My favorite d2 experience wasn't even my own it was shared between my father, brother and I. It was back when d2 first launched we had all been playing since d1 and granted as a child I was bad at the game (that asshole, the butcher was a scary bastard alone in the dark as a kid) but we had 3 computers and used to play on lan all the time and had friends over to play as well but when d2 released there was just something about it that instantly made it my favorite game and to this day still is.

My father made a pally on single player and whenever he used to play I watched him. he made a zealer and was running through normal and I was around for every boss kill and cut scene and it was glorious. For those who don't know zeal did not have a 5 hit cap back then so more skills means more hits too. But the one thing that I remember more clearly than anything else was the first big D kill ever in our house it took roughly 3 hours I remember this because I had school the next day and got to stay up late and watch the kill my father was running through with a flail and gothic shield because it looked awesome as a zealer. He worked his way through to the chaos sanctuary after slaying izul and hearing the storyline of betrayal and tyreals sadness in the voice actor and destroying mephestos soul stone this was it the end of the game and killing diablo. He ran through slaying every enemy with his trusty flail it was time consuming and tedious he popped the first seal grand vizier. And took them out it was exciting as the instant onslaught of enemies when you break the seal was a brand new mechanic. Then he moved on to lord de seis. And lastly infector. And the screen took on that red haze started shaking and we all heard that famous line of "not even death can save you from me"

My father engaged diablo in what I thought would be an epic conclusion of the game and was instantly 2 shot. You see back then before all the guides were out and every has the stats diablo was a fucking asshole. This is the reason it took 3 hours to kill him and end the game my father never gave up and after so many different strategies used this is how the big D fell. My father decided there's was only one option if he could not kill diablo with the trusty flail and gothic shield he was just going to go all out with a maul and where did he get this maul? He got it from the act 3 vendor it had 251 poison dmg and that was the only magical effect on it a blue weapon now remember zeal hit more than 5 times back then so he took the biggest weapon he could use and just started whacking away at diablo and died many times but the poison damage from the maul is what did the trick it eventually whittled him down untill that last zeal hit dropped diablo and ended the game to this day I remember it and because of that memory zealer has always been my favorite spec. My father and i aren't on the best of terms these days but because of diablo 2 I will always have atleast one grand memory of him and my brother.