The 1.13 release will in fact change more within the Diablo II community than many players expect. First off, i'd like to start by talking about some undocumented patch notes. The first of which, is a cool new Battle.net feature. The new patch added an option to change your Home Channel on Battle.net. That is, when you login to Battle.net, instead of going to your standard language specific channel, you will join the private channel of your choice. Follow the steps below to use this new feature:
Go to Start > Run > type regedit
Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Diablo II"
Right-click in the right-hand pane, select "New -> String". The name of the Key should be "Default Channel" The value is the channel name.
Something else I would like to note in regards to Battle.net is a possible change in The Chat Gem... As unbelievable as this may sound, while repeatedly clicking on the gem, I did not receive one of the normal responses, instead I received a blank line. This could mean one of two things:
They are messing with the Chat Gem and inadvertently added a blank line.
There is a response that is shown in black text, which matches the background.
Either way, it means that the Developers are looking to do something with it. Could this mean further development of the mystery in the coming days? As a result of this, could it further support a cameo in Diablo III? It has already made an appearance on the diablo3.com.
Next line of business, is the new Respec system. By completing the Den of Evil quest, you will receive a Stat/Skill respec in addition to Skill point, per difficulty. Already existing characters will receive a free Respec in the Hell difficulty, as noted in the 1.13 patch notes.
Furthermore, we now see the addition of the five new items and a new cube recipe. We now have the following items, which will completely revolutionize the current Currency system on Battle.net.
The four Essence items are similar to the Uber Keys and the Token of Absolution is similar to an Organ. You can create a Token of Absolution by using the Horadric Cube to transmute one of each Essence item. The Token of Absolution now grants a Stat/Skill respec. This is a must-have for every user, you can use it for respecs in addition to the three granted from Akara. With that in mind, this will be a highly farmed item; I would like to compare it to the Hellfire Torch, Annihilus, and Gheed's Fortune charms, in saying that it will be added to those as "required" for every character.
The patch has also brought about some bug fixes, game play changes and class balances. The first bug fix includes a stop to duping. Hopefully this will help bring runes back to the state they were meant to be. Blizzard seems pretty confident that it will, by increasing the drop rate for most of their high runes. After taking a look at the new Diablo II game MPQs and comparing them to the 1.12 files, it looks like the Rune drops have started increasing at the Rune Treasure Class 12, which drops the Mal and Ist runes, going up to RuneTC17, which drops the Zod rune. The following are approximate increases in drop rate for each rune:
Also keep in mind, there are a total of 169 Runewords possible in the game, and as of 1.12, only 78 were being used. It's more than possible that 1.13 brought about more from the list. We will have to do more research in this, if anything is found, we'll keep you updated.
The future of leveling has also been changed, or rather, reverted. Players will no longer be able to use Uber Tristram to gain quick levels, Uber Mephisto's summons no longer grant experience to users. Players will now have to use old techniques; Chaosing and Baaling, to gain levels. Luckily, for players looking to do some Chaos runs, Iron Maiden was removed from the Oblivion Knight.
On a similar note, there have been quite a few balance changes to each class. The Amazon has received some buffs to her Immolation Arrow skill, which is good for all Ele Bowazon's. The Assassin's Shadow Master was slightly buffed and since most builds utilize the free minion, it will do some good for any Assassin player. The Barbarian's Masteries skills were all buffed and his Whirlwind skill now uses less mana. Unfortunately for the Paladin, his Blessed Hammer skill was nerfed slightly, though these will still remain to be one of the more popular classes within our community. The Werebear Druid skills have been buffed, I would expect to see more of these guys hanging around now as well. For Summoning Necromancer's, you received a few buffs in Blood Golem and some Poison and Bone Skills. Last, but certainly not least, is the Sorceress. She has received more changes than any of the other classes; all for the best. You'll be seeing some guides and information in regards to new 1.13 builds for each class in the near future. The first of which is the Hydra Sorc, by Seth.
Unfortunately, this patch did not bring about a few very popular suggestions nor did it fix quite a few major bugs, which the users made very clear in the Diablo II Test Realm Forums. A few worth noting:
Though, there are endless amounts of suggestions and improvements that can possibly be made to Diablo II in the coming years. Hopefully we will still see some further development to solve these bugs. Perhaps 1.13 was the start of a new beginning for D2. Only time may tell...
In addition to my analysis, maximusje has blogged about his experiences on 1.13. [/hr]
Also, anyone want the chance to win a brand new processor in preparation for Diablo 3's intense graphics? Check out the contest Curse is running here.
I don't personally think the Token of Absolution will "revolutionize" anything.
I'm still waiting for TPPK to be fixed (just introduce a mutual hostility requirement, ffs!), teleport to be removed from Enigma and hammerdins to be nerfed further.
I agree with you on the tokens...they wont revolutionize anything...but I cant understand why ppl want tele gone from nigma.....that would suck hard and make sorcs the only played class in a new ladder
I do believe the intended function of the Tokens was a one-use only type item. However, either way, it's still a must-have item for every single player out there. Whether they want one per character on their account or simply just one per account; there's lots of farming to be done in this regard.
Awesome post. Left out the 4:3 screen ratio change i think tho.. :thumbsup:
Thanks! I could have mentioned things like that, the video graphics bug resolved on Macs, and the other command line switches added... But I figured they were pretty self-explanatory and didn't need much analyzing, ^_^. Not to mention, they weren't really gameplay related imo.
Quote from "dunhac82" »
Nice summarization of the patch, it shows you are doing your best to keep things positive. Very interesting about the chat gem though, nice find!
Yeah, I just found this out today while I was writing this post, actually. Pretty interesting, I think; i'd like to do a little more research though.
Quote from "NonMagical" »
Remind me again why the Token will have ANY value? I can't conceive of why my character would need more than 3 respecs which I get for free.
I fail to see it in any revolutionary manner.
With the ability to respec at a whim, you could easily level one character per class and swap builds at any moment in time. Battle.net allows for 8 characters per Battle.net account, that means you have room for one of each character type and a mule. You can then play every possible build in the game without having to create secondary characters or accounts. Aside from that aspect of it; if you mess up your stats, you can respec! A lot of new players, or players who are just starting (whether it be starting new or starting new ladder), do not have the proper gear. Having easy respecs allows to character builds based on gear as well. Meaning, upgraded gear that calls for less stat points in Str/Dex would leave more points in Vit. With that in mind, you could respec and put the correct number of points into each Stat.
Also, I noticed maximusje blogged about 1.13 with his thoughts. I've added that into the OP.
Yea I gotta disagree with you the amulet is absolute garbage and I feel no character should own that piece of trash. Respec is only there for people who don't know how to play the game, and they are already given 3 chances. Noone that is good will carry that dumb amulet, let alone seek it out.
What about the barb drop glitch? Where is Blizzard on that one?
Next line of business, is the new Respec system. By completing the Den of Evil quest, you will receive a Stat/Skill respec in addition to the random Ring and Skill point, per difficulty. Already existing characters will receive a free Respec in the Hell difficulty, as noted in the 1.13 patch notes.
you don't get a ring for completing den.. you get it for saving cain (in addition to his identifying services).
also, i hate to rain on your parade, but i don't think clicking the chat gem resulted in that space there. i think that since it came directly after my text, i probably just had a few spaces after i spoke. that would result in a blank line.
then again if you're sure that it wasn't there after my text, you clicked the gem and it appeared. then your conclusions might be correct.
personally im very disappointed that there weren't more changes.
i also hate the implementation of even one skill respec. i think 3 is ridiculous and i think unlimited is game-breakingly bad.
however, i am glad for the removal of IM (it opens a lot of doors to hc melee play), and i'm glad for dupe fix and the hammerdin nerf.
i'm also hopeful that they might consider more changes based on the feedback.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
they'll never see me coming.. life is a sequence of tragedies, inconsistent only by fleeting, elusive moments of pleasure,
serving only to ensure absolute vulnerability to the pain of their inevitable absence.
I have yet to even find one essence (despite playing exclusively in hell), but even if the token only grants 1 respec (i have heard it's consumable), you can keep making them by transmuting the essences.
So whether a single token grants unlimited or just 1 respec, the result is the same.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
they'll never see me coming.. life is a sequence of tragedies, inconsistent only by fleeting, elusive moments of pleasure,
serving only to ensure absolute vulnerability to the pain of their inevitable absence.
Yea I gotta disagree with you the amulet is absolute garbage and I feel no character should own that piece of trash. Respec is only there for people who don't know how to play the game, and they are already given 3 chances. Noone that is good will carry that dumb amulet, let alone seek it out.
What about the barb drop glitch? Where is Blizzard on that one?
How do you come to that conclusion? So people who respec in WoW are newbs? On the contrary, I have had people respec just to run a raid/instance and respec back to their original build.
I have three types of Pally's on USEast: Hammer, Zealer, and Medic. What's stopping me from merging them into one. Putting one set of gear on my char and two in my stash/inventory and start dueling? Oh noes, I ran into a problem while dueling. I notice I need to do some melee damage as my hammer, so I respec and put on my Zealer gear. Now my friends join and we want to do some Team PvP, so I respec again and put on my Healer gear.
Quote from "blood-doll" »
you don't get a ring for completing den.. you get it for saving cain (in addition to his identifying services).
also, i hate to rain on your parade, but i don't think clicking the chat gem resulted in that space there. i think that since it came directly after my text, i probably just had a few spaces after i spoke. that would result in a blank line.
then again if you're sure that it wasn't there after my text, you clicked the gem and it appeared. then your conclusions might be correct.
personally im very disappointed that there weren't more changes.
i also hate the implementation of even one skill respec. i think 3 is ridiculous and i think unlimited is game-breakingly bad.
however, i am glad for the removal of IM (it opens a lot of doors to hc melee play), and i'm glad for dupe fix and the hammerdin nerf.
i'm also hopeful that they might consider more changes based on the feedback.
Whoopsies, thanks b-d; fixed. As far as the blank space goes, i'm certain it wasn't you. Unless you sat there holding the space bar for a few seconds, it wouldn't have happened. And i'm almost positive there was a time difference between you speaking and me clicking.
You aren't alone, b-d. A lot of people were disappointed, hell, I vented my frustrations to you last night in that conversation. I wish there was more end-game content. I want something to do after I make my character. But i'm hoping that this is, like I said, a new start and not an end.
So nothing changed for classic except the class things? Well thats a bummer
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
www.myspace.com/mpotatoes for all your Trans Siberian Orchestra listening pleasure
If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask
How do you come to that conclusion? So people who respec in WoW are newbs? On the contrary, I have had people respec just to run a raid/instance and respec back to their original build.
I have three types of Pally's on USEast: Hammer, Zealer, and Medic. What's stopping me from merging them into one. Putting one set of gear on my char and two in my stash/inventory and start dueling? Oh noes, I ran into a problem while dueling. I notice I need to do some melee damage as my hammer, so I respec and put on my Zealer gear. Now my friends join and we want to do some Team PvP, so I respec again and put on my Healer gear.
Would never work that way. People respec in WoW cause in WoW you need to rely on eachother to do anything, in Diablo...you are a god...you rely on noone. Respec hasn't been in Diablo ever and I have yet to have an issue making a character that needs helps or would require me to respec, worst case scenario since leveling is so easy in Diablo would be to remake.
If you are truely dueling, you should know you can't fit 3 full character versions of gear in your stash. Unless you are simply dueling 1v1 which is a rare oddity, but even then I don't find this possible. Maybe if they increased the stash then yea I could see this doable but even then it will just water down to kids respecing 24/7 to try and gain an upper hand or just to copy a build, in the end in about an hours worth of trash talk and pussiness of sitting in town you get maybe 1 duel.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
TT
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Something else I would like to note in regards to Battle.net is a possible change in The Chat Gem... As unbelievable as this may sound, while repeatedly clicking on the gem, I did not receive one of the normal responses, instead I received a blank line. This could mean one of two things:
Either way, it means that the Developers are looking to do something with it. Could this mean further development of the mystery in the coming days? As a result of this, could it further support a cameo in Diablo III? It has already made an appearance on the diablo3.com.
Next line of business, is the new Respec system. By completing the Den of Evil quest, you will receive a Stat/Skill respec in addition to Skill point, per difficulty. Already existing characters will receive a free Respec in the Hell difficulty, as noted in the 1.13 patch notes.
Furthermore, we now see the addition of the five new items and a new cube recipe. We now have the following items, which will completely revolutionize the current Currency system on Battle.net.
The patch has also brought about some bug fixes, game play changes and class balances. The first bug fix includes a stop to duping. Hopefully this will help bring runes back to the state they were meant to be. Blizzard seems pretty confident that it will, by increasing the drop rate for most of their high runes. After taking a look at the new Diablo II game MPQs and comparing them to the 1.12 files, it looks like the Rune drops have started increasing at the Rune Treasure Class 12, which drops the Mal and Ist runes, going up to RuneTC17, which drops the Zod rune. The following are approximate increases in drop rate for each rune:
Also keep in mind, there are a total of 169 Runewords possible in the game, and as of 1.12, only 78 were being used. It's more than possible that 1.13 brought about more from the list. We will have to do more research in this, if anything is found, we'll keep you updated.
On a similar note, there have been quite a few balance changes to each class. The Amazon has received some buffs to her Immolation Arrow skill, which is good for all Ele Bowazon's. The Assassin's Shadow Master was slightly buffed and since most builds utilize the free minion, it will do some good for any Assassin player. The Barbarian's Masteries skills were all buffed and his Whirlwind skill now uses less mana. Unfortunately for the Paladin, his Blessed Hammer skill was nerfed slightly, though these will still remain to be one of the more popular classes within our community. The Werebear Druid skills have been buffed, I would expect to see more of these guys hanging around now as well. For Summoning Necromancer's, you received a few buffs in Blood Golem and some Poison and Bone Skills. Last, but certainly not least, is the Sorceress. She has received more changes than any of the other classes; all for the best. You'll be seeing some guides and information in regards to new 1.13 builds for each class in the near future. The first of which is the Hydra Sorc, by Seth.
Unfortunately, this patch did not bring about a few very popular suggestions nor did it fix quite a few major bugs, which the users made very clear in the Diablo II Test Realm Forums. A few worth noting:
Though, there are endless amounts of suggestions and improvements that can possibly be made to Diablo II in the coming years. Hopefully we will still see some further development to solve these bugs. Perhaps 1.13 was the start of a new beginning for D2. Only time may tell...
In addition to my analysis, maximusje has blogged about his experiences on 1.13.
[/hr]
Also, anyone want the chance to win a brand new processor in preparation for Diablo 3's intense graphics? Check out the contest Curse is running here.
Diablo III Analyst
SC2Mapster
I agree with you on the tokens...they wont revolutionize anything...but I cant understand why ppl want tele gone from nigma.....that would suck hard and make sorcs the only played class in a new ladder
Diablo III Analyst
SC2Mapster
I fail to see it in any revolutionary manner.
Yeah, I just found this out today while I was writing this post, actually. Pretty interesting, I think; i'd like to do a little more research though.
With the ability to respec at a whim, you could easily level one character per class and swap builds at any moment in time. Battle.net allows for 8 characters per Battle.net account, that means you have room for one of each character type and a mule. You can then play every possible build in the game without having to create secondary characters or accounts. Aside from that aspect of it; if you mess up your stats, you can respec! A lot of new players, or players who are just starting (whether it be starting new or starting new ladder), do not have the proper gear. Having easy respecs allows to character builds based on gear as well. Meaning, upgraded gear that calls for less stat points in Str/Dex would leave more points in Vit. With that in mind, you could respec and put the correct number of points into each Stat.
Also, I noticed maximusje blogged about 1.13 with his thoughts. I've added that into the OP.
Diablo III Analyst
SC2Mapster
What about the barb drop glitch? Where is Blizzard on that one?
you don't get a ring for completing den.. you get it for saving cain (in addition to his identifying services).
also, i hate to rain on your parade, but i don't think clicking the chat gem resulted in that space there. i think that since it came directly after my text, i probably just had a few spaces after i spoke. that would result in a blank line.
then again if you're sure that it wasn't there after my text, you clicked the gem and it appeared. then your conclusions might be correct.
personally im very disappointed that there weren't more changes.
i also hate the implementation of even one skill respec. i think 3 is ridiculous and i think unlimited is game-breakingly bad.
however, i am glad for the removal of IM (it opens a lot of doors to hc melee play), and i'm glad for dupe fix and the hammerdin nerf.
i'm also hopeful that they might consider more changes based on the feedback.
they'll never see me coming..
life is a sequence of tragedies, inconsistent only by fleeting, elusive moments of pleasure,
serving only to ensure absolute vulnerability to the pain of their inevitable absence.
Infinite respecs? That doesn't seem right, or fair. I don't think this is right, and if it is, Blizzard messed up.
So whether a single token grants unlimited or just 1 respec, the result is the same.
they'll never see me coming..
life is a sequence of tragedies, inconsistent only by fleeting, elusive moments of pleasure,
serving only to ensure absolute vulnerability to the pain of their inevitable absence.
How do you come to that conclusion? So people who respec in WoW are newbs? On the contrary, I have had people respec just to run a raid/instance and respec back to their original build.
I have three types of Pally's on USEast: Hammer, Zealer, and Medic. What's stopping me from merging them into one. Putting one set of gear on my char and two in my stash/inventory and start dueling? Oh noes, I ran into a problem while dueling. I notice I need to do some melee damage as my hammer, so I respec and put on my Zealer gear. Now my friends join and we want to do some Team PvP, so I respec again and put on my Healer gear.
Whoopsies, thanks b-d; fixed. As far as the blank space goes, i'm certain it wasn't you. Unless you sat there holding the space bar for a few seconds, it wouldn't have happened. And i'm almost positive there was a time difference between you speaking and me clicking.
You aren't alone, b-d. A lot of people were disappointed, hell, I vented my frustrations to you last night in that conversation. I wish there was more end-game content. I want something to do after I make my character. But i'm hoping that this is, like I said, a new start and not an end.
Diablo III Analyst
SC2Mapster
If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask
If you are truely dueling, you should know you can't fit 3 full character versions of gear in your stash. Unless you are simply dueling 1v1 which is a rare oddity, but even then I don't find this possible. Maybe if they increased the stash then yea I could see this doable but even then it will just water down to kids respecing 24/7 to try and gain an upper hand or just to copy a build, in the end in about an hours worth of trash talk and pussiness of sitting in town you get maybe 1 duel.