While some fans will opt to approach Diablo 2: Resurrected as a purely single-player experience, others will undoubtedly want to enjoy the game with their friends. There are some classes and builds that exist in a tanking, healing, or support role that necessitate teammates to thrive.
Fortunately, that is not a very difficult thing to do, though there are some limitations that fans should be aware of. Providing details on those limitations, as well as specifics on exactly how to play Diablo 2: Resurrected with friends, is the precise purpose of this guide.
Updated on December 30th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: As more players start bringing their friends aboard, others are sure to hit the snag addressed in this article. Although Diablo 2: Resurrected is multiplayer, there is hardly a gigantic button that says "Play with friends." And some of the joining processes make much more sense to gamers who are veterans; newer players know what a lobby is, but wouldn't know to instinctively click on it when searching for an online game. To assist with the experience, this article has been broken down into pieces with bullet points so that readers can quickly and easily find the information they need.
No Crossplay Or Split-Screen
To begin, it is very important to note that Diablo 2: Resurrected does not support crossplay. The game does support cross-gen play, however, allowing PS4 players to party with their PS5 friends and Xbox One owners to team up with those on Xbox Series X/S. Additionally, cross-progression is an available option, which will be useful to those players that are looking to form groups with friends across multiple platforms.
It is also worth noting that there is no local multiplayer or split-screen play in Diablo 2: Resurrected. Indeed, fans must go through Blizzard’s servers in order to join up with a friend, and that may be slightly disappointing to players that were looking for a couch co-op game. Of course, friends can always play together online from the same location, though that option will not be of interest to everyone.
Creating A Game
- Select the desired character
- Click "Lobby"
- Use the Create Game tab
- Fill out the Game Name and Password
- Specify the parameters
With all of this established, it is now possible to detail exactly how friends on the same platform can group with one another. The first steps are for one of the players to go to the main menu, select the online Diablo 2: Resurrected character that they wish to use, and click the “Lobby” button that is below the character’s portrait.
From there, the player should click the “Create Game” tab and fill in all of the relevant details before pressing “Create Game” at the bottom, making sure to record the Game Name and Password that was used. If playing with random players, leave Password blank and click the desired parameters (like maximum player count and how close characters should be to the creator's level).
After the players join, start adventuring and help each other get some of the must-have items for the endgame!
Joining A Game
- Select the desired character
- Click "Lobby"
- Use the Join Game tab
- Type in Game Name and Password or click game to join
Diablo 2: Resurrected hosts should now provide the Game Name and Password to the friends that they want to have join them. Those players can then use these details by selecting their online characters, clicking the “Lobby” button, and navigating to the “Join Game” tab. Here, fans will see spaces to input a Game Name and Password, and they should be linked up with the host after pressing the “Join Game” button at the bottom.
If desiring to play online with random partners, there will be a list of games that the character is eligible to join right underneath the place where they enter the information. Check out the details and, if it looks good, hit the Join Game button. If the game isn't going well because the character feels weak, feel free to reset skills and stats to see if the problem is the gear or the build itself.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.