Is there any new news on Diablo II expansion?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes! The gaming public has spoken, and we've listened. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction will now support a spectacular 800x600 resolution!!!

How vulnerable will the Druid's spirits be, and will he be able to defend them?

Diablo II Development Team: The Druid spirits are balanced for the level they are on. You will need to keep them alive by using them wisely, however. Sometimes you may have to save them from being surrounded, but they do pretty well as is.

Will the maximum required strength for items rise above 170?

Diablo II Development Team: We have a host of new items that have new strength requirements. Included are a whole set of items that follow the "exceptional" class of items. We call them "elite" items. They will have higher requirements. Also, the uniques that pop out in D2X will have new level requirements.

What will be the level requirement on Elite items?

Diablo II Development Team: They will vary depending on the item. They will begin to drop in the game towards the end of Nightmare mode, and will be appropriate for Hell Difficulty players. They will more than likely require that you be over level 50.

Will there be Elite Unique and Elite Set items?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes there will. Incidentally, we've made an Elite Sets that are specifically tailored for each character class.

Will you be able to heal other minions with healing potions, or just hirelings?

Diablo II Development Team: Just hirelings. You will also be able to equip hirelings with helms, armor, and weapons you find or buy. And their magic properties will all work! :)

Will existing monsters in Nightmare and Hell difficulty be balanced to compensate for the powerful new items?

Diablo II Development Team: The balancing of the game starts at the beginning of development. We've changed the balance in Nightmare and Hell modes to allow for the new items and a greater variety of tactics.

Will cooperative play be rewarded instead of playing solo in 8 player games?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes! We've increased the experience bonus for being in a party and on the same level, and decreased the bonus for just being in a game with others.

What will the system requirements be for 800x600?

Diablo II Development Team: 800x600 is not recommended for low-end systems. There are too many variables to specify exact requirements, but high-end machines will have the best time! Your mileage may vary.

Will original characters have their skills rebalanced?

Diablo II Development Team: In a couple of specific cases, yes. For example, we're adjusting WhirlWind to reflect the attack speed of the Barbarians weapons. There are a few other adjustments that are being made to connect functionality and improve unused skills. These changes will effect both D2 and Expansion characters. Expansion characters will have a bunch of other skill adjustments that D2 characters will not.

How will the skill changes affect the Sorceress?

Diablo II Development Team: One problem with the Sorceress was that her skills tended to be graphic-intensive. As a result, some people didn't want to play with them. To fix this, we've change the way she can cast several of her skills. There will be a time delay between successive castings of these skills. To compensate, the damage and effectiveness of those skills will be greatly increased. This will improve the framerate of everyone in the game.

Will charms work while in the Horadric cube?

Diablo II Development Team: No, charms must be directly in the inventory to work. Of course, you can store them in the cube, but they won't work.

Will the 800x600 option be available in regular Diablo II games?

Diablo II Development Team: Kind of. If you have the expansion installed, you can play regular D2 games in 800x600. But you have to have Diablo II: Lord of Destruction installed!

Are there any changes to the Druid's pets?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes, there have been a few enhancements. The Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Grizzly, Summon Dire Wolf skills will be symbiotic. They will have a mastery component that will enhance the other two.

Will items be changed/modified when you convert your character?

Diablo II Development Team: Good Question. The simple answer is no. However, if a NEW Stone of Jordan is spawned, for example, it will have new requirements to use. The old instances of the SOJ will be unaffected.

Will there be a list of skill changes posted before players convert their characters, so they can decide if they wish to convert them?

Diablo II Development Team: There are only a few changes that occur in Expansion but not in standard D2 characters. But we will let you know beforehand. Most skill changes will occur with a patch for old D2 players anyway.

Can you create sockets on a unique item, then put runes in, and get a working rune combination?

Diablo II Development Team: No. Uniques, Sets, and Rares only get one socket when socketed so Rune Combinations will not be possible.

Are there any new details about Act V music?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes, the Act 5 music is incredible! We flew out to Bratislava, Slovakia, and had the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra record it live. It sounds amazing!

How do you think weapon swapping will affect the game?

Diablo II Development Team: You will be able to have two full sets of weapons equipped (including shields!) This will let the player have two strategies instantly available by hotkey to attack different kinds of monsters. Additionally, there will be 8 new hotkeys to accommodate the 2 weapon/shield sets. So for example, an Amazon can have both a Spear and a javelin/shield combo at her disposal.

Can the "socket a magic item" quest be used multiple times on the same item?

Diablo II Development Team: Um, have we talked about that quest? In any case, no. The quest reward puts the maximum number of sockets available for that item on it.

What are the changes to the hostile system?

Diablo II Development Team: We have a redesigned party screen with less ambiguous buttons, as well as a few other changes that are not final yet. We want to make sure nobody is confused!

Have you done anything about the experience loss in Nightmare and Hell difficulty?

Diablo II Development Team: Yes! In Nightmare and Hell difficulties, you can recover half of the experience lost by retrieving your body where it was killed. If you quit and start a new game, you still lose the regular amount.

Are we still on target for a release in the first half of 2001?

Diablo II Development Team: We are still on schedule, and anticipate a release in the first half of this year. This is a new experience for us (being on time) so we're not sure exactly what's going to happen. It looks real good right now, however. By the way, Blizzard North is represented here today by Max Schaefer, Tyler Thompson, Pete Brevik, Matt Householder, and a late appearance by Ken Williams!

Susan Sams: Thanks everybody for coming. I wanted to let you know that Friday is my last day at Blizzard. I have decided to do the only thing better than working at Blizzard -- being a full-time mom.

Diablo II Development Team: Thanks everyone!!!

Diablo II Development Team: We love you Susan!!!!

Susan Sams: Thank you for all your support over the years...

Diablo II Development Team: We'll miss you!!!!

*DiabloIIDevTeam Cries*

Susan Sams: Ok.Ok. Bye for now.

Debra Osborne: Thanks guys for joining the chat tonight and for your patience! The next chat will be Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos in 6-8 weeks!

Debra Osborne: Ciao for now!