Diablo 2 is still a fantastic action RPG in 2021 – with or without a remaster. This is also proven by our detailed test. The technology around it and Blizzard’s release policy are causing significantly more criticism. Content like the first ladder season is still a long time coming and the game is still plagued by server failures and annoying queues that cause incomprehension and frustration among fans:
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Diablo 2: Resurrected a month later
Blizzard praises recovery and promises a few changes with patch 2.3straight from the wish lists of disappointed players. But is that enough for a bright future?
These improvements come with Patch 2.3
More skill options for mouse and keyboard
You currently use skills and spells with the left and right mouse button, so that only two can be equipped in parallel if you don’t try F1 to F12 to rotate quickly. You then first press the respective function key before you can click and execute the skill. It is different with the controller, where you can switch between up to twelve skills directly and easily. It’s no wonder that so many mouse-and-keyboard gamers want it too.
Originally, Blizzard refrained from doing so in order not to deviate too far from the original. Inspired by the player feedback, you will soon become one additional bar with active skills and assign up to 16 skills there and use them directly via Quick Cast. You can decide for yourself whether you want to use the new feature.
Using more than two skills was a fiddly affair in Diablo 2 Resurrected on the PC.
UI, audio and graphics improvements
In the future, the user interface should communicate more clearly in online mode. You can then see more clearly when players are muted or ignored. In addition, the character level and expansion type, as well as Battle.net Real IDs of affected friends are displayed correctly in the lobby screen and it is easier to see if you change the chat channel.
If you use a controller, you will soon hear audio cues when you scroll through the menu or when using self-filling potions on the character belt. If you play with a card from Nvidia, you can also look forward to DLSS, which should increase the graphics quality without sacrificing performance. You can read how you can get even more out of the remaster in the technology check:
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What hardware does Resurrected run smoothly with?
Playful optimizations
In PvP duels or in PvE battles you will now see one Missed notice, if an attack goes wrong and you activate the corresponding function. You can Throw
now bind to a button, even if nothing to throw around and also Force Move
Use a key assignment that navigates the character to the selected point without accidentally attacking enemies.
How the remaster plays overall and where it still loses potential, you can find out here in the video:
18:28
Diablo 2 Resurrected is as awesome as it was before, but it could have been so much more!
New offline difficulty level for console players
If you are not playing on the PC, you can look forward to a harder level of difficulty on the consoles as a soloist. Who is looking for the corresponding loot blessings, can then set the degree of hardness there so that it is intended for up to eight players. You select the crisper challenge under the game settings by going offline and then moving the slider to the desired value.
When will update 2.3 be released?
According to Blizzard, the release of the patch awaits us the beginning of December. The improvements are accompanied by numerous bug fixes, which then further substantiate the patch notes. Already before, In the coming weeks
, starts the erste PTR (Public Test Realm) Resurrected for Diablo 2. As usual, you can try out balance changes, fixed bugs and other adjustments in a test environment in advance.
Due to the massive problems with the remaster, the online environment including the database will also play an important role. If Blizzard is satisfied with the result and the condition of the servers, new details will be added for the first ladder season give. The developers will soon also be sharing more information with you on how to participate in the PTR.
Our expert assessment
Elena Schulz
@Ellie_Libelle
More skill options for mouse and keyboard users are an important and correct innovation. Even at the beta, many players failed to understand how close Blizzard is to some extent to the original. Why do console gamers get a convenience feature that today seems a matter of course for modern action role-playing games and PC gamers get nothing? That Blizzard is listening to the fans here is a good sign and gives hope for further improvements of this kind.
It was also high time for news about the ladder. After the big for Resurrected was announced, it became suspiciously quiet about the seasons that the remaster urgently needs for long-term survival. That’s why Diablo 2 is still played over 20 years later. Most of them are already through with the new edition and urgently want to hunt down rare items and tweak their build.
However, one need not expect that Patch 2.3 will completely turn Diablo 2 Resurrected inside out and turn the mood into positive. The server problems due to the outdated code are still too present for this and the improvements are too marginal. In addition, Blizzard is currently in a crisis overall.
The latest revelations about CEO Bobby Kotick and his role in the company’s toxic culture shock players and industry alike. In the podcast, we clarify whether the many setbacks and scandals are causing a rethink:
Link to Podcast content
What do you think of the patch? Have you hoped for other or more improvements from Update 2.3 or are you satisfied with how Diablo 2 Resurrected is currently playing for you? Write us your opinion in the comments!
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