Step 1: Create Your Streaming Account

Pick a platform. Twitch is where most D2R viewers are. YouTube is better for VODs and discoverability.

• Twitch: Go to twitch.tv/signup → create account → verify email
• YouTube: Go to studio.youtube.com → click "Go Live" → you need 50 subscribers to go live on mobile, but desktop is immediate
• Kick: Go to kick.com → sign up → Kick pays better per viewer but has less audience

💡 Tip: Start on Twitch. You can always multistream later.

Step 2: Download OBS Studio (Free)

OBS is free, open source, and what 90% of streamers use. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

• Download from obsproject.com/download
• Install it — just click "Next" through everything, default settings are fine
• When it opens for the first time, it'll ask if you want to run the auto-configuration wizard — say YES. It tests your internet speed and sets everything up for you
• Pick "I want to stream" when asked

💡 Alternative: Streamlabs is OBS with built-in alerts and overlays. Easier to set up, slightly heavier on resources.

Step 3: Connect OBS to Twitch

This tells OBS where to send your video.

1. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream
2. Service: select Twitch
3. Click "Connect Account" — it'll open your browser to log in
4. Authorize OBS → done. No stream key needed.

💡 For YouTube: same steps but select "YouTube - RTMPS" and connect your Google account.

Step 4: Add D2R as a Game Capture Source

This is what puts D2R on your stream.

1. Launch D2R first (it needs to be running)
2. In OBS, under "Sources" (bottom panel), click the + button
3. Select "Game Capture"
4. Name it "D2R" or whatever you want
5. Mode: "Capture specific window"
6. Window: select "Diablo II Resurrected" from the dropdown
7. Click OK — you should see D2R in the preview

⚠️ If D2R doesn't appear in the dropdown, try "Capture any fullscreen application" instead. Make sure D2R is running in fullscreen, not windowed.

Step 5: Set Up Your Mic

Plug in your mic. USB mics (like the FIFINE or Blue Yeti above) just plug in and work — no drivers needed.

1. Plug in your USB mic
2. In OBS, go to Settings → Audio
3. Under "Mic/Auxiliary Audio", select your mic from the dropdown
4. Click Apply
5. Back in the main OBS window, talk into your mic — you should see the green audio bar moving under "Mic/Aux"

💡 Add a Noise Suppression filter: right-click your mic in the Audio Mixer → Filters → + → Noise Suppression → select "RNNoise". This removes keyboard clicks and background noise for free.

Step 6: Add Your Webcam (Optional)

Face cams aren't required but they massively increase engagement. Viewers want to see your reaction when a Ber drops.

1. Plug in your webcam (USB — it just works)
2. In OBS Sources, click + → "Video Capture Device"
3. Select your webcam from the dropdown → OK
4. Resize the webcam preview — drag the corners to make it smaller
5. Position it in a corner (bottom-left or bottom-right). Don't cover the D2R minimap or inventory.

💡 Right-click the webcam source → Filters → + → "Chroma Key" if you have a green screen. OBS removes the background automatically.

Step 7: Configure Your Stream Settings

If the auto-wizard already ran, you're probably fine. But here are the settings that work best for D2R:

1. Settings → Output → Output Mode: Advanced
2. Encoder: x264 (or NVENC if you have an NVIDIA GPU — NVENC is easier on your CPU)
3. Rate Control: CBR
4. Bitrate: 4500–6000 kbps (higher = better quality, but needs faster upload speed)
5. Settings → Video → Output Resolution: 1920×1080, FPS: 60

⚠️ Don't know your upload speed? Go to speedtest.net. You need at least 8 Mbps upload for a clean 1080p60 stream. If you have less, drop to 720p60 at 3000 kbps.

Step 8: Set Up Your Twitch Stream Info

Before you go live, set your stream title and category on Twitch.

1. Go to your Twitch Dashboard (dashboard.twitch.tv)
2. Click "Stream Manager" on the left
3. Click "Edit Stream Info"
4. Title: something like "D2R Ladder Grind — HR Hunting 🔥"
5. Category: search for "Diablo II: Resurrected"
6. Tags: add English, Grinding, ARPG
7. Click Done

Step 9: Go Live! 🎬

You're ready.

1. In OBS, click "Start Streaming" (bottom right)
2. OBS will show a green square at the bottom — that means you're live
3. Open your Twitch channel in a browser to verify it's working (you'll see yourself with a ~5 second delay)
4. Play D2R and talk. That's it. You're streaming.

💡 Your first stream will feel weird. Nobody's watching and you're talking to yourself. That's normal. Keep going. The D2R community is chill — even 2-3 viewers chat and engage.

Step 10: Level Up Your Stream

Once you've streamed a few times and feel comfortable, add these:

• Alerts: StreamElements (free) — shows on-screen notifications when someone follows or subscribes
• Chat overlay: Add your Twitch chat on screen so viewers see their messages. StreamElements has a widget for this.
• Scenes: Create a "Starting Soon" scene, a "BRB" scene, and an "Ending" scene. Switch between them in OBS's scene list.
• Channel points: On your Twitch dashboard → Community → Channel Points. Let viewers spend points to make you do Baal runs, reroll characters, etc.
• VODs: On Twitch, go to Settings → Stream → toggle "Store Past Broadcasts". This saves your streams so people can watch later.
• Discord: Create a Discord server for your community. Link it on your Twitch panel. The D2R community loves Discord for trading and party finding.

🔗 Useful Links

• OBS Studio Download — free streaming software
• Twitch Sign Up
• Twitch Creator Dashboard
• StreamElements — free alerts, overlays, and chat bot
• Speedtest.net — check your upload speed
• Twitch Inspector — debug stream quality issues
• Streamlabs — alternative to OBS with built-in themes
• Restream — multistream to Twitch + YouTube + Kick simultaneously