What types of Multiplayer modes are supported in Diablo II?
Diablo II supports secured play over Battle.net, where players play with Realm Characters. It also supports play with Open Characters over Battle.net and with TCP/IP connections.

Does Diablo II offer modem-to-modem play?
You cannot directly dial another modem user to play, but you can connect to each other through the Internet using Battle.net or TCP/IP.

Does Diablo II offer spawning?
Due to the size of the game and the amount of data required for each player, Diablo II does not support spawning.

Is there a monthly fee associated with Diablo II and Battle.net®?
No.

What is a Realm Character?
For questions about Realms, please refer to the Realms area of the F.A.Q.

What is an Open Character?
Open Characters are stored locally on your own computer and, while you can set up games and chat over Battle.net, you cannot play these characters on a Diablo II Realm. In an Open Game, one player's computer is the game server, while the other players connect to it. Since Blizzard cannot be responsible for the locally stored characters, or the servers upon which the games are played, Open Games are more vulnerable than Realm Games to certain forms of manipulation and abuses by other players. The big advantage of Open Games, however, is that you can bring your Single-Player Characters onto Battle.net. You can play with your friends over Battle.net and then continue playing that character in Single Player as often as you want.

Can you play an Open Character over Battle.net?
Yes. However, you cannot play in games with Realm Characters.

Can you copy your Open or Single-Player Character between computers?
Yes. You will find your characters located in Diablo II\save\.

What is the maximum number of players supported in a Battle.net game?
The current maximum number of players in a Battle.net game is 8.

Can I save a multiplayer Diablo II game on Battle.net?
No.

How can I finish Diablo II on Battle.net if you don't save my game?
Our Battle.net servers save your Diablo II character, as well as any waypoints you visited and quests you have completed. You may create a new game on Battle.net and continue close to the point at which you left off.

What if I am disconnected?
If you are disconnected, the game will remain for several minutes, giving you a chance to return to the game if you were accidentally disconnected. After that, the game is removed from Battle.net.

What if my character dies and I am disconnected, and then the game is removed before I can retrieve my corpse?
Your corpse contains your items and follows you from game to game, allowing you to retrieve your items at a later time.

What is hardcore mode?
Hardcore mode is a more challenging style of game play on Battle.net, recommended only for experts. In Hardcore mode, you live only once, meaning that if you die, your character can no longer be used.

Can a hardcore player be resurrected by another Hardcore Character?
No.

Do I get anything special for playing in hardcore mode?
Your name in Battle.net will be a different color from normal players. Hardcore players will also be ranked on a ladder.

How does the Diablo II Battle.net ladder work?
For questions about the Ladder, please refer to the Ladder area of the F.A.Q.

Can I group with other players in a party?
Yes.

Do I share experience with those in my party?
Yes.

Can I join multiple parties?
No.

Can you harm another person when you are Friendly with them or in the same party?
No. You can only harm other players and their Minions and Hirelings when you are hostile.

What happens when characters who are Neutral to each other play in the same area?
Neutral players cannot damage one another in any way. When two Neutral Characters attack the same monster, experience will be awarded to only the player who makes the killing blow. Players in the same area will, of course, have to share any items that fall on the ground.

Do all the quests work in multiplayer as well as in single-player in Diablo II?
Yes.

What has Blizzard done about cheating?
We realize that cheating was a serious problem in the original Diablo when playing public games on Battle.net. Eliminating cheating in Diablo II was one of our highest priorities during development. In particular, our new client-server model will ensure greater integrity of games and characters.

What is the status on Arenas or Guild Halls?
These features are not in Diablo II.

What happened to Guilds?
Guilds are not supported in the final shipping version of Diablo II. During development, it became clear that making Guilds bullet-proof, balanced, and completely secure would have delayed shipping the game. Fundamental, major changes to the Diablo II and Battle.net client/server architecture would have been required, followed by extensive testing and LOTS of game balancing. In the interest of getting the game to our fans, we had to drop Guilds.

Can you trade Diablo II items in the Battle.net Chat room?
No. To trade, you must enter a game and use the Secure Trading Screen.

What is the function of the Gem in the Diablo II Battle.net Chat room?
When it has been clicked once, it activates -- causing a blue glow to appear through the Gem. When it is clicked again, it deactivates and the glow disappears. Rarely a perfect gem activation will occur instead of the usual Gem activation.