With Lilith finally making a move to reclaim Sanctuary in Diablo 4, fans of the Diablo franchise may be interested in replaying all the Diablo games to get their ARPG fix. And while the original Diablo game introduced fan-favorite mechanics such as procedurally-generated environments and real-time combat, it’s Diablo 2 that added features that became the basis of the modern ARPG genre.
With Diablo 2 evolving into the Diablo 2: Resurrected remake in recent years, fans of the franchise may be excited to relive their journey against the three Prime Evils with updated graphics and gameplay. However, for fans looking for a more challenging Diablo 2 experience, just what are some hard challenges that can truly test a player’s expertise?
10 No Stat Boosts
One Challenge Run idea proposed by GameFAQs user DigitalBlizzNX is the idea of No Stat Boosts. According to their post, they aim on checking how far their character could get under the following Diablo 2 gameplay conditions: Hardcore, Players 8, Barbarian. As per their explanation, despite the temptation to use an Amazon, the Barbarian seems a more practical class to use as their close-combat expertise can bypass some of the biggest tactical roadblocks in the game: Poisons (Andariel), Holy Freeze (Duriel), and fast movement (Diablo). While DigitalBlizzNX hasn’t made any updates about their attempt, insights from other commenters may make this Challenge Run worth the shot.
According to other users and OP themselves, the lack of stat boosts means not having enough stats to wield higher-level weapons, meaning Mercenaries can hit for much higher DPS. For this run, others suggest using alternate weapons to bypass boredom, as well as using a Mace to benefit from the 50% damage bonus against Undead, especially in Act 2. Players may also want to stock up on Perfect Topazes as well as Ral and Tal Runes for benefits in the early game. Likewise, others state this build at best could clear the game on Normal, but may not be able to survive Nightmare.
9 No Skills
Players enjoying their Diablo 2 gameplay who want an extra layer of difficulty for a Challenge Run may want to consider No Skills. At its core, this involves leveling up in a Diablo 2 playthrough normally, except no skills are used even in boss fights. As demonstrated by Reddit user u/RadTang, his Barbarian managed to finish Normal and progressed through a bit of Nightmare but with increasing difficulty due to the inherent limitations of the build.
In a separate Reddit post, u/RadTang does this on v1.00 and observes the difficulty in acquiring Rare loot as well as the uselessness of certain item sets due to the lack of the Skills they boost. Players who want to try this Challenge Run may want to do this the same way (with a Barbarian) or try another Class.
8 Gambling Only
Despite the Diablo 2 world of Sanctuary being the battleground of the fight between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, trade and commerce have become popular during the influx of adventurers who want to fight the forces of the Nine Hells. In Diablo 2 gameplay, Sanctuary’s prosperous trading scene comes in the form of the Gambling mechanic. Unlike regular vendors, Gambling will have traders sell a seemingly-normal item at a markup. When purchased, these things have a chance of becoming higher-rarity items in the player’s inventory.
Due to how expensive some of these items can become, Gambling isn’t always the ideal option for players to take. However, for the Gambling Only Challenge Run, this becomes a necessity. At its core, players are only allowed to use items they’ve purchased from Gambling Traders and aren’t allowed to equip items they’ve picked up as loot.
7 OnlyRares
Similar to other items in other CRPGs, Diablo 2 gameplay introduces players to their fair share of various weapons, equipment, and trinkets throughout the entire experience. On top of mediocre Normal equipment, players can eventually get more efficient Magic items, more powerful Rare items, and Set items that could lead to extremely powerful equipment groups. Players usually snag Magic items early in the game, with Rare items being godsends should they arrive even in Act 1.
However, players who want a unique Challenge Run may want to consider OnlyRares. As the name suggests, they need to create a character that can only use Rare items, even at the beginning of the game. This means players have to punch their way past opponents until their first Rares drop, which could exponentially grow their character.
6 Inventory Only
At its core, all items in the Diablo 2 experience occupy a certain number of boxes that need to be fit in the limited grid space of the Inventory. This is why the game often needs players to “expand” space by purchasing belts that fit more items such as potions. Ordinarily, the existence of the player Stash in towns can make storing items for later play much easier. However, a Challenge Run involving Inventory Only can present quite a conundrum for hardcore players.
At its core, the Inventory Only challenge forces players to only use the default Inventory as their core inventory space. This forces players to be mindful of what items they need at all times and which items to keep, especially in terms of equipment. Players may encounter moments where they might have to trade a few Potions or Charms on the off-chance of fitting an item they can only use in a few levels - a decision that may have consequences in the long run.
5 The Fendazon Run
Bugs can be quite the annoying element in any Diablo 2 gameplay, especially when they happen with otherwise potent Class skills. However, the Fendazon Run encourages this risk element with the eponymous Fendazon build. This Challenge Run capitalizes on the Fendazon, an Amazon spec that prioritizes the rapid-striking Fend Skill. This also synergizes well with the Valkyrie Skill that summons a powerful guardian with massive health and almost has all the same stats as the Amazon.
However, this is where the bug comes in, as interrupting the Amazon’s Fend at any moment will force all other attacks to miss and lock it in place temporarily. This can get extremely lethal in the wrong circumstances. When doing a Fendazon Run, players need to be mindful of not just what Skills to get but also of their overall movement and placement, to the point where there’s a debate whether the Valkyrie Skill, arguably one of the best minions in the game, is worth triggering the Fendazon bug.
4 Level 99 Hardcore
Players who are enjoying their gameplay of both Diablo 2 and the Diablo 2: Resurrected remake may notice that their characters can only reach up to Level 99 throughout their entire playthrough. This is a limitation shared across all difficulties in both games. However, Diablo 2: Resurrected ups the ante further with Normal and Hardcore Modes. Playing on Normal is the standard experience, where death just brings players back to town and they can get the opportunity to retrieve their items from their corpses.
Hardcore is where things get intense, as characters are practically “mortal.” That is, dying means losing not just the player’s current inventory but the character as well. This perma-death mode adds a layer of intensity to a player’s experience, and reaching Level 99 Hardcore is a coveted achievement that only a handful of players have accomplished in Resurrected. Players who want to replicate this experience in standard D2 could simply reset the run whenever their character dies.
3 Sept Run
Unlike other CRPGs, it’s perhaps the Diablo franchise that popularized the idea of repetitive gameplay through randomized encounters and increasingly-difficult settings. In Diablo 2 gameplay, players can proceed to play the game under the usual Normal Mode, upgrading to Nightmare Mode, and venturing into Hell Mode for ridiculously-challenging encounters. For Diablo 2 vets, playing on Hell Mode is the most satisfying setup to ensure maximized builds.
However, for players who want to take this difficulty up a notch, they might want to consider doing a Sept Run. In this Challenge Run, players need to be able to finish the entirety of Diablo 2 by defeating Baal on Hell Mode. Not only that, they need to do this seven times, one with each of the Classes. Players can further modify the Sept Run to accommodate certain builds per Diablo 2 Class.
2 Holy Grail Run
The randomized nature of Diablo 2 in both dungeons and drops can make hunting for items quite an alluring (or frustrating) element in a player’s gameplay. However, players who aim to be hardcore collectionists can integrate finding items into their overall Diablo 2 Challenge Run.
Called the Holy Grail Run, this challenge involves players finding every unique item and class set in the entire game. This can be quite a long endeavor considering the number of items needed to fulfill this Challenge Run. And considering the limited space of a Diablo 2 stash, players who do the Holy Grail Run often just need to have the item dropped by an enemy for them to cross it off the list.
1 Get Personal, Reroll Rules
Fans of Diablo 2 gameplay who want to add spice to their Challenge Runs may want to consider personal spins to their encounters. Thanks to u/Shoedclass of Reddit, players can create randomized D2 challenges via the Diablo 2 Challenge Runs website. After adding names of their group and their character details, players get a Challenge Run as well as a Session Key they can input should they want to pause in between Sessions.
While more or less a random challenge “generator,” this website is unique in that it splits the Challenge Run across 15 Phases, with each completed Act earning the team 10 Tokens they can use to reroll rules. Unlike usual Challenge Runs, this added rules flexibility can make the session more entertaining for teams of players.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.