Modding Diablo 2

This is just a short list of mods that I recommend for Diablo II.

   P l u g Y   

PlugY adds an "infinite" stash, shareable between characters. This is valuable for those who like experimentation, or want to twink-out new characters for easy progression in another game. It also includes extra stat screens, telling you what your magic find is and the like.

   G l i d e  W r a p p e r   

GLIDE3-to-OpenGL-Wrapper can possibly fix framerate issues for those with slowdown in full-screen mode. It also looks superior to D3D and DirectDraw.

You can also play D2 in windowed mode with GW (add -w -3dfx shortcut switches). This is the only way to have gamma setting and perspective effects in windowed mode, AFAIK. It can also fix framerate issues if you have them (as can using DirectDraw).

   D 2 M u l t i R e s   

D2MultiRes isn't compatible with Glide Wrapper but lets you play at 1080p. I don't use it, preferring display driver hardware scaling to maintain letterbox aspect ratio on widescreens. The problem is that it makes the game easier, as you can see distant enemies and attack with ranged/spells from far away.

   M e d i a n  X L :  U l t i m a t i v e   

Median XL: Ultimative pushes D2 concepts and the engine to the limit (including the sprite limit), I have reviewed it here.

   E a s t e r n  S u n   

This is a polished mod, but isn't as actively maintained as MXL. But if you're after a prudent evolution on D2 rather than the all-out extremes/experimentations of MXL, then choose Eastern Sun. Wiki is here. I intend to review this at a later date.

   Back to Hellfire   

You need to downgrade to version 1.10 for this mod, and Back to Hellfire unfortunately only runs properly on Windows XP. You can play on W7/8 but only if you apply -ns switch to your shortcut (ie, no sound). If you want sound on W7/8 then you need Sandboxie, Virtual Box or similar.

Links to Diablo 2 Patches are found on the PlugY page.

See also: Reflections on Diablo II and Median XL: Ultimative.