You have a couple of options.
Option 1:
- You can download Diablo 1 as abandonware, publicly available for free download on
archive.org (
https://archive.org/details/Diablo_1996_Blizzard)
- Then download the
v1.09 patch available on this link
https://diablopat.ch/download.php it is located under the 'Requirements' section of the link
- Then I highly recommend downloading and running
DiabloPatch. It is located at the top of the link I included above. It fixes the classic dupe bug, shows HP/Mana numbers, shows what effects shrines will have on you, allows you to highlight items on ground via alt button, allows for quick belt refills by holding shift while hovering over potion in your inventory then clicking it, modern system compatibility updates, and more! You must have the 1.09 patch installed for DiabloPatch to work correctly.
- Installing each of these components is quick straightforward. I was able to pull it off running Wineskin on a Mac.. if you're on a PC this should be a breeze.
- With this path you can play on the old battle.net but you will be placed into a Void channel and can't really play with other players. However, there are still some elements to 1.09 multiplayer that I prefer vs Single Player.
Option 2:
- Purchase Diablo + Hellfire (unofficial expansion with a couple other classes notably the Monk, more spells, items, fast walk in town, etc) combo pack from GOG. It was recently on sale for $9 (normal price $10).
- Like DiabloPatch, GOG has their own modern system compatibility updates. I however could not get the GOG version to run as smoothly on my Mac through Wine as I am able to the old classic version in Option 1.
- Play on GOG's servers which yes have other players online.
- There are also discords you can join where other players are discussing Diablo 1 and matchmaking.
https://discordapp.com/channels/555205594760478770/555205595246886972- DiabloPatch is not currently compatible with the GOG version of Diablo. This may happen later down the road, but the creator has not been active on reddit which is where he has a subreddit dedicated to DiabloPatch for updates and communication.
There are also other mods out there like Diablo HD / Belzebub which aim to modernize the game. A dedicated stash for items, updated graphics, new spells, etc. I haven't played it yet, although might try to do this sometime this week. I enjoy Diablo 1 vanilla and honestly the walking issue isn't that bad. People way over-dramatize that. The town is very small and concise. The dungeons are all conveniently located. And the town portal spell only helps cut down on walking distances.
Hope this helps!