TCP/IP support will not be present in the remaster of Diablo 2. But how important is Peer2Peer in multiplayer really? We give a preview.
20 years ago, Diablo 2 was a must at many LAN parties when it came to choosing the right action role-playing game. And so people spent hours fighting Mephisto, Diablo and Baal – or setting up the network connection. Once the peer2peer connection was established, people could play together via TCP/IP.
20 years later, setting up a shared local network has become much easier and statements like “I see you, you see me too?” – “No, but I can see Florian” have entered the realm of legend. Also a thing of the past is TCP/IP support for Diablo 2: Resurrected, the remaster of the original.
Support discontinuation will be announced via FAQ
On August 13, 2021, the beta for pre-orderers of Diablo 2: Resurrected will begin. One week later, there will be an open beta weekend for all interested parties. Blizzard published a FAQ in the blog post and also answered the question about TCP/IP multiplayer support. The answer itself came as a surprise. The FAQ states:
“Support for TCP/IP will not be available in beta testing or in the final game. After a lengthy consideration process, we have decided to no longer support this option as we have identified potential security risks.”
Contrary to earlier statements made by executive producer Rod Fergusson in an interview with Eurogamer, direct connection on the local network will no longer be supported and multiplayer will only work directly via Battlenet. When asked if trading will be possible in multiplayer or removed due to numerous bugs and exploits, Rob Fegusson replied:
“[…] A lot of what we’re doing now was already in the original. We’re really focused on providing an authentic experience. You can still connect locally via TCP/IP if you want to! That was already there in D2. There will be that in D2R as well.”
It is not known why the feature, which was still announced in February, is now unavailable in the game. Potential security risks are cited as the cause, but exactly what they are is not known.
Is Peer2Peer still important at all?
It’s not that easy to answer this question. With regard to Diablo 2 and its great importance for Lan parties, the simplest statement would be: Yes.
But in the end it is not quite that simple. It is understandable that Blizzard does not want to see security gaps and exploits that are exploited in the local network to duplicate items, for example, in the global online mode. In the worst case, this would destroy the in-game economy.
So if you want to play Diablo 2: Resurrected together on a LAN in the future, you don’t need a functioning local network, just an internet connection via WLAN or enough Ethernet cables and free slots. And even though the Ethernet network is now 40 years old, there are probably no intentions of pulling the plug here forever.
All information about Diablo 2: Resurrected and the upcoming beta can be found in our big overview:
Diablo 2 Resurrected: Many details about the beta known – release, registration, scope
Diablo 2 Resurrected: The official info on the start of the Open Beta is here
