The biggest announcements of Blizzcon 2021 were all about Diablo. For the majority of the last decade, this beloved franchise was completely out of the spotlight, to say the least. Sure, Diablo 3 got seasonal updates regularly and is still going strong even 8 years after its release, but other than that, Blizzard stayed quiet about one of their best franchises. Until now. Big things are coming with Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Diablo 4, Diablo: Immortal, and Diablo 2: Resurrected were all announced during this year's virtual Blizzcon, and while Diablo 4 is certainly going to be the largest game of them all, it is Diablo 2: Resurrected that seems to have gotten most of the love from the franchise's fans. It should come as no surprise. With its varied character classes and endless replay value, this game is a cult classic, and people still play it to this day. However, it has been 20 years since it was released, and Diablo 2 was more than due a remaster. But how is Diablo 2: Resurrected actually going to differ from the original?
Updated on September 21st, 2021 by Hodey Johns: With the game releasing so soon, it felt like a good time to break down every single difference between Diablo 2 and Diablo 2: Resurrected that has been discovered, announced, and released. The news is a welcome appetizer of excitement for gamers that eagerly anticipate a game that fans often consider the greatest dungeon-crawler ever released. The original entries on this list covered most of the basics, but several specifics, including audio quality and graphic capabilities. An entry has also been added about framerate expectations and the developer. With upgrades across the board, the hype for this game is at a fever pitch, and reading through this list only heightens the anticipation for gamers welcoming the modernization of an icon.
15 A New Developer
For gamers passionate about changing the toxic culture in the gaming industry, buying an Activision Blizzard product can seem like a monumental step backward. For whatever it is worth, the work has been outsourced to a new developer, Vicarious Visions, and design director Rob Gallerani agrees that the studio does not "get a pass" on the allegations.
Even if not for the sake of activism, fans might remember what happened with the disastrous WarCraft 3: Reforged debacle. They can be assured that the product will be better this time with Vicarious Visions, who developed the massively successful remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.
14 Shared Items Stashes
The announcement of this change was met with unanimous approval from the fans. In the heyday of Diablo 2's multiplayer, the use of mule characters and useless saves and accounts created just to transfer items between one's own characters was a common practice. Back in the day, the developers didn't predict just how much players would need to switch items between their builds and failed to include the shared stash mechanism in Diablo 2.
Fast-forward to 2021, and it seems like Blizzard devs have truly learned their lessons. Diablo 2: Resurrected will feature a shared stash system, where players will be able to freely exchange items between their characters, without any hassle whatsoever.
After the alpha test run of Resurrected, Blizzard has announced that they will expand on the shared stash sizes, adding two additional 10x10 tabs. All in all, players will have 300 slots of storage space at their disposal in the new shared stashes.
13 Expanded Stash Sizes
When talking about stash improvements coming to Diablo 2: Resurrected, it is impossible not to mention the increased stash sizes. This was a major issue in the original game. Players were forced to go through countless hoops just to keep their items because the dedicated stashes (and inventory size) were simply too small to accommodate for the sheer amount of loot they could amass throughout their playthroughs.
The Diablo 2 modding community managed to fix that issue, introducing multiple modifications that increased the stash sizes to tolerable dimensions, but it is nice to see the developers taking note of this inconvenience and incorporating 10x10 stashes in Resurrected.
12 Automatic Pick Up
The auto pick-up mechanic of gold and other items of value (that do not take up too much inventory space) has been a tried and true practice in ARPGs for a while now. It was present in Diablo 3, and the majority of isometric hack-and-slash titles released in the last couple of years.
When Diablo 2 first came out in 2000, though, the automated picking up of loot and gold wasn't on anyone's mind. First of all, it was more difficult to implement back then. Secondly, it didn't seem to affect the enjoyment of the game too much, so it was left untouched. It's still good to know that Diablo 2 Resurrected will keep up with the times and include at least some of the modern-day ARPG conveniences.
11 Cutscenes Remade From Scratch
Game cutscenes from the 1995-2005 era had a specific atmosphere to them. Limited by the hardware capabilities of the times, and yet still thriving to look much better than the game itself, these clips often came out clunky and awkward-looking. Undoubtedly, they came to symbolize an entire time period of RTS and ARPG games, but in the end, deciding to revamp them to cater to the modern audience's tastes was a good move on Blizzard's side.
Hardcore fans of the Diablo lore and plots of the main games surely can't wait to see the stories they know so well reimagined in glorious 4K, with the implementation of all the newest animation tools.
10 Improved Battlenet
Sure, the multiplayer in Diablo 2 was very good. So good that it wouldn't be an overstatement to claim that it was ahead of its time. The best proof of that is the fact that the Battle.net servers for the original Diablo 2 are still active, and there is a fair amount of players enjoying it to this day.
With that being said, the original Battle.net came with a fair share of issues, and these are only exacerbated by the age of these multiplayer servers. Battle.net 2.0 functionality coming to Diablo 2: Resurrected means that the game's most entertaining mode will run as smoothly as ever, letting a whole new generation of players have fun with it.
9 Cross-Progression
One of the major changes coming to Diablo 2: Resurrected is the fact that the game will also be available on consoles from day 1. That means hordes of console players getting introduced to what many players have hailed as the greatest ARPG of all time.
The fact that Resurrected is coming to consoles isn't as important as the fact that the game will be getting cross-progression functionality across all platforms. Players will be able to carry their save over to any platform they choose to play the game on, making Diablo 2 more accessible than ever.
8 3D Graphics
This is probably the most noticeable change on this list. As expected from a full remaster, Diablo 2: Resurrected will introduce 3D graphics to the game. Compared to other games released in the year 2000, Diablo 2 has aged quite gracefully, and its visuals aren't as bad as they could be.
It would be a lie to say that they aren't at all outdated, though. The revamped graphics in Resurrected is certainly good news. Many players have always wanted to try D2 but were deterred by the old visuals. The refreshed look will undoubtedly help them enjoy the game for what it is -- a great, timeless ARPG, regardless of the quality of its graphics.
7 Improved Color Palette
During the alpha testing that concluded in July 2021, many players complained about the color schemes of items and Mana and Health animations not being clear enough and blending in with some of the game's backgrounds.
Blizzard responded with a statement that they will "bring out the more vibrant colors, bring more attention to the focus points, and add clarity to the image". Due to the 2D graphics of the original Diablo 2, HUD visibility wasn't a problem, but with Resurrected getting the 3D treatment, it's great that the developers are planning to address this particular bit of feedback.
6 Option To Toggle Between New And Old Version
As mentioned earlier, Diablo 2: Resurrected will be getting refreshed graphics, with all of the 3D goodness and eye candy that comes with it. However, Blizzard has vowed to leave the original game intact and not repeat the mistakes made with Warcraft 3: Reforged, where they replaced the old game completely and removed the ability to buy it in any digital store.
Diablo 2: Resurrected not only won't replace the original game, but it will also let fans seamlessly switch between the old, 2D version and the remastered one with one click of a button!
5 UI Accessibility Options
Following the closed alpha tests of Diablo 2: Resurrected, one of the most recurring pieces of feedback that Blizzard got from fans was that the user interface was not too player-friendly.
To address these comments, Blizzard announced that they will include customizability options to the UI, such as tweaking the HUD visibility, toggling item names and comparisons on and off, or moving the Automap around.
4 Remastered Audio Effects
Playing the original Diablo 2 today doesn't feel like playing a 20-year-old game. Provided that one plays it without sound. Many of the effects, mainly combat and running sounds, are simply outdated and not detailed enough to be considered "modern", at least not by today's sound quality standards.
Resurrected will get updated sound effects, including more varied footstep sounds and combat noise. The iconic things players hear when manipulating their inventory or drinking potions will stay unaffected, though.
Mundane actions like removing gems won't just sound better, they will also be more immersive. The developers have promised a surround-sound audio experience in full Dolby 7.1. If that isn't something to look forward to, nothing else is.
3 Improved Visual Effects
On top of the graphical rehaul of the whole game, Blizzard will also improve upon the original design of the visual effects of spells and other special attacks. This was motivated by the player feedback they have received from gamers who were lucky enough to gain access to the alpha testing stage of the Resurrected.
According to these players, some of the effects were a bit underwhelming, with a few people even saying that they felt like a downgrade from the original Diablo 2. The improvements include, but are not limited to spells such as Lightning and Blizzard (cast by the Sorceress).
The effects aren't just new, they are improved! Imagine crafting items in the Horadric Cube in full 4K glory. The game will be capable of this resolution, for those who possess the hardware capable of taking advantage of such a system.
2 Better Framerate
With all due respect to Diablo 2, the 25 FPS framerate can feel like a flipbook at times. It's hard to feel excited about identifying a magical item when the stuttering screen keeps players worried that the entire system is going to crash.
Good news for those who crave better performance: the game will allow for a modern 60 frames per second, over double the smoothness of the original game. Dodging arrows and projectile spells are going to feel like drastically improved skills without ever needing to alter the movement speed or coding.
1 No More Compatibility Issues
Much has been said about how Diablo 2 proudly stood the test of time and can be enjoyed in 2021 without having to get used to any outdated mechanics or clunkiness that can be expected of a game that is two decades old. While players certainly don't have to jump through hoops to enjoy the game, their operating systems and modern PC rigs are a completely different story.
Running Diablo 2 on Windows 10 requires a lot of patching, modding, and fiddling around with settings, and even that doesn't fully guarantee that the game will run. Resurrected provides gamers with much-needed relief in that department, letting everybody install and open Blizzard's timeless masterpiece in a matter of a few clicks.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is arriving on September 23rd, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.