This is my writeup of a particular way of playing through Diablo II. The idea is for a team of characters to be untwinked but cooperative, by the following rules.

• Seven hardcore characters, one of each class, in solo single-player. The goal is to complete hell difficulty and reach Hardcore Guardian with each.


• I'll play the seven in parallel, one act at a time. Once all characters have completed an act, they can trade freely among each other until beginning the next act.


• No items from anywhere else or otherwise interacting outside this set of characters.


• No mods. This means no expanded or shared or external stash, characters keep and trade only what they can carry.


• No mods also means no realm-ladder-only runewords or uber bosses, or loot filters or anything else that's not part of the standard unmodded game of Diablo 2.


• No respecs.


• No farming; no repeating areas or rerunning bosses; each character makes a single pass through the game.


• No other restrictions not listed above. All character builds and skills and items and mercs are allowed. Any use of the players-X command is allowed. Save and exit is allowed.


• If a character dies, what to do is yet to be determined; I might decide to replace it with another of the same class, or continue without them.

There is more detail about the rules here.

I actually played through this format multiple separate times, because I loved it so much. Here are the writeups for each:

• Season One: Bonemancer, Trap assassin, Javazon, Whirlwind barbarian, Wind druid, Lightning/Cold sorceress, Hammerdin


• Season Two: Bowazon, Poisonmancer, Phoenix Strike assassin, Fist/Vengeance hybrid paladin, Werebear druid, Frenzy barb, Fire/Lightning sorceress


• Season Three: Zealot paladin, Spearazon, Blade Fury assassin, Berserk barb, Fire elemental druid, Glacial/Firewall sorceress, Golem/Corpse Explosion necromancer


• Season Four: Kicker assassin, Singer barbarian, Summon/Armageddon hybrid druid, Elemental bowazon, Poison/Bone hybrid necromancer, Smite/Shock paladin, Hydra/Orb sorceress