Though at times brutally frustrating, it was revolutionary, creating another level of replayability and challenge to D2 that is completely missing from Diablo 3. Character customization: The permanence of skill choices upon leveling up in D2 means each skill tree had to be carefully crafted to allow for flexibility later in the game. This freedom of choice unfortunately allows for lackluster skills and passives that are mostly looked over by the player.
Builds variation: D3 only offers 1 or 2 builds that run at full efficiency during endgame rifts and dungeon grinds. D2 offers a multitude of builds for every class that operate well at higher difficulties and conquer the endgame. Do you want to summon an army of skeleton soldiers and mages like Evil Ash from Army of Darkness? Summoner Necromancer can make that happen. Hammerdin, the legendary farming build is right up your alley.
D2 late game also allows for further customization of characters and classes in the form of Charms and Runewords. Each specific Charm or Runeword is used to be the finishing touches on a build. Runewords are socketed into Charms, like gems, and buff the stats on the item.
D2 has a variety of weapons, items, and sets that work well in the late game. They buff skills, empower your summoned minions, and more. Instead D3 simply makes the best armor have bigger stat numbers, and in the Neo-Blizzard artistic fashion make the shoulder pads ridiculously big. Diablo 2's composers utilized simple yet unconventional instruments often not seen in video game music.
That string instrument riff in Tristram remains to this day, Blizzard's most iconic music. Some players even go as far as to mute the music in games like Path of Exile or even Diablo 3 to replace it with the Tristram riff in the background. It lent much to the grim and scary ambience of the setting. Multiplayer in Diablo 2 isn't just limited to helping out another player with a boss run or killing one another in an arena. Player trading also exists and while that has become a messy affair thanks to scammers, cheaters, and bots, the original intention was commendable when it works.
Diablo 3 removed this player-to-player interaction completely and made it so that the developers controlled the multiplayer economy. Yes, it's less chaotic that way, but it resulted in an in-game auction house which is one of the more reviled features in Diablo 3.
While on the topic of the auction house in Diablo 3, it wouldn't be fair to lambast the game for it since it corrected its mistake but the repercussions were far-reaching. Since the auction house was removed, the rare item drops were boosted and they became more abundant and less rewarding.
Diablo 2 stuck to its hardcore RNG roulette and made the game more gratifying for those who work hard for their loot. To that end, Diablo 2 wasn't pay-to-win at the time of its release, unlike how Diablo 3 nearly ruined its reputation as a loot-based ARPG.
In conjunction with not having an auction house that had reverberating effects on the loot table even in its absence, Diablo 2's loot is more fulfilling. It had enough balance between scarcity and generosity where the rarest items don't get handed out in multiple amounts by bosses, unlike Diablo 3. This can turn off some casual or impatient players, making Diablo 2's fanbase somewhat more mature or devoted. Obviously, killing some of the game's bosses requires the ability to hit hard and put up big numbers.
But the idea that a player can invest everything into offense is one that sounds good but doesn't function. There is a good reason that many of the best endgame skills involve defense. Evasion, blocking, dodging, lifesteal, defense, vitality, and resistance are all necessary. Trying to not get hit is not possible. Enemies will teleport or cast a curse or spell that can't be avoided. At first, a mercenary companion might seem like a triviality. They don't seem to hit hard, don't tank well, and don't offer the player much support.
That's because rookies don't invest enough in their mercenary companion. They can be game-breaking. Keep one hired and keep them equipped. Eventually, with the right build, they offer support auras and can provide debuffs against tougher monsters.
Leaving them in the base is simply leaving maximum potential back at home. Even tanks don't "tank" in the traditional sense. The idea that a build can go toe-to-toe with bosses on Hell difficulty is a fanciful dream that isn't grounded in reality. Trading blows won't work. Tanking works, but it's different in Diablo 2: Resurrected than it is in other games. No resistance or blocking statistic is going to absorb the hits that these enemies dish out, but using active skills, dodging missiles, and keeping mobs from surrounding the character all work nicely.
At least, not for new players. Still, removing it would throw Diablo II: Resurrected into chaos. Countless pieces of armor furnish players with extra stamina, as do stamina potions. Developers would have to redo the loot drop mechanics for every monster in the game. We're not really here to advance it.
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