been halved.
Due to the large amount of changes, I highly recommend starting a new character or run to avoid any compatibility issues, particularly since item level requirements will shift when updating to the new version, and will increase the required leveled on some items dramatically. It's good practice to backup your characters before updating just in case you want to return to the previous version.
If your game begins to crash during startup, moving and/or deleting your D2-Merciless save game folder will solve the issue.

The mod's save game folder in Windows is located under:

X:\Users\<user>\Saved Games\Diablo II Resurrected\mods\D2-Merciless

Where 'X' is the drive on which Windows is installed, and '<user>' your Windows user name.


V1.2 – "Master of Melee" Update

  • The Barbarian's passive Weapon masteries have been reworked into six different categories:
    • 1H Edged Melee Weapons
    • 1H Blunt Melee Weapons
    • 2H Edged Melee Weapons
    • 2H Blunt Melee Weapons
    • Throwing Weapons
    • Shield Mastery, which increases Block Rate.
    • Edged Melee Weapons: Swords, Axes, Daggers, Spears, Polearms.
    • Blunt Melee Weapons: Clubs, Hammers, Maces, Flails, Mauls.
  • As a reminder, Blunt Melee Weapons have higher chances of rolling physical modifiers (ie., ED%, Flat Added Damage).
  • Staves no longer deal Area Damage. This change will apply to new Staves dropping.
  • Elixirs now last for 60s and cost 4,000 Gold (previously 45s and 5,000 respectively). This amounts to a 40% discount of their Gold/second performance.
  • The passive stats penalty in the Modder's Cut Edition has been removed. For these changes to apply on existing characters, you need to reset your stats/skills with Akara, or use a Token of Absolution.
  • Bugfix related to some Set items not granting their multiplicative MF bonus.
  • Bugfix related to some Magic affixes applying an incorrect bonus.
  • QoL change granting all Throwing Weapons a small innate replenish quantity modifier.

V1.1 – "The Jagged Patch of Jaggedness"

  • Magic Items are now affix-agnostic: Prefix and Suffix pools for Magics now include all possible modifiers from both affix types. What this means is that an affix that could previously only roll as a Prefix can now roll as a Suffix as well—including the probability of it rolling twice. In theory—and if incredibly lucky—you could end up with items such as +570-600% Enhanced Damage Weapons, +70-80% FRW Boots, +90-96% to Cold Resist Rings, +200-240 Life Amulets, +2 to Cold Skils Jewels, +2-4 to All Skills Helms, +3-6 to Amazon Skills Javelins, etc.
  • Keeping true to the spirit of traditional Roguelikes, some very unusual prefix and suffix string combinations can now happen.
  • Amazon items now roll "+1-2 to Amazon Skill Tabs" as their automod, and can roll "+1-3 to Amazon Skill Tabs" on Magic and Rare items.
  • Javelins can once again use their Spear-class skills (Jab, Charged Strike, etc.).
  • Costs for Magic modifiers have been severely decreased, making repairing and restocking items much cheaper.
  • The buy/sell value of Dust has been increased dramatically to prevent an exploit.
  • Fixed a bug where Farah and Lysander were selling items.



Diablo II: Merciless is a nostalgic and hardcore take on the ARPG classic, heavily inspired by traditional Roguelike item acquisition and Path of Exile's unforgettable earlier days, while also incorporating some of Ruthless's concepts, without becoming as extreme an environment.

Instead of expanding the game with more content, this mod takes a different, more philosophical route, redefining the D2 experience by taking a lot of its fundamental features into reconsideration.
 
It's an ARPG veteran's love letter to D2, and probably closer to how it should’ve played from the start if it had been designed with a more hardcore playerbase in mind.

This mod focuses intensely on itemization, and changes the way you progress and interact with items throughout the game. While still largely vanilla D2 at heart, in many ways it feels closer to Path of Exile's Beta, where item manipulation with basic currencies was novel—and a lot fun.

Like in Path of Exile, Normal bases now matter a lot. Gems matter a whole lot more because they double as powerful crafting tools. Every single drop has now been made relevant and exciting in some way.
 
 
Merciless is currently under development, but the core experience is already there. This is the first full release of the mod, so it's probable you might encounter a few bugs and balance issues.
 
I recommend skimming through the first couple of paragraphs ahead, and see if you like the sound of the changes. If you think they would make D2 a more meaningful and challenging experience for you, then you should definitely try it out!
 
 

  • Make finding good bases, Uniques, Sets, Rares and even Magics a thrilling event once more, and closer to how they felt in Classic, where owning good Rares was an immense point of pride.
  • Make itemization less static, introducing new tools to manipulate Normal, Magic and Rare items.
  • Divert from a Rune- and Runeword-centric economy into a more varied item ecosystem.
  • Keep the making of Runewords an exciting ritual by turning them into a more thematic concept: they provide deterministic affixes, but with extreme variability.
  • Do not remove player power—just make it more unpredictable to obtain.
  • Make Nightmare an engaging and accordingly challenging difficulty.
  • Make the new Terrorized Zones more interesting to acquire items and power.
  • Keep most other aspects of gameplay unchanged and as close to the original as possible, including look and feel.
  • Let players experience other classes and the game more as a character journey and challenge to surmount, rather than a Rune-hoarding simulator.
  • Rebalance age-old exploits and buff underused archetypes.
 
 

  • New foundational Recipes have been added, inspired in Path of Exile’s crafting Currency, making items in the game much more dynamic and interactable.
  • All previous non-quest Cube Recipes have been disabled.
  • Massive Rare and Magic item affix overhaul, with higher floors on certain modifiers, more tiers, and more endgame affixes, rewarding players who are proactive in updating their gear until the very end.
  • Socketed items have been reworked and have become an item archetype in itself, competing with endgame Rares and Uniques
  • Resistances are generally harder to acquire—particularly Poison.
  • Larzuk and Qual-Kehk's quest rewards have both been disabled.
  • Runewords have affix variance depending on Rune levels employed.
  • The Countess no longer deterministically drops Runes: instead, her Rune drops have been moved as an occasional random drop from Unique and Champion packs, making Rune acquisition more unpredictable—but paradoxically more consistent in the long run.
  • All other drop rates and treasure classes remain the same (ie., your chances of dropping a Mara's Kaleidoscope or a Zod Rune are exactly the same as in vanilla).
  • Vendors no longer sell equipment items except for some very basic gear and consumables. You must now acquire all your gear from drops.
  • All items sell for 1 Gold. Large quantities of Gold can only be accumulated in its raw form.
  • A new Currency—Obols—that enable a style of crafting similar to Essences in Path of Exile, which only drops only from non-Cow Uniques from Nightmar onwards.
  • Movement and crowd-control skills now have cooldowns, which can be reduced by spending points into the skill or via +Skill items.
  • Rebalance of extreme outlier overpowered builds and archetypes (eg., Hammerdin).
  • Two-Handed Melee Weapons now deal damage in a small area.
  • All non-Unique Charms have been permanently removed from the game. As a consequence of this change, the inventory size has been increased +50% to a 12×5 grid (previously 10×4). With Rare and Magic items rolling better stats on average, the introduction of late-game socketable items that can grant '+To Skill Tabs', more +Skills on items, and a larger inventory, their retirement should not be missed.
  • An additional optional version of the mod—the Modder's Cut Edition—with a more traditional Roguelike feel and balance, pushing players into making harder, more permanent choices with their items.
  • Includes full controller support.



Step 1. Drag and drop the 'mods' folder inside the .zip file into your Diablo II: Resurrected installation directory (where the D2R.exe executable is located).
Step 2. Create a desktop shortcut to D2R.exe and add the following lines in the "Target" field*:

    -mod "D2-Merciless" -resetofflinemaps


It should look like this:



 
The "Merciless" logo should appear on the main menu if done correctly.

(If you want to play the Modder's Cut Edition, replace "D2-Merciless" with "D2-Merciless-MCE".)



Merciless strives to make Diablo II an exciting challenge again, and make all items matter: if you like the idea of making every single Rune, Gem, Unique, Set, Rare, Magic and even Normal base drop count, this mod is definitely for you.
Merciless redefines how early power acquisition works in D2, to the point Nightmare has become a demanding difficulty once again.
If you're tired of the same Runeword meta, and hate being pigeonholed into always starting an MF Sorceress or Hammerdin, this mod is for you.
If you like manipulating items, and feel that D2's items are too "static", this mod is for you.
If you enjoy the thought of leveling and mid-game Uniques and Sets having value again, this mod is for you.
If you enjoy Hardcore, and find that risk-reward assessment should be a core element of ARPGs, this mod is for you.



This mod does not add any new skills, monsters or areas: D2 vanilla is already a powerhouse of amazing content. It instead modifies the game's structure to frame an entirely different progression system and itemization. The challenge and experience begin from the start without needing to pay a campaign tax.

Merciless is not Path of Exile Ruthless. While drawing a lot of inspiration from it, it is nowhere near as extreme in terms of item scarcity. It is also a very far call from "regular" Path of Exile, where a single monster can sometimes drop an entire armory. It rather sweet-spots in-between because in fact, drop rates remain unchanged from the original.

This mod does not allow quick and easy progression into Hell and endgame. If you enjoy cheap and powerful Runewords, if you enjoy re-rolling Vendors ad nauseam to patch your damage and defense holes, this mod is probably not for you.

Merciless does not trivialize the campaign, buff drop rates, or radically change the game's aesthetics. It instead attempts to make all of D2 meaningful by addressing its core systems, impacting progression as a whole, and pays respect to Vicarious Visions's wonderful re-imagining by changing none of the original assets, with new ones remaining as faithful as possible to the game's visual design.

Merciless is a mod that should not be approached with a modern D2 mindset: while still remaining largely vanilla at heart, the experience is significantly different. Previous strategies will no longer work, and new approaches need to be found to tackle a more unpredictable item environment with less progression skips, and markedly lower deterministic gear roadmaps.



We can all agree Diablo II has, with time, become an easy game—at least for most experienced players. It has felt and been this way for quite a few years now.

Pooled community knowledge, coupled with the game being the very first of its genre, has turned some of its pioneering, trailblazing design into its very own crux, particularly after the release of the Lord of Destruction expansion pack, and its introduction of Runewords.

The guaranteed availability of Runes, the eclipsing power of the items and affixes they provide, compounded with Quest rewards to both bypass Resistance penalties and instantly acquire items with the correct number of sockets, created the perfect storm for the game to slowly decant into a Rune-farming simulator, with Nightmare difficulty becoming a virtual campaign skip into Hell, and—worst of all—transforming otherwise valuable, interesting drops and items into an underwhelming experience.

Coveted item affixes, such as 'FCR', 'FHR', and '+X to All Skills' are trivialized by cheap, early Runewords like Spirit, which can be easily acquired by farming Nightmare Countess and socketing a Cow Crystal Sword at Larzuk's. Veterans go through this process almost routinely.

Although Runewords are the largest offenders, there are still other aspects of the game that disincentivize a more challenging and meaningful ARPG progression:

Vendors depreciate Magic item drops, to the point they become nothing more than a commodity. Picking up and identifying Magic items from the floor is pointless due to their ubiquitous availability and safe Vendor re-rolling. Hardcore risk-reward counter-play is diminished immensely, with some Hell-worthy items capable of being Vendor-farmed.

Magic Find can be easily acquired deterministically, and abused against Bosses, whose rarity bonuses gets multiplied out of the normal scale, and is compounded with their copious quantity of drops. This MF strategy is further aggravated by being able to Teleport to them extremely fast, and in relative safety, bypassing area layouts, more interesting encounters, and chances to die and lose your progress or character.

With all of the above, the Sorceress' reign is supreme, and thoroughly uncontested—to the point playing anything else than an MF Sorceress can feel underwhelming for most veteran players.

This mod attempts to fix all of this, without removing iconic skills or powerful items: the former can no longer be used to shortcut progress, and the latter are harder to put together and much more variable in nature.

Crafting Runewords now yields wildly variable results: the same Runeword can have a terrible outcome on one instance, only to roll perfectly on the next. With the lack of Larzuk's quest reward, early 4-socket items are harder to come by, forcing players to make compromises and interesting decisions.

Killing Unique, dangerous mobs are now worth your time. Repeatedly farming Act Bosses and cheaply Runewording your way into power are no longer viable strategies since you'll now be severely lacking in power to face them without grinding the lower echelons.

Drops once perceived as weak become highly valuable. Rares are back on the menu. You now have to keep an eye out for previously mundane Normal items, which can be upgraded into powerful Rare or Magic gear. Items with the correct number of sockets are suddenly worth much more. Even Magic spellcaster items with the correct staff mods can offer a great increase in player power. Previously mundane occurrences have now become much more meaningful. The game has a much more unpredictable, exciting progression, and is now a Merciless experience throughout all its difficulties.



You can find below the changes performed in Merciless fully documented, along with some sparsed comments as to their rationale:


  • Vendors no longer sell equipment items. They only sell Arrows, Bolts, Scrolls, Keys, Potions, and you'll find some very basic starter equipment on Charsi. You must now acquire all your gear from drops.
  • All items sell for 1 Gold max. Large quantities of Gold can only be accumulated as raw drops. Gambling is meant to be your new (and only) source of Vendor equipment.
  • The '#% All Resistances' stat no longer grants Poison Resistance, except on Uniques and Set items.
  • Gambling chances have been improved.
  • Scepters, Staves and Wands have been added to the gambling pool, and Circlets and Coronets have been removed.


  • Gems have been renamed to more aptly indicate their new functions as crafting currency:



  • Skulls have been renamed to better indicate their new functions as crafting currency:



  • The following restrictions apply:
 o Amethysts: can only modify Gloves and Belts.
 o Topazes: can only modify Body Armor.
 o Sapphires: can only modify Caster "Weapons" (Staves, Wands, Orbs, Scepters), and Helms.
 o Emeralds: can only modify Ranged Weapons (Bows, Crossbows, Throwables), and Boots.
 o Rubies: can only modify Melee Weapons and Shields (including Shrunken Heads).
 o Diamonds and Skulls: can modify any item, including Rings, Amulets and Jewels.



Cheat Sheet No. 1: Crafting Recipes

  • Due to the Cube Recipe changes, Perfect/Entropy Gems can no longer be obtained by 3-to-1’ning Flawless/Arcane Gems.
  • Gem Shrines no longer spawn.
  • All Belts (except Basic sashes) can now spawn with up to one socket, and receive the Gem slotting bonus from Shields.
 


  • All previous Cube Recipes have been disabled (except for Quests, Ubers, Tokens, and Cows').
  • The Cube's space has been expanded by 66% to 4x5 (previously 3x4).
  • The following new, foundational crafting Recipes have been added, inspired in Path of Exile’s basic currency orbs:
o Recipe of Transformation: Normal Item + Transformation Gem → Rare Item (1-4 affixes)
o Recipe of Alternation: Magic Item + Alternation Gem → Reforged Rare Item (1-4 affixes)
o Recipe of Arcana: Normal Item + Arcane Gem → Rare Item (3-6 affixes)
o Recipe of Entropy: Rare Item + 1-3× Entropy Gem → Reforged Rare Item (3-6 affixes)

  • Skulls are not considered Gems for Recipes of Alternation and Entropy. Instead, their Normal and Perfect versions are used on the auxiliary Recipes below:
o Recipe of Shattering: Magic/Rare Item + Shattering Skull → Normal Item
o Recipe of Royalty: Magic Item + Royal Skull → Rare Item
 
  • The following restrictions apply to Recipes above:
o Amethysts: can only modify Gloves and Belts.
o Topazes: can only modify Body Armor.
o Sapphires: can only modify Caster Weapons (Staves, Wands, Orbs), and Helms.
o Emeralds: can only modify Ranged Weapons (Bows, Crossbows and Throwables), and Boots.
o Rubies: can only modify Melee Weapons (inc. Scepters) and Shields (inc. Shrunken Heads)
o Diamonds and Skulls: can modify any item, including Rings, Amulets and Jewels.
(The logic behind their assignment can be read in the F.A.Q.)
 
  • The Recipe of Shattering does not work on Rings, Amulets or Jewels.
  • Superior items can be used on Recipes of Transformation and Arcana, however, the implicits are always rerolled, and there's a 50% chance to either gain or lose one or both properties. This was the fairest compromise to allow manipulation of Superior items within the game engine's limitations.
  • Socketed items cannot be modified by any Currency. This includes Magic and Rare Belts that have rolled +1 Socket.
  • Alternation, Entropy, Royalty and Shattering recipes do not work on Ethereal items.
  • Alternation, Entropy, Royalty and Shattering recipes reroll automods and staff mods.
  • Recipes of Disintegration are auxiliary Cube recipes that allow you to obtain Gem and/or Bone Dust out of non-Ethereal items, which you can then employ on Recipes of Saturation or Desaturation to swap Gem or Elixir Colors:
o 1-7× (Magic Gloves/Belt → Amethyst Dust)
o 1-7× (Magic Body Armor → Topaz Dust)
o 1-7× (Magic Helm/Caster Weapon → Sapphire Dust)
o 1-7× (Magic Boots/Ranged Weapon → Emerald Dust)
o 1-7× (Magic Shield/Melee Weapon → Ruby Dust)
o 1-7× (Magic Ring/Amulet/Jewel → Bone Dust)

o 1-7× (Rare Gloves/Belt → 3× Amethyst Dust)
o 1-7× (Rare Body Armor → 3× Topaz Dust)
o 1-7× (Rare Helm/Caster Weapon → 3× Sapphire Dust)
o 1-7× (Rare Boots/Ranged Weapon → 3× Emerald Dust)
o 1-7× (Rare Shield/Melee Weapon → 3× Ruby Dust)
o 1-7× (Rare Ring/Amulet/Jewel → 3× Bone Dust)

o 1-7× (Set Item → 2× Diamond Dust)
o 1-7× (Unique Item → 6× Diamond Dust)

o 1-7× (Transformation Colored Gem → 4× Colored Gem Dust)
o 1-7× (Arcane Colored Gem → 6× Colored Gem Dust)

o 1-7× (Transformation Skull→ 3× Gem Dust)
o 1-7× (Arcane Skull→ 4-5× Gem Dust)

o 1-7× (Transformation Diamond → 2× Gem Dust)
o 1-7× (Arcane Diamond → 3× Gem Dust)


Cheat Sheet No. 2: Recipes of Disintegration.

  • Recipes of Saturation can exchange upgrading Currency between non-Diamond Gems and Skulls:
o 30× Gem Dust A + Arcane Gem B → Arcane Gem A
o 10× Gem Dust A + Transformation Gem B → Transformation Gem A
o 3× Gem Dust A + Elixir B → Elixir A

  • The Recipes of Desaturation can exchange reforging Currency and Elixirs into Diamonds:
o 30× Diamond Dust + Entropy Gem → Entropy Diamond
o 10× Diamond Dust + Alternation Gem → Alternation Diamond
o 3× Diamond Dust + Elixir → Diamond Elixir

o 5× Entropy Gems (one of each color) → Entropy Diamond
o 5× Alternation Gems (one of each color) → Alternation Diamond
o 5× Distillation Gems (one of each color) → Distillation Diamond
o 5× Gem Elixir (one of each color) → Diamond Elixir

  • Distillation Gems are used in Recipes of Distillation to create the following Potions:
o 1-3× (Distillation Amethyst→ Amethyst Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Topaz → Topaz Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Sapphire → Sapphire Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Emerald → Emerald Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Ruby → Ruby Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Diamond → Diamond Elixir)
o 1-3× (Distillation Skull → Marrow Elixir)
 

Cheat Sheet No. 3: Recipes of Distillation, Saturation, and Desaturation


Cheat Sheet No. 4: Recipes of Gem Disintegration


  • Most of the aforementioned rerolling Recipes can be performed with up to 3× items of the same associated Gem type in the Cube, each time consuming one until depletion, or generating extra proportionate resources, allowing batch transmogrifications. Recipes of Disintegration can be performed with up to 7× items of any rarity as long as they're of the same Gem color type.
  • Some example batch Recipes that will work:
o 1× Magic Bow + 2× Magic Javelin + 2× Magic Boots → 5× Emerald Dust
o 1× Magic Sword + 1× Rare Axe + 1× Rare Shield → 8x Ruby Dust
o 1× Transformation Ruby + 1× Normal Axe → 1× Rare Axe w/1-4 affixes
o 1× Rare Ring + 3× Entropy Diamond → 1× Reforged Rare Ring + 2× Entropy Diamond
o 18× Bone Dust + 1× Ruby Elixir → 1× Marrow Elixir + 17× Bone Dust
o 3× Distillation Sapphire → 3× Sapphire Elixir

  • Some examples of batch Recipes that will not work:
o 1× Magic Bow + 1× Rare Shield → 1× Emerald Dust + 3× Ruby Dust
(The recipe includes two items of different color types.)

o 2× Transformation Ruby + 1× Normal Axe → 1× Rare Axe w/1-4 affixes + 1× Transformation Ruby
(The recipe includes two Transformation Rubies instead of only one.)

o 9× Bone Dust + 1× Ruby Elixir + 1× Amethyst Elixir → 2× Marrow Elixir + 3× Bone Dust
(The recipe includes two colored Elixirs instead of only one.)

o 1× Rare Ring + 4× Entropy Diamond → 1× Reforged Rare Ring + 3× Entropy Diamond
(The recipe includes four Entropy Gems instead of one, two or three.)

o 4× Distillation Sapphire → 4× Sapphire Elixir
(The recipe includes four Distillation Sapphires instead of one, two or three.)
 
 

Runebinding is a novel crafting system breathing new life into Runes and Magic items. By transmuting 1-3× Runes with a Magic item in the Cube, you will be able to bind their properties to your equipment. How many Runes of the same type you spend will determine your chances of imbuing the item, and the variability of the modifier.

  • Low Runes (El-Io) can be imbued as follows:
    • 1× Low Rune: 50% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power.
    • 2× Low Runes: 70% chance of granting 50-100% of the Rune's power.
    • 3× Low Runes: 90% chance of granting 25-100% of the Rune's power.
      (For example, a Magic Helmet transmuted with 2× Ral Runes has a 70% chance of acquiring an extra 15-30% to Fire Resist affix.)
  • Mid Runes (Lum-Ist) have better outcomes:
    • 1× Mid Rune: 70% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power.
    • 2× Mid Runes: 90% chance of granting 50-100% of the Rune's power.
  • High Runes (Gul-Zod) have only a single craft available:
    • 1× High Rune: 90% chance of granting 75-100% of the Rune's power. 
  • The minimum value of a modifier is always 1, and properties such as Cannot Be Frozen are always imbued if the craft succeeds.
  • Once a Runebinding attempt on a Magic item has been performed, the item can no longer be modified, independently of the craft having failed or not.
  • Gloves, Boots and Rings scale to half of the Rune's Armor bonus (eg., a Ral Rune can be imbued for at most 15% to Fire Resist)
  • Belts and Amulets scale to half of the Rune's Shield bonus (eg., an Um Rune can be imbued for at most 11% to All Resists).
  • Magic Belts with 1 socket can be runebound.
  • Weapons, Body Armors, Helms, and Shields have the potential of inheriting their full respective bonus.
The logic for this system is as follows: if you want an almost guaranteed chance of the affix sticking in, it's probably because the item is already very good, so it should be getting a lower average roll (with a chance of still being perfect). Otherwise, you can just gamble 1-2× Runes and get a higher average modifier for a lucky chance of turning a mediocre item into something good.
 
 

  • The following new and highly-situational Potion class, Elixirs, has been added, each granting a temporary, yet powerful boost for 60s. They begin dropping on Nightmare, replacing their respective Chipped/Distillation Gem drop (except on Super Chests). On Normal they can be purchased or obtained by cubing their respective Chipped/Distillation Gems:
o Amethyst Elixir: +30% FRW
o Topaz Elixir: Monster Lightning Immunity is Sundered, -5% to Enemy Lightning Resist, -60% to Player's Lightning Resist
o Sapphire Elixir: Monster Cold Immunity is Sundered, -10% to Enemy Cold Resist, -60% to Player's Cold Resist
o Emerald Elixir: Monster Poison Immunity is Sundered, -30% to Enemy Poison Resistance, -120% to Player's Poison Resistance
o Ruby Elixir: Monster Fire Immunity is Sundered, -10% to Enemy Fire Resist, -60% to Player's Fire Resist
o Diamond Elixir: +35% to Chance to Get Better Items
o Skull Elixir: +15% to Physical Damage Reduction

  • Antidote Potions no longer provide Poison Resist (previously +50%), nor Maximum Poison Resist (previously +10%).
  • Thawing Potions no longer provide Cold Resist (previously +50%), nor Maximum Cold Resist (previously +10%).
  • Health and Mana Potion drops have been streamlined: Champion, Unique, and Super Unique Monsters now always drop both Health and Mana Potions, with a small chance of converting into Rejuvenations, as opposed to sometimes dropping a single Potion type. This makes restocking them on the field much more consistent and reliable.
  • Rejuvenation Potions now heal for 20% (previously 35%), "Full" Rejuvenation Potions for 35% (previously 100%). They have been renamed to "Quarter Rejuvenation Potions". Keep in mind you can no longer 3-to-1 them. As a consequence of these changes, encounters are now much more deadly. Beware.
  • Health and Mana Potions costs have been averaged and now cost the same on each tier.
  • Rejuvenation Potions are now sold by vendors.
 


  • The Countess no longer deterministically drops Runes.
  • Andariel only does her Quest drop once on each difficulty (bugfix).
  • Duriel now correctly drops a single Town Portal Scroll and rolls the rest of his treasure normally (bugfix).
  • Snapchip Shatter and Frozenstein drop their correct treasure classes instead of being downgraded to the previous Act's (bugfix).
  • Nightmare Griswold and The Smith no longer drop Hell items (bugfix).
  • Chipped/Distillation Gems are replaced by their respective Elixirs after Normal difficulty, bypassing the need to Cube them.
  • New rare and exotic Currency has been introduced on a separate treasure class that does not affect D2's core drops.
  • All other drops and rates remain the same. If you're getting showered with Chipped Gems, that's just good ol' D2.



  • Two-Handed Melee Weapons now deal damage in a small area. This feature was introduced to counterbalance the weapon archetype’s lack of a Shield—which is a massive source of defenses—, and generally lower base attack speed. It opens up quite a few exciting Melee builds.
  • Staves do not deal area damage.
  • The Barbarian can no longer dual-wield Two-Handed Swords.
  • Bul-Kathos' Sacred Charge now has a Conquest Sword base to reflect the change above.
  • Sorceress Orbs and Necromancer Shrunken Heads no longer have automods (they still provide +Skills staff mods).
  • Amazon-class Weapons can only spawn with +1-2 to Amazon Skill Tabs.
  • Due to the Socketed items rework, Unique and Set items that had sockets no longer spawn them.
  • The maximum amount of sockets that can spawn on items has been changed (see Socketed Items Overhaul section). Generally, Basic and Light items have very limited amounts, while Elite and Heavy equipment offer the greatest.
  • Javelins, Throwing Knives and Throwing Axes are no longer considered Spears, Knives and Axes respectively for Affix purposes. They now belong to the Thrown Weapon class and are considered Ranged Weapons (Green/Emerald).



  • Blessed Hammer now receives half the damage bonus from Concentration, dealing around 66% of its usual damage with the Aura active. This brings it more in line with similarly-invested skills, such as the Necromancer's Bone Spear.
  • The following movement and crowd-control skills now have a cooldown before they can be used again, preventing abuse such as bypassing map layouts, or disabling enemies indefinitely:
o Teleport: 3.0s
o Leap: 3.0s
o Leap Attack: 6.0s
o Charge: 3.0s
o Dragon Flight: 2.0s
o Bone Prison/Wall: 3.0s
o Mind Blast: 3.0s
o Shock Wave: 3.0s

  • Mind Blast's stun duration is now 0.8s + 0.08s/lvl (down from 2.0s +0.2s/lvl), and conversion lasts for 1-3s (previously 6-10s).
  • Shock Wave's stun duration is now 0.8s + 0.08s/lvl (down from 1.6s +0.6s/lvl).
  • Bone Prison/Wall duration is now 3s (down from 24s).
  • Paladin Shields have lower Resistance bonuses: they now provide +1/2/3/4/5% All Elemental Resists (previously +5-10/8-15/16-30/25-30/35-45% All Resistances).
  • The chance of finding Rejuvenation Potions with the Barbarian’s Find Potion Skill is now 6% (previously 10%), and the chance of finding Mana Potions is now 47% (previously 35%).
  • The Barbarian's Find Potion skill no longer provides any synergy bonus on the Find Item skill (previously +1% MF per level).
  • The Barbarian's Natural Resistance skill now provides +1-20% to All Elemental Resists (previously +12-80% All Resistances).
  • The Barbarian's Increased Speed passive skill bonus has been halved.
  • The Assassin's Burst of Speed skill's FRW bonus has been halved.
    The Paladin's Resist Fire/Cold/Lightning skills now grant +20-40% Fire/Cold/Lightning Resists, and +0-5% Maximum Elemental Resists (previously +60-150%, and +1-20%, respectively), and no passive Maximum Elemental Resists (previously +0-10%).
  • The Paladin's Salvation skill now provides +15-35% All Elemental Resists (previously +60-120%).
  • The Assassin's Fade skill provides up to 50% Curse Duration Reduction (previously 90%), +1-20% All Elemental Resists (previously +10-75%), and no longer grants Physical Damage Reduction per Level (previously +1% per Level).
  • The Druid's Oak Sage grants +20% HP Baseline and +3% HP/level (previously +30% and +5% respectively.
  • The Barbarian's passive Weapon masteries have been reworked into six different categories:
o   1H Edged Melee Weapons
      o   1H Blunt Melee Weapons
o   2H Edged Melee Weapons
o   2H Blunt Melee Weapons
o   Throwing Weapons
o   Shield Mastery, which increases Block Rate.
 
o   Edged Melee Weapons: Swords, Axes, Daggers, Spears, Polearms.
o   Blunt Melee Weapons: Clubs, Hammers, Maces, Flails, Mauls.


  • Mercenaries deal minimum base damage, and their damage does not increase per level.
  • Mercenary Resurrection maximum resurrection costs are cheaper, and cap out sooner:


  • Mercenary Act III Sorcerers are now considered a 'Sorceress' class. As such, they now benefit from '+To Sorceress Skills' modifiers.
  • Mercenary Barbarians can no longer be recruited due to Qual-Kekh's quest no longer being completable (see below).
 
 

  • Due to the way it's hard-coded, the '/players' command cannot be disabled. This mod is intended to be played at Players 1, as any other value severely distorts normal progression and gameplay.
  • Due to the way it's hard-coded, Larzuk's quest still remains, but it can no longer be completed and its socketing reward can't be claimed. This reward severely diminished the value of finding items with the correct number of sockets and trivializes progression.
  • Due to the way it's hard-coded, Qual-Kekh's quest still remains, but it can no longer be completed and its Rune reward can't be claimed. This reward depreciated the value of said Runes dropping, and a readily available Ancient's Pledge Runeword immediately offset Nightmare's Resistance penalties.
  • Due to the way it's hard-coded, offline map layouts cannot be made to regenerate by default. You should always run the mod via its shortcut, or making sure the "-resetofflinemaps" command is present. This is to combat Lower Kurast runs' Super Chest efficiency, a well-known abuse and loophole which can't be patched out in Resurrected. You could technically run the mod's shortcut without the respective argument, and farm fixed-layout Lower Kurast regardless. You could also resort to the 'Players 8' command as well, but be warned that the balance of the mod will suffer, and partially defeat its purpose.



Magic and Rare item affixes in Diablo II have been massively reworked. The consequences of these changes are vast and far-reaching to the game's itemization. In short, Magic and Rares are both in vogue again, and remain highly competitive against Runewords and Uniques during all stages of the game.

The following list is by no means exhaustive, but highlights some of the most noteworthy changes:

  • There are no longer any Magic-exclusive modifiers.
  • Magic items are affix-agnostic and can roll prefixes as suffixes, and suffixes as prefixes, which enables some very interesting double prefix/suffix combinations previously impossible.
  • More Life can be accessed on Armor and Jewelry.
  • The 'All Resistances #%' affix has been majorly overhauled. It no longer grants Poison Resistance, and has been renamed to 'All Elemental Resists #%' to be more in line with the rest of the Resistance labels. It now rolls on items as follows:
o Up to +15% on Shields and Amulets (previously +30%).
o Up to +10% on Rings (previously +15%).
  • The '#% To Fire/Lightning/Cold/Poison Resists' affixes have been reworked, with all affix tiers rolling on all Weapons, Armor, Rings and Amulets, up to a maximum of +50% (previously +40%).
  • 'Poison Length Reduction', 'Damage Reduction', Spell-"charged",  Spell-"proccing", "vs. Demons/Undead" and "Based on Character Level" affixes have been pruned from all affix pools on Rare and Magic items. The only exception is '5% Chance To Cast Amplify Damage', which can still roll on high ilvl non-Caster Weapons.
  • 'Add # Quantity to Throwing Weapons' and 'Replenish Quantity' now roll together as part of the same affix group.
  • 'Indestructible' is now included in the 'Repair Durability' affix group, thus preventing them from rolling together.
  • Clubs, Maces, Flails, Mauls, and Crossbows have better chances of rolling Physical Damage modifiers.
  • Staves, Wands, Orbs and Scepters have lower chances of rolling Weapon Damage modifiers.
  • '#% to Chances of Crushing Blow/Open Wounds/Deadly Strike', 'Slows Target by #%', 'Attack Ignroes Target's Defense', 'Hit Causes Monsters to Flee #%' now roll on Rare and Magic Weapons, depending on Weapon type:
o Crushing Blow: Clubs, Maces, Flails and Mauls.
o Deadly Strike: Spears.
o Open Wounds: Axes.
o Slows Target: Swords and Polearms.
o Attack Ignores Target Defense: Knives.
o Hit Causes Monsters to Flee: Ranged Weapons.

  • '#% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Skill Damage' can now roll on Rings, Amulets, Orbs, Staves, and Scepters.
  • '#% to Poison Skill Damage' can now roll on Rings, Amulets, Wands and Daggers.
  • '-#% to Enemy Resistance' can now roll on high ilvl Rare and Magic Weapons, depending on weapon type:
o Cold, Fire and Lightning: Staves.
o Poison: Knives.

  • Shields can now roll '+1 To All Skills'', '#% to All Maximum Elemental Resistances', '#% to Maximum Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance', '#% to Maximum Poison Resistance', '#% IAS', and '#% Physical Damage Reduction'. The cost of opportunity for opting out of a Shield, either for Two-Handed Weapon area damage or Staves granting '-#% to Enemy Resistances', has thus been increased.
  • The '# to Minimum/Maximum Damage' affixes have been integrated into a single group. They now roll on all Weapons.
  • Circlets no longer roll '#% FCR', '#% FHR', '#% FRW', '# to Minimum/Maximum Fire/Cold/Lightning/Poison Damage', and '#% All Resists'. They are considered normal Helms except for Skill rolling purposes (see below).
  • '+1-2 to All Class Skills' and '+1-3 to Class Tab Skill Levels' levels can now be found on Rare and Magic items as follows:



  • Generic '+1-2 to All Skills' can be found on Amulets and Helms (excluding Circlets, Barbarian Helms, and Druid Pelts), albeit rarely.
  • "Socketed"-type affixes (ie., "Mechanic's", "Artistan's" and "Jeweler's") no longer spawn on Magic and Rare items, with the exception of "Mechanic's" on high-level Belts.



Socketed items have been redesigned into an "empty canvas" item archetype, where players will be able to obtain a more wildcard type of power in the form of revamped Jewels affixes.

This archetype has been enabled due to the following combination of factors:

  • Magic and Rare items cannot roll sockets (except Belts).
  • Uniques and Sets which had sockets no longer have them.
  • Larzuk's quest reward is no longer available.
  • Currency items cannot modify socketed items.
  • Socketables can be removed at will in the Cube as long as they don't create a Runeword.

Ordinary Normal socketed items, which where up to now largely relegated to Runewords, will now be able to function as a blank slate—or Tabula Rasa, if you will—to be enhanced by Jewels, from which you'll now be able to build your own custom items piece by piece as you gather more of them.

You will now be able to deterministically assign stats on an item, albeit at both an unpredictable rate (Jewel drops) and modifier availability (Jewel rolls)—all at the cost of base items providing no intrinsic modifiers. All affixes on Jewels can roll regardless of the Jewel's item level. This includes the more coveted affixes such as their new '+To Skill' and '+To Skill Tabs' modifiers, so a Jewel that drops on Act 1 Normal is as valuable as one that drops on Act 5 Hell.

As long as the socketed item is not a Runeword, socketed Gems, Runes and Jewels can be removed at will by placing the socketed item alone in the Cube and transmogrifying it. They are designed to be shifted and slotted around as needed.

The maximum number of sockets that items can now have, if their inventory size permits, are as follows:



The following Basic Weapons and Armor are an exception to the rule above and can only spawn with the following socket count (their Exceptional and Elite variants are exempt):



The total maximum number of sockets a character may have at any given moment is 17. The inventory size of certain items, including their Exceptional and Elite variants, has been modified to allow for more sockets as follows:



   
 

With the introduction of item-manipulating Gems, a massive Rare and Magic affix rework, Socketed items, and endgame Currency, Charms were left in a very underwhelming spot.

The main problem with Charms as items is that the more inventory real estate is available, the more we players tend to fill that space. With Charms.

Charms present a major "damned if you do, damned if you don't" design flaw in that they reduced an already claustrophobic inventory, and at the same time grant universal benefits that were too good to pass up. Thus, even if the inventory were to be expanded, one would immediately arrive at the very same problem being attempted to mitigate, as one'd soon find that new space getting filled with more and more Charms. What's worse is that this issue compounds exponentially, because if more inventory room is made available, maximum player power sky-rockets because Charms are items that do not compete for limited gear slots or sockets, and require no investment or sacrifice whatsoever—only inventory space.

Middle into the mod's development, it was becoming clear that item manipulation was a defining—and quite fun—feature of Merciless, so Charms presented an even worse of an issue in an already item-management-intensive game.

As such, instead of being reworked, Magic and Unique Charms have been permanently removed from the game, with the exception of Sundering Charms, Annihilus and Torches.

Given Rare and Magic items roll better affixes on average than before, and the introduction of new affixes on Jewels that grant '+To Skills' and '+To Skill Tabs', they're now an item type that shouldn't be missed, moreover since with their removal you can now enjoy +50% inventory size, given how nothing was now preventing it from happening.



Runewords have been majorly overhauled. They are now an item archetype that offers a chance at deterministically obtaining highly desirable affixes, but their crafting results suffer from extreme variability. The craft can fluke on one try, only to roll perfectly on the next. They will probably hit somewhere in-between, and you’ll have to patch up the holes with Rares and Uniques, or retry the craft again.

Popular Runewords:
Spoiler:  
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  • Ancient's Pledge now rolls +25-40% for each Resistance separately (previously +45% to All Resistances, except Cold at +48%), +1-50% Enhanced Defense (previously +50%), and +1-10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana (previously +10%). This Runeword provided the equivalent of a free extra socket on Shields (before 4-socket Shields were even available), a free Thul, and some All Resists on top—an absolute bargain for its cost. Moreover, it greatly depreciated the value of Diamonds. It is now much harder to access, with 3-socket Shields only spawning on Elite Heavy bases.
  • Stealth now provides +1-15% FRW (previously +25%), +1-20% FCR (previously +25%), +25% FHR (previously +25%), +1-6 to Dexterity (previously +6), and +1-15 to Max Stamina (previously +15). The Stealth Runeword trivialized leveling Armors and FRW acquisition, remaining useful even into the endgame, and has thus been culled accordingly. Choosing what to equip on your early Body Armor slot should now be a more active and engaging endeavor, particularly with higher pressure for Resistances.
  • Spirit rolls +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2), +1-55% FHR (previously +55%), +1-112 Mana (previously +89-112), +1-35 FCR (previously +25-35), +1-22 to Vitality (previously +22), +1-8% Magic Absorb (previously +5-8%). This Runeword overshadowed virtually every single caster-oriented Unique, Set, and godly Rare in existence at the time it could be crafted; not a single stat was irrelevant. It remains a cheap late-game gamble for +2 to All Skills and some extra caster mods. Due to the Socketed items rework, it can no longer be crafted on Shields, and can be accessed only on Elite gear.
  • Rhyme now rolls +1-15% to All Resistances (previously +25%), +20-40% FBR (previously +40%), 1-20% ICB (previously 20%), +1% Extra Gold From Monsters (previously +50%), and +1-25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (previously +25%).
  • Smoke now provides All Resistances +1-40% (previously +50%), +1-20% FHR (previously +20%), +1-200 Defense Vs. Missiles (previously +250), +1-75% Enhanced Defense (previously +75%).
  • Call to Arms now rolls +1-35% IAS (previously +40%), +1-220% Enhanced Damage (previously +200-240%), +1-6 for BO (previously +2-6), and +1-12 Replenish Life (previously +12). It can only be crafted on Elite Flails (Scourges).
  • Infinity rolls for Level 1-12 Conviction Aura When Equipped (previously 12), -(1-50)% to Enemy Lightning Resist (previously -(45-55%)), 1-30% FRW (previously 35%), +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously 255-325%).
  • Enigma rolls +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2), +1-40% FRW (previously +45%), +1-750 Defense (previously +750-775), and +1-14 Life After Each Kill (previously +14).
  • White provides +1-2 To Poison and Bone Skills (previously +2), +1-3 to Bone Armor (previously +3), +1-2 to Bone Spear (previously +2), and +1-4 to Skeleton Mastery (previously +4).
  • Leaf grants +1 To Fire Skills (previously +3), +1 Defense per Character Level (previously +2), +1-3 to its Single Skills (previously +3), and +1-25% to Cold Resist (previously +33%). This Runeword made Fire-based caster builds a no-brainer for leveling, and eclipsing good Uniques such as The Salamander staff, which became nothing more than collector items.
  • Lore now rolls +0-1 to All Skills (previously +1), +1-2 Mana After each Kill (previously +2), +1-2 Light Radius (previously +2), and +1-10 to Energy (previously +10). Lore depreciates +1 to All Skills leveling Helmets.
  • Insight now provides +1-180% Enhanced Damage (previously +200-260%), +1-200% AR (previously +180-250%), +1-30% FCR (previously +35%), +1-5 to All Attributes (previously +5), and Level 1-15 Meditation Aura When Equipped (previously 12-15). Since Polearms now deal area damage, this popular, easily-accessible Runeword needed to have its melee performance rebalanced.
  • Beast now rolls +1-35% IAS (previously 40%), Level 1-9 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped (previously 9), +1-250% Enhanced Damage (previously 240-270%), +1-40 Strength (previously 25-40), +1-3 Werebear (previously +3), and +1-3 Shape Shifting (previously +3).
  • Black now provides +1-30% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +40%), +1-120% Enhanced Damage (previously +120%), +1-15% IAS (previously +15%), and +1-200 AR (previously +200).
  • Bulwark now rolls +1-5% Increased Max Life (previously 5%), +1-5% Life Stolen per Hit (previously 6%), +1-30 Replenish Life (previously +30), +1-100% Enhanced Defense (previously +75-100%), and +1-10% Physical Damage Received Reduction (previously +10-15%).
  • Chains of Honor rolls +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2), +1-50% to All Resistances (previously 50%), +1-70% Enhanced Defense (previously 70%), +1-200% Damage To Demons (previously +200%), +1-100% Damage To Undead (previously +100%), +1-7% Life Stolen per Hit (previously 8%), and +1-20 Strength (previously +20).
  • Fortitude rolls +1-30% to All Resistances (previously +25-30%), +1-200% Enhanced Defense (previously +200%), +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +300%), +1-25% FCR (previously +25%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 8 Chilling Armor When Struck (previously 20% Chance of Level 15), and +1-12 to Life per 8 Character Levels (previously +8-12).
  • Grief rolls +1-400 Damage (previously +400), +8% Damage to Demons per 8 Character Levels (previously +15 per 8), +1-35% IAS (previously +30-40%), -(1-25)% to Enemy Poison Resistance (previously –(20-25)%, +1-15 Life After Each Kill (previously +10-15), 7% Chance to Cast Level 15 Venom On Strike (previously 35%), and 0-1 Ignore Target’s Defense (previously guaranteed).
  • Heart of the Oak rolls +1-3 to All Skills (previously +3), +1-40% to All Resistances (previously +30-40%), +1-35% FCR (previously +40%), Increased Max Mana 1-15% (previously 15%), and +1-20 Replenish Life (previously +20).
  • Hustle (Armor) now provides +1-50% FRW (previously +65%), +1-30% IAS (previously +30%), 15-50% Slower Stamina Drain (previously 50%), +1-10% to All Resistances (previously +10%), and +1-3 Evade (previously +1-6).
  • Hustle (Weapon) now provides 3% Chance to Cast Level 1 Burst of Speed on Hit (previously 5%), +20-30% IAS (previously +30%), and +1-180% Enhanced Damage (previously +180-200%).
  • Mosaic now rolls +1-2 to Marial Arts (previously +2), 1-50% Chance For Finishing Moves Not To Consume Charges (previously 50%), +1-20% IAS (previously +20%), +1-220% Enhanced Damage (previously +200-250%), and +1-12% to Cold/Fire/Lightning Damage (previously +15%).
  • Obedience now provides +1-350% Enhanced Damage (previously +370%), +1-25% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +40%), 3% Chance to Cast Level 21 Enchant When You Kill An Enemy (previously 30%), -(1-20)% to Enemy Fire Resist (previously -25%), +1-250 Defense (previously +200-300), +1-30% FHR (previously +30%), and +1-25% to All Resistances (previously +20-30%).
  • Treachery rolls 2% Chance to Cast Level 3 Fade When Struck (previously 5% chance of Level 15 Fade), 5% Chance to Cast Level 10 Venom On Striking (previously 25%), +1-2 To Assassin Skills (previously +2), and +1-30% IAS (previously +45%).
  • Wealth provides +1-300% Extra Gold From Monsters (previously +300%), and +1-100% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (previously +100%).
  • Delirium rolls +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2), 3% Chance to Cast Level 9 Confuse On Striking (previously 11% Chance of Level 18), 3% Chance to Cast Level 6 Terror When Struck (previously 14% Chance of Level 13), and +1-250 Defense (previously +261).
  • Breath of the Dying rolls 15% Chance to Cast Level 20 Poison Nova When You Kill An Enemy (previously 50%), +1-50% IAS, +75-150% Damage to Undead (previously +200%), 1-13% Life Leech Per Hit (previously +12-15%), +1-400% Enhanced Damage (previously +350-400%), and +1-25 to All Attributes (previously +30).
  • Dream provides +1-200 Defense (previously +150-220), +3 to Mana Every 8 Character Levels (previously +5), +1-20% to All Resistances (previously +20%), +1-30% FHR (previously +30%), Level 1-15 Aura Shock Aura When Equipped (previously 15), and +1-25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (previously +15-25%).
  • Edge now rolls +1-300% Damage To Demons (previously +320-380%), +1-250% Damage To Undead (previously +280%), +1-30% IAS (previously +35%), Level 1-15 Thorns Aura When Equipped (previously 15), +1-10 to All Attributes (previously +5-10), 1-15% Vendor Price Reduction (previously 15%).
  • Exile now provides +1-30% FBR (previously +30%), +1-250% Enhanced Defense (previously +220-260%), Level 1-16 Defiance Aura When Equipped (previously 13-16), +1-2 To Offensive Auras (previously +2), and 3% Chance to Cast Level 5 Life Tap On Striking (previously 15%).
  • Faith now rolls +1-2 to All Skills (previously +1-2), +1-280% Enhanced Damage (previously +280%), +1-250% AR (previously +250%), +1-100 Fire Damage (previously +120), +1-15% to All Resistances (previously +15%), and Level 1-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped (previously 12-15).
  • Flickering Flame provides Level 1-8 Resist Fire Aura When Equipped (previously 4-8), +1-3 to Fire Skills (previously +3), -(1-10)% to Enemy Fire Resist (previously –(10-15)%), +1-60 Mana (previously 50-75), and 0-50% Reduced Poison Length (previously 50%).
  • Harmony rolls +1-250% Enhanced Damage (previously +200-275%), Adds 1-120 Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage (previously 55-160), 20 Charges of Level 5 Revive (previously 25 Charges of Level 20), Level 1-10 Vigor Aura When Equipped (previously 10), +1-6 Valkyrie (previously +2-6), 1-20% Regenerate Mana (previously 20%), and +1-2 Light Radius (previously +2).
  • Hearth/Ground/Temper/Cure now provide 1-5% Increase Max Life (previously 5%), +1-100% Defense (previously +75-100%), +10-40% to Cold/Lightning/Fire/Poison Resist (previously +40-60%), 1-25% Poison Length Reduced (previously 50%), and +1-10% Cold/Lightning/Fire Absorb (previously +15%).
  • Last Wish now rolls +1-350% Enhanced Damage (previously +330-375%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 20 Charged Bolt On Attack (previously 20%), 2% Chance to Cast Level 5 Life Tap On Striking (previously 10% Chance of Level 18), 2% Chance to Cast Level 3 Fade When Hit (previously 6% Chance of Level 11), +1-35% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +40-50%), +2% Chance of Getting Magic Items per 8 Character Levels (previously +4%), and Level 1-17 Might Aura When Equipped (previously 17).
  • Metamorphosis provides 2% Chance to Grant Mark of the Wolf/Bear On Striking (previously 100%), +1-5 to Shape Shifting Skills (previously +5), +1-75% Enhanced Defense (previously +50-80%), +1-10% to All Resistances (previously +10%), and +1-20% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +25%)
  • Obsession rolls +1-4 to All Skills (previously +4), 4% Chance to Cast Level 10 Weaken When Struck (previously 24%), +1-50% FCR (previously +65%), +1-50% FHR (previously +65%), +1-50% to All Resistances (previously +60-70%), +1-15% Increase Max Life (previously +15-25%), and +1-30% Regenerate Mana (previously +15-30%).
  • Peace now provides +1-2 Amazon Skills (previously +2), 2% Chance to Cast Level 10 Valkyrie On Striking (previously 15), and +1-1 Critical Strike (previously +1-2).
  • Phoenix now rolls +1-400% Enhanced Damage (previously +350-400%), +1-300 Defense Vs. Missile (previously +350-400), 10% Chance to Cast Level 22 Firestorm On Striking (previously 40%), Level 1-15 Redemption Aura When Equipped (previously 10-15), -(1-20)% to Enemy Fire Resist (previously +28%), and +1-15% Fire Absorb (previously +15-21%).
  • Splendor provides +1-1 to All Skills (previously +1), +1-3 to Light Radius (previously +3), +1-50% Extra Gold From Monsters (previously +50%), +1-20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (previously +20%), +1-80% Defense (previously +60-100%), +1-20% FBR (previously +20%), and +1-10% FCR (previously +10%).
  • Steel rolls +1-20% IAS (previously +25%), +1-35% Chance of Open Wounds (previously +50%), and +1-20% Enhanced Damage (previously +20%).
  • Stone now provides +1-200% Enhanced Defense (previously +220-260%), +1-250 Defense Vs. Missile (previously +300), +1-15 Strength/Vitality (previously +16), and +20-60% FHR (previously +60%).
  • Voice of Reason now rolls 3% Chance to Cast Level 13 Frozen Orb (previously +15%), 4% Chance to Cast Level 20 Ice Blast (previously 18%), -(1-20)% to Enemy Cold Resist (previously -24%), Adds 1-150 Cold Damage (previously 100-220), +50-250% Damage to Demons (previously +220-350%), and +75-300% Damage to Undead (previously +355-375%).


Other Runewords:
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  • Bone rolls 5% Chance to Cast Level 10 Bone Armor/Bone Spear When Struck/On Striking (previously 15%), +1-2 to Necromancer Skills (previously +2), and +1-120 Mana (previously +100-150).
  • Bramble now provides +1-50% FHR (previously +50%), +1-250% Enhanced Defense (previously +200-300%), Level 1-21 Thorns Aura When Equipped (previously 15-21), +1-13 Life After Each Kill (previously +13), +1-40% Extra Poison Damage (previously +25-50%), and +1-80% Poison Resistance (previously +100%).
  • Brand provides +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +260-340%), +1-250% Damage to Demons (previously +280-330%), 20% Chance to Cast Level 18 Bone Spear When Striking (previously 100%), %5 Chance to Cast Level 7 Amplify Damage When Struck (previously 35% Chance of Level 14), and Fires Level 1-15 Explosive Arrows and Bolts (previously 15).
  • Chaos now rolls +1-15 Life After Each Demon Kill (previously +15), +1-250% Enhanced Damage (previously +240-290%), Adds 1-450 Magic Damage (previously 216-471), +1-30% IAS (previously +35%), 4%/5% Chance to Cast Level 11/9 Frozen Orb/Charged Bolt When Striking (previously 9%/11%).
  • Crescent Moon rolls -(1-30)% to Enemy Lightning Resist (previously -35%), +1-1 Ignore Target’s Defense (previously +1), +1-200% Enhanced Damage (previously +180-220%), +1-10% Magic Absorb (previously +9-11%), and %2/3% Chance to Cast Level 13/17 Static/Field Chain Lightning On Striking (previously 7%/10%)
  • Death provides +1-350% Enhanced Damage (previously +300-385%), 2% Chance of Deadly Strike Every 8 Character Levels (previously 4%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 18 Glacial Spike on Attack (previously 25%), and +1-40% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +50%).
  • Destruction now rolls +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +350%), Adds 1-150 Magic Damage (previously 100-180), and 2%/5% Chance to Cast Level 23/12 Molten Boulder/Volcano On Striking (previously 5%/23%).
  • Doom provides +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +280-320%), Level 1-12 Holy Freeze Aura (previously 12), +1-40% IAS (previously +45%), -(1-50)% to Enemy Cold Resist (previously -(40-60)%), and +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2).
  • Dragon provides +1-300% Enhanced Defense (previously +360%), +1-200 Defense Vs. Missiles (previously +230), +1 to Strength per 8 Character Levels (previously +3), 3% Chance to Cast Level 15 Hydra On Striking (previously 12%), 4% Chance to Cast Level 18 Venom When Struck (previously 20%), Level 1-14 Holy Fire Aura When Equipped (previously 14), +1-5 to All Attributes (previously +3-5).
  • Duress rolls Adds 1-120 Cold Damage (previously 37-133), +1-20% Enhanced Damage (previously +20%), +1-180% Enhanced Defense (previously +150-200%), +20-40% FHR (previously +40%), +1-30% Chance of Open Wounds (previously +33%), +1-10% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +15%), and -(1-20)% Slower Stamina Drain (previously -20%).
  • Enlightenment now rolls +1-2 to Sorceress Skill Levels (previously +2), and +1-2 Warmth (previously +1).
  • Eternity now provides +1-250% Enhanced Damage (previously +260-310%), Slows Target by 1-33% (previously 33%), 44 Charges of Level 4 Revive (previously 88 Charges of Level 8), +1-15 Replenish Life (previously +16), and +1-15% Replenish Mana (previously +16%).
  • Famine rolls +50-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +270-320%), +1-10% Life Stolen per Hit (previously +12%), +1-30% IAS (previously +30%), Adds 1-150 Magic Damage (previously 180-200), Adds 1-150 Fire/Cold Damage (previously 50-200), and Adds 51-200 Lightning Damage (previously 51-250).
  • Fury now rolls +1-200% Enhanced Damage (previously +209%), +1-40% IAS (previously +40%), +1-50% Chance of Open Wounds (previously +66%), +1-5% Life Stolen per Hit (previously +6%), +1-25% Chance of Deadly Strike (previously +33%), +1-5 to Frenzy (previously +5).
  • Gloom provides +1-200% Enhanced Defense (previously +170-230%), +15-45% To All Resistances (previously +30%), 3% Chance to Cast Level 3 Dim Vision When Struck (previously 15%), +1-10% FHR (previously +10%), and +1-5% Damage Taken Goes to Mana (previously +5%).
  • Hand of Justice rolls +1-30% IAS (previously +33%), +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +280-330%), Level 1-16 Holy Fire Aura When Equipped (previously 16), and -(1-20)% to Enemy Fire Resist (previously -20%).
  • Holy Thunder now rolls +1-50% Enhanced Damage (previously +60%), Adds 1-50 Lightning Damage (previously 20-60), +1-10 Maximum Damage (previously +10), +1-50% Resist Lightning (previously +60%), +1-5% Maximum Lightning Resist (previously +5%), and +1-3 to Holy Shock (previously +3).
  • Honor provides +1-150% Enhanced Damage (previously +160%), +1-10 Replenish Life (previously +10), +1-1 to All Skills (previously +1), +1-200 AR (previously +200), +1-20% Chance of Deadly Strike (previously +25%), and +1-10 Strength (previously +10).
  • Ice now provides +1-200% Enhanced Damage (previously +140-210%), Level 1-18 Holy Freeze Aura When Equipped (previously 18), +1-25% Cold Skill Damage (previously +25-30%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 22 Frost Nova On Striking (previously 25%), and -(1-20)% to Enemy Cold Resist.
  • King’s Grace rolls +1-100% Enhance Damage (previously +100%), +1-120% AR (previously +150%), +1-80% Damage to Demons (previously +100%), +1-50% Damage to Undead (previously +50%), +1-100 AR Against Demons/Undead (previously +100).
  • Kingslayer now rolls +1-30% IAS (previously +30%), +1-250% (previously +230-270%), -(1-25)% Target’s Defense (previously -25%), +1-30% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +33%), +1-20% Chance of Open Wounds (previously +25%), and +1-40% Extra Gold From Monsters (previously +40%).
  • Lawbringer rolls Adds 1-180 Cold Damage (previously 130-180), Adds +1-200 Fire Damage (previously +150-210), Level 1-18 Sanctuary Aura When Equipped (previously 16-18), 5% Chance to Cast Level 8 Decrepify On Striking (previously 20% Chance of Level 15), +1-200 Defense Vs. Missiles (previously +200-250), and -(1-50)% Target’s Defense (previously -50%).
  • Lionheart now provides +10-25 to Strength (previously +25), +1-20 to Vitality (previously +20), +1-15 to Dexterity (previously +15), +1-20% Enhanced Damage (previously +20%), +1-50 to Life (previously +50), and +1-30% to All Resistances (previously +30%).
  • Malice rolls +1-66% Chance of Open Wounds (previously +100%), -(1-80) to Monster Defense per Hit (previously -100), and +1-30% Enhanced Damage (previously +33%).
  • Melody now rolls +1-50% Enhanced Damage (previously +50%), +1-3 to Amazon Skills (previously +3), +1-3 to Slow Missiles/Dodge/Critical Strike (previously +3), and +1-250% Damage to Undead (previously +300%).
  • Memory provides +1-15% Increased Max Mana (previously +20%), +1-7 Reduced Magic Damage (previously +7), +1-50% Enhanced Defense (previously +50%), +1-30% FCR (previously +30%), +1-3 to Sorceress Skills (previously +3), +1-3 to Energy Shield (previously +3), and +1-2 to Static Field (previously +2).
  • Mist now provides +1-3 to All Skills (previously +3), +1-350% Enhanced Damage (previously +325-375%), Level 1-12 Concentration Aura When Equipped (previously 8-12), +1-100% Piercing Attack (previously +100%), +1-24 to Vitality (previously +24%), and +1-40% (previously +40%).
  • Myth rolls +2% Chance to Cast Level 1 Howl When Struck (previously 3%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 1 Taunt On Striking (previously 10%), +1-2 to Barbarian Skills (previously +2), and +1-10 Replenish Life (previously +10).
  • Nadir now rolls +1-50% Enhanced Defense (previously +50%), +1-10 Defense (previously +10), -(1-3) Light Radius (previously -3), (-1-33)% Extra Gold From Monsters (previously -33%), and +1-5 to Strength (previously +5).
  • Oath provides +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +210-340%), +20-50% IAS (previously +50%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 20 Bone Spirit On Striking (previously 30%), 15 Charges of Level 10 Iron Golem (previously 15 Charges of Level 17), 20 Charges of Level 10 Heart of the Wolverine (previously 20 Charges of Level 16), and +1-15% Absorb Magic Damage (previously +10-15%).
  • Passion now provides +1-200% Enhanced Damage (previously +160-210%), +1-80% AR (previously +50-80), +1-25% IAS (previously +25%), and +1-10 Hit Blinds Target (previously +10).
  • Pattern rolls +1-10% AR (previously +10%), +1-80% Enhanced Damage (previously +80%), Adds 6-62 Fire Damage (previously 17-62), +1-10 to All Resistances (previously +15), +1-6 to Strength/Dexterity (previously +6), and +1-30% FBR (previously +30%).
  • Plague now rolls +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +220-320%), 4% Chance to Cast Level 4 Lower Resist When Struck (previously 20% Chance of Level 12), 5% Chance Cast level 15 Poison Nova On Striking (previously 25% Chance of Level 15), -(1-20)% to Enemy Poison Resistance (previously -23%), +2% Chance of Deadly Strike per 8 Character Levels (previously +3%), Level 1-17 Cleansing Aura When Equipped (previously 13-17), +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2).
  • Pride provides +4% Damage to Demons per 8 Character Levels (previously +8%), Adds 1-250 Lightning Damage (previously 50-280), +1-250% AR (previously +260-300%), +-% (previously +-%), Level 1-20 Concentration Aura When Equipped (previously 16-20), 5% Chance to Cast Level 17 Firewall When Struck (previously 25%), and +1-8 Replenish Life (previously +8).
  • Principle now provides 20% Chance to Cast Level 5 Holy Bolt When Striking (previously 100%), +1-2 to Paladin Skills (previously +2), +1-120 to Life (previously +100-150), and +1-50% Damage to Undead (previously +50%).
  • Prudence rolls +1-150% Enhanced Defense (previously +140-170%), +7-17 Reduced Magic Damage (previously +17), +1-3 Reduced Damage (previously +3), +1-30% to All Resistances (previously +25-35%), and +1-25% FHR (previously +25%).
  • Radiance now rolls +1-10 Energy (previously +10), +1-10 Vitality (previously +10), +-% (previously +-%), +1-3 Reduced Magic Damage (previously +3), +1-33 to Mana (previously +33), and +1-75% Enhanced Defense (previously +75%).
  • Rain provides 3% Chance to Cast Level 15 Twister On Striking (previously 5%), 3% Chance to Cast Level 8 Cyclone Armor When Struck (previously 5% Chance of Level 15), +1-2 to Druid Skills (previously +2), +1-120 to Mana (previously +100-150).
  • Rift now provides Adds 1-250 Magic Damage (previously 160-250), Adds 1-180 Fire Damage (previously 60-180), +1-35% Damage Taken Goes to Mana (previously +38%), 5% Chance to Cast Level 16 Tornado (previously 20%), 4% Chance to Cast Level 21 Frozen Orb When Attack (previously 16%), and +1-10 to All Attributes (previously +10).
  • Sanctuary rolls +1-20% ICB/FBR (previously +20%), +1-150% Enhanced Defense (previously +130-160%), +1-200 Defense Vs. Missiles (previously +250), +1-50% to All Resistances (previously +50-70%), and +1-20% FHR (previously +20%).
  • Silence now rolls +7-9% Mana Stolen per Hit (previously +11%), +1-25 Hit Blinds Target (previously +33), +1-200% Enhanced Damage (previously +200%), +1-20% IAS (previously +20%), +1-50% to All Resistances (previously +65%), +1-2 to All Skills (previously +2), and +1-20% FHR (previously +20%).
  • Strength provides +1-30% Enhanced Damage (previously +35%), +1-20 to Strength, +1-10 to Vitality (previously +10), and +1-20% Chance of Crushing Blow (previously +25%).
  • Unbending Will rolls +1-3 to Combat Skills (previously +3), 3% Chance to Cast Level 10 Taunt (previously 18% Chance of Level 18), +1-30% IAS (previously +20-30%), +1-300% Enhanced Damage (previously +300-350%), +1-8 Reduced Damage (previously +8), and +1-9% Life Stolen Per Hit (previously +8-10%).
  • Venom now rolls +1-6% Mana Stolen per Hit (previously +7%).
  • Wind provides +1-150% Enhanced Damage (previously +120-160%), +1-30% IAS (previously +40%), +1-20% FRW (previously +20%), -(1-50)% Target Defense (previously -50%), 2% Chance to Cast Level 9 Tornado On Striking (previously 10%), and +1-15% FHR (previously +15%).
  • Wisdom now provides +1-30% Piercing Attack (previously +33%), +1-6% Mana Stolen per Hit (previously +4-8%), +1-25% AR (previously +25%), +1-5 Mana After Each Kill (previously +5), and +1-10 to Energy (previously +10).
  • Wrath rolls +75-350% Damage to Demons (previously +375%), +1-300% Damage to Undead (previously +300%), Adds 1-240 Lightning Damage (previously 41-240), Adds 1-120 Magic Damage (previously 85-120), 1% Chance to Cast Level 5 Life Tap On Striking (previously 5% Chance of Level 10), and 6% Chance to Cast Level 1 Decrepify On Striking (previously 30%).
  • Zephyr now rolls +1-20% FRW (previously +25%), +1-20% IAS (previously +25%), +1-30% Enhanced Damage (previously +33%), +1-66 AR (previously +66), 2% Chance to Cast Level 1 Twister When Struck (previously 7%), +1-25 Defense (previously +25).




With the removal of all previous Cube Recipes, a new way of crafting items has been introduced in Diablo II: Merciless. Along your character's journey you will now come across Obols, a new type of Currency item.

Obols were coins that had once been placed on ancient fallen bandit lords by their comrades, so their leaders could bribe the Boatman for safe passage in the afterlife. These coins seem to have been stolen from their resting places by the demons roaming the lands, and can now be found by those brave enough to slay their sergeants and lieutenants. Apparently, some of these Obols have made it into Hell with their owners and have been brought back to the surface, cursed with the very quintessence of the bandits' crimes…

Obols can be transmogrified with items to imbue them with magical properties. They can only be applied on non-Ethereal, non-socketed Normal or Superior equipment.

Each Obol has up to five tiers of rarity, with greater tiers granting more powerful results. The highest tiers are very rare, but can yield truly awesome items. It will be up to the more adventurous players to discover the full extent of the properties—and power—they can offer:

  • Debased Obol: this obol has been extremely degraded, to the point it has lost almost all of its innate power, grievously hampering any crafting attempts.
  • Clipped Obol: the mint on this coin has been sullied severely, smothering the full potential of its craft.
  • Obol: although largely well-preserved, this obol has been shaved and shows moderate signs of tarnish, limiting the thaumaturgical energy it can imbue onto an item.
  • Unshaved Obol: though the coin presents little adulteration, its imperfections will prevent it from reaching its true promise.
  • Immaculate Obol: the obol is intact, the curse's hold undiminished. A truly awesome artefact, teeming with possibility.



  • The Stash has been expanded +44% to size 12×12 (previously 10x10).
  • Equipment tiers have been labeled: they now read as Normal, -Exceptional-, and =Elite= items. This nomenclature was inspired by traditional Roguelike item quality labels in an effort to make loot more readable without altering much of the original look.
  • Crafting Currency items are labeled with a light-gold tint.
  • Zones display their Area Levels.
  • Tomes now stack to 40 Scrolls, and Keys to 20.
  • All characters now start with 1-2 Mana Potions (depending on class), and 3 ID Scrolls.
  • Potion tooltips have been updated to display their effects and durations.
  • Minor and Normal Health/Mana Potions have had their inventory images horizontally mirrored for slightly easier readability.
  • Terrorized Zones now play the Area's respective soundtrack.
  • Fulminating/Exploding/Oil and Strangling/Choking/Rancid Gas Potions now stack to 50 and have been renamed to Decoctions to distinguish them from normal Potion labels.
  • The Exploding and Choking Gas Decoctions' inventory sprites have been slightly altered to avoid confusion with the new Elixirs.
  • Tokens of Absolution can now be purchased from Akara.
  • Potion Vendors sell colored Elixirs.
  • Gold can no longer be dropped or deposited in the Stash. This change was made to prevent gambling abuse. As a side effect, it should also incentivize Softcore players to die less often.
  • An old acquaintance will now always drop a TP Scroll and some Gold to aid your struggling early finances.
  • Throwing Weapons innately replenish quantity very, very slowly. This is to diminish their repair cost to 1 Gold.
  • Repair costs have been halved.







 
Merciless' Modder's Cut is an optional version of the mod with severe limitations, pushing players into making harder choices with their items, and where progress from other characters grants no advantage whatsoever on a fresh new run. You can think of it as the "true SSF" version of the mod, where additional limitations and constraints are meant to enhance the game's experience.

The changes introduced relative to the normal mode are as follows:
 
  • You only have one single 15×15 Stash tab.
  • You cannot share items between characters.
  • Recipes of Desaturation have been disabled.
  • You cannot purchase Tokens of Absolution.
  • You cannot unsocket Jewels, Gems and Runes from socketed items.
  • Larzuk's Quest and Reward have been restored. Choose what items to socket carefully.
  • Potion Vendors do not sell colored Elixirs. Instead, they sell Blank Elixirs which you must saturate or desaturate with the appropriate Dust color.
  • You will lose all experience progress towards the next level on character death.
  • A unique HUD for bragging rights.
Roguelike-type games really come alive when your character starts fresh without any accumulated advantage, making every run feel unique, every drop rewarding, and the fear of death and losing your character's progress lurks around every corner. You'll be forced into leaving items behind (or grind them into dust), have fewer resources, make permanent, game-lasting choices, deal with the ever-present threat of character death, and each run will require you to build your character from the ground up. If you don't like the sound of it, then it's probably best you play the normal version of the mod.

The Modder's Cut Edition is not for everyone. It's an entirely optional experience made available to the more hardcore players of the genre who enjoy the extra challenge and thrive under hostile gaming environments. Though sharing items between characters is a both satisfying and fun resource, it ultimately defeats the purpose of starting fresh new characters. It's a feature that also introduces the possibility of farming gear with "better", "more optimal" classes, instead of experiencing every run as an isolated challenge to surmount.

My personal recommendation is to first play the normal mod and enjoy it to its fullest. Once you feel you've mastered the new item environment, want monsters to be a bit punchier, and you'd like a more traditional Roguelike feel out of Diablo II, the Modder's Cut Edition will be waiting.



  • Runewords will no longer be your main source of power and defense. You will now have to equip a suitable mix of Magic, Rare, Unique, Set, and Socketed items.
  • Be careful what you identify early on. Spend your first ID Scrolls on usable, potentially powerful gear for your class. Gold will be competing for a lot of resources at the start.
  • Your first few items will be very important: they will grant Life, Mana, useful auxiliary stats, and—most importantly—damage to kill enemies faster than they can kill you.
  • If you find yourself constantly short on Gold and Potions at the start, remember some of their best early sources are Champion packs and "Sparkly" Chests. Usually-ignored side dungeons can provide both if you're in a pinch.
  • Do not skip Unique mobs as they're now your main source of Magic items. You'll have to choose wisely which group to engage with, though, particularly on HC, since your defenses will probably be lower than before.
  • Progress through the game as far as you can without getting fixated on a gear roadmap. Make do with whatever drops. It might be a while before you get your hands on relevant Uniques, godly Rares, and decent bases with the correct number of sockets and appropriate Runes. Even then, Runeword results will vary wildly.
  • Magic and Rare Armors will now be your main source of higher defenses. Keep an eye out for Jewels as well, and patch your holes up with Gems and Runes.
  • If good Magic or Rare heavy Armor drops with good modifiers, it's definitely not a bad idea to spend enough points in Strength to wear them.
  • Avoid getting stuck on a "perfection" mentality: obsessively farming the ultimate 4-socket Superior Ethereal Thresher or Partizan will only lead to disappointment. You'll have to make do—and perfectly can—with less-than-optimal gear.
  • Grind Terror Zones for items and currency! They have the next difficulty's drop treasure classes without the resistance penalties and higher monster resistances.
  • Don't dwell on what has been disabled, no longer works, or is not as powerful as before. Instead, concentrate on the new opportunities and strategies that've opened up.
  • Get used to the idea of starting your Nightmare journey with one or two Resistances in the red. Keep away from Unique packs rolling extra damage on them, and be proactive in working to cap them out: slowly, but surely, replace your gear with higher affix tiers as soon as they start dropping.
  • Once you've accumulated enough gold, don't forget to pay Gheed a visit to gamble for a bit.
  • If very powerful, build-defining Sets or Uniques drop for a class that you're not currently playing, it may not be a bad idea to reroll into a new character. You will be able to progress faster into the endgame in the long run, particularly if you've been saving some leveling gear on the side and have some speedrunning skill.
  • Watch out for poison...
  • Don't be afraid to experiment: traditionally powerful archetypes that were enabled due to accessible Runes and Runewords are now much weaker and slower to progress with. On the other hand, some builds that may not be the most optimal for endgame are quite efficient mid-game farmers usable to accumulate gear and Currency for other characters. Don't miss out on the perfect opportunity to try them out!
  • Don't stick to the tried-and-true: there's a plethora of new builds waiting to be found, as well as some old ones with a fresh coat of paint.
  • Finally, don't forget that it's a game, and you're meant to be having fun. If you're playing the Modder's Cut Edition of the mod, part of its fun lies in the challenge, so if you're not enjoying the challenge, then there is no shame in returning to the normal mod—or is there...?
  • Good luck!



Spoiler:  
Show
Q: Why did you create this mod?
A: I made this mod for myself. I play it obsessively, and almost exclusively. Vanilla Diablo II no longer holds much challenge or appeal to me as I constantly find myself doing the same strategies without variation because the game has lost a lot of its randomness.
This mod came into being after I had recently tried out Path of Exile's Ruthless mode, which I found a bit too barren, and with barely any item interaction happening. Though the mode is still interesting, I think of it more as a thought experiment than something to be played regularly. Personally, it sparked a lot of introspective questions about item acquisition, and why I'm so fond of ARPGs in general: I find these games are much more enjoyable when I "luck" myself into power, as opposed to achieving it fully or semi-deterministically; and it's in trying to discover the most optimal ways to "enhance" that luck that this genre really shines for me. I find that, paradoxically, once we've set out the most optimal paths to power and follow them stoically, a lot of the fun and challenge is lost.
D2 has been that way for a while. It conjured a perfect storm against that enjoyment in the form of deterministic Rune farming (Countess/LK) and cheap, powerful Runewords. I still think we players don't understand enough how incredibly overpowered and abusive that combination is, to the detriment of an otherwise fascinating item-hunting game.
As for the mod itself, once the sum of changes warranted it, I decided to release it, simply because I thought it might appeal to others who feel the same way, or maybe there's just some who want to revisit a 20-year-old game in a more novel item environment.
In the end, the combination of Path of Exile's style of orb crafting with D2's itemization and gameplay proved too damn fun not to share.

Q: If I wanted Rares and Magics to be interesting again, what's the point of not simply playing Classic?
A: Classic has a lot of problems: vendor rerolling is still a thing, the classic Cube recipes are very limited (and just plain wrong, in my opinion), Uniques are very mediocre, the stash is minuscule, items are too static, and Rares and Magics' affixes are still in a bad spot. I also happen to like Ethereal items, the Druid, the Assassin, Jewels, and yes, even Runes and Runewords.
I believe that Lord of Destruction was an amazing expansion that shipped with a couple of flaws due to the genre being at its inception. It is unfortunate these flaws ultimately proved fatal to the game's longevity, more due to them having been born out of the sheer maelstrom of creativity that was Blizzard North than a lack of foresight.
This mod attempts to bridge the gap between Classic Diablo II and its expansion with the addition of crafting Currency that allows you to manipulate items more often, focusing player power growth on Rare and Magic items, which keep progression sufficiently random, and thus fun. Also, Runewords are still very much a thing in Merciless—just less deterministic.

Q: Is this mod playable on Hardcore?
A: Yes, but I recommend a couple of playthroughs on Softcore to get a sense of progression and danger in the mod. Most of the changes in Merciless were made with Hardcore in mind, because if it'll work there, it'll also work on Softcore. I personally think these types of games really come alive when played on HC, and the danger of character death is an ever-present fear, but… it's also on SC where some of the most fun, experimental stuff can happen.

Q: Can I play Merciless in Legacy mode?
A: Don't.

Q: I'm going to play your mod on Players 2-8, and you can't stop me!
A: You're free to play on whatever settings you want, but keep in mind this mod was created with the idea of returning D2 to a fairer progression system where character power is more in line with the content they're facing until they get their breakthrough items. The '/players' command not only severely distorts the game's progression, but also its "feel", as enemies become tougher and grant more items and experience than what you "sense" they should. There's also really not much of a reason in playing a mod that intends to curb D2's age-old exploits and abuses—by still using every single exploit and abuse that couldn't be patched out due to limitations.

Q: I'm going to do Lower Kurast runs on Players 7-8 and fixed map layouts, and you can't stop me!
A: Well, go ahead. The point above still stands.

Q: But the game allows you to change the 'players' variable: it's a legitimate option, not a cheat!
A: Yes. And that option was a mistake, in my opinion.

Q: What were the driving thoughts behind the Runeword changes and their redesign?
A: Runewords were too deterministic and powerful, to the point they eclipsed every single drop that wasn't a Rune. They were also too universal, as the affixes they provided were useful to a wide range of builds, which meant that you could extract power out of them on every single run, with every single character. By making them yield more erratic results, both problems were tackled at the same time. They now contrast with Uniques, which drop unpredictably but deterministically provide power, versus Runes which drop much more consistently, but create power unpredictably. As a side effect, owning a well-rolled Runeword should now be a point of immense pride, and make for great wildcard items to pass on to other characters.

Q: Why can Jewelry only be manipulated by Diamonds?
A: Amulets and Rings do not compete for body slots, and are mainly used for Resistances and powerful auxiliary stats (eg., AR, FCR, Leech). These affixes are very strong both offensively and defensively, and useful to a wide variety of characters. As such their availability needs to be lower to reflect their power and slot flexibility. Jewels are wildcards that offer good auxiliary mods with no gear slot pressure whatsoever, demanding only open sockets.
Charms were double scary, and were a chapter apart from all other items in the game, which is why they were removed. They a) reduced your inventory, which I find really, really bothersome (but kind of worked in the context of D2), and b) don't compete for body slots… nor sockets. Very spooky items.

Q: What about Belts?
A: Belts are considered Armor in Diablo II.

Q: Why do Currency Gems have separate item types?
A: Initially, all Currency Gems could be applied on any item type, which I found made them too universal, and thus way too powerful. I wanted to keep them plentiful, since if I lowered their drop rate I'd be entering Ruthless territory—which I wanted to avoid—, so the solution I found was to make them cater to specific item types, which specializes their usage without reducing the amount of Currency you find, and bottleneck possible abuse.
The logic behind their segmentation is that all of them should be useful to every character, but certain archetypes will be continually running short for the one that provides their most powerful upgrades:

  • Rubies upgrade Melee Weapons and Shields, which are both very useful for warrior-types, so they'll have to pick whether they want more damage from their Weapons or defense from their Shields at a given stage of the game. It also means that Two-Handed Weapons have double the amount of currency to reroll them since they don't use Shields. Non-melee characters are free to upgrade their Shields as they please.
  • Emeralds upgrade Ranged Weapons and Boots: ranged builds usually require movement speed to quickly get out of danger's reach, thus meaning these characters will have some tough decisions ahead with how to employ their currency. Non-ranged characters can upgrade their Boots freely since they don't use Ranged Weaponry, and casters have typically very low health, balancing out.
  • Sapphires upgrade Caster Weapons and Helms, starving casters of their coveted '+To All Skills' affix. Non-caster classes will be able to manipulate Helms as they please given they have little use for Wands, Orbs and the like.
  • Topazes upgrade Body Armors, which are universally useful to all classes and provide your main source of defenses, and thus were made not to compete with other item types to allow more flexibility on this important slot.
  • Amethysts can be applied on the remaining auxiliary Armor, Gloves and Belts. Out of the two, Belts are generally more useful for all classes.
  • Diamonds were chosen to be useable on any item type because they deterministically provide the useful '#%to All Elemental Resists' and Physical Damage, and thus should compete for rerolling powerful Jewelry along with any other much-needed upgrades on your character.
  • Skulls—which have lower drop rates than the rest of the Gems—, provide the more specialized "Shattering" and "Royalty" crafts on their rerolling versions, and universal upgrades on their Transformation and Arcane versions.
Q: What's the deal with Gem and Bone Dust?
A: Dusts were very late additions to the mod, in an effort to make "failed" identified items or crafts still serve some purpose and keep players interested in identifying stuff off the ground, and make Magic items remain useful in the later stages game.
Initially, there were shards for all Currency tiers (4 in total) which you could get by transmuting raw items into the Cube, however, I immediately found that the game's 'itemscape' was becoming too splintered, and I was introducing an even larger problem: inflation. Bad ID's are a natural item sink, and when you generate ways for them to sell for hard Currency, you're basically "printing" more of it into the game.
At the end of the day, the problem that at a certain point of your journey you wouldn't be getting enough of a certain Gem type still remained, so instead of having items generate more Currency, I opted for them simply allowing you to swap the colors of other Gems, forcing you into making some hard choices such as selling Sets or Uniques, while still needing to hunt down for drops relevant to your character and resource situation.

Q: Why are Currency Gems (or Dust) not purchasable?
A: They depreciate the value of them as drops. Moreover, they would compete with Gold for gambling, which is its intended main usage.

Q: Why is the Shattering craft so much rarer than Alternation?
A: Shattering Skulls devalue Normal base drops.

Q: Why is the Royal Skull a separate craft, and why is it so rare?
A: To keep with tradition. But mainly to combat abuse in upgrading certain item types due to how D2 itemization works. I also liked the name: it has a good ring to it, and fits the sprite. "Entropy Skull" was definitely awesome too, though.

Q: Where are my Augments and Exalts?
A: While they're my favorite crafting orbs in Path of Exile, they were impossible to recreate faithfully in D2 Resurrected's modding context.

Q: Why do items sell only for 1 Gold? They should at least sell for a bit more to make early purchases easier!
A: Items selling for 1 Gold really drives home the idea that a) items are no longer a source of Gold, b) you now have to do some early resource micro-management and make more interesting decisions at the start, c) raw Gold drops are now relevant in value, and d) it "clicks" with the rest of the mod's changes. Realistically, your early-game shopping woes should dissipate almost completely after the first few zones (~30 minutes of gameplay)—and it's not like there's a whole lot of shopping action left, anyway. I also enjoy the idea of previously forgotten side-areas being explored to desperately scrounge for Potions and other early resources (ie., they at last serve some purpose now).
Does this mean people have to play an actual game where they need to come up with solutions to fix their resource situation? Yes. Crazy stuff.

Q: I hate how Teleport feels, the Sorceress is useless.
A: Adding casting delays to some of the skills was the hardest decision I took in this mod given their popularity, and my strong personal dislike of cooldowns, but one I'm ultimately glad I made because of how completely disruptive spammable blink/stun-lock skills are to the game's normal flow and gameplay.
Also, the Sorceress is not useless, in fact she's still incredibly strong, it's just it's been so many years of using Teleport as a farming skill that, sadly, it became the most iconic feature of the class.
On a personal note, I never really enjoyed the Sorceress, and used her mainly to farm gear for my other characters, but now that she's a lot less ridiculous to play (and have to actually engage with mobs) I'm rediscovering her, and she's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

Q: The Hammerdin is dead.
A: The Hammerdin is still very strong, just not ridiculously overpowered. He's only been degraded into actually requiring gear now.

Q: Two-Handed Melee Weapons are broken.
A: I wouldn't go as far as "broken", but I do agree Melee area damage introduces quite a few balancing issues. However, it's a fun new toy to play around with for a while, and it's not like Two-Handed Melee builds were anywhere near the spotlight previously.

Q: Why didn't you remove immunities?
A: Immunities are deeply ingrained in D2's balance. Their reason of being is so your character can't invest all its points into a single skill and synergies, and blast through the entire game without opposition nor having to care about gear. They require you to diversify your damage and search for items that grant '+To Skills' to increase your power, instead of just "freely" investing into synergies.
I personally dislike immunities since they mainly incentivize area skipping, and are not particularly interactive, but you can't remove them without throwing the entire balance of the game into disarray.
While I do not mind having to skip a couple of immune Uniques, when they affect entire zones of the game they just make for a very jarring experience.
Sundering Elixirs were introduced as a method to combat immunities before Sundering Charms become available, and they work well in D2's context of intense inventory management. They're a nostalgic throwback at traditional Roguelike consumables in that they're a strong, limited boost intended to be used at specific situations. For now, they can help you power through some of the worst offenders. Keep an eye out for resources associated to your damage type.

Q: I'm a 50-year-old gamer dad with forty kids, thirty wives to please, and twenty jobs. As such, I no longer have time to grind; farming build-enabling Rares and Uniques is both shameful and degrading. As a Diablo II veteran who can only have fun in the endgame and needs to get there fast, this mod is absolutely disrespectful of my time, so you should immediately revert the Rune and Runeword changes.
A: No.

Q: Can you add more Runeword Recipes and crafting?
A: I'm more partial to the idea of having a few basic, cornerstone crafts that require you finding good bases to be used, and that remain relevant throughout the whole game.
When crafting gets too involved, I find that a) it diverts attention from the game into third-party tools and websites (ie., you're not gaming), b) it depreciates the value of lucking into raw, less-overworked items, and c) guaranteed affixes are extremely powerful, to the point they can overshadow all drops except crafting Currency, which is incredibly damaging to an ARPG's itemscape.
That said, I'm not entirely against the idea of crafting as long as they have an RNG element, which is why Runebinding and Obols were introduced, and Runewords were made more unpredictable.

Q: What about 3-to-1 Recipes?
A: 3-to-1'ning, while initially an appealing item sink, presents two major problems: first, they depreciate the value of the higher-rank items dropping, and second, they do not require a base item, and thus present no dilemma of choice whatsoever ("should I use this limited resource on this item or the other?"). They also enable semi-deterministic—and frankly mind-numbing—farming abuse (eg., Lower Kurast P7 runs to Cube up to Jah's).
Moreover, the predicament of whether you should "waste" three lesser resources to upgrade into a higher one is actually an illusion because they are, by definition, a sunk cost: they're bad drops that already "happened", and don't serve any purpose in your current resource situation. In fact, they're a sunk cost you can precisely mitigate by 3-to-1'ning. As such, I find these Recipes more derivative and uninteresting than anything else.

Q: Can you at least allow cubing Set and Unique gear into higher Exceptional and Elite Bases?
A: This is a feature that will probably be added in the future.

Q: Not hitting the right affixes on Runewords is severely demoralizing. The thought and possibility of bricking an Enigma and wasting high Runes is way too oppressive…
A: Runewords are now more of a checkpoint: if you've got the Runes and the sockets, you gamble for a Runeword. If you manage to get good rolls on it, you're now one step ahead of the power curve, and can advance to harder content. Otherwise, the item hunt continues until you either get a good Rare or Unique, or the Runes and base to attempt the craft again.
Keep in mind that Enigma (and other High Rune-hungry Runewords) is a very late endgame craft that serves more as a flex item than anything else: it doesn't enable any interesting builds, and is mostly used as an area-skipping tool.

Q: With the rebalance of late Runewords and their drop in power, what is now the point of D2's endgame?
A: Merciless is a different experience from vanilla D2, and no longer Runeword-centric. New endgame currency has been introduced that allows you to craft Rares that were previously statistically almost impossible. Also, endgame Runewords still exist: though some may think that they're now a wild goose chase, the reality is that they're as powerful as before when rolled correctly.
In fact, it could be argued that there's never been more of an endgame grind than now, since obtaining perfect or near-perfect Rares, Runewords and Socketables are quests in and of themselves. It's just the perspective of how relatively easy Runewords were to acquire in the normal game that skews their perception in the mod, but sight must not be lost that normal D2 operates on an entirely different power growth curve, and a lucky, well-crafted Runeword in the mod can sometimes be more powerful than in Vanilla, relatively speaking.

Q: Smiters lost a lot of relative power with the removal of certain crafts; some vital affixes and thresholds are now much harder to hit, or even obtain.
A: Many builds lost a lot of deterministic power, so Paladins are not grieving alone. You'll have to build your Smiters slightly differently—or not at all. Focus instead on what possibilities open up when certain key Rares and Uniques drop, rather than on getting perfect items for your current character.

Q: Now that Charms are gone, why didn't you just double (or triple) the inventory size?
A: Because it didn't feel nor look right, and I wanted to keep inventory management alive. Just not at Tetris levels.






Design
1eyedking



Cover Art & Sprites
Snordix

Beta Testing
packito





Discord


YouTube
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