Hi!
Besides Amazon, every character is strong, You just need to build it properly.
Suggestions:
When You start without any item, just start with a necro, because iron maiden / blood golem is as OP as Amp / Coprse Explosion , and Amp/CE is available very early at the game
CE is the ultimate skill in 1.00-1.01, and it is never that strong in later patches, since it scales up according to the player number, and also this version was when CE had huge radious, like maxing it would mean a nuke impact 3 screens away from You aswell...
Get through A1-A4 at norm with it, and after that start COW runs at norm, get a nice map to get to him as fast as possible, try to kill CowKing on the very same spot/location, gear up much unique items to make him dropping even more end-game rares (details - google is your friend)
Right after this You can start any character... WW Barb is MAD/disgusting, this patch is the ultimate version of the WW, literally the strongest version, some would say only vs single target, but at my experiences, with a 5xdura 160+maxdam pike You Are Unstopable, it is simple as F, You dont need to use tactics, or even Your brain, get some life+mana leech on rings or whatever, always keep the unique pike in stash to force its 5xdura rare version (details - google is your friend), max bo, dont bother Yourself with Defense bonuses, since its bugged in 1.00, leave Shout and IronSkin untouched (only if prereq put 1 into it) Natural res and Inc speed for like 10 points, max WW, Spear Mast and BO, and the other key items here are IceBlink + Frostburn + NightSmoke next to the rare Pike
I like the paladin in 1.00 too, I think the strongest/safe version is a hybrid, You max the following skills Thorn+Concentration+Blessed Hammer, You put into Holy Shield as much to hit 75% block, (You need to count it like HS + all block that items and Your shield gives), use redumption to solve mana/life, also mediation in some cases, but only 1 point into it is enough and also some point to Conversion. Basicly You build a hammerdin, but vs some critical situations (like Hell Hephaisto and Lighning Enchanced+MultiShot ranged unique bosses) You turn to be a Thorn+Conversion pally. The funniest thing is You can outcast on FCR the current 125 fcr version of hammerdin, You can hit the next BP here..crazy, BH is physical not magic in 1.00, Amplify Dam is crazy bonus to it, and btw its true there is no immune mob in 1.00, but while element resists go up to 90 on opponents the physical damage resist can go up to 99.... and mostly on high HP bosses (Vampires), so it may take several minutes and crazy amount of mana to fight down this one and they have also crazy life regeneration and if they have the abilty to teleport, than just skip them, they are no-chancers, because the mobs with teleport ability regenerate enormous amount of life each time they teleport, and when they low on life they start this like a mad...
Sorc, i give here the strongest version of the sorc, this is the FireWall soso with ES + Static + Frost Nova. FireWall is because when it is maxed, and supported by Fire Mast (dont waist much skillpoints into FM, since after 4 points the extra effect is simply not worth it, and You need to build a very sensitive character where every skillpoints has its place) You can make around 1k fire damage/sec, lay down 5 and do the math, actually it is sometimes too much for the game to calculate it on 27 yards of length, and it starts to be laggy if You play multi player , You have to use Static like mad, and Frost Nova is there for making the opponent slow for some seconds, while moving slow on the line of Your several FireWall it should die easier, slowing the opponent is a key for living, since in 1.00 You cannot rely on Your Merc, because the Act merces wont move with You when You change Act, You Cannot gear them, and they are weak as F. The only usefull help from them is at Duriel, since his charge is lethal, while the chamber's of Tal Rasha is loading You get the hit of a truck and its over, but most of the time the hit gets to Your Act 2 merc, who also dies in a sec, but You can survice a bit more :), ES is fine, try to gather 2xSOJ + Frostburn + Wall of the Eyeless to solve mana problem. Skillpoints is a key so i give here my setup of my lvl 88 soso
Max Warmth + Static + FireWall
13 to ES (dont waist time to get precast staff, since its not gonna work on the reduce part, the effect of damred is always as much as Your actual skill level showing, so if You would like to benefit from the ES staff You need to keep it in Your hands, the only bonus You get is extra time, but ES has no problem with lasting)
Fire Mastery 5+
Frost Nova 8+
Frozen Armor 1
Teleport 1
Tekeinesis 1 (in 1.00 telekinesis works for every item not only for like potions)
Lightning Mastery 1 (LM has affect in 1.00 only on the manacost of lightning skills, so its nice for Teleport and Static)
There are so-so much more to tell and even so-so much to explore. joey- did a noce job and also Fruit did, who could dig into the codes and getting things even more specific
Skip Hell dolls and even more hell doll bosses / champs - You cannot stack as much life to survive the explosion
Skip Hell Hephaistos
Skip MS+LE
Skill shrine can make an interesting bug just like Milobrega and Infernal sets
Conviction has no effect from Mobs
Lord De Seis has Theft ability - can brake the game - go with empty belt
Blood golem steals 30% of the opponents life and not calculated by the damage of IM reflection or the damage the BG deals, so this can cause also broken game when You play 8players on Hell and hitting Izual/Hephaistos - solve it by Clay Golem
Corpse Explosion can also brake the game, dont use it brainless at Hell Act3 Councills in 8 ppl game, can do as much damage there when You use this skill on the corpse of a boss member of the Councils the game would say stack overflow
Act4 Iron Maiden - WW - be carefull! with 30%+lifeleech You may not insta-die
MF works, but You need 201+ or exactly 150%
PVP Penalty 50%
ColdMastery and Conviction skills are not working as integer, they work as percentage, so You can only move the opponent resist close to ZERO, Lower Resist and Amp is integer, You can move the resists below zero
Every Summoned creature scale up with player number
BoneWall at Hell Act1 - MF has effect - Not EZ to make it properly - Its rather waisting time, but also it is interesting