Game Mode

Game modes are a variety of different game types, character settings, and in-game activities that create different forms of play and progression in Diablo games. Some game modes play very similarly to each other with a few key differences, while others are designed to provide an experience very different from normal gameplay.

General

The game mode is partly based on what type of character is playing. These decisions are made upon character creation and cannot be changed at will:

• Normal/"softcore" vs. Hardcore - Normal characters respawn and can continue playing if they are killed, but Hardcore characters die permanently. Hardcore mode has been available since Diablo II. They generally have the same mechanics, aside from death, but Hardcore incentivizes more cautious gameplay. No Diablo game has allowed switching a character between these modes.
• Normal/"permanent" vs. Ladder/Seasonal - Ladders (Diablo II) and Seasons (subsequent games) are periods in which fresh characters can be created and advanced from level 1, challenging players to compete on character progression, all from the same starting point. Ladder/Seasonal characters become permanent ones at the end of each season, and new characters must be created (or "rebirthed") for the next season.

A character is defined by these types in combination, for instance a Hardcore non-Seasonal character.

Any form of progression involving multiple characters is usually restricted to those of the same type. In this vein, any game session is specifically for one type of character, which prevents trading or combat assistance between different modes. When resources could be shared among multiple characters on an account (in Diablo III and beyond), only those from the same mode are accessible. This prevents "normal" characters from helping either Hardcore or Ladder/Seasonal characters in any way, preserving the integrity of those modes.

There are other choices of game mode that may or may not be tied to a character type. Common ones include:

• Single-player vs. multiplayer - This takes different forms in different games. Generally, game sessions are started with one player and others may join afterwards if desired. Playing with others usually makes it less challenging to overcome any given obstacle in the game, and acquiring good items is faster due to trading. Some games also give direct experience bonuses when playing multiplayer.
• PvE (Players against Enemies/Environment) vs. PvP (Players against Players) - Generally, Diablo games focus on PvE (defeating monsters) by default, but most games have ways to enter PvP mode(s) within a game session.

Diablo II

The modes of Diablo II primarily revolve around character choices:

• Normal/"softcore" vs. Hardcore
• Local vs. non-ladder "Realm" (Battle.net) vs. Ladder
  • Local characters, also called "open Battle.net" characters, store their data on the player's own computer. Local characters can still connect and play with each other or be created via the open Battle.net system, but there is no guarantee other players' characters are legitimate.
  • Characters on the "Realms", also called "closed Battle.net", have data stored and moderated by Blizzard servers to prevent cheating.
  • Ladder character are also created on the Realms, and are ranked by level. Periodic resets lock in the rankings and remove all characters from the ladder, after which only brand new level 1 characters can begin the new ladder "season".
• Expansion vs. non-expansion - Two different game versions, two different sets of balance decisions. Expansion characters also have access to Act V and all the features and items of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Non-expansion characters can be upgraded, but not the reverse, if not on the Ladder.

Any one character is created with a combination of all of these decisions, for instance a Hardcore Realms expansion character, or a normal Ladder non-expansion character.

Characters can only start or join a game matching their own mode, except for local characters: they can freely switch between playing on their own computers without connecting to the internet (locally), or joining multiplayer games via network methods including "open Battle.net". This still preserves the principle that item trading and multiplayer gameplay is possible only among the same mode of characters.

Gameplay is largely the same between all modes. The biggest differences are:

• The expansion is balanced differently and has more items than the base game, and the entire extra Act in the expansion changes the pattern of progression.
• A number of Unique Items, Rune Words, and Horadric Cube recipes only appear on the Ladder.
• Über Diablo as well as the Pandemonium Event and its Über bosses, and all associated items, are not available to local characters.

The Pandemonium Event may itself be considered a special game mode, since the challenge it provides - facing three powerful bosses at once - cannot be found anywhere else in the game.

PvP is possible in any multiplayer game and is called Dueling.

Diablo III

The modes of Diablo III come in a wider variety of forms than in the previous game.

There is a sharp divide between the base game and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Most of the other game modes are only available to players who have purchased the expansion, and there is no option to create a non-expansion character once Reaper of Souls has been activated on an account.

Character modes

There are six different character modes available during seasons:

• Normal/softcore
• Hardcore
• Seasonal normal (non-SSF)
• Seasonal hardcore (non-SSF)
• Solo Self Found seasonal softcore
• Solo Self Found seasonal hardcore

Hardcore status works like in other games. Seasons are the equivalent of Ladders from Diablo II. Solo Self Found is a single-player-only variation of Seasonal characters, which ceases to apply after the Season ends. All six mode choices are permanent for the season, and have the usual isolation from other character types.

In this and subsequent games, all characters are stored on Battle.net and it is not possible to play locally.

Diablo III shares a number of progression components between characters of the same mode on an account:

• Stash space and items stored there
• Crafting ingredients, Blood Shards and Greater Rift Keystones
• Greater Rift levels unlocked, and the tier 70 unlock of Primal Item drops
• Paragon levels
• Artisan upgrades and recipes
• Kanai's Cube access and extracted Legendary Item powers
• Transmogrification options
• Altar of Rites seals unlocked

This is sometimes called "account-level" progression even though it is actually progression within one of the six modes.

Seasonal characters of all varieties become corresponding non-Seasonal characters at the end of each Season. All Seasonal stash items are sent to the non-Seasonal side of the account at this time; all resources, recipes, Cube powers, Greater Rift unlocks, and transmogs from the season are merged into the non-Seasonal account; all Paragon experience is added to the non-Seasonal total. All of the above is still separated by Hardcore status. The four Seasonal game modes start over from scratch when the next season begins.

The overall gameplay feel is similar whether in a Season or not. However, the Altar of Rites and Visions of Enmity provide additional power and progression during Seasons, and each Season rotates through additional "themed" mechanics which add variety. The Solo Self Found option naturally emphasizes the experience of play without multiplayer help.

Hardcore mode again has the same mechanics as normal while encouraging more cautious gameplay. Diablo III tends to be more forgiving than its predecessor, by including several items and skills to specifically reduce the risk of sudden death.

Game session modes

Any character with the expansion can start a new game session in either Campaign Mode or Adventure Mode. Adventure Mode removes the storyline elements of gameplay and the linear unlocking of areas, and adds numerous other gameplay options, zones, and opportunities.

Players may also start a Challenge Rift game. In this mode, players do not play their own characters at all, and there is no character progression. Instead they control another player's character, selected once per week by Blizzard from among all characters that recently completed a Greater Rift. The goal is to beat the rift faster than the original run was completed, rewarding a cache sent to the actual characters on the account via in-game mail. Challenge Rifts can be completed solo or with a group.

In-game modes

After a game session has been started, the character is free to explore and fight through the normal game world mostly as it appears in Campaign Mode. However, several special areas and challenges are available which provide game experiences quite different from normal:

• Free-for-all PvP is enabled in the Scorched Chapel special zone accessed from any town. Death consequences are removed and some damage scales differently while playing in this zone.

All other "in-game modes" are only available in Adventure Mode games:

• Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts are timed events in simplified environments which challenge the player to take 15 minutes or less to kill many monsters, culminating with a boss-level Rift Guardian. They are entered from any town.
• Infernal Machines create portals in New Tristram which lead directly to fights against two or more Über bosses.
• Set Dungeons are challenge levels with special rules and objectives and minimal combat, which are accessed by wearing a class set to the correct location in the normal game world.
• The Echoing Nightmare is an intense challenge requiring players to quickly clear continuous waves of monsters of increasing difficulty in a single small combat arena, requiring a key and accessed from town.
• Visions of Enmity are chains of small levels densely populated with monsters, with lots of loot and a reward chest at the end. Portals to them randomly "drop" in the normal game world during Seasonal play only.