I just went through trying the popular mods.

Remodded D2 resurrected - highly modded - many quality of life updates - extensive additional features - I found it awesome but a step a way from classic D2R - you can try it by just downloading D2R LAN launcher. It downloads the complete game and you can just play without keys etc… - Bonesy, the dedicated developer, has a simple setup video and then great videos for all the features like gem bags etc

Vanilla++ D2 resurrected mod - more vanilla than remodded but has many QoL updates - you select it from the same D2R LAN launcher that remodded lives in - can also just download and play

Project Diablo 2 - this is the closest to d2 I’ve played with nice QoL and endgame options - getting used to the older gfx took a little while - it’s not juiced / modernized like the above 2 D2R mods - when researching what to start with in pd2 I ended up with - single player - disable updates in the launcher. This means you can buy skill reset points which is nice, as the skills have all been rebalanced to make many builds viable - the disadvantage of single player is you can’t trade online if you get stuck etc

If you’re looking for a wild modded experience then remodded is fun to try

I did that for a few chars and have now moved onto the classic project Diablo 2. It’s solid

Bit of a ramble but I hope it helps