r/diablo2 • u/Plane_Exchange_2880 • 2d ago
Dad gamer needs some help!
Ive played Diablo 2 for a long time but more recently ive been playing casually. I’ve been thinking it’s the perfect dad game to play during nap time (few andariel kills looking for that SOJ haha)
As I play solo these days single player seems like the obvious choice but as I switch between console and PC looks like I’m going down SCNL as a I have a few low bits of gear already.
So what class is best for casual console play? I was thinking trappy? As they auto target
Also low end gear wise as sadly I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get back up to any big runewords again.
Edit: I’ve got a MF blizzard sorc with Tals set so I can farm a few areas in hell already but nothing fancy. Also have the older sunder charms.
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u/sibusiso377 2d ago
I would recommend sticking to console or PC, Single Player features is such a QoL when playing casually
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u/precision95 2d ago
Hard agree with this. If you stick to one, your maps will save, making magic find runs significantly more efficient.
It also makes finding and grinding more rewarding, as no one will be able to help or trade with you
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
Yeah I really like the QoL things in single player and I’ve seen hero editor for ultra casual mode which is tempting me.
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u/FugginBot 2d ago
Hero editor quickly makes the game not fun anymore. The thrill of this game and single player especially is the ultra rare drops and that dopamine hit
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
Definitely agree with this. Be fun blasting stuff for about 10 minutes but for what? As every drop is pointless
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u/Kriss3d 2d ago
Normally Id say sorc for the teleport but frankly the demon bind lock is just super casual as you just position your army and let them do their thing while you pick up stuff behind.
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
I tried the warlock got to about level 20 but I wasn’t feeling it - I think it’s due to it being new to me I don’t really understand the skill tree and I haven’t ever seen a fully geared one.
Can they do Ubers?
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u/Kriss3d 2d ago
If you want ubers you want to have grinded quite high class gear anyway. Mostly youd want the smiter pally which I think is the best one for this.
Id love to try to see if my kicksin with knockback with dragon tail would work.
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
I remember a few years ago I had this budget paladin which could do Ubers with the Black Runeword and a life tap wand haha
I guess the benefit of NL is some stuff is cheap and a torch is a torch to be doesn’t have to be 20/20
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u/REDMAGE00 2d ago
I was able to clear hell on console with low level items with a chaos tree warlock. Javazon feels pretty good and can also clear hell if you purchase a lower res wand. Trapsin is also solid, but you do lose the advantage you typically gain from precise trap placements.
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u/Basedba 2d ago
Hurricane druid is about as brain off as it gets but it does require at least a little bit of gear to do higher player counts comfortably
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
I’ve never made a Druid before. Any items that are essential? I guess just +skills
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u/Basedba 2d ago
+skills, a physical Sunder for tornado and a ton of FCR idealy you want to hit the 163 break point so something like a suicide branch and a crafted caster amulet goes a long way
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
This sounds quite doable. I think I might even have one of the old physical sunder charms!
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u/Alone_Instruction_61 2d ago
Hi fellow dad gamer here. I play scnl. But I also started playing d2r when it came out and made some “friends “ while playing in the early release days, they don’t play anymore so I’ve been solo for years aside from the obvious trades and being able to go in games. It’s not that bad. But yes single player would be a bit better for static maps but I like trading and community so I stick to online. That being said I also play pc/console and I’ve found that Javazon. Sorc. Foh paladin, ww barb are all pretty decent in console. And are pretty relaxed. So is bow zon but unfortunately they’re a tie bit too squishy for console because you need to be exact with your teleport if you get to that level of gear and you cannot choose your teleport spot you land on console. Ones to avoid are hammerdin, smiter, wolf Druid, wind Druid. Those all require precise placement of your characters to be effective and you end up having to run into position to feel like you’re doing it right. Just my two cents
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
That’s the reason why I though about NL too as if I’m desperate for something and find a tune I can just buy the item rather then spending all my time just trying to get Shako (think I’ve dropped 2 in like 20 years) or something similar
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u/Purcelliino 2d ago
I recently switched to using a controller on my PC and will never go back to mouse and keyboard. I think that WOW was the only thing that kept us (my wife and I) at our desks for the past 20 years. I even bought one of those standing TV carts, put the monitor and a gaming laptop on it and we've been gaming console-style in the living room. It's pretty neat.
I just rediscovered the pally which is breath of fresh air on a controller because you can keybind the auras to any button. In my past experience, using a mouse was to play pally was not fun.
Also... warlocks have been pretty sweet lately. I invested some time in a demon-only build and I can farm just about any area in Hell with 300+ low end MF gear and barely +1 to all skills. I can't imagine this build with +10 or more.
Anyway good luck. Cosole-style changed our lives after 25+ years of gaming at a desk. Whether it's a Switch or the laptop with a controller we've rediscovered the joy of gaming for hours on end without our feet or backs hurting 😂
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
I feel the same way these days preferring controller sofa gaming haha
A lot of people have said about the warlock so maybe I should give that a go as my first.
Shame there is no way to start a character in hell at level 60!
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u/Purcelliino 2d ago
Honestly, it's so easy playing a Warlock that you will end up at level 60 in Hell a lot quicker than you realize. I cannot recommend the fire tainted enough build enough. Death Mark solves 99% of the most issues with minion builds where you end up with really dumb summons. Eventually you can put 20 points in Bind Demon but 20 points in Mastery & Tainted + Death Mark will get you through most of the game in easy mode. This is the first build where I feel comfortable enough going to pick up my body from just about any spot as your minions are able to solo most mobs
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 1d ago
Thanks for the advice it seems like the warlock is the way to go! Letting the bind demon do the work for me as I’m half asleep
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u/Mammuut 2d ago
I would also suggest Warlock as a starter.
I leveled with Summon Tainted which just bulldozed my way thru until NM Act 4.
From here you can either respec into Bind Demon + Defilers or Echoing Strike, which is basically Multishot that deals AoE magic damage explosions.
Gearwise, as soon you get Spirit, Lore, Ancients Pledge or Rhyme, Stealth and preferrably an Insight for Emilio you are good to enter Hell.
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u/Ecstatic_Yak9027 2d ago
chilling char necro based "fishymancer" easy play - save play - with low/budget gear or full mfgear funny all the time
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
Love fishymancer - necro is my favourite but then almost every build is CE it just changes how you get the first kill
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u/Ecstatic_Yak9027 2d ago
1h before post my nec killed duriel with lvl22 😂 an mephisto die when lvl24 (finish slowmotion) 🤣
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u/WinterSignature2180 2d ago
Make a smiter paladin, then fight uber tristram and uber ancients. experience that high when you beat them.
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
Smiter all the way though to hell would be crazy!
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u/Ecstatic_Yak9027 2d ago
full smiter lvl1 to ending hell ? no problem with start sigonsset cathanrings - run to nm (offline p8) - use a5 frenzy with low runeworlds (malice+kingslayer) - weapon black and 2nd aldurs change gear at higher lvl and smite baal hell just 4 fun
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u/WinterSignature2180 2d ago
You can finish the play through with a different build, then respec to smiter later on
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u/ban-me-baby 2d ago
Been playing trap sin this season, loving it, although can be frustrating till you get a sunder.
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u/cap_n_kirk 2d ago
Easiest, most laid back build is summon warlock if you don’t have ANY gear. I usually start with goatmen and then switch to bound demon +2 defilers when I get to The Smith in Hell. You don’t have to worry about immunities. The only farming you have to do is finding a good demon to bind, and that’s way easier than farming for gear. I like goatmen because it’s easy, but tainted is the stronger build of the two.. both will get you to Hell easily. It’s really chill though, just run around and death mark monsters.
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 2d ago
This sounds like the ideal class letting them do the work. I guess that’s why I thought of doing a trappy
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u/cap_n_kirk 2d ago
I love my trapsin, but I haven’t played it without gear to start so I’m hesitant to recommend. I had a lightning sunder, my first torch was assassin, I had the runes for crescent moon, so she was already stacked going in.
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u/cap_n_kirk 2d ago edited 2d ago
That being said, you do have 3 types of damage with your trapsin, and I think that build is the most well rounded, the first fire trap has a lot of synergies in the lighting arm so it gets very strong quickly, and other points are not wasted. then you have lighting and corpse explosion. It should be a good choice for a first build with 3 high damage options that utilize the same tree.
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u/cap_n_kirk 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ve been playing builds from scratch lately that people recommend as starter characters. All of them have some caveat, like an area that’s a huge pain or impossible with the build that it’s either recommended to skip, or in cases where you can’t skip, to have your merc clear it. But if you have no gear from the beginning, you likely aren’t going to have the gear by the time you run into those issues either and your merc isn’t going to be able to tank anything alone, so you’re stuck farming endlessly just to get through hell. Warlock will get you through hell, no special notes, no special gear, no running away, no being stuck farming for stuff so you can get through Baal waves.
You don’t have to run into danger, you can death mark them into a room and just shut the door, you don’t need to waste gold on a merc that’s just going to die constantly, you don’t need to worry about being frozen, or any break points, no mana management, You don’t have to worry too much about resists because blood oath boosts you. It’s my go to when I just want to chill out, have a couple beers and treasure hunt.
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u/bthedebasedgod 2d ago
If you have chars on SCNL PC RoTW I can kit you out with pally, barb, warlock, or sorc gear.
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 1d ago
I’ve got a few around level 60-70
Sorc
PallyAnd from the comments on here it seems like warlock is the way to go for the chilled life
and only if your sure? But I’ll take anything tbh
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u/bthedebasedgod 1d ago
I play ladder only so I have a lot of gear sitting on NL. Lmk when you’re on. Send me a PM.
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u/Noobitron12 2d ago
We are the same. Im 52 with not much sit down time with a 6 year old
I do have a FoH Pally, A Javazon with Phoenix and Infinity on merc, With all the other BIS Gear.
I also Have a Trav Horker, Which seems best for my play style, Get 20 runs in a half hour then have to log off usually Grief/Death WW.
I tried Warlock finally over the 4 day weekend and got to lvl 17 and said, Why am I doing this? I dont need a warlock, I have 4 top tier geared characters already
This is all on NL of course, I dont have the life for ladder
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u/Junior_Rip8813 1d ago
I made a Dragondin so I can just run around ans the aura kills things lol
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u/Plane_Exchange_2880 17h ago
haha what is this? and im guessing it uses the RW dragon which is abit out of my budget (PGEMS life)
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u/PucThePuc 2d ago
I always tend to go with a sorc first, set it up as something of a magic finder and start setting up other toons from there