The following is a edited transcript of the December fansite chat, where Blizzard officials answered many pressing questions of Diablo II and Diablo II Expansion.The major new points include:

• Blizzard plans the reset in standard and hardcore ladders early next year. Note that this does not involve deleting all the characters.
• Existing Magical items world be socketeble in the expansion, only the newly introduced ones in the expansion.
• The Druid can no longer turn into a condor.
• Charsi will be able to imbue class specific items.
• The Expansion allows you to repair everything on you with one click.
• Blizzard is already making plans for DIablo II V1.05.
• There will be a Closed Beta Test for the Diablo 2 Expansion of around 2000 people.
• Ethereal items will be introduced. Compared to their normal counterparts, these items will have lower durability and cannot be repaired, but have better damage or armor rating

What is the Battle.net team's main focus right now?
The Battle.net team has expanded in recent months and is working on several issues including realm stability, new chat functionality and general server-side improvements. We have recently added quite a bit of new functionality in Diablo II v1.04. We are also currently focused on some important issues such as game loading times on the Asian Realm servers and people not being able to see their characters on the Diablo II Realms.

Will the Diablo II expansion set be more difficult for hardcore players?`
The D2 Expansion set begins where Act 4 left off, so the difficulty will be greater. For the more diligent Diablo II player, we have added a bunch of items, uniques, sets and rare items into the Nightmare and Hell difficulty levels.

Will the expansion set be given a simultaneous worldwide launch?
With the success of the world-wide release of Diablo II, we are looking forward to coordinating another simultaneous release for the Diablo II Expansion set.

How many new monsters will be included in the expansion set?
Aside from a special Yeti, there will be no old monsters in the new Act. While we haven't set an exact number, it will be a full Act's worth! Including new bosses!

Will there be a subtitle in the expansion?
Yes, we will have a name for the Expansion set, but we are still working on getting just the right one.

Have you completed the skill trees?
We have complete skill trees, but they are in a state of constant change. I'm sure that there will be several major changes before we ship. Both characters are rounding out to be very fun.

Are there any new Battle.net functions with the expansion?
We will have a new ladder for the expansion set that will include the new character classes.

Will existing set and unique items be socketable?
No, existing sets and uniques will not change. However, new sets, uniques, rare and magic items can and will be socketable. Addendum: One quest reward MAY allow you to socket ANY item.

Will there be any new music in Act V?
Although there is not an exact timing as of yet, there will be an entire new Act's worth of music. Matt Uelman, the composer of both Diablo and Diablo II, is again at the conductor's podium for the expansion set.

Do you plan to leave the Diablo world after the expansion?
The fight between evil and good is eternal.
Amen!

Are you still planning for a first-half 2001 release date?
Yes.

Will characters be required to beat Act V before heading on to Nightmare?
Yes, unless you've already been there in Diablo II.

Will you have to start from Act I using the Assassin or Druid?
Yes, you will start in Act I if you are starting a new character -- whether it is an Expansion character class or one of the original five.

Is there a resolution change to the expansion?
Yes, we resolve to meet a release date for once.

What percentage complete is the expansion set?
73.65923%

Have you added any more game servers to the Diablo II realms?
We have recently added servers to both the US West and Asian Realms. We also expect more servers to go online over the next few weeks.

Can you expand on the enhancements being made to Acts I-IV?
The two new characters start in Act 1, so they will have a whole game's worth of new skills. For the other character types, there will be all kinds of new stuff: New character-specific items, socketable rares, magic and uniques, new sets, new cube recipes, new gems/runes, and tons (literally) of new magic properties that can go onto items.

Do you have plans for another patch of Diablo II?
Yes, we are already setting priorities and examining what should be addressed in our next patch. We always make server-side changes before patches come out and then include those in the patch as well, so we are always working on the game.

The important goal we have set for ourselves is to ensure that our next patch for Diablo II does not take as long to release as patch 1.04 :)!

Has the Druid's Condor skill been cancelled?
Yes, the condor skill has been cancelled. He looked like a guy in a bird suit. But we've expanded on the WereBear and WereWolf skill trees, and they are extremely cool and fun to play.

Will players be able to control catapults in Act V?
The Catapults are comanded by the vile forces of Baal and would be disdainful for the forces of good to employ. They are targets for righteous distruction -- not for player use.

Will there be runes?
As of now, there will be runes, which are similar to gems. However, nothing is final! It comes down to play balance and fun. Runes are intended to be like sets of Gems that can be set in a certain order to get new magical properties.

What are the plans for a beta test?
We will be doing a closed (~2000 people) Beta test for the expansion. This will be done through sign-ups on www.blizzard.com and invitations. Since their will be no real new Realm functionality, we will NOT be doing an open Beta test.

Will there be any magical throwing weapons?
Yes. Amen!

What plans are in the works for the Diablo II ladder?
We are planning to reset the Diablo II Standard & Hardcore Ladders early next year. We will be announcing when and how this will occur in the next few days on www.battle.net and www.blizzard.com -- stay tuned for details!

Are there any plans to raise the level-cap beyond 99?
We will either raise the level cap or make it harder to get to Level 99.

Will the 1.05 patch be released before the expansion set?
Yes, we will be releasing another patch before the expansion set comes out.

Will you be able to restore all of your items at once?
You will be able to repair all equipped items with one click of the mouse. This is in and working right now, and it's kinda nice.

Will hirelings be improved in the expansion?
Yes -- we have some great new ideas to make the Hirelings much more useful. These changes are getting some of the best feedback from our teams here at Blizzard in the current build. For example, you can drop a potion on a hireling to heal them.

How many new NCP's will be included in the expansion?
There will be five new NPCs plus our old buddy, Deckard Cain..

Does resetting the ladder mean that characters are going to be deleted?
As a clarification, resetting of the ladder does NOT mean your characters will be deleted. Your characters will not be affected in any way. Details will follow in a few days.

Will you include stronger uniques compared to the very strong rare items?
We learned a lot from the last several months of Diablo II and will use that experience in designing and balancing all the new weapons. So, to answer your question, yes.

Will Tyreal be included in Act V?
Yes.

Will Charsi be able to imbue the new class-specific items?
Yes, she will be able to imbue these new item types such as the Katar and Wolf Pelt. Non-magic ones.

Will there be new exceptional items in the Hell difficulty setting?
Yes. They will also have magic, rare, unique, and set versions as well. As well as socketable, ethereal, superior, and maybe other versions as well.

Can you tell us anything new about the cinematics?
There will be a new introduction and victory cinematic that will feature some of our most ambitious work to date. There will be hundreds of models on screen at once engaging in massive battles that really show the feel of Act V. In short, they are L337!

Will the Assassin's trap's be effective against other players?
They will be effective against hostile players only.

What are ethereal items?
Ethereal items will look different, have a lower durability and cannot be repaired, but have better damage and increased AC (for armor.)

The DII DevTeam is represented by Max Schaefer, Matt Householder, Pete Brevik, and Tyler Thompson with a special appearance by Ken Williams. Thanks for coming out to the chat! We will be having a Warcraft III in 6-8 weeks. Have a Happy Holiday and may you find a Silks of the Victor in your Christmas Stocking! Jubilant Kwanza!