Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction Preview

During the first three months, Diablo II sold 2,5 Mil copies and became the greatest blockbuster of the year 2000. So, who can blame Blizzard guys for trying to earn more money? The Diablo II: Lord of Destruction gives the fans two new character classes, and a completely new terrain set - Barbarian Highlands.

The Lord of Destruction story picks up where Diablo II finished. As we all know, Diablo was finally defeated and destroyed, and his evil rooted out. Unfortunately, his big brother Baal is still alive and kicking. After taking his own Soulstone from Diablo's companion Marius, Baal begins his quest for revenge.

His initial goal is the Barbarian Highlands, because Worldstone - an unusual object that protects the World of Sanctuary from Heaven and Hell lies there. If he damages or better still destroys the Worldstone, Baal can summon the demons of Hell, and wreak havoc into Mortal Realms.

Expansion begins by linking Act V to the other four in Diablo II, and the players are told in the beginning that Baal has reached Barbarian Heights, but didn't have the time to perform his evil deeds. Instead of gradually introducing the characters into the story, it will thrust you into cruel combat with the demons. You're hero arrives in the moment when the demons are holding the almost destroyed castle of Harrogath under siege. It is only natural that you will help the defenders and chase Baal all over Arreat Foothills (another new area) to rid the world of three prime evils once and for all.

Diablo II producer Matt Householder mentioned in one of the press releases that Act V will be even better designed than the previous four. It will include siege engines, catapults that toss poison and fire on the player and his allies; and many more NPC's that will fight on your (hero's) side: "One of the biggest things we're striving for, is a sense of warfare. We want players to feel like they're in the middle of a much larger conflict." The NPC's won't be encountered wandering the wilderness or the cities, instead they will already be engaged in combat, and the hero won't have to give them gold coins to join him. The designers wanted to present the clash between the Demons and the Barbarians in the best possible way, and the main character to be in the middle of that epic battle. The six quests in the game will have detailed stories, instead of simple objectives that you had in the previous chapters. That doesn't mean that Hack'n'Slash style players will be disappointed. They can skip the babble and follow their quests on the quest tab. You can expect a bunch of monsters in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction - 15 new types altogether, and just like in Diablo II, sub-classes are included. They have somewhat weaker abilities and different skin and appearance. Some of the monsters will have quite unusual attacks giving you a hard time in trying to finish the final levels.

These are some of the monster classes that Blizzard published for fans.

The Overseers - The Overseers are the large, brutish leaders of the Minions. Their main weapon is a barbed whip that they can use on their troops, throwing their subordinates into a bloodlust -- or even causing the minion to mutate its form and charge against the nearest opponent. Once a mutated Minion has reached its target, the Minion dies in a horrid explosion, causing massive damage to its target. The Overseer can also create a healing vortex that seeks out damaged Minions, allowing them to regain lost life. Just like Shamans, and their subjects, Fetish, the best thing to do is to kill the Overseer in the beginning of the battle. Stronger species will rule stronger monsters.

Animated Horde - This dark army is comprised of slain human warriors that have been raised from the dead to serve Baal. Larger in size, and more aggressive than most skeletons and zombies, these un-living nightmares are capable of lunging from a distance to slaughter their prey. These monsters will be far worse than all the skeletons and zombies from the previous four chapters. They will wear heavy (or even magical) armor and use their weapons with deadly accuracy.

Suicide Minions - The newest monsters created by Baal to serve in his army of Destruction, they are stealthy, quick-footed, and unusually tough for their size. Bony knobs protrude from their thick hides, giving them added protection against melee weapons. When ordered, they charge fanatically and die in enormous explosions.