Diablo 2 makes is return with a thing known as Diablo 2 Resurrected or D2R. This one was announced during the virtual Blizzcon of this year. This one seems to have gotten most of the love from the fans of the franchise. Actually, it is not surprising knowing it has varied character classes and endless replay value. Those who are interested in Diablo 2 Resurrected are surely curious about the changes that make it different compared to the original.
There are a lot of changes that will be made. Some of these changes include:
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- UI accessibility options
With the alpha tests of Diablo 2 Resurrected that have been closed, one of the feedbacks given by the fans was the user interface was not that player friendly. As the response, Blizzard said that that they will include customizability options to the UI, including tweaking the HUD visibility, toggling item names, and comparison on and off, or moving the Automap around.
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- Option to toggle between new and old version
It has been known that Diablo 2 Resurrected will be getting the graphics that will be more refreshing compared to the previous ones. Everything will be 3D and eye candy. However, the original one will not be changed, it means it will not be removed or replaced. From the statement, it can be concluded that the players will be able to switch between the old and original version and remastered version by just clicking a button.
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- Improved color palette
When the alpha testing was on-going, a lot of players had a lot of things to let the developers know about the color schemes of the items and Mana and Health animations. They were not satisfied with them not being clear enough and blending in with the backgrounds of some of the game. Upon getting the complains, Blizzard said that they will bring out more vibrant colors, bring more attention to the focus points, and add clarity to the image. The HUB visibility was not an issue due to the 2D graphics of the original Diablo 2. However, with the 3D of Diablo 3 Resurrected, it is a good thing that this issue will be fixed by the developers.
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- 3D graphics
The most noticeable change on the list is probably the graphics. Apparently, 3D graphics will be introduced to the Diablo 2 Resurrected. This game has aged quite well when compared to the other titles that were released in the year 2000 and the visuals are decent.
However, everyone would agree that the graphics are outdated. The change in the graphics in Diablo 2 Resurrected is clearly a good news. The old visuals are the things that blocked the players from trying Diablo 2. With the new look that is more refreshing, it is guaranteed that everyone will be enjoying this game more.
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- Cross-progression
One of the most exciting things about Diablo 2 Resurrected is the fact that it will be available on consoles from the very first day. This opens the chance of the players to enjoy the thing that is known as the greatest ARPG of all time.
Actually, the most important thing is that Diablo 2 Resurrected will be getting the cross progression functionality across all platforms. It means, everyone will be able to bring up their belonging to any platform that they want to play the game on.
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- Improved Battlenet
While it is true that the multiplayer is Diablo 2 was top notch, to the point that everyone agrees with it. One of the proofs that it is the best is that the Battle.net servers for the original Diablo 2 are still active and to the date, there is still a lot of people who enjoy it.
Actually, the original Battle.net was full of issues and it was worst with the age of these multiplayer servers. The functionality of the Battle.net 2 that is coming to Diablo 2 Resurrected means that the most entertaining mode that the game has will make the game runs as smoothly as ever, making it possible for the players to have fun with it.
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- Automatic pick up
The likes of auto pick up mechanic and gold and some other items of value have been tried in ARPGs. It was found in Diablo 3. Besides, it was also present in most of isometric hack and slash titles that were dropped in a few years.
When the Diablo 2 was released for the first time in 2000, no one thought of the automated picking up of loot and gold. Firstly, it was harder to implement. Not only that, there was no sign of it to affect the enjoyment of the game too much, which explains why it was left untouched. It is such a good thing that Diablo 2 Resurrected will follow the trend and will include a few new ARPG conveniences.
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- A new developer
Those who are dreaming to change the toxic culture in the gaming industry might think that buying a product by the Activision Blizzard is a step backward. Apparently, the work has been handed to a new developer called Vicarious Visions. As a design director, Rob Gallerani thinks that the studio does not get a pass on the allegations. There is a guarantee that the product will be way better with Vicarious Visions, who is also known as the developer of the remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2.
Aside from these changes, some other changes that make Diablo 2 Resurrected 2 or D2R different compared to the original one includes: no more compatibility issues; expanded stash sizes, shared items stashes, cutscenes remade from scratch, better framerate, improved visual effects, and remastered audio effects.
From the list above, it seems like Blizzard is trying their best to improve a lot of things. As fans, all that we have to do is to support them and give feedback if something is lacking or if there is something that should be better.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
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