blizzard Diablo 2 Median XL Mod Patch 1.40 Released

[Starym 3,776]

 

We've recently talked about the Path of Diablo mod that improves the game by adding and tuning some skills items and features, but still keeps things as close as possible to the original (LoD) version of the game (and the new season that's come out for it recently). Today we have a new and huge patch for probably the best, biggest and most popular mod for D2 out there, Median XL (or Median XL: Sigma as the more recent versions have been called).

Calling it a mod might be a bit of an understatement, however, as it's basically a complete overhaul and rework, with massive amounts of new skills (35 new ones PER CLASS), items (thousands, crafting), mechanics, content (40 endgame quests, new zones like Heaven and one quest actually has you traveling back in time and playing as Diablo while trying to defeat the Bear Tribe in order to break into the Worldstone Chamber. No, seriously.)

The new patch came out just a couple of days ago, and aside from the massive amounts of changes it also means that the community around the mod will be way more active in the next weeks/months, so it's the prefect time to get into it. You can check out the patch notes here if you're already a Median connoisseur, but basically there's a whole lot of tweaks to the endgame quests, classes and items.

If you're not a huge fan of servers and prefer to go solo, and you definitely can here as well, but the drop rates are tuned towards trading, so you're almost certainly not going to be able to get everything you want as a solo self-found player. Another note for you mod-savvy D2ers out there, apparently this latest version (and a few before it) don't support Pluggy, the nigh-indispensable infinite stash addon, which is making players play an older version of the mod.

Having played the mod a whole lot back in the day it really is very different than the base game, with a whole lot of effects spammed all over the place (which was a detriment for me at the time), tons of new enemies etc, and with builds named Crossbow Necromancer, Melee Sorceress and Treewarden Druid, you can already feel just how different the game is from the original.

I'm definitely going to jump back in there to try it out though, as Wolcen and Last Epoch haven't come out yet, and it'll definitely be a blast from the past, despite my personal preference for the Hell Unleashed mod (playing that one in the default non-solo difficulty is perhaps the most fun I've had in an ARPG in years). In any case, head on over the the official site and definitely give it a shot if you're missing Diablo 2 at all, it's well worth your time and, very unfortunately, also a significantly better game than most Diablo-likes out there today. 

Median XL Features (source)

Revamped Skills

One of the best aspects of Median XL is the large number of unique skills on every character, ensuring countless hours of entertainment. Each class comes with 30 brand new abilities and 5 reward skills which are obtained by overcoming challenges in the game. Experiment with many unique builds such as Crossbow Necromancer, Melee Sorceress, Treewarden Druid and more.

New items

ARPGs are all about finding the best item combination for your build. To make this process more interesting, Median XL offers thousands of brand new items for you to acquire through farming, boss killing and crafting. There is so much diversity that you can easily build unique characters focusing on item-only skills or trigger skills which can be extremely powerful.

Endgame quests

Once you have completed the main story the Endgame begins. Unlike other ARPGs this does not involve killing slightly stronger versions of the same monsters you've already beaten over and over again, but is a completely new and challenging experience. Our endgame content features over 40 new quests which involve testing your character and reflexes against deadly bosses, efficiently farming new areas and uncovering many secrets. Your character reached Hell difficulty? You're just getting started...

New areas to discover

Doing the same mazes over and over again was getting stale. Median XL features dozens of new locations which host multiple endgame quests where the map layout actually comes into play. Always loyal to the Diablo lore, you can find new areas such as Heaven and the realms of Hell, the new town of Caldeum and fallen cities such as Duncraig, Viz-jun and Toraja. One quest has you travelling back in time and playing as Diablo while trying to defeat the Bear Tribe in order to break into the Worldstone Chamber.

Crafting System

Our crafting system offers a myriad of possibilities to tailor every piece of your equipment to your needs. Customise any runeword with jewels and if you haven't found any you like - craft your own! Apply a limited amount of bonus stats to any equipment slot via Mystic Orbs purchaseable from vendors, with unique drop only versions providing great power. If you're feeling lucky you can sacrifice a reward from an endgame quest for a chance of adding unique bonuses to your gear. Rare items which are competitive to uniques and runewords, and which can be shrine crafted with custom stats according to your needs to create something truly spectacular.

Quality of Life

Median XL modernizes the Diablo II engine by adding many features found in modern games. Tired of manually picking up all those gold piles? The automatic gold-pickup feature will do it for you as you walk near them. Died far away from town and forgot to cast a Town Portal? Your body will now spawn next to your character in town, so that you don't have to re-join the game. Many other features are coming: a higher resolution, loot filtering, one click item movement between cube/stash and inventory and more!

Online community and events

Play with your friends on our online gateway which features numerous servers located in North America, Europe and Asia. Participate in frequently run world events, special themed ladder seasons and community challenges.

Source: r/diablo.

Related articles:

• Path of Diablo (2) Season 9 Brings a New Skill, Widescreen Support, Trade 2.0 and More

• Diablo 2 Fan Remaster / Upscale Project

• Diablo 2 Remaster Unlikely - Code and Assets Were Lost According to Creators

• Why Diablo 2 Still Holds Up After 20 Years - Book Excerpt

• Diablo 2 Intro Upscaled to 8K

• Diablo 2 E3 Trailer and LoD Intro Upscaled to 4K and 8K

• Diablo 2 LoD Final Cinematic 8K Remaster

The biggest and most popular Diablo 2 mod just got a new patch with tons of changes.

[darkgreenwax 409]

I remember playing the ever-loving Hell out of this mod years back - it was an amazing experience and I find myself itching to try it again down the road. It genuinely enhances the base of the game without affecting the heart and soul of Diablo II.

Anyone curious or feeling nostalgic for D2 should give it a try!

[TheFurnace 0]

d2 version for this?, 1.4d critical error 96

[Starym 3,776]

3 hours ago, TheFurnace said:

d2 version for this?, 1.4d critical error 96

No idea, maybe try the mod's forums? Or just google around, usually works. I think it should be LoD version 1.13d