Product description
-------------------
Diablo 2 Expansion Lord of Destruction - Mac
.com
----
In the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction expansion for Diablo II,
you will return to follow the path of Baal, the last of the Prime
Evils, into the Barbarian Highlands of the north. Traveling with
hordes of demonic minions, Baal intends to corrupt the powerful
Worldstone, which protects the whole of the mortal plane from the
forces of hell.
You will face a new series of quests and challenges to prevent
the vile minions of the underworld from destroying the world of
Sanctuary.
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction requires the full version of
Diablo II. Players will be treated to an all-new, full-size act
set in the Barbarian Highlands. Other features include new
monsters, two new character classes (Assassin and Druid), a
larger stash, new Horadric Cube recipes, support for
higher-resolution graphics, and thousands of new magical items.
P.when('A').execute(function(A) {
A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse',
function(data) {
window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100);
});
});
Review
------
Diablo II was one of those games that any editors who didn't
like it didn't really say anything out loud, for fear they would
be dreadfully out of step with the other editors and the legion
of readers who adored the game. Those hypothetical editors would
simply smile and say something like "man, those cutscenes sure
did kick ass."
Early next year, Blizzard will be giving readers more of the good
stuff with an expansion for Diablo II that features two new
characters, a new act and a quiver full of new items and sets.
For a more in-depth look at the thinking behind the game, be sure
to check out our recent interview, but the guys at Blizzard
recently stopped by to show us how the new pack will actually
play.
The fifth act will be a natural extension of the previous four
from Diablo II. As players found out from the final cinematic in
the game, Diablo's brother Baal has gotten his hands on his own
Soulstone again and crept off to the barbarian highlands. It's up
to the player, therefore, to follow Baal and prevent him from
getting his claws on the Worldstone, the gem that controls the
portal between Heaven and Hell.
The section of the barbarian highlands that we saw made it look
similar to some of the forest lands from Act I in Diablo, but
with six subquests in the chapter, there is room for more visual
variety. Some of the screens we've seen reveal icy areas and
frozen waterfalls. But by far the most remarkable thing about the
highlands is the epic war raging throughout. The highlands will
feel a lot more dangerous and active thanks to the raging
battles, and players will have some interesting new monsters like
the Overlord, Dragon Razor or reanimated hordes. There are also
siege weapons like catapults that pin down your player with death
from above -- but fortunately those weapons can be destroyed with
a few hearty blows.
Obviously, players will need to be pretty high level if they are
going to follow Baal into the fifth act. DII veterans can use
their characters from the single-player campaign, or they can
restart and play through the whole of DII again as one of the two
new characters -- the assassin or the druid. Both characters are
still being tweaked and balanced right now, but both have
interesting attacks that distinguish them from the five DII
regulars.
The druid is a shapeshifter and master of the elements that
combines magic and brute strength. In addition to transforming
into a bear or a wolf, the druid can summon the elements, like
ice blasts or even a volcano. We haven't had a chance to play
through the expansion yet, so we are not sure what the benefits
are of being a bear over, say, casting spells or using the old +1
shillelagh to crack some skulls.
The assassin can also cast some spells, but she has greater
hand-to-hand combat than any other character. When DII was
originally being designed, the team wanted more close combat, and
even include animations such as kicking. However, that idea
didn't make it into the final version, even though the kick
animation remains when players take a whack at a chest or tomb.
The assassin, though, marks a return to that thinking for the
team, as she is replete with all sorts of dangerous martial arts
moves with exotic names. But her most interesting technique is
the ability to set traps and kill from a distance. We've seen
some of them in action, such as fire spikes and shock field, but
we are unsure how the assassin will play. Kicking people in the
jaw is always a cool thing, but trying to cover the gap to a
spellcaster can be long and dangerous, and if too many of her
skills are indirect and passive, she may be a tough character to
play.
However, there will be plenty of items to help the assassin (and
others) on their quest to muzzle Baal once and for all. There
will be some new versions of the old items, such as gloves for
the or helms for the barbarian, as well as sets and unique stuff
for the new characters. There are even new Horadric Cube recipes
for the adventurous, although Blizzard is naturally tight-lipped
about what they are.
Part of the silence is due to the way Blizzard traditionally
develops its games. Rarely do the developers put together a
400-page game doc and work from that. Instead, they rely upon
their instincts as gamers to shape and balance a game as they go
along. Undoubtedly there will be last-minute changes to the
expansion pack, but we can expect the same manic attention to
detail, as well as two cool new cinematics from the Blizzard
experts. Look for the expansion pack to be residing on top of the
PC sales charts some time in spring. -- DailyRadar Review
See more ( javascript:void(0) )
- In this chapter, we find that Baal, one of Diablo's underlings, escaped your wrath originally, and is now terrorizing the world of Sanctuary.
- Travel thorugh the sinister and foreboding wilderness of Sanctuary, rendered beautifully.
- Meet with other characters and get them to join you on your quest -- no bribes are needed now, as you have a common cause - the end of Baal's tyranny.
- WIth your new allies you'll battle against 15 powerful new enemeies -- Imps, Blood lords, Frozen horrors, and more.
- Add to your abilities with 30 new skills.