Some incredibly dedicated Diablo 2: Resurrected player has managed to beat the whole game on Hell difficulty without ever attacking any of the enemies directly.
YouTuber MacroBioBoi is the demon-slayer responsible for this feat, which they claim is the first known pacifist run in Diablo 2: Resurrected's Hell difficulty. And indeed, while there are recorded examples of pacifist runs in Diablo 2 and Diablo 2 Resurrected's normal difficulties, I couldn't find anyone claiming to have successfuly completed a pacifist run in either game's Hell mode.
You might be familiar with pacifist runs, and if not, they're exactly what they sound like. They're generally optional playthroughs where you're responsible for adhering to pre-determined rules that prevent you from attacking and/or killing enemies.
- After almost 2 years of attempts, Dark Souls legend completes his brutal 7-game "God Run 3": Demon's Souls to Elden Ring without taking a single hit, all at level 1
- Elden Ring player becomes the first to beat every New Game+ difficulty back to back without getting hit, in an 8-playthrough run that somehow took under 12 hours
In this case, the rules are pretty straightforward: the only damage the player is allowed to inflict is in passive reaction to an enemy's attack, so skills things like Thorns, Spirit of Barbs, and Iron Maiden are allowed, but direct attacks aren't. Modifiers like "attacker takes damage" and "chance to cast when struck" are also permitted. Furthermore, the rules require the player to go into the run without any gear equipped, so the only weapons, armor, and accessories used are picked up during the playthrough. Finally, the streamer can't use workarounds to inflict damage with traps, summons, mercenaries, or damage auras.
Since MacroBioBoi is a Sorceress in this run, they needed to rely heavily on the Nova skill to damage enemies, which they applied to a full set of gear armed with the aforementioned modifiers, ensuring a reactionary strike 100% of the time they were hit. Still, it took the streamer over 50 hours, and plenty of clever trickery, to beat the game under the rules of the game.
It's tough enough just beating Diablo 2: Resurrected on normal, but to clear the game on its hardest difficulty without ever directly inflicting damage is hard to fathom... until you watch MacroBioBoi do it, anyway.
Here are some great games like Diablo to play while we wait for the sequel.
