Diablo 2: Resurrected – 8 Best Changes Developers Made For The Remake

Fans of the Diablo franchise can now dive back into arguably the best game in the series, thanks to the recent release of Diablo 2: Resurrected. With drastically improved visuals, better audio, and more, players can rediscover the hack-and-slash’s significantly better version compared to the original released over 20 years ago.

While the team at Blizzard made sure to stay faithful to the original game’s narratives, items, and classes, they didn’t shy away from revamping other crucial aspects of the game. The improved cult classic role-playing title will definitely keep both old and new players glued to their screens for the next few weeks.

8 Stash Improvements

Resource management is an important part of the best role-playing games, which is why developers make sure to include well-designed inventory mechanics. Players who found item-sharing to be a tedious task in the original Diablo 2 game will be glad to know that Resurrected features a shared stash, allowing players to exchange items between different characters.

Aside from the shared stash system, developers also found a simple fix to fans’ gripes about small inventories. The remake has a significantly larger stash available for fans who will undoubtedly have less trouble storing the loot they find.

7 Accessibility Options

Accessibility features have become more commonplace in the last few years, which wasn’t the case when Diablo 2 was released two decades ago. Blizzard made sure to add new accessibility options in order to accommodate more players and make the game fun for everyone.

For instance, those who may not have full mobility in their hands may find that new features like auto-gold pickup and highly customizable key bindings can improve their experience. There is also an option to enable colorblind or low-vision mode, which alters the palette and the text size of the game.

6 Cross-Progression

While some fans may have been disappointed to learn that the modern version of the classic video game won’t have cross-play, the fact that it has cross-progression hopefully makes up for that fact.

With Diablo 2: Resurrected being available for the PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC, players may want to see which platform suits their playstyle the best. Thankfully, through the cross-progression feature, they’ll be able to transfer their character’s save file from one platform to another without any problems – this makes the game more accessible.

5 Surround-sound Audio

One of the factors that made Diablo 2 a bestselling video game when it was first released was its focus on innovation, which was evident in its impressive sound effects. The game’s audio effects – which accompanied every small detail, from heavy footsteps to the simple act of equipping items – have become instantly recognizable for fans who have been playing it for years.

Blizzard brilliantly decided not to change any of these original audio effects and instead remastered them for the modern version of the game. This means that all the old sounds of wind rustling through the trees or Deckard Cain saying “Greetings!” are still faithful to the older title, but rendered for a surround-sound experience.

4 Improved Framerate

Diablo 2’s 25 FPS framerate was groundbreaking for its time, but twenty years later, most players would agree that it needs an upgrade. Battling with the Afflicted and the Ghouls isn’t too fun when players can see the system struggling to keep up, after all.

Fans will be glad to know that this problem has been solved with Resurrected’s impressive performance at 60 frames per second. Fighting enemies and identifying items become much smoother processes thanks to the massive improvement in the framerate, which is more than double the original.

3 Better Graphics

It’s not surprising that the biggest change in the remaster is the significant improvement in the game’s graphics. While Diablo 2 is often considered an older video game with amazing graphics, it’s undeniably still outdated compared to more recent games.

With high-quality 3D graphics, fans can fully appreciate the various locations in the game, as well as see the details in the character designs. What’s more, the visual effects have been revamped, too. The sorceress’ spells and other animations in Resurrected have been modernized, making the game much more visually pleasing.

2 Remade Cutscenes

From the first few moments of the remastered game, players can easily see the stark difference between the original and Resurrected’s cutscenes. The developers put a ton of effort into perfecting the handful of cutscenes throughout the game, turning each one into a visually stunning clip.

Marius’ journey with the Stranger is much more enthralling thanks to these cutscenes. While they’re still based on the older game, each one has been remade from scratch. They definitely make the already compelling narrative more impactful through every new Act.

1 Legacy Mode

The inclusion of the ingenious Legacy Mode just proves how dedicated Blizzard is to staying true to the original game. The unique mode allows players to toggle between the old and new versions of Diablo 2 with the simple click of a button.

Seeing the events unfold in the classic 2D graphics of the older game is a nostalgic experience that long-time fans will certainly appreciate. For newer players, it helps them understand the legacy of the beloved title and shows them just how far the franchise (and the gaming industry as a whole) has come.

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