head to head
vs
Baldur's Gate 3vsDiablo II
Baldur's Gate 3 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Diablo II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Baldur's Gate 3Diablo II
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
Diablo II leans harder on execution: Positioning and potion reflexes, little else physical
Reads2 vs 0
Baldur's Gate 3 leans harder on reads: Companions/enemies scripted, not adaptive to player modeling.
Variance7 vs 6
Baldur's Gate 3 leans harder on variance: Dice rolls, hidden checks, encounter RNG everywhere.
Optimization9 vs 9
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.