How to mule in Diablo II on Battlenet

A Diablo 2 mule is a character that was created expressly for the purpose of storing items in its stash space. "Muling" is the term used to describe the process of transferring items from one character to another, when both (or all) characters are owned by the same player. Here are some tips, tricks, and pitfalls of muling on Battlenet.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Diablo II
• Internet connection

1. When muling alone with one computer, the basic method is:
   
   a) enter a Diablo 2 game with the character that has all the items
   b) drop items on ground
   c) make note of the game name so you can find it again
   d) leave game
   e) enter game with the character that has all the space
   f) pick up items from ground
   
   You can either create a new game to mule in, or you can make use of a game that already exists. Both ways have some advantages and hazards.

2. The main advantage of creating your own game is that you can put a password on it so nobody can steal your stuff. However, Diablo 2 games on Battlenet have to be in existence for a certain amount of time before they will stay put while nobody is in it. If you create a new game to mule in, you must first wait 5-10 minutes before you do anything else. To test if it's been long enough, simply leave after waiting for a while and see if you can get back in with "join game" - or if it tells you that it doesn't exist. Don't drop stuff in a brand new game that you've just created, and then immediately leave. If you do that, the game disappears and so do your items.
   
   Also, if you switch characters too fast (especially if you have multiple Diablo 2 accounts and you're switching between them), Battlenet will lock you out. At first it's for ten minutes or so, but any attempts to reconnect before the lockout period expires will cause it to become even longer. By the time you can get back online, the game has disappeared and so have your items.

3. If you don't want to wait around for a game to "perm" itself, you can join a public game. The "join game" screen tells you how long a game has existed - pick one that has been around for a while.
   
   The main hazard of muling in a public game is theft. There are a few ways to avoid thieves. Pick a random waypoint to a place both characters can reach, go out a ways into the game, and drop your items there. You can hide them behind trees or in buildings if there are any. Make sure nobody else is playing in the area and nobody is following you.
   
   Bear in mind that in public games, anything you drop next to the stash in any camp is considered free for anyone to take. This is especially true if it's a game called "mule" or "parking" or some combination thereof. Mule games are high traffic games with random people going in and out constantly. Don't leave valuables you want to keep, anywhere in camp, for the same reasons you wouldn't leave your wallet in plain sight in the middle of a mall.
   
   Beware of Battlenet lockout for switching characters too fast while muling in public games, too. While the game is less likely to disappear, items eventually expire if they are left on the ground too long. Potions disappear fastest, then white and socketed items, then blue, then yellow, then brown.

4. You can also create a private game with a trusted fellow player, whose purpose is to stay in the game and hold it open while you mule. You get the advantage of having a private game with no theft, and also the advantage that you don't have to wait for the game to perm. If you have friends you play with, it's usually not difficult to find someone who is willing to run Diablo 2 and stand in a game while they do other things (eat dinner, do homework, etc.). Alternately, they might run off and play elsewhere in the game. Either way, as long as they don't leave, you can mule in (relative) peace.
   
   If they also want to mule at the same time, be sure to coordinate when you come and go so that the game always has at least one player in it. You might also coordinate separate places to drop your stuff so your piles don't get confused. By general convention, most people understand that any items dropped beside the stash are free for the taking by anyone else muling in the game.
   
   There is one other advantage of having a trusted friend actively in the game while you mule. If Battlenet lockout happens, and you have another means of contacting your friend, you can tell them to pick up your items so you don't lose them.

5. The third main hazard of muling is the stability of Battlenet itself. Individual games of Diablo 2 can suddenly vanish without warning. Servers can and do go down at any time. If you drop things on the ground, and the server crashes, you've lost your items.
   
   You can minimize the chances of that happening by making sure your most valuable items are on the ground for the shortest possible time. Better yet is if you can find someone willing to hold your stuff while you change characters. This takes more attention on their part than just being in the game with you, however, so unless they are extraordinarily patient, they won't do this for more than one or two character changes. Most people won't want to stand there for hours helping you mule. But they can be helpful for a few highly prized items.

6. By far the safest, most convenient, and least nerve-wracking way to mule is to have two or more of your own characters online at the same time, from different computers. You can pass stuff back and forth amongst them without anything ever touching the ground. You can do this while standing in front of the stash of a public mule game and not have to worry about theft. If the server crashes, all your items will still be on your characters.
   
   The disadvantage is cost. You need two or more computers, they all need to have simultaneous Internet access, and they all need separate copies of Diablo 2 (with separate CD keys).
   
   It can also be time-consuming to not use the ground, because you have to worry much more about stash space - both total amount available, and the best way to arrange all the items so that the most number of them will fit. With two computers, where one character remains standing in the game at all times and acts as a transfer station for all the others, the arrangement of items on the transfer station with each transfer can become an art form.

Tips & Warnings

• If you've benefited by grabbing random items on the ground of a public mule game, consider giving back. Anytime you have items that you don't want or no longer need, drop them in a mule game for others to take. If they are high quality, you can also amuse yourself by watching people follow you around like a swarm of vultures.
• For serious item collectors, organization skills become essential. You'll need to keep your mules organized for what types of items are where, with a coherent naming scheme. You could keep all gems together on one mule (or group of mules), all runes together, all rings and amulets, all spears, all hats, etc. Hardcore collectors with dozens of mules often use spreadsheets to keep track of what's where.
• If you create a passworded mule game, don't name it "mule" and make the password "mule" or "x" - that's much too easy for someone else to guess. ("X" may well be the most common password on Battlenet, not just for Diablo 2 but for Starcraft too....)
• In public mule games, beware of people with map hacks. These are third-party software that allow the user to see the game's entire map - and where everyone is - without exploring. If they catch on to what you're doing, they might try to steal your stuff.

[Diablo2]

on 10/15/2009 Haha...never played part 2, but i beat the crap out of the first! one of the most addictive games of all time.

[robertsloan2]

on 9/4/2008 Nice. Well done. LOL -- it does sound like fun dropping unwanted stuff in a mule game, especially when it's something really great for a profession you never do characters in. Good points about thieves too!