It looks like Diablo 2: Resurrected is going to be the remaster of the year and rightfully so. It’s only one of the best that Blizzard Entertainment had to offer to the video game industry. Almost every Blizzard fan is probably excited about the game’s eventual release. But what exactly is the fuss all about? Apart from having Diablo 2 in its title, what else does Resurrected have that’s worth the $40 price tag?
Well, apart from being a remaster of the grandaddy of isometric loot-based action RPGs, it also comes with a slew of improvements that were holding back the classic Diablo 2 from being a perfect game. So Blizzard gave it the treatment it deserved which is a most welcome sight after it left many hardcore Diablo fans disappointed by Diablo 3. Why should you be excited for more of Diablo and his death metal entourage? Well, let us count the ways.
10 Higher Resolution
It’s hard to find someone who enjoys Diablo 2 in its original, untampered or un-modded state. The game runs at most on an 800 x 600 resolution. Even back in its release day, that was already considered outdated especially in the face of 1024 x 768 monitors.
Now, Diablo 2: Resurrected promises a whopping 4K resolution along with ultra-widescreen and high refresh-rate support. Gone are the days when players have to download a mod that stretches out Diablo 2’s pixels to fit modern monitors.
9 3D Graphics
Of course, that resolution wouldn’t mean much if they didn’t overhaul the game’s graphical engine. Resurrected presents crisp and next-gen(ish) 3D graphics and character models for the game, a long way from Diablo 2’s 2D or 2.5D graphics.
The lighting and textures were also drastically improved, although the animations were kept for the most part. While they look a bit stiff, they lend a claymation or modern stop-motion feel to the game. If anything, being able to see the spells and armor in full 3D is worth the price of admission alone.
8 Surround Sound Support
On top of the remastered graphics, the audio for the whole game has also seen some dramatic improvements. Blizzard Entertainment’s developers were intent on making players feel the foreboding atmosphere through the sound design, down to the croak of unnerved frogs.
Diablo 2: Resurrected not only reworked the original’s sounds but also added surround sound support for them. If you have a lovely speaker setup, then be prepared to feel the darkness around you while rocking your head to that iconic Tristram riff.
7 Auto-loot
There it is. The auto-loot is by far the best quality-of-life improvement that the developers decided to add in Diablo 2: Resurrected. It was in Diablo 3 and one of the best features of that game; other isometric ARPGs have also adopted this system.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is merely showing some love to their player base by adding this in. It’s optional though and can be turned off. After all, the whole game can easily turn into a violent session of piñata, and picking up the reward pieces is enough to give players some bad carpal tunnel syndrome.
6 New Hotkeys
Speaking of carpal tunnel syndrome, Diablo 2’s outdated interface makes skill activation and combat commands a bit tedious and can give some nasty wrist cramps. It doesn’t have the same fluidity as more modern titles like Path of Exile or even Diablo 3.
That’s why Diablo 2: Resurrected opted to add new hotkeys for additional commands. The way the attack and skill buttons work is also getting an overhaul to be more convenient and simple for players.
5 Auto-party System
Battle.net has also seen some significant improvements and that means multiplayer in Diablo 2: Resurrected is much more refined and easier to set up. The crowning feature of this change is the auto-party system.
It allows players to automatically join games that are open to the public. Think of it as a queueing system similar to competitive shooter games. It also lets players automatically fill their party when they’re the ones doing the inviting.
4 Shared & Expanded Stash
The stash is one of the most limiting factors in the old Diablo games as it’s small and not shared. Back then, players usually resorted to making mule characters; also, sharing items with other characters was a pain.
In Diablo 2: Resurrected, you can say goodbye to that ordeal. Players can now easily transfer items to other characters thanks to a shared stash. In addition to that, the stash sizes are also expanded to accommodate theoretically good items. No more storing in the Horadric Cube needed.
3 Remade Cutscenes
By far one of the most exciting visual changes in Diablo 2: Resurrected will be the cutscenes. The old ones simply won’t cut it since their resolution is too poor and the animations are janky, making for bad exposition.
Blizzard Entertainment takes pride in its cutscenes so the team responsible for Resurrection is going to remake (not just remaster) all of Diablo 2’s cutscenes. Right now, there’s no official reveal about them but rest assured, they’ll get updated.
2 Cross-Platform Progression
Diablo 2 is only available on the PC, much to the displeasure of console users because the isometric ARPG format has proven to be quite enjoyable with a controller. Diablo 2: Resurrected is consequently trying to rectify this shortsighted decision by having plans for cross-platform progression.
That means players can play with the same account on different devices. At the time of writing, it seems the PlayStation is the only thing not confirmed yet to be part of the cross-platform for Resurrected. Every other platform is more or less sure.
1 Save Migration From Classic
Starting from scratch in Diablo 2: Resurrected might be a daunting task especially for those who already have their precious gear and builds from the classic. That’s why Resurrected is also giving an option to use the locally saved save files from the classic.
This way, you can continue wrecking mobs in 3D with your Lightning Javazon, see if it still works. However, it’s not clear yet how Blizzard plans to deal with save files that have been tampered with trainers or cheat engines.
NEXT: 10 Diablo 2 Vs. Diablo 3 Memes That Are Too Hilarious For Words
