With Diablo 2: Resurrected, Blizzard and Vicarious Visions are attempting to make what was once old, new again. The beloved 2000 action RPG is still looked at fondly and set the standard for loot based games that followed in its footsteps. For those who missed out on the PC classic, this new version will give many more players an opportunity to experience the game as unlike the original title, this new one is launching across many more platforms including PC.
While the gameplay and story remain largely unchanged, the biggest difference are the visuals which have gotten a massive overhaul thanks to upgraded 3D models overlayed on top of the original 2D sprites. Naturally, Diablo 2: Resurrected supports 4K visuals, though players who want to experience the game as it was back in 2000 can simply toggle the graphics back into legacy mode. In addition to the classic gameplay, fans have discovered that the updated game's code actually shares a lot with the original 2000 version.
Last weekend, the first Alpha test kicked off for Diablo 2: Resurrected, giving players access to a portion of the game in an early state. Content included only three of the planned seven classes. On the PC side of the game, modders quickly discovered that with all of the legacy code still powering the experience, classic mods like Hero Editor still functioned. As such, modders were able to swap out the public classes for ones that were never meant to be live at this stage of development.
Videos and information started popping up online during the Diablo 2: Resurrected Alpha test weekend showing off classes like the Paladin, Necromancer, Assassin, and Druid. Considering that these classes weren't active for the alpha, it's possible Vicarious Visions is still working on them, so fans should treat the videos as a work in progress for now. However, fans got to see some familiar spells, albeit with much improved special effects and lighting, such as the Necromancer's curses and even the improved creature summons.
It's unknown how Blizzard and Vicarious Visions will proceed, considering that the game is largely using legacy code, which is on purpose. The decision to not rebuild the game from scratch allows players to import single-player character saves from the original Diablo 2 game. However, with a host of game improvements such as a redesigned user interface, Battle.net support, and an all new shared stash mechanic on top of the redesigned visuals, it's more than likely that many will instead opt to start from scratch.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
