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:'''Interactive environments''' – Carve your own path through Act V by destroying breakable wall sections, barricades, and siege towers.
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==Playing Diablo II: Lord of Destruction==
<div style="float:right; text-align: right; background-color: #1A0303; padding:2px 4px 4px 4px; color:white;">(Page 10)</div>Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is more than just your standard expansion set. Once you have installed Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you will have access to such a host of thrilling new features and expanded implementations of the original game’s features that it will feel like you are playing a whole new game.
This manual assumes that you have played the original Diablo II game. If you have not, we recommend that you at least read through the Diablo II manual in order to familiarize yourself with the basic terminology and concepts of the game before proceeding.
'''Expansion Characters:''' After installing Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you will have the option to choose between two different “character types”—Standard and Expansion—when creating a new character. (Note: these are different from the two new character classes. See pages 15 and 20.) Standard Characters are just like the characters you are used to playing in Diablo II, whereas Expansion Characters are specifically created for use in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. You should be aware of some details before deciding which character type to choose:
:* Expansion Characters can only create or join expansion games. They cannot create or join original Diablo II games.
:* Standard Characters cannot use any of the new features or modifications found in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, nor can they create or join Expansion games. (These are games specifically designed to enjoy all of the extra benefits contained in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.)
:* Standard Characters can be converted permanently to Expansion Characters simply by accessing the “Select Character” screen, left-clicking on the Standard Character you wish to convert, and then leftclicking on the “Convert” button.
:* Converting a Standard Character is an irreversible, one-way process. Once a character has been converted to an Expansion Character, he or she can never be changed back to a Standard Character. Similarly, once an Expansion Character has been created, he or she can never be converted into a Standard Character.
'''Corpse Recovery:''' In Nightmare and Hell difficulty settings, whenever your character dies, he or she suffers a loss of gold and experience points. In games of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, if you recover your corpse at the location of its demise, you can regain some of the experience points you lost. If, however, you choose to ‘Save and Exit’ out of your current game in order to restart and recover your body in town, you will not regain any of your lost experience.
'''Item Swapping:''' In Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you have the ability to swap quickly between two sets of equipped weapon selections (i.e., right- and left-hand inventory slot configurations). To do this, merely open your Inventory screen and equip your character as you normally would. Next, left-click on either of the two tabs denoted by the Roman numeral “II” (or press the W key) to toggle between the two weapon configurations. Now equip your character with an additional two-handed weapon, a weapon and a shield, or (for Barbarians and Assassins) a pair of appropriate one-handed weapons. You can switch between the two weapon configurations at any time by pressing the W key or by clicking on the inactive weapon configuration’s tab in your inventory screen (the inactive configuration is the one shaded a darker grey). Note: Your left and right mouse button skill setups are linked to your two weapon configurations. This allows you to customize your skill mouse buttons in order to complement your current weapon configuration.
Remember that your character must meet the requirements for any weapons you want to equip. Also, please keep in mind that only your currently selected weapon configuration is actively equipped. Any magical properties of items in your inactive configuration will not affect your character until you make that configuration active. For example, if you are currently using weapon configuration “I,” any magical properties of items in configuration “II” have no effect until you make it your active configuration.
<div style="float:right; text-align: right; background-color: #1A0303; padding:2px 4px 4px 4px; color:white;">(Page 11)</div>'''Hirable Non-Player Characters (“Hirelings”):''' Diablo II: Lord of Destruction offers some exciting modifications to hirable NPCs. These computer-controlled hirelings who fight by your side can be hired from specific NPCs in most “towns”—the safe starting points in each Act—or are given free of charge as a reward for completing certain quests. In the original Diablo II, they followed your character around and helped you slay monsters, but you did not interact with them directly. In Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you can increase their efficiency in combat and assist their development in a number of ways. (Note: These special new features only apply to hired NPCs and retainers acquired as quest rewards. Summoned creatures are not subject to these improvements.)
:* '''Attributes and Experience:''' Hirelings in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction come with their own set of attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Health, Damage, Defense, and Experience. As hirelings kill monsters, they gain experience points. When they gain enough experience points to reach a new level, their attributes automatically improve. You can also improve their attributes by equipping them with better equipment (see below). Keep in mind that hirelings aren’t just paid mercenaries—they are co-adventurers. They fully share experience for their kills with you and your party, and they receive a smaller share of experience for monsters that you or your party members kill.
:* '''Equipment:''' You can now furnish your hirelings with equipment such as armor, helms, and weapons. Your hirelings must meet all strength, dexterity, and level requirements for the item, and any weapons must be compatible with the hirelings’ weapon type, as represented by what you see them carrying. (For instance, the Rogue hirelings in Act I can be equipped with a War Bow, but not a Short Sword, whereas the Town Guard hirelings in Act II can be equipped with a Voulge, but not a Crossbow.) To equip your hireling, simply left-click on the appropriate button on your Mini-panel or press the O key to bring up the Hireling Inventory and Information screen. Then place items in the corresponding slots as you would in your own Inventory screen.
:* '''Healing:''' Previously in Diablo II, if you needed to heal your hireling, you had to return to town and visit the local healer. In Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, however, you can heal your hireling directly, by left-clicking on a healing or rejuvenation potion in your backpack or belt and then dragging it over the hireling’s gold-bordered portrait located in the upper left of the game screen. When the portrait is highlighted, left-clickagain to release the potion onto the portrait. You can also heal your hireling by visiting a healing Well.
:* '''Hireling Continuity:''' Hirelings are now willing and able to accompany you to any of the various Acts of the game. In fact, you can actually finish the entire game through all three difficulty settings using only the first hireling received in Act I. You may choose to employ a new hireling at any time, but you may not take more than one hireling into your service at a time. If you choose to replace your current hireling with a fresh one, your old hireling will retire and be unavailable for further service. Before you replace a hireling, open the Hireling Inventory and remove any items you want to keep. Otherwise, you will lose that equipment.
:* '''Death:''' When your hireling dies, you can return to the nearest mercenary captain and either pay to have your late comrade resurrected, or hire a new one. If you choose to resurrect your hireling, he or she will return to your employ with all of the attributes, experience, and equipment he or she had at the time of death. If, however, you decide to employ a new hireling, you give up the recently departed’s services and forfeit any equipment he or she was wearing. Note: if your character dies, your hireling dies also.
<div style="float:right; text-align: right; background-color: #1A0303; padding:2px 4px 4px 4px; color:white;">(Page 12)</div>'''Automap Options:''' There is now an “Automap Size” selection in the “Automap Options” menu in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. This new option allows you to choose between viewing the map as either the traditional full-screen Automap or the new, scaled-down “Mini Map.” The Mini Map is about one quarter the size of the Automap and, when active, is displayed in one of the top corners of the game screen. This location can be switched from the left of the screen to the right by pressing the V hotkey.
'''Repair All:''' You can now repair all of your outfitted items in a single step. To do this, go to the nearest “blacksmith” NPC (whoever repairs your equipment) and select “Trade or Repair” as you normally would. Blacksmiths still have the usual buttons for buying, selling, and repairing options; in Expansion games, they also have an added “Repair All” button. This option allows you to repair all of the items that your character currently has equipped in a single operation. If you move your cursor over this button, the highlighted text shows the cost of this procedure, and pressing the button completes it. Note: The Repair All button only repairs equipped items. Any damaged items that your character is not wearing must berepaired individually.
'''Fill Tome:''' By pressing the Shift key while right-clicking on a scroll you want to buy, you automatically purchase enough scrolls to fill the first unfilled Tome of that scroll type in your character’s Inventory.
'''Champion-Class Monsters:''' You will remember Champion-Class Monsters from the original Diablo II. These appear as a slightly different-looking pack of monsters that are tougher than normal monsters of their kind. You can immediately discern a Champion-Class Monster because its name appears in purplish-blue letters when targeted. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction offers several different monsters of this type. In addition to the standard Champion, you might encounter the following monsters:
:'''Berserker''' – These monsters have been driven into a homicidal frenzy by demonic corruption. They focus so much energy into slaughtering anyone they see that they do significantly more damage than normal demons. However, their frenzied rage leaves them physically weakened and therefore easier to kill.
:'''Possessed''' – Some demons have been instilled with especially diabolical spirits. These spirits grant the Possessed increased vigor at the cost of the demons’ free will. Because their minds are no longer their own, the Possessed cannot be affected by Necromancer curses. Fanatic – Fanatics are monsters who responded to their own corruption with such zeal that they are now willing to do anything to win the favor of their dark masters. They rush into any battle, fervently attacking with blinding speed any and all foes. Their recklessness does leave them open defensively, and if you can avoid their cascade of blows, you should be able to strike them with greater ease.
:'''Ghostly''' – Once, a powerful faction of mages developed a spell to banish a group of monsters from this world. The use of this spell created a spiritual conduit through the Planes, allowing those monsters to return to the material world by projecting themselves back through the conduit. Their translucent bodies and sluggish gait make these specters easily recognizable. Due to their incorporeal nature, Ghostly Champions are harder to hit with physical blows.
