Following the April test, the team working on Diablo II: Resurrected went through players’ feedback and analyzed the input. Now the developers have shared what they have learned since the Technical Alpha, leading to key visual improvements, quality of life and accessibility changes, and more.
- The Sorceress’ spells such as Lightning and Blizzard got updated to better match the original. Paladin’s Holy Freeze aura received the same treatment.
- The VFX for when monsters are damaged or immobilized by spells (i.e., cold spells), poisons, or other status effects underwent a color revision based on community feedback.
- The speed of the animation when mana and health return to your character now better aligns with the filling of the health and mana globes.
- The color of scroll, gem, and potion icons has been amplified to bring out the more brilliant colors, bring more attention to the focus point(s), and add clarity to the image. Weapons, armor, quest items, and charm icons have also been given the same touch-ups and treatments.
Quality of Life Updates
Quality of life (QoL) elements reflect a broad range of features designed to make games easier to play without impacting core gameplay. If appropriately implemented, QoL changes can enrich the game’s playability and make it more fun.
For Diablo II: Resurrected, the team wanted to streamline this experience without compromising what made the original game memorable. There are so many unique quirks and systems in this game that, if modernized, would ultimately sabotage the original experience.
The game will feature auto-gold pickup, large font modes, UI scaling (for PC players), and gamma/contrast settings to enhance readability.
- The team is introducing item names toggle. Now you can choose to have item names be toggled on or off with a press of a button—or keep the original “press and hold” method.
- After careful deliberation, the Shared Stash will now have three tabs, rather than just one.
- The Compare tooltip that propagated on every item (Hold “button” to Compare) can now be toggled on or off in the User Interface settings under Show Item Tooltip Hotkeys.
- New assets have been implemented to improve the readability of the Automap.
- The initial Map settings caused some confusion in Technical Alpha. Now there will be a single Map option with three settings. Those settings will be left-minimap, right-minimap, and center-fullscreen.
MISCELLANEOUS UPDATES
- Clock Added – Hell, it’s about time. Based on many requests, a clock has been added to Diablo II: Resurrected. To enable the clock, go to your User Interface settings and click the checkbox next to Clock.
- Loading Screen: Character Vulnerability & Time. Characters will no longer spawn in a hostile place until the game is fully loaded, preventing characters from getting attacked or harmed during a loading screen. Additionally, the overall load times will be faster.
- Audio Change – Based on community feedback, the team removed extra grunts and yelps that were initially added.
“This August, players will be able to experience these latest changes firsthand! For a limited time, the gates of Hell will reopen, allowing players who preordered Diablo II: Resurrected to step into Sanctuary in the early access beta. Soon after, all players (on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation) will also have the chance to confront the demons of the Burning Hells in the open beta. Rally your friends; together, you’ll be able to play between five different classes (Amazon, Barbarian, Paladin, Sorceress, and Druid), with access to many unique skills, and cooperatively form a party with up to 8 players.”
