Fans of the Diablo franchise have a new reason to celebrate today, as YouTuber egodbout2 has announced that on Friday, May 11, public testing will begin on his Diablo 2 remake. Engineered in StarCraft 2: The Curse of Tristram, the test build will be accessible via the Arcade version, which anyone can download for free on StarCraft 2's website.

Opening at 8pm EST, players will be able to hack, slash, and cast their way through memorable locations from Diablo 2 like the Rogue Encampment, the Cold Plains, the Crypt, the Stony Field, the Den of Evil, and the Blood Moor. The description says the mod will start with just those six zones, implying that more areas of the map will be released in the future. It was also revealed that players will choose between three difficulty modes: Normal, Heroic, and Mythic, which will need to be unlocked before they are playable.

The attention to detail shown in the trailer is nothing short of stunning, boasting nearly identical environments, animations, and character models. Such a level of dedication inspires hope that the entire game will be recreated and playable at some point down the road, potentially with an actual open-world PvP system, something sorely missing from the latest installment in the franchise, Diablo 3.

Diablo II fan remake screenshot

Regardless, even the initial "Public Test Realm" should be more than enough to satisfy nostalgic cravings of old-school MMO fans, especially considering there isn't an abundance of playable options when it comes to the 18-year-old dungeon crawler. Aside from a 2017 rumor that Blizzard was working on a remaster, this may be the world's only opportunity to revisit the lands of Diablo 2 for quite some time.

The Diablo franchise has attracted one of the most devoted followings in the history of gaming, its storied reputation building on three immensely successful installments dating back to 1997. A testament to the name's presence in gaming culture, last year a couple held a Diablo-themed wedding and photoshoot. It's clear that any recreation of a Diablo title is long overdue and will be well-appreciated.

The Diablo 2 fan-made remake will enter public testing on May 11th for American, European, and Asian StarCraft 2 servers.