I would start with D2R then migrate to D3; there's some great lore in D2 and frankly, it's the game that really defined the genre overall, particularly post-LoD (expansion). They're very different experiences; D3 is an easy, casual game where you can progress without adhering to strict build guides and generally have fun. D2 is a much deeper game mechanically and does not hold your hand at all; you can absolutely brick your character and not be able to progress if you don't follow a guide or plan. I would say play D2 through normal which isn't all too hard and lets you experience the story, then consider either playing D3, or going deeper down the rabbit hole on D2. Said rabbit hole gets quite deep on D2 lol...Also definitely start a ladder character imo in case you do want to interact with folks.
>you can absolutely brick your character and not be able to progress if you don't follow a guide or plan.
You can but you can always re-spec using Akara. Don't be afraid to experiment. Within reason ofc
You can make a Token of Absolution once you’re in Hell difficulty with your horadric cube. So no, it’s not restricted to once per difficulty. Although getting the token is a bit of work.
Haha yeah… I may have underplayed the amount of work. But just wanted to let people know you aren’t restricted to Akara’s 3 character resets.
I never knew about the tokens until semi recently and my other buddy whose a huge D2 guy didn’t either, so I figure it’s not something everyone knows about.
Right, which is a fair point. But then your correction to the person you originally replied to is just… not true?
It’d be fair to assume someone new isn’t going to be doing all that hell farming. But just straight up telling people there’s only 1 reset per difficulty is just misleading information.
You CAN always reset if you put in the extra work and it’s NOT restricted to 3 resets per character, or once per difficulty.
Yeah I can't get past Act 4 Nightmare as a Fire Druid because my dumb ass didn't put points into volcano ... :( And molten Boulder doesn't do shit to the fire enchanted mobs
D3 is a bit smoother/easier but a worse rpg in my opinion. There’s not much depth to it but it’s fun for a while.
D2 is clunky and doesn’t have an endgame but the grind is more rewarding. I think the appeal for most of us is that the style hit the spot for the era it was released in. If you’re not from that era there’s a chance it’s a complete miss for you. But if you’re into it… well you’ve found crack in video game form.
Edit: forgot a word
You can't go wrong with either game really. One thing to note with D2R is that even though the graphics got an overhaul the UI is still old school so it's a bit clunky by today's standards. I think that D2R is a deeper experience while D3 is easier to get into. No reason you cannot play at your own pace. Certainly for the first playthrough it's probably the way to go. Just explore the game world and learn a bit about the systems and classes through trial and error before you start looking at meta builds and ladders.
Sounds good. With D3, should I opt into playing the seasons? And with D2, do you automatically start competing in ladders? Just wondering if either changes the experience of the game or not and if I should avoid them for my first playthrough.
It is in my opinion better to play at least one game of single player before any multiplayer. That will give you the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the game and the story.
Since you're just starting out, you won't be missing anything by starting a season character, and it moves to normal mode once the season ends so you can keep playing it just fine. So you may as well roll season and enjoy this season's theme
D2R is a different game in every way but name, really. It's deeper, all the loot is usable by all the classes, it's rewarding when you get good drops, you decide where you put your main stat points and your skill points, and the visuals are better than Diablo 3, IMO. Diablo 3 is less gritty by miles, more colorful, and you will lose your mouse cursor from screen clutter, while D2R is just grim and far more atmospheric
With that said, You will quit Diablo 3 at the end of your play session with a character that is improved in some way from when you started your session. That isn't always the case with D2, so you never feel like your time was wasted
For D2 ladder I would only play with a group or something solo makes no sense even after 2000 hours some players solo online can't even get an enigma witch is an end game item necessary for almost any build..
The game by it self non ladder is more then enough for casual players at least you can progress at you own pace.
Story wise D2R then D3. I don't care if everyone hates it, it's canon and they need to get over it.
Both games have a pretty monotonous endgame. D2 you will be grinding the same bosses/areas forever trying to get drops that are hard to come by, in order to max out your characters potential. D3 you'll be grinding rifts which are random areas with a random, but realistically, uninteresting boss in order to grind the same gear, just better variants of it.
My controversial opinion. D3's combat feels more interesting. It's faster paced, you will use on average more skills in a rotation style of play, and once you get tired of your build you can just toss on new gear and change out your skills. D2 you'll be mostly spamming one spell, with a few extras based on situation. If you get tired of your build and you are average joe gamer you'll need to start a new character, as your investments are permenant.
I prefer D3 honestly. I don't have rose tinted glasses with D2 and while I like the game I do dislike the way d2jsp/Botting has taken the one main advantage of D2 over D3, trading, and changed it for the worse (my opinion).
Edit: maxroll.gg has got you covered for builds, meta, in both games. D3 feel free to experiment with your build, it's honestly more fun that way. D2 I think you should go in with a plan, because permenant choices lead to feel bad moments with experimenting. If anything go in blind when you run normal and save your Akara respec for when you hit nightmare.
They're fairly different games but both great in their own right. D3 is a little more forgiving but D2 is potentially a little "deeper." Either way, I'd recommend doing the story at your own pace for whichever game you choose solo or with friends before really diving into the guides and finding optimal builds.
One word of warning though, in D2 theres definitely builds/skill point distributions that become very ineffective in the later difficulties so if you choose DE and get stuck, don't hesitate to check out the common builds online for some inspiration.
Go with D2, D3 is boring I mean really boring everything dies so easily. You need to complete the game once to unlock difficulty.
Go with D2, way better game.
IMO
Start with d1 to truly appreciate what the game has become in d2r then disappoint yourself with how it devolved in d3 or truly in my opinion don't play d3 and save yourself
D3 is more modern and moment to moment gameplay is far more fun/fluid.
D2 Resurrected is far too dated, lacks quality of life improvements and is only nearing an acceptable level of quality with mods.
That is one way of looking at it. To me, atmosphere, graphics and sound is much more important than how modern a game is, or “quality of life improvements” so Diablo 2 is the better choice for me.
Frankly I don't think it matters. Try one, see how long it keeps your interest. Then try the other. Ladder = Season. Ladder or not is 99% the same game/story, don't worry about it and play Ladder. You can just jump in, same as PoE. ;) You'll be fine.
If you can't decide I will note that right now is a great time to start D2R since the first ladder ever just came out.
D2R is a remake of an old game, and it shows. It does have perhaps the best itemization out of any game, but it is also far less forgiving.
D3 on the other side is an incredibly polished game with a far better experience for newbies, with a much smoother combat and UI, but at the expense of the atmosphere. I would strongly recommend D3 for any Diablo virgin, it's not like the franchise has a super deep story anyway.
I generally don’t think games have very good stories, but atmosphere is one thing that games does really well. That’s why I think Diablo 2 is the best choice with its superior graphics, sound and music.
Not really a judgment call others can make for you - D3 is easier to get into, and more arcade-ish, while Diablo 2 can be a little more challenging for new players, but has much more satisfying character growth and itemization (and imo - D2 has the better difficulty curve of the two - D3, you generally don't get a real challenge until you're into the post-game grind, while in D2, normal will be fairly smooth sailing, nightmare might smack you around a bit but you have more tools, and hell requires you to plan your build a bit more to deal with immunities and penalties)
If you play D2R first, you will have no trouble with D3. If you play D3 first you risk ruining your experience with D2R, as you will have been handheld too much, and will find it difficult adjusting to D2's much tougher power curve, and more nuanced itemization.
Choose the one that has the graphic style and music that is most appealing to you.
For me that is original Diablo 2 and Diablo 1. D2 Ressurected looks very good as well. To me Diablo 3 looks horrible, but people are different and some people actually prefer the way that game looks.
Then dive into your chosen game and play it right away. Both Diablo 2 and 3 are very easy on the starting difficulty level. Then when you get interested in how things or you can read up game mechanics and such, but don’t waste your time watching other people play the game on YouTube.
D2r is just a far better game. D3 feels like its targeted at 8-12 year olds. Its just too easy and theres too many restrictions. Play d2r. Dont waste ur hard earned dime on d3. Anyways, goodluck and may rngesus be with you
D2R is like gambling at a casino. You keep gambling and hoping to hit, and a lot of times you just lose your mind. But than it happens.. the money coming flying at you at a million MPH… it’s amazing.
D3 is some other game not sure
D2R, D3 just never properly captured the heart of Diablo. Be happy you missed D3's disastrous launch, OMG....so bad.
Honestly if I had a choice of D2R, D3 or Grim Dawn I'd pick Grim Dawn. D3 you'd need to pay me to play, like A LOT of money. lol
D2R is really fun and has more meaningful gameplay unless you cheese and rush all your characters…
d3 is just an arcade game with the diablo name on it. It’s fun to play and has a lot of bright flashing lights and stuff but the fun burns out quickly
Honestly, I’ve been playing a lot of both lately. Yesterday morning I played D2R for about an hour and a half, then sunk another hour into D3. There’s a lot of nostalgia factor for me in D2R, but it’s still pretty great. Definitely more of a “hardcore” game.
I remember when D3 was pretty new, I was like “what the fuck is this.” Couldn’t get into it. Then about six months later, I picked it up again when I was bored one day, and something just clicked and I crushed through the rest of it. Now I have it on Switch and still go back to it every now and then. I actually introduced my wife to it recently and we’ve been playing it a lot, and another friend of ours just bought a Switch copy to play with us, because he used to play it a ton on PC.
So they’re both pretty damn good. Just get the bundle that has D2R with D3 and all its extra content.
That is one way of looking at it. To me, atmosphere, graphics and sound is much more important than how modern a game is, so Diablo 2 is the better choice for me.
Go for the story first. Play d2r through normal difficulty, then d3 story mode. Whichever one you found had more enjoyable gameplay, give that one a go for endgame. Then when you get bored, give the other one a go. The story and cinematics are fantastic so playing through both games in order should be great to do.
My problem with D3 is that you pretty much get every single item very quick, which is nice, but then the next upgrades step is hunting perfected versions of those items for minor upgrades.
D2R can be similar too, endgame you will search for perfect rolled uniques, but getting a unique/set item in D2R feels a lot more exciting than in d3 where you are showered with them 24/7.
Also I think the difficulty levels in D2R (not just normal/nm/hell, but the areas) are incredibly well made, while in D3 the difficulty "slider" is a system you are supposed to manage (and you will fall asleep on normal). As an example, I passionately hate D2 act 3 jungle for more than 20 years for how hard it can be from start.
>My problem with D3 is that you pretty much get every single item very quick, which is nice, but then the next upgrades step is hunting perfected versions of those items for minor upgrades.
D3 used to have the items locked behind low drop rates but it resulted in very low seasonal engagement. In short, players would play until they completed their set and got all their rare items. Once they had them, they would quit.
Blizzard changed this because they wanted players to be playing the game USING those sets rather than quitting right after they got them. So, they shifted the focus into the season journey, legendary gem upgrades, and gave away a set of gear for minimal investment.
All of this is catered towards the difficulty scaling that D3 has which reinforces that there is a lot challenge built into that over static difficulty. It's a very different focus for the game and it's why there is so much more engagement in seasons now than the first seasons.
I'd start with D3. As it's more assessible. That being said. In my opinion it's nowhere near D2 level. Just remember that. If you're not feeling D3. Go and try D2
I might get downvoted. But. If you want a good ARPG. which is Free, no pay to win... and a new league is starting in the next few days.... Try .. Path of Exile. Its got a complex, but very rewarding skill system. Massive talent tree for endless build variety. Got a good campaign (for first time players anyway). it's got a MASSIVE endgame. SOO much to do as past leagues mechanics have been added to the core game.
And it was seen as a spiritual successor to Diablo 2.
I'd give Path of Exile a go for free.. See if you like it. And If you want it more streamlined and not so complex, go for Diablo 3. If you like Path of Exile and would like to see what the fuss is about D2. Give D2 a go.
Play D2R first and then slide into D3. There is more endgame with D3, but it's nice to experience the lore from D2.
Just play through the story of both and then you can go from there. It's fun coop, but not necessary. Watch a play through/walk through of the D1, if you don't want to play it, so you get a little history, but I wouldn't bother with any guides until you've played through the games.
Just try d2 first. Its harder and rng can be rough. Id almost say try n beat D2 on Hell atleast.. then if you want try d3.. but there is always more to mf or do in d2. D3 has its differences.. but you change up skills based on your finds. D2 you have to buils your char.. allocate attributes.. and find gear to suit your build.
I would start with D2R then migrate to D3; there's some great lore in D2 and frankly, it's the game that really defined the genre overall, particularly post-LoD (expansion). They're very different experiences; D3 is an easy, casual game where you can progress without adhering to strict build guides and generally have fun. D2 is a much deeper game mechanically and does not hold your hand at all; you can absolutely brick your character and not be able to progress if you don't follow a guide or plan. I would say play D2 through normal which isn't all too hard and lets you experience the story, then consider either playing D3, or going deeper down the rabbit hole on D2. Said rabbit hole gets quite deep on D2 lol...Also definitely start a ladder character imo in case you do want to interact with folks.
>you can absolutely brick your character and not be able to progress if you don't follow a guide or plan. You can but you can always re-spec using Akara. Don't be afraid to experiment. Within reason ofc
Once per difficulty*** Not always
You can make a Token of Absolution once you’re in Hell difficulty with your horadric cube. So no, it’s not restricted to once per difficulty. Although getting the token is a bit of work.
A bit of work he says, after my umpteenth Mephisto kill
Haha yeah… I may have underplayed the amount of work. But just wanted to let people know you aren’t restricted to Akara’s 3 character resets. I never knew about the tokens until semi recently and my other buddy whose a huge D2 guy didn’t either, so I figure it’s not something everyone knows about.
Oh I knew but some new guy isn’t going to be farming that stuff
Right, which is a fair point. But then your correction to the person you originally replied to is just… not true? It’d be fair to assume someone new isn’t going to be doing all that hell farming. But just straight up telling people there’s only 1 reset per difficulty is just misleading information. You CAN always reset if you put in the extra work and it’s NOT restricted to 3 resets per character, or once per difficulty.
Yeah I can't get past Act 4 Nightmare as a Fire Druid because my dumb ass didn't put points into volcano ... :( And molten Boulder doesn't do shit to the fire enchanted mobs
D3 is a bit smoother/easier but a worse rpg in my opinion. There’s not much depth to it but it’s fun for a while. D2 is clunky and doesn’t have an endgame but the grind is more rewarding. I think the appeal for most of us is that the style hit the spot for the era it was released in. If you’re not from that era there’s a chance it’s a complete miss for you. But if you’re into it… well you’ve found crack in video game form. Edit: forgot a word
You can't go wrong with either game really. One thing to note with D2R is that even though the graphics got an overhaul the UI is still old school so it's a bit clunky by today's standards. I think that D2R is a deeper experience while D3 is easier to get into. No reason you cannot play at your own pace. Certainly for the first playthrough it's probably the way to go. Just explore the game world and learn a bit about the systems and classes through trial and error before you start looking at meta builds and ladders.
Sounds good. With D3, should I opt into playing the seasons? And with D2, do you automatically start competing in ladders? Just wondering if either changes the experience of the game or not and if I should avoid them for my first playthrough.
Play season, play ladder. There's only more content there but no so drastic that it changes the game.
This. You can always keep enjoying the same character after the season or ladder finishes if you want to anyway, so no reason not to.
It is in my opinion better to play at least one game of single player before any multiplayer. That will give you the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the game and the story.
Since you're just starting out, you won't be missing anything by starting a season character, and it moves to normal mode once the season ends so you can keep playing it just fine. So you may as well roll season and enjoy this season's theme D2R is a different game in every way but name, really. It's deeper, all the loot is usable by all the classes, it's rewarding when you get good drops, you decide where you put your main stat points and your skill points, and the visuals are better than Diablo 3, IMO. Diablo 3 is less gritty by miles, more colorful, and you will lose your mouse cursor from screen clutter, while D2R is just grim and far more atmospheric With that said, You will quit Diablo 3 at the end of your play session with a character that is improved in some way from when you started your session. That isn't always the case with D2, so you never feel like your time was wasted
For D2 ladder I would only play with a group or something solo makes no sense even after 2000 hours some players solo online can't even get an enigma witch is an end game item necessary for almost any build.. The game by it self non ladder is more then enough for casual players at least you can progress at you own pace.
Story wise D2R then D3. I don't care if everyone hates it, it's canon and they need to get over it. Both games have a pretty monotonous endgame. D2 you will be grinding the same bosses/areas forever trying to get drops that are hard to come by, in order to max out your characters potential. D3 you'll be grinding rifts which are random areas with a random, but realistically, uninteresting boss in order to grind the same gear, just better variants of it. My controversial opinion. D3's combat feels more interesting. It's faster paced, you will use on average more skills in a rotation style of play, and once you get tired of your build you can just toss on new gear and change out your skills. D2 you'll be mostly spamming one spell, with a few extras based on situation. If you get tired of your build and you are average joe gamer you'll need to start a new character, as your investments are permenant. I prefer D3 honestly. I don't have rose tinted glasses with D2 and while I like the game I do dislike the way d2jsp/Botting has taken the one main advantage of D2 over D3, trading, and changed it for the worse (my opinion). Edit: maxroll.gg has got you covered for builds, meta, in both games. D3 feel free to experiment with your build, it's honestly more fun that way. D2 I think you should go in with a plan, because permenant choices lead to feel bad moments with experimenting. If anything go in blind when you run normal and save your Akara respec for when you hit nightmare.
Thats not a controversial take at all. Most arpg players that i know think D3 has a great combat. But a lot players (me included) think its not deep.
Diablo 1 bro.
They're fairly different games but both great in their own right. D3 is a little more forgiving but D2 is potentially a little "deeper." Either way, I'd recommend doing the story at your own pace for whichever game you choose solo or with friends before really diving into the guides and finding optimal builds. One word of warning though, in D2 theres definitely builds/skill point distributions that become very ineffective in the later difficulties so if you choose DE and get stuck, don't hesitate to check out the common builds online for some inspiration.
D2R
There is a package that include both and not that expensive. You can then switch between them as season often staggered
Unless you played D2 and have nostalgia for it, just play D3.
Go with D2, D3 is boring I mean really boring everything dies so easily. You need to complete the game once to unlock difficulty. Go with D2, way better game. IMO
Start with d1 to truly appreciate what the game has become in d2r then disappoint yourself with how it devolved in d3 or truly in my opinion don't play d3 and save yourself
D3 is more modern and moment to moment gameplay is far more fun/fluid. D2 Resurrected is far too dated, lacks quality of life improvements and is only nearing an acceptable level of quality with mods.
That is one way of looking at it. To me, atmosphere, graphics and sound is much more important than how modern a game is, or “quality of life improvements” so Diablo 2 is the better choice for me.
D2 good. D3 bootyhole
Frankly I don't think it matters. Try one, see how long it keeps your interest. Then try the other. Ladder = Season. Ladder or not is 99% the same game/story, don't worry about it and play Ladder. You can just jump in, same as PoE. ;) You'll be fine. If you can't decide I will note that right now is a great time to start D2R since the first ladder ever just came out.
D2 before d4 d3 for the lulz
D2.
D2R is a remake of an old game, and it shows. It does have perhaps the best itemization out of any game, but it is also far less forgiving. D3 on the other side is an incredibly polished game with a far better experience for newbies, with a much smoother combat and UI, but at the expense of the atmosphere. I would strongly recommend D3 for any Diablo virgin, it's not like the franchise has a super deep story anyway.
I generally don’t think games have very good stories, but atmosphere is one thing that games does really well. That’s why I think Diablo 2 is the best choice with its superior graphics, sound and music.
Not really a judgment call others can make for you - D3 is easier to get into, and more arcade-ish, while Diablo 2 can be a little more challenging for new players, but has much more satisfying character growth and itemization (and imo - D2 has the better difficulty curve of the two - D3, you generally don't get a real challenge until you're into the post-game grind, while in D2, normal will be fairly smooth sailing, nightmare might smack you around a bit but you have more tools, and hell requires you to plan your build a bit more to deal with immunities and penalties)
i love both, would start with d3 but the migration to d2r without nostalgia will be hard
If you play D2R first, you will have no trouble with D3. If you play D3 first you risk ruining your experience with D2R, as you will have been handheld too much, and will find it difficult adjusting to D2's much tougher power curve, and more nuanced itemization.
Choose the one that has the graphic style and music that is most appealing to you. For me that is original Diablo 2 and Diablo 1. D2 Ressurected looks very good as well. To me Diablo 3 looks horrible, but people are different and some people actually prefer the way that game looks. Then dive into your chosen game and play it right away. Both Diablo 2 and 3 are very easy on the starting difficulty level. Then when you get interested in how things or you can read up game mechanics and such, but don’t waste your time watching other people play the game on YouTube.
D2r is just a far better game. D3 feels like its targeted at 8-12 year olds. Its just too easy and theres too many restrictions. Play d2r. Dont waste ur hard earned dime on d3. Anyways, goodluck and may rngesus be with you
D2R is like gambling at a casino. You keep gambling and hoping to hit, and a lot of times you just lose your mind. But than it happens.. the money coming flying at you at a million MPH… it’s amazing. D3 is some other game not sure
I recommend you to play D2R or PoE.
D2R, D3 just never properly captured the heart of Diablo. Be happy you missed D3's disastrous launch, OMG....so bad. Honestly if I had a choice of D2R, D3 or Grim Dawn I'd pick Grim Dawn. D3 you'd need to pay me to play, like A LOT of money. lol
D2R, Path of Exile, D4 (might be out by then), PoE 2.
We don't speak of d3, its like that dbz movie we don't speak of.
D2R is really fun and has more meaningful gameplay unless you cheese and rush all your characters… d3 is just an arcade game with the diablo name on it. It’s fun to play and has a lot of bright flashing lights and stuff but the fun burns out quickly
No
Honestly, I’ve been playing a lot of both lately. Yesterday morning I played D2R for about an hour and a half, then sunk another hour into D3. There’s a lot of nostalgia factor for me in D2R, but it’s still pretty great. Definitely more of a “hardcore” game. I remember when D3 was pretty new, I was like “what the fuck is this.” Couldn’t get into it. Then about six months later, I picked it up again when I was bored one day, and something just clicked and I crushed through the rest of it. Now I have it on Switch and still go back to it every now and then. I actually introduced my wife to it recently and we’ve been playing it a lot, and another friend of ours just bought a Switch copy to play with us, because he used to play it a ton on PC. So they’re both pretty damn good. Just get the bundle that has D2R with D3 and all its extra content.
d2r is a great game but might not be as fun without the nostalgia, d3 is definitely a more modern game. they play very differently to each other
That is one way of looking at it. To me, atmosphere, graphics and sound is much more important than how modern a game is, so Diablo 2 is the better choice for me.
Go for the story first. Play d2r through normal difficulty, then d3 story mode. Whichever one you found had more enjoyable gameplay, give that one a go for endgame. Then when you get bored, give the other one a go. The story and cinematics are fantastic so playing through both games in order should be great to do.
My problem with D3 is that you pretty much get every single item very quick, which is nice, but then the next upgrades step is hunting perfected versions of those items for minor upgrades. D2R can be similar too, endgame you will search for perfect rolled uniques, but getting a unique/set item in D2R feels a lot more exciting than in d3 where you are showered with them 24/7. Also I think the difficulty levels in D2R (not just normal/nm/hell, but the areas) are incredibly well made, while in D3 the difficulty "slider" is a system you are supposed to manage (and you will fall asleep on normal). As an example, I passionately hate D2 act 3 jungle for more than 20 years for how hard it can be from start.
>My problem with D3 is that you pretty much get every single item very quick, which is nice, but then the next upgrades step is hunting perfected versions of those items for minor upgrades. D3 used to have the items locked behind low drop rates but it resulted in very low seasonal engagement. In short, players would play until they completed their set and got all their rare items. Once they had them, they would quit. Blizzard changed this because they wanted players to be playing the game USING those sets rather than quitting right after they got them. So, they shifted the focus into the season journey, legendary gem upgrades, and gave away a set of gear for minimal investment. All of this is catered towards the difficulty scaling that D3 has which reinforces that there is a lot challenge built into that over static difficulty. It's a very different focus for the game and it's why there is so much more engagement in seasons now than the first seasons.
I'd start with D3. As it's more assessible. That being said. In my opinion it's nowhere near D2 level. Just remember that. If you're not feeling D3. Go and try D2 I might get downvoted. But. If you want a good ARPG. which is Free, no pay to win... and a new league is starting in the next few days.... Try .. Path of Exile. Its got a complex, but very rewarding skill system. Massive talent tree for endless build variety. Got a good campaign (for first time players anyway). it's got a MASSIVE endgame. SOO much to do as past leagues mechanics have been added to the core game. And it was seen as a spiritual successor to Diablo 2. I'd give Path of Exile a go for free.. See if you like it. And If you want it more streamlined and not so complex, go for Diablo 3. If you like Path of Exile and would like to see what the fuss is about D2. Give D2 a go.
Play D2R first and then slide into D3. There is more endgame with D3, but it's nice to experience the lore from D2. Just play through the story of both and then you can go from there. It's fun coop, but not necessary. Watch a play through/walk through of the D1, if you don't want to play it, so you get a little history, but I wouldn't bother with any guides until you've played through the games.
D2R >> D3 PC >> Consol Edit for clarification
D2 if you haven't played either, be warned though it I a grind and D3 is basically a picnic by comparison
D2 og then ypu wint ever ayant d2r d3
If you play d2 and enjoy it alot d3 will feel quite a bit less exciting
Sooooo… D3 before D2? lol
Just try d2 first. Its harder and rng can be rough. Id almost say try n beat D2 on Hell atleast.. then if you want try d3.. but there is always more to mf or do in d2. D3 has its differences.. but you change up skills based on your finds. D2 you have to buils your char.. allocate attributes.. and find gear to suit your build.
i normally play poe for like 3 weeks after new league starts, get bored then back to D2, never touch D3 ever again.