As long as there have been PC games, there have been savvy hackers cracking them. It seems that no matter what a developer does, it is only a matter of time before their game is cracked in some way or another. Most recently, some fans have gotten their hands on the early alpha version of Diablo 2: Resurrected. This version of the game allowed participants to choose 3 basic classes to try, play until the end of Act 2 Normal, and play in single-player only. This was only for a limited time, as Diablo 2: Resurrected will have two short alpha tests this year. Though despite the first window of alpha testing being over, this did not stop some fans from accessing the files offline for further use.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was announced at Blizzconline in February to the eager delight of fans who were waiting for this moment. For years, fans have been wanting a remaster of the cult hit Diablo 2, and now they don't have long to wait. The Diablo 2 remaster will stay as true as possible to the original game while adding some major quality of life options, such as the shared stash between player's characters, the ability to pick up gold by simply running ove it, and revamped UI with more information about a character's stats, to name but a few. This will hopefully not only bring Diablo 2 back to the forefront of action RPGs, but fans new and old will get to enjoy arguably the most defining title the genre has seen thus far.
Diablo 2: Resurrected's Alpha Test
Diablo 2: Resurrected gets a fresh coat of paint thanks to the work of Blizzard and Vicarious Visions. From what has been shown through the trailers, screenshots, and the alpha gameplay recently, it will be very faithful to the original game. Diablo 2: Resurrected recently had an alpha test for a weekend, allowing a handful of players and streamers to play a small portion of what was available. Not all classes were available in this alpha wave, with only the Barbarian, Sorceress, and Amazon being available.
Along with this players could only play until the end of Act 2 Normal with Duriel as the final boss. Diablo 2, including its expansion Lord of Destruction, has a combined 5 Acts, with 3 difficulties. This means normally players would have to venture through Act 1 through 5 on Normal, then repeat the same Act 1 through 5 structure on Nightmare and Hell difficulties. As a result, the alpha test only gave players a tiny fraction of what was available.
Despite the small portion of gameplay players had access to, in Act 2 players could acquire the Horadric Cube. This was an essential item that once acquired, generally stayed on players' inventory for extra loot storage. Alongside more carrying capacity, players could use the Horadric Cube to do recipes, such as fusing 3 Chipped Sapphires to create 1 Flawed Sapphire, or 3 Runes of the same name to get 1 of the next Rune in sequence. During Diablo 2 Resurrected's alpha test, players discovered that they could duplicate items using the newly implemented shared stash.
Diablo 2 Resurrected players who abused the glitch, showcased what was then possible, using the duplication method to duplicate gear, gems, and runes. They would then use the Horadric Cube recipe to upgrade 3 of a Rune into the next tier of Rune, duplicate those, then use the recipe once again. This would be repeated until abusers had the highest level of Runes and Runewords in Act 2 Normal which is pretty silly to have at such an early stage of the game. Normally High Runes would be extremely rare and only available to drop much later in the game, even in the most difficult of areas many players would never see a High Rune drop. Despite this major bug, this wouldn't be the only exploit some players would see.
Diablo 2 Resurrected's Unofficial Alpha Extension
After the alpha test weekend for Diablo 2 Resurrected was over, a crafty hacker was able to create a program that allowed players to essentially patch and play the alpha offline. Eventually, players figured out that not only could they play past the alpha deadline, but they also had access to more content. This included being able to play all of Diablo 2 Resurrected's classes, not just the 3 starter ones, and they could play past Act 2 Normal.
This meant players could enjoy the entirety of Diablo 2 Resurrected, though how much was ready for the public to see is another story. Acts 3, 4, and 5 would be a black screen unless players toggled the old-style graphics. This is because the developer did not include the enhanced 3D graphics for the acts following Acts 1 and 2. So, even players who could not take part would have a chance to, though of course, this comes at a risk.
When using any third-party program to access parts of a game that developers did not intend, it comes with its share of risks. Firstly, any program that does something that could be deemed illegal or against the terms of service could come along with potential malware that may infect someone's computer. Secondly, players won't know for sure if Blizzard is able to find out who is able to still access the alpha version of Diablo 2 Resurrected, and as a result ,players could have their accounts banned for it. With the game coming out later this year, and players getting to play Diablo 2 Resurrected with imported saves, it isn't worth going through the trouble.
What was shown in the alpha was tailored for a specific time frame and only a portion of the game was available. This means the developer did not intend for players to have a glimpse at what wasn't included in the alpha test, such as other classes and their skill animations. As a result, it's probably best to wait for the final product. That way at least players will have access to play online with their friends and to bear witness to what Acts 3 through 5 will look like in gloriously rendered 3D.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
