Diablo 2 Resurrected is officially confirmed! The remaster of the classic game now has a release date, plus there’s lots more info.
Diablo 2 Resurrected: Release, Beta and more – all info on the remaster
As the great philosopher Han Solo once said, “It’s true … all of it.” The leaks on Diablo 2: Resurrected were correct, the remaster of the classic action role-playing game is indeed coming out. Blizzard has now shared a lot of information about the gameplay, release and scope of the remaster.
So that you don’t have to dig through blog entries and announcement streams, we summarise all the important information for you here. And, of course, at the same time, we’ll throw in that news has also been announced about Diablo 4.
Table of Contents
All info on Diablo 2: Resurrected:
When is the release of Diablo 2: Resurrected?
At E3 2021, the official release date of Diablo 2: Resurrected was finally announced. The remaster will be released on 23 September 2021.
Where is Blizzard going with Diablo 2: Resurrected?
We spoke at length with the developers of Diablo 2: Resurrected about the vision behind the remaster. Interesting: Resurrected positions itself much more clearly than the controversial Warcraft 3: Reforged between a new edition and a remake. A rethink could actually take place here.
What does Diablo 2: Resurrected look like?
It’s ok, we know you want to see pictures first and foremost. Here are two galleries that nicely illustrate the look of the game:
And here are menu images of the classes:
Are there any trailers for Diablo 2: Resurrected?
Of course, you can find two cinematics in the next section. There’s also a trailer that nicely summarises and contrasts the differences between the original and remaster:
What kind of remaster will Diablo 2: Resurrected be?
First of all: Diablo 2: Resurrected will be a remaster, not a remake. What’s the difference? Where remakes are completely new editions developed from scratch (like the Definitive Edition of Mafia 1), a remaster is based on the technical framework of the classic. In concrete terms, this means that the original Diablo 2 is taken as the basis for Resurrected and properly polished.
Diablo 2: Resurrected retains the 2D basis of the original, but renders it in 3D with new graphics. This allows for dynamic shadows, improved (physics) effects and revised animations, for example. In addition, the resolution can be turned up to 4K (as is usual with remaster versions).
And since the old Diablo 2 is always running under the bonnet, you can switch between remaster and original at the touch of a button. However, Resurrected also contains an area that has been completely redeveloped: the cutscenes.
Diablo 2 had quite impressive cutscenes back then, illustrating the Dark Walker’s journey and setting the mood for the next act in a very atmospheric way. These 27 minutes of cutscenes will be completely re-recorded for Resurrected. The first cinematic trailers look promising:
Diablo 2: Resurrected: Cinematic Trailer for the first act
Diablo 2: Resurrected: Cinematic Trailer for Act Two
So let’s sum up the technical improvements of the remaster:
- Improved graphics: The original 2D look is drastically spruced up with better animations, effects, lighting moods and co.
- Improved Resolution: You can turn Diablo 2: Resurrected up to 4K.
- Improved Cutscenes: All cutscenes from the original will be completely re-recorded.
- Improved Sound: The original soundtrack including soundscape can now be reproduced reasonably in 7.1 sound.
What are the system requirements for Diablo 2: Resurrected?
Blizzard has announced what your PC needs to be capable of in order to get the remaster of Diablo 2 running smoothly.
In a nutshell: The remaster won’t work without Windows 10. For 1080p, at least an Nvidia GTX 1060 and 16.0 GB RAM are recommended. The download is a moderate 30 GB, but that is still fifteen times the size of the original.
By the way, system requirements for the announced 4K resolution are still missing. Of course, they will probably be one level higher – we will provide them as soon as Blizzard announces them.
Minimum system requirements (720p)
- OS / Operating System: Windows 10
- CPU: Intel Core i3-3250 or AMD FX-4350
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7850
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Free hard disk space: 30 GB
- Internet: Broadband connection
Recommended System Requirements (1080p)
- OS / Operating System: Windows 10
- CPU: Intel Core i5-9600k or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Free hard disk space: 30 GB
- Internet: Broadband connection
Is Lord of Destruction also included
Yes, Diablo 2: Resurrected contains the original including the addon Lord of Destruction. So you can play all seven original classes (including Druid and Assassin) and all five acts in the remaster. However, there will be no new chapters or sections.
What changes to the gameplay of Diablo 2: Resurrected?
Diablo 2: Resurrected stays very true to the original. Same scope, same gameplay experience, same gameplay. But at the edges, the developers smooth out a few rough edges, integrate comfort improvements. A few examples:
- Shared Stash: There is a shared stash for all your characters, so you don’t have to laboriously exchange items via straw men.
- Automatic gold collecting: You save clicks because your character collects the gold itself.
- Clear item comparison: You will be marked very clearly what the newly found item does better than the old one.
- Automatic sorting: You can let the game sort your inventory and items.
- Smooth Matchmaking: Multiplayer has been adjusted. If you spy people in the game in your friends list, you can join them with one click if they want to.
- More Hotkeys: Abilities and certain actions (dropping items) can now be mapped to significantly more hotkeys than in the original.
- “Item Linking“: You can link items in chat, for example, to very clearly radio teammates in other areas through whether the status values of this new spear look interesting to them.
You can also disable certain convenience features like automatic gold collection if you really want to experience the old Diablo experience in detail.
Do the PC and console versions differ?
The short answer: no, at least not in terms of content. Unlike Diablo 3, there’s no customised loot or extra dodge rolls for the console version. All versions contain exactly the same content and balancing decisions. However, console players cannot create lobbies with their own names – at least in the beta. It is not yet known whether this will change until the final release.
The Switch version will logically not be able to do 4K, but apart from that all versions are identical.
Can I play Diablo 2: Resurrected on PC with a gamepad?
Yes, you can also play Diablo 2: Resurrected on PC with the gamepad. If you prefer to play with a mouse and keyboard, you can of course do that in the remaster as well, alternatively the gamepad offers more direct control.
Diablo 2: Resurrected replaces the old Diablo on Battle.net?
No, Blizzard will support both versions of Diablo 2 separately. So the old version will remain including all game saves, mod compatibility and season rewards. It’s best to think of the whole thing as two separate games. However, this also comes with a few restrictions.
If you don’t care so much about fancy graphics, it might be worth taking a look at Project Diablo 2, a huge mod that reworks Diablo 2 with new skills and item rebalancing, among other things.
Multiplayer & Coop: How to play together?
The multiplayer in the remaster remains largely identical to the original. You can choose to start your journey with a group of up to 8 players. Since there was no adventure mode in Diablo 2, you always play together in co-op through the story mode – optionally in higher difficulty levels. There will be no couch co-op with split screen.
However, you should make sure that you play together with sensible people. The loot will not be instanced. This means that other players could snatch all the items from under your nose if they want to and have space in their inventory. However, gold and experience points are divided fairly between all party members. The quality of the items is not increased by more players, but more are dropped. If a fellow player’s nose doesn’t suit you, you can knock him down in PvP.
The only thing that is really different in Resurrected is the matchmaking. It has been adapted to modern standards so that players can easily join a friend’s game. Patches after the release could possibly change the current balance a bit.
Can I transfer savegames and mods?
Unclear. Originally, Blizzard categorically ruled out a data transfer. In the meantime, however, there have been statements from developers that refute this. Blizzard has not yet finally confirmed what is now the case. At the moment, however, it seems that a transfer of your game saves is possible.
Mods, on the other hand, only work with the old game. Diablo 2: Resurrected does not support mods of the original. But it will be possible to develop mods for Resurrected in the future. However, the developers emphasise that the possibilities here will be different from the original.
Mods that drastically change the game’s data basis will not be possible. But there will certainly be cosmetic adjustments or possibly new areas.
Where will Diablo 2: Resurrected be released? Will there be crossplay and crosssave?
Diablo 2: Resurrected will be released for PC and all current consoles, i.e. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S
