Median XL 1.99d (latest version)
Apr 09, 2009 Full Version 10 commentsMedian XL 1.99d for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)

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The main attraction of Median XL is the brand new skill trees, 30 skills per class, providing a whole new experience. The mod also offers a new base item setup with 7 quality tiers, 471 uniques, 235 runewords, a new affix pool and gem/jewel stats, honorific items and many new and powerful crafting recipes.
All this would be for nothing without the monster AI modifications and new abilities, elite and heroic monsters with even more powerful skills, and for advanced players there are 29 new uberquests based on Diablo lore and the challenges, which reward you for killing bosses at a low level or two of them at once.
A bullet list of all changes would take up most allowed space in this description, so please consult the official site.
List of features
Skills
The 210 new skills (25+5 per class) give rise to very different build strategies. Ever wanted to build a throw barb, poison sorceress or bloodwitch amazon?
Amazon - archer, spearmaiden, huntress or bloodwitch, choose your devotion!
Assassin - adept at physical and elemental melee and can throw knives and place time bombs.
Barbarian - powerful warrior, but can also throw axes and summon ancient spirits.
Druid - elementalist, bow hunter, and capable of charming monsters to your side.
Necromancer - minions, corpse totems, melee and crossbow attacks. Join the army!
Paladin - choose between the holy path of Auriel or the shadow dogmas of Imperius.
Sorceress - pagan elementalist or poison witch. It's witch hunt payback time.
Monsters
What would new skills be without new monsters to pulverise? The focus here is on AI and skill changes. From hammer-throwing clerics and quill rats with homing spikes to corpse exploding goatman priests and frogs that turn into a prince when killed, the new monsters are more than a match for the new skill set. There are a few brand new monsters here and there too - fear the mushroom people.
Elite monsters
Much more powerful than regular monsters and with new and improved skills, these rare encounters send you running for the hills.
Heroic monsters
Even more powerful than elites, these are thankfully restricted to their own special dungeons... mostly.
Uberquests
These are special dungeons, levels or player-summoned bosses that should only be attempted by the skilled and powerful. Median XL offers 16+1 uberbosses, 8 uberlevels and 4 separate bosses, most based on Diablo lore. The uberquests range from the invasion of Toraja by the edyrem to the cursed city of Ureh (from the Diablo novel 'Kingdom of Shadow') and an uberquest that recreates the capture of Baal by Tal Rasha and the Horadrim... with you as Baal.
Challenges
Completing difficult tasks and encounters at a low level or without spending all of your attribute points may earn you big rewards... from powerful charms to additional new skills.
Items
While some people play the game to defeat the denizens of Hell (haha), for most others TEH L00T and the bragging rights that come with it are more important. Median XL does away with normal, exceptional and elite items, instead providing six 'tiers' of item quality. Baal may drop a cap, but it will be a cap with 600 defense on it. Median XL also features many new class-specific items to augment the new skills, from necromantic crossbows to the assassin naginata with a built-in multitarget sweep attack. A huge collection of new uniques, sets and runewords is a given, of course, as well as some much more powerful crafting recipes.
Multiplayer
Median XL supports single player, tcp/ip and open battle.net. Closed battle.net ('realms') obviously won't work, but certain third parties have provided alternatives... Check out the D2 Maniacs mod server.
What are you waiting for? Download it now!
4 comments by BrotherLaz on Apr 1st, 2009 digg this super bookmark
The ultimate Median patch features the following changes over 1.95:

The Unseelie Court
This comprises a number of changes to make the charm-based druid more fun and interesting and less dangerous to play: a single target Dominate spell, a gaggle of Leprechauns and the Elvensong which will charm random enemies for you.
For ages I have battled this game engine to implement the skill tree (which was never intended to exist by Blizzard, in a game which wasn't meant to be modded) and it is finally taking shape.
New uberquest: Vizjun (Dungeon uberquest #8)
The home city of the assassins! The Viz-Jaq'Taar or Mageslayers eschew the use of magic and instead rely on technology to avoid being corrupted by magic like the mage clans they were created to police. In the mad world of Median, technology means magitek drone armies, minefields, machine-gun sentries and cruise missiles.
Lend the assassins a helping hand, because the central AI that runs Vizjun has been affected by Diablo and seems to have sent robot hordes rampaging through the city.
Major set item revamp
Set items are now actually competitive with a set of sacred uniques!
Note: you will have to find the set items again, though the full set bonus will update.
Improved skill balance
A few of the more overpowered builds were toned down, while underused builds were improved.
Realm wipe!
The official (d2maniacs) realm starts a new ladder season!
Download now at Mods by Laz!
Median XL 1.99d for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
Median XL 1.99c for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
Median XL 1.99b for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
Median XL 1.99 for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
Median XL 1.95 for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
Median XL 1.94 for Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.10-1.11-1.12 (PC/Mac)
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Hey laz i haven't really been up to date with all the new versions, but i just downloaded ur latest version and none of my characters from the first median xl or median 2008 work on ur new versions. I suggest that if u want people to keep playing your mod you make it so they don't have problems with their characters with every version you release.
Also, the characters from my old D1 mod don't work! Fix that Laz! All of the characters from all of the mods you make for all games you mod should be compatible!
Duh.
Apparently you didn't realise that (duh) the skills are different because Median XL is NOT Median 2008, so I'd like to hear how you propose to convert characters with different skills. (Not to mention items)
By the way:
'the first median xl'
...means the oldest original public beta versions. You know, BETA, the releases meant to TEST the damned game. I didn't see you give ANY beta feedback, but now you're whining that the test version you've been freeloading isn't compatible with the release version? QQ.
I didn't know you created a D1 mod.
I'd be willing to look at it, is it alive anywhere on the net?
hey brotherlaz i download this mod and i don't know how to get it to work??? :(
1: Create a folder in diablo2 directory called MedianXL
eg.
c:\###\Diablo II\MedianXL
2: copy all the files into that directory
3: create a shortcut on Diablo II.exe and rename to to MedialXL
4: right click and click properties
5: click the "shortcut" tab
6: where is says "Start in:" and where is says "c:\###\Diablo II", make it "c:\###\Diablo II\MedianXL"
7: Click ok
8: Run the shortcut and enjoy
That's not what the manual says, because a lot of people can't even follow those steps.
The original posted failed to even READ it, though.
You play tcp/ip the same way you do it with regular D2... lol.
Sir Laz... You have created something that i can only describe as THE BEST MOD EVER!!!! I have absolutely no idea how you did it but its perfect. Keep rockin'!
how the hell do i get 2 play tcp with this mod???? but possitive news this is the best mod in the world i have ever played
this has the most shiny lights and effects ive ever seen
time to bust out diablo 2 again and say goodbye to my social life for a few months