Diablo 2 Character Classes: Druid
The Druid specializes in nature-based magic, with direct harm spells and an assortment of minions. The Druid is voiced by Michael Bell.
The Elemental tree comprises of the magic of earth and sky. The 'storm' spells have effects like Cyclone Armor, which protects the Druid from the elements, and Tornado, a maelstrom of swirling winds that moves fairly randomly and can deal massive pain. The 'fire' spells are more earthly than the Sorceress's, with spells such as Fissure and Volcano. The ultimate Elemental spells are Hurricane and Armageddon; both produce a storm that follows the Druid, destroying all that come too close.
The Summoning tree regulates the calling of natural allies to the Druid. While the wolves and grizzly that the Druid can muster up are traditional melee summons, the additional summoning spells are a bit different. Ravens do bare damage, but can blind foes and cannot be targeted. Ravens vanish after they have attacked a certain amount of times. The Druid can summon sages that allow for Paladin-like Auras, like increasing attack or life. Druids also can summon one of three vines. These can poison opponents from below, or devour corpses to refill the Druid's life or mana.
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The Shape-Shifting tree gives the Druid the power to become a beast himself, with gigantic incentives to life. Druids may either become an agile Werewolf or a huge Werebear. Each form has its own particular attacks, like the Werewolf's Feral Rage, which causes the Druid to get faster and faster as he continues to attack opponents, and the Werebear's Maul, which makes the Druid swing heavier and harder as he assaults. It is worth mentioning that all of the Druid's equipment functions as normal when shifted, if at different speeds, but the druid is virtually unable to cast spells, except for Armageddon and summoning ones.
Diablo II Character Classes: Assassin
The Assassin depends on an assortment of martial arts abilities and the ability to lay passive traps. She can also open bolted chests without the use of a key. Her Shadow Disciplines tree carries a mixture of passive bonuses (like Claw Mastery or Weapon Block) and buffs (like Burst of Speed or Venom), along with a couple of spells like Mind Blast which stun and confuse the opposition instead of causing direct harm. She also can summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master, which are valuable summons that are also capable of administering significant harm themselves.
The Traps tree allows for a few direct attacks, and more importantly, a quantity of summonable traps. The traps are stationary devices that will assault any unfriendly target in range a certain amount of times before collapsing. Traps are either founded on fire or lightning, although the Death Sentry trap can detonate nearby corpses as well as shoot bolts of lightning. The blade trap skills are basically ranged projectiles that cause physical harm.
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The Martial Arts tree comprises of charge-up skills and finishing moves. Attacking with a charge-up skill increases the number of charges, up to three, then the finishing move ejects the charges in a single herculean blow. The charge-up skills include attacks like Blades of Ice and Fists of Fire, which add elemental harm to the finishing attack, and also abilities like Cobra Strike, which adds life and mana thieving to the finishing blow. The finishing attacks are, for the most part, kicks, like Dragon Talon, which releases a number of kicks in quick succession, and Dragon Flight, which teleports on to a foe and kicks them, expelling any charges.
Diablo 2 Character Classes: Barbarian, Sorceress, Paladin
The Barbarian is a strong melee-oriented character, and the only character capable of dual-wielding weapons. The Barbarians hails from the northern steppes near Mount Arreat. His weapon masteries permit the Barbarian to specialize in various types of arms and to gain raw speed and resistances. His battle cries can heighten his and his party's powers in combat and reduce the enemy's powers. The Barbarian's combat skills are attacks that maximize brute strength, his biggest asset. The Barbarian is voiced by David Thomas.
The Sorceress comes from a rebellious coven of female witches who have wrested the mysteries of magic use from the male-dominated mage clans of the East. She can cast ice, lightning and fire spells. Her ice spells can freeze enemies, but do less harm than lightning or fire. The Sorceress's Teleport spell admits much faster mobility than any other character. The specialty of the Sorceress are potent damaging spells and casting speed; her weakness are her comparatively low hit points and defense. The Sorceress is voiced by Liana Young.
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The Paladin is a religious warrior from the Church of Zakarum in the east, crusading for the glory of light and goodness. To reflect this, the eager Paladin's combat abilities range from rabid attacks to heavenly thunderbolts. His abilities are split into combat abilities, defensive auras, and offensive auras. The Paladin's auras can heighten personal abilities, lower the amount of harm dealt by enemies or regain health. The Paladin is extremely adept in the use of a shield, and the best with defensive skills. Some of the Paladin's skills are exceedingly efficient at annihilating the undead. The Paladin is voiced by Larry B. Scott.
Diablo 2 Character Classes: Amazon, Necromancer
The Amazon is a combatant who comes from a group of islands in the Twin Seas, near the border of the Great Ocean. The class is broadly based on the Amazons of mythology. The Amazon is most like to the Rogue of Diablo: both are chiefly associated with bows, and both make equal use of strength and magic. The Amazon is dissimilar in that she can also use javelins and spears adeptly. Her skills are founded around personal protective powers. The Amazon is voiced by Jessica Straus.
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The Necromancer is a versatile death-themed spell caster. Necromancers are the priests of the cult of Rathma from the far Eastern jungles. His Summoning abilities allow for him to form skeletal minions from corpses, to produce assorted types of golems, and to temporarily revive dead creatures to fight beside him. Poison and Bone skills include the Necromancer's direct-damage spells as well as some defensive powers. Curse skills serve a supportive role by inflicting status ailments upon foes in their area of effect. The Necromancer is voiced by Michael McConnohie.
Diablo 2 Plot Overview
Diablo II is a continuation to the game Diablo, a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game in a hack and slash and "dungeon roaming" genre. It was published for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. Diablo II was among the most popular games in 2000. Major factors that added to Diablo II's success include what fans found to be addictive hack and slash gameplay and free admittance to Battle.net. Diablo II may be played as a single player game, multi-player via a LAN, or multi-player via Battle.net. The game was conceived and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, with Blizzard North founders David Brevik, Max and Erich Schaefer acting as Project Leads for the additional disciplines (Engineering, Character Art and Environment Art, respectively). The primary production functions were handled by Matthew Householder and Bill Roper.
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An expansion to Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, was published in 2001, and is at present at version 1.12a. A sequel, Diablo III, was announced on June 28, 2008. The narrative of Diablo II happens after the end of the prior game, Diablo, in the lands of Sanctuary where Diablo, the Lord of Terror, was foiled by an unnamed warrior. The hero who slew Diablo drove the demon's soulstone into his forehead in an effort to imprison him, but Diablo's soul was too powerful and finally corrupted him. The player is an explorer who appears in the wake of the devastation caused by Diablo and tries to find out the cause of the destruction, commencing with the corrupted warrior. As the player carries on through each of the four acts, he faces off against the Prime Evils, superpowers of Hell, and learns of the truth behind the corruption. Diablo loosed Mephisto (Lord of Hatred) and Baal (Lord of Destruction) from their soulstones and they were instructed how to corrupt them by the fallen angel Izual. In the end, the player finally reaches and dispatches Mephisto and Diablo. The story persists in in the expansion to the game, where the player goes after the last of the Prime Evils; Baal (Lord of Destruction).
