Information about the ladder, ladder characters, etc.
There are two main character types on the Diablo II Realms: Normal and
Ladder. Players choose these character types when creating their characters via check boxes as they are naming their characters.
Normal Characters
Any character that is not marked as a
Ladder Character is a Normal Character. There are two types of Normal Characters:
Normal: Normal (also referred to as Core)(Non Hardcore)
Normal: Hardcore
Restrictions:
Normal Core: Characters can only join games with other Normal Core characters. They cannot join games with Hardcore characters, or
ladder characters of any type.
Normal Hardcore: Characters can only join games with other Normal Hardcore characters. They cannot join games with Core characters, or
ladder characters of any type. To create a Hardcore Character you must finish the game on Normal Difficulty.
Ladder Characters
A
Ladder Character is a special character type that is allowed to compete on the
ladder. These characters are separate from Normal Characters with their own games and economy.
All characters created before 1.10 are considered normal characters. Characters created before 1.10 do not have the option of being
ladder characters. You must create a new character after patch 1.10 is released, and mark it as a
ladder character to create a
ladder character.
Characters created before patch 1.10 will not be able to join games with these new
ladder characters, although they will be able to play with other normal characters that predate the 1.10 patch or characters created after 1.10 that are not created as
ladder characters. This means that for the duration of the
ladder season - which is yet to be determined - these
ladder characters will exist in a new separate economy from the other Battle.net Diablo II characters. After the
ladder season is over, all
ladder characters become normal characters. To be on the
ladder for the next season, players must create a new character and mark it as
ladder, after the new season has begun.
Only Realm Characters can be
Ladder Characters.
There are two types of
Ladder Characters:
Ladder: Normal (also referred to as Core)(Non Hardcore)
Ladder: Hardcore
Restrictions:
Ladder Core: Characters can only join games with other
Ladder Core characters. They cannot join games with Hardcore characters, or normal characters of any type.
Ladder Hardcore: Characters can only join games with other
Ladder Hardcore characters. They cannot join games with core characters, or normal characters of any type. To create a
Ladder Hardcore Character you must finish the game on Normal Difficulty.
What's the advantage to creating a Ladder Character?
This is similar to starting out on a brand new realm. Players will be able to experience Diablo II like when the game was first released. When the
Ladder Season first begins, players start at Level 1 and do not have powerful items. They also cannot use powerful high-level items or other high-level characters to help them level up faster. Players create a character in a brand new world (
ladder character world) where everything (economy, levels) starts from the beginning. The main advantage of creating a
ladder character is being able to join in on a totally new economy where powerful items are very valuable.
What if I don't play ladder or don't want to compete on the ladder?
Although they are called
ladder characters, players do not have to compete on the
ladder to play. You can simply play at your own speed and not worry about how you are ranked on the
ladder.
Can I convert existing characters to ladder characters?
No, you must flag a character as a
ladder character when it is first created.
How long will the ladder season last?
This has yet to be determined.
What happens when the ladder season is over?
All
ladder characters become either Normal Core or Normal Hardcore Characters depending on what type of
Ladder Characters they are. If you want to be a
Ladder Character for the next
Ladder season you must create a new character and flag it as a
Ladder Character.
Do I get to keep my Ladder Only Items when the season is over?
A: Yes. Any
Ladder Only Items will be converted over when your character is converted to a Core character. These items can now be traded with other Core characters. That is the only way for Core characters to get
ladder only items, as leftovers after a season is over.
Do I have to beat the game with a Ladder Character to create a Ladder Hardcore Character?
No, you can finish the game with either a Normal character or a
Ladder character to unlock
Ladder Hardcore Characters.
Can you convert a Ladder Character to a Normal Character?
No. Blizzard does this automatically when the
Ladder Season ends.
In addition, there are several Horadric Cube formulae that will only work for a
ladder character.
Example : Rune upgrading, runes can only be upgraded higher than Hel on the
ladder. There are other
ladder only formulae. They can be found here noted with (
ladder only) in red:
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/cube.shtml
The Gheeds Fortune Charm is also
ladder only, meaning it drops in
ladder.
Though it can be found in non
ladder after the end of a
ladder season.
Any news on when the next ladder will start ???
No, Blizzard has not ( as of yet ) released any news about
ladder #3.
Where should I look for information on the next ladder ?
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/
http://www.battle.net/
How long was the last ladder season ??
Almost 9 months, from late October 2003 to July of 2004.
How long will the current ladder last ??
We do not know, it may last as long as the last
ladder ( around 9 months ) or it could be shorter.
Have any new runewords been found ?
Yes, as of DEC. 12, 2004 there are 23 new runewords released, though the details have not been released, only the name of the runeword and the rune formulae. View post #18 in this
thread.
They were also being searched for in these threads :
http://www.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=239239
http://www.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=220217
http://www.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=275917
Due to the number of threads popping up over the last few weeks asking about the next ladder, this will be the thread for all questions, speculation and concerns regarding the next ladder. It will not be stickied, but will be linked from the first post in the Community's stickied OT and Help threads. It is also linked to from my signature for easy reference.
Any other threads with respect to the next ladder will be closed and a link to this one will be put in that closed thread.
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