March 2017 Playthrough

[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Playthroughs/IMG_20170209_065750358_zpsy78cwwhi.jpg[/img]

WELCOME to our March 2017 playthrough of Diablo. Please share any and all of your thoughts on the game now or throughout the month. Since there is really nothing to spoil (but perhaps just avoid talking about the ending of the story) feel free to discuss all aspects of the game. I would really love to hear everyone's history with the game as well. Due to the nature of the game, there will be no checkpoints and participants should play at their own pace.

In terms of hardware, Diablo is available on PC and PS1 only. I know that PC was once available through online multiplayer, but I think Battle.Net for the first game has been disabled. Please let us know in the forums below if there is any way to play this in multiplayer and perhaps we can get a group or two going a few nights during the month.

Thanks for participating!

singlebanana

PARTICIPANTS:
Addicted
BuriedonMars
Crabmaster2000
Disposed Hero
douglie007
Fleach
GrayGhost81
NeoMagicWarrior
noiseredux
Pam
ReddMcKnight
russlyman
singlebanana
wildbil52

CHECKPOINTS:
** Since the story in this game is light and really can't be spoiled, I am suggesting the participants play at their own pace this month and discussion should not be limited to checkpoints. However, I am adding the following weekly checkpoints in case participants want to have a means to monitor their progress. Hellfire players will of course have 8 more levels**

WEEK 1: Finish levels 1-4 (Cathedral)
WEEK 2: Finish levels 5-8 (Catacombs)
WEEK 3: Finish levels 9-12 (Caves)
WEEK 4: Finish levels 13-16 (Hell)

ACHIEVEMENTS:
**Diablo is unique in that available quests can change from game to game. If anyone has any ideas for achievements for this game that are available across classes and overall availability, please let me know.**

1. Find Wirt the pegleg boy.
2. Enter the Catacombs.
3. Complete The Chamber of Bone.
4. Enter the Caves.
5. Enter Hell.
6. Finish two of three quests: The Butcher, The Poisoned Water Supply or The Curse of King Leoric
7. Finish either quest: Gharbad the Weak or Ogden's Sign
8. Finish two of three quests: The Magic Rock, Valor, or Halls of the Blind
9. Finish two of three quests: Zhar the Mad, Black Mushroom, or Anvil of Fury
10. Finish either quest: Lachdanan or Warlord of Blood
11. Destroy Archbishop Lazarus.
12. Defeat Diablo.

TIPS & TRICKS:

Spoiler (hover to show)

- Do not skip enemies and be sure to kill all enemies on every level. Enemies do not respawn so this is the only way to increase your level and stats to progress through the game. Take your time and explore it all.
- It's not always wise to plunge directly into combat with enemies, especially if you are playing a lower armor class/ranged character. Use obstacles to your advantage. Retreat and pull enemies around corners to slow them down and hit from range. Even as a warrior this often comes in handy. Just be sure that you're retreating into an area that has already been cleared.
- Avoid getting surrounded. Being surrounded restricts movement and is severely punishing to health. Retreat when you need to.
- Save often. In Diablo, you can save on the fly. Be sure to do it often after intense battles or when your health is low (not in the middle of a fight though) and before going into intense battles. It's easy to simply reload your file.
- Tougher enemy boss quests like The Butcher can be skipped and returned to. Get some levels and come back to complete them. Sometimes the rewards are worth it.
- Always carry a few Town Portal scrolls. These are invaluable in terms of travel time. You can also set up a portal near a big fight and run into it to retreat. Retreating to stairs is also a great option if you have low health. You can outrun most enemies and they will not follow you up the stairs.
- Your inventory getting full? Drop weapons, armor, or stacks of gold in town. Amazingly, no one will take it and it will remain on the ground for the entire game unless picked up. If you are not using constant saves, it's not bad to have some extra gold or armor/weapons in town in case you have to go retrieve your belongings after you die.
- Always carry a full bar of health/mana/rejuv pots. When you run out, return to town even if you are in the middle of a level.
- Different classes require different stat upgrades. Be sure to spread your points in the right places and always put at least one per level into vitality (increased health).
- Be sure to get all of your items identified by the elder in town before selling them. Having them identified will earn you much more gold.