Is Diablo 2 Resurrected REALLY worth it?

Back in 2021 Blizzard released a remaster of a cult ARPG Diablo 2. Playing on our nostalgia. This remastered version boasted improved classes, visuals, and smoother gameplay. But did they truly deliver? Or was Diablo 2 Resurrected just a poorly attempted cash grab made with minimum effort? Is it really worth it?

Diablo 2 Resurrected is worth it. Especially if you played the original version of the game. The core gameplay is still present while other aspects of the game such as classes, graphics, and accessibility have been improved upon. If you’ve enjoyed Diablo 2’s sometimes slow gameplay and dark atmosphere you will not be dissatisfied with the remaster. Since the improvements were only surface deep and did not touch fortes that made the original Diablo 2 such an awesome game.

Now that you have the short answer it’s time to analyze the improved aspects of Diablo 2 Resurrected so let’s go.

Improved graphics

It’s not the only improvement but it feels like this one is the most drastic. Diablo 2 Resurrected improved supported resolutions, and the game is truly running on higher framerates. Which makes the experience all the smoother. If you are feeling incredibly nostalgic you can always revert to the original 2D graphics you know and love. Cutscenes were also completely remade. And they included loads of accessibility options and controller support that were not present in the original game. Even though the game is objectively better looking, it still maintains its dark and sullen atmosphere.

Improved classes

Diablo 2 Resurrected kept all the original classes, and improved upon them. They tried to keep the original appeal and playability of the classes while trying to balance them out. For instance, the Amazon class got improved melee skills, and Assassins got a small boost to their trap skills that often went underused. Necromancers also had plenty of unused summons which got boosted in the Resurrected version. Overall it seems that they addressed mostly all problems that the original classes had, and try to make the solutions work.

Cross-platform support

Since Diablo 2 Resurrected got released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The next natural step was to enable cross-progression. What exactly does that mean? It means that you can play on several consoles for instance PC, PS4, and Switch without losing your progress, items, save games, etc. All you need to enable this feature is Battle.net account and of course, a new copy of Diablo 2 Resurrected for every platform you want to play it on. I know it’s a silver lining type of thing.

Crossplay support… or rather partial crossplay support

If you were hoping to play Diablo 2 Resurrected on your PS5 with your friend on PC. Sadly you will not be able to. The game only supports generational crossplay at this point. It means that if you’re playing on PS5 you will be able to play with players on PS4 and vice versa. The same goes for Xbox consoles. The players on Nintendo Switch have co-op as an option. They can group in parties of up to 4 players.

Improved play modes and lobby options

Playing with your friends has never been easier. Considerable changes have been implemented to allow you a smoother transition between offline and online play.

• You can join online play with your offline character, which wasn’t possible in the original version.
• the auto-party feature has been added, which means that you can add people straight from your friend list to your party. No more writing PP as soon as you start the game.
• If you don’t have any Diablo 2 Resurrected players on your friend list you can still take part in online PVP & dueling activities easily using the newly implemented Party Finder system.

In short, much of the Diablo 3 features concerning online play have been implemented in Diablo 2 Resurrected. And honestly, it would be kind of disappointing if they didn’t. It might be an older game but there is absolutely no logical reason not to upgrade the features a bit since it does nothing for core gameplay. Except for making online play much easier.

All in all Diablo 2 Resurrected still feels like Diablo 2 but in a good way. The old spirit and ambiance of the game have been kept. While adding fresh new accessibility options, graphics improvements, and play modes improvements. It feels like the old classic brought back to life in the best way. Keeping the old fan base satisfied and attracting new players that would never have considered this game before due to its obsolete design, looks and mechanics. If you are looking for the old Diablo 2 experience you will get it, but it will look and feel a lot nicer.