Building comparison
head to head
Diablo IIvsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Diablo II demands more variance; Portal demands more execution.
Diablo II
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The genre-defining loot ARPG whose builds, runes, and trade economy players still optimize decades later.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Diablo II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Diablo IIPortal
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 4
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Diablo II
Positioning and potion reflexes, little else physical
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Diablo II
Monster AI is fully mappable
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance6 vs 0
Diablo II leans clearly harder on variance.
Diablo II
Loot RNG and random maps drive the grind
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization9 vs 8
Diablo II leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Diablo II
Builds, breakpoints, rune economy, magic-find routing are the game
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.