Current version 1.92, 06/20/04 (unzip file into your Diablo 2 folder)





MOD INFO TABLES

(table of skills at level 20)

Welcome to the Middle Earth Mod for Diablo II

• unzip the downloaded file into your Diablo 2 folder and make sure that winzip is set to extract with subdirectories (option "use folder names" must be ticked)

• create a shortcut with the targetfile "Diablo II.exe" (so if you installed Diablo 2 into C:\games\Diablo2 the target field of your new shortcut would read "C:\games\Diablo2\Diablo II.exe")

• edit the target field adding -direct -txt

• Taking the above example your target field would look like this: "C:\games\Diablo2\Diablo II.exe" -direct -txt

Middle Earth Theme

New Monsters

• All monsters have at least been changed. We added some new ones too and many monsters appear in other regions than before (fitting their new role in Middle Earth).
• Monsters in one area are all about the same level and monsters of the same level are all about as challenging and most of all about as rewarding.
• More monster randomization (see below)
• Tougher but less unfair monsters (see below)

• All Items have been changed and balanced to fit their level. We have totally remade the unique and set items. There are currently 19 Set Items and 180 new uniques plus 120 unique elite versions of some exceptionals. Most of the unique items are exceptionals or better.
• Magical Properties of items improved and totally rebalanced. Some new affixes have been added (some with three effects). Affix quality scales with monster toughness and only stops getting better in act 5 hell difficulty. Useless low level affixes don’t appear anymore once you reach certain levels of the game
• New and rebalanced affixes for charms and jewels

 
New Runes, Gems, Recipes

• Effects of Runes and gems nearly completely changed and in most cases improved (in some cases even drastically)
• All new Rune and crafting recipes. We currently have 18 new crafting recipes (not useless crap like +12 life gloves or something) 22 new runewords plus the possibilty to socket 2 or 3 runes of the same type to a runeword that boosts the effect these 2 or 3 runes would normally have.
• Added recipes to make life easier like for example “five gems of any type but one quality are morphable into one gem of any type but one level higher quality” or “unique items are morphable into rare items”, “rare items are morphable into magic items”, “magic items are morphable into normal items” and those normal items are then possible to socket with the help of the cube

• Our main focus in making this mod apart from naming and theming all the stuff into middle earthian, was to balance the game and make it more fun. Also this mod has a somewhat slower pace than original D2 LoD. The characters move slower, the monsters are tougher but they are hitting less often and sometimes less hard. You won’t get killed out of a sudden as often but you won’t be able to kill whole screens of monsters with a single shot either.
• Monster variety greatly improved. In each given area there will now be about three randomly chosen monsters out of a pool of at least 6 but for many areas between 15 and 25 different monsters
• In original D2 Lod you needed armorclass in the thousands and even then it is usual that monsters have a chance of 40-70% to hit you (archers even more). In the mod you can easily accumulate enough armorclass to get your behit chance under 30% (and you will need that in melee)
• Monsters are tougher, they don’t die as easily but there are less one-hit-killers in the mod       
• Item quality increases steadily throughout the game. This includes the base item quality and the effects that can appear on them (“affixes” like “King’s” or “of the Wolf”). Affix quality in general has been increased. More magic and rare items are really useful throughout the game
• The best exceptional items drop only in Act 4 Hell and the best elite items drop only in act 5 Hell, same goes for the best affixes
• Shoppable items are a real alternative to items found in the field and a visit at a shop can be useful even apart from repairs and buying drinks, throughout all difficulties. In Nightmare and Hell which we call Maiar and Valar difficulties, derived from the lesser ethereal beings called “Maiar” and the godlike “Valar” you can shop for exceptional items of rising quality.
• Unique items might be better than magic or rare items but in most cases very good rares will rule over any other item.
• All new Rune and Crafting recipes which have the potential to create powerful and useful items
• No experience loss on death
• In the later difficulties all monsters have at least a bit of resistance (including phsyical). Generally you can assume that a magical monsters like ghosts or powerful demons have high magical resistance while earthbound monsters like Trolls or Ents rather have physical resistance and are vulnerable to magic (with Ents its naturally Fire)
• No monster (expect Cold and Fire Dragons) have 100% resistance to any element unless the game adds some special ability like “Fire Enchantment” for bosses. So immunities are very rare and only with bosses
• Distribution of Fire, Cold and Lightning resistances for monsters equalized
• Overpowered skills have been decreased in power (Whirlwind for example can only be used with non-two handed weapons but damage% has not been reduced – Fanatiscm doesn’t provide more damage% than all other auras but instead less than Might and Concentration – Multiple Shot has been limited to 5 arrows – Barbarian’s Iron Skin and Natural Resistance has been reduced to balance it with monsters‘ lower tohit%... believe us you still want those 100% increased armorclass :)
• Underpowered skills have been increased in power (Druid’s Elemental Spells have vastly increased damage, the same goes for Assassin Trap skills – Low level Elemental Damage Arrow skills like “Fire Arrow” “Ice Arrow” dramatically increase in damage at higher levels and at level 20 deal much more damage than area of effect arrow skills)
• All skills that deal elemental or poison damage follow the rule that they increase damage slowly at low skill levels but rise in damage VASTLY in higher levels (especially beyond level 17)
• Hirelings level much faster and don’t die as easily (Keep one of the same level as you with you and he will be your companion for a lifetime)
• Crossbows fire only slightly slower than bows

• Vastly increased stash, cube and inventory space. This might make charms more powerful but hey, who cares? We need storage room for all the goodies that help us kick some evil ass, don’t we :)
• Health and Mana potions are greatly more potent (especially the very best Health Potion). Mana potions are buyable.
• Annoying monsters have beed removed or where they couldn’t be removed decreased in numbers (Leapers, Fetishes, Imps)
• Arrows in stacks of 500, Keys in stacks of 50, Townportal and Identify Books in stacks of 100
• Rings and Amulets are buyable
• Throwing weapons slowly regenerate stacksize
• Shopkeepers are less spread over the towns