Diablo + Hellfire

The staircase beneath Tristram takes up remarkably little space in town. Below it, a closed door can occupy your attention for a long time. Before opening it you can listen, check the belt for potions, or move back far enough to make the doorway work in your favor. The pace gives a small decision real weight. It also gives each of the original heroes a different relationship with the same room. A warrior wants somewhere to hold a line, a rogue needs room to shoot and a sorcerer has to think about how much magic the next fight will cost.

Returning to town is part of the expedition. The thing you bring back might be a weapon, enough gold to replace your supplies, or the knowledge that the next floor is still a bad idea. Inventory space makes that choice tangible. Carrying one more piece of equipment home can mean leaving something else on the dungeon floor. The familiar paths between the townspeople give you a moment to decide what the next trip is for.

The GOG release includes a second way down. Hellfire adds another adventure and the monk, whose approach to fighting gives an experienced player a reason to reconsider equipment they might otherwise pass over. Choose the expansion explicitly when you want its additions. Someone joining you for original Diablo multiplayer should launch the same game and version as the rest of the group. The original expansion is sold as a solo experience.

The DevilutionX edition is useful if you want to bring a controller to the PC game. It supplies a modern engine, while your GOG installation supplies the commercial art, sound and game data. Keep those files when setting up the community edition. If this is your first visit, pick the version your friends intend to use before creating your character. That small decision is easier to make before the first descent than after an evening spent finding the equipment you want to keep.