Diablo 2

Resurrected and Reign of the Warlock

Developer : Blizzard Entertainment, Vicarious Visions

Publisher : Blizzard Entertainment

Platform : PC

Release Year : Resurrected - 2021, Reign of the Warlock - 2026

It’s like Coming Home

I would have never thought that in 2026 we would get a brand new update to Diablo 2, and not a small update either, but here we are, living in the world where Reign of the Warlock is a thing. This wicked update gave us the ability to stack our gems, runes, and other special items (like terror keys and the like), which is an amazing and long overdue quality of life update, and they also gave us more room in our stash, because we all desperately needed it. What is really mind blowing about this update is the addition of a new class in the Warlock. Like, what? Am I living in some parallel reality? I don’t think anyone had a Diablo 2 update on their bingo cards, yet here we are, living the dream! When I finally started playing Resurrected a month or so back, after getting on sale last year, I would have never thought I would be living in a world where an update like this is a thing.

Maybe the world isn’t such a terrible place after all? Who would have thought?

So, this post is going to be me jibber jabbering about how much fun I am having with Resurrected, as well as some of my memories from back in the day, and my hopes for the current ladder that my partner and I are playing together! After playing Metroid Prime 4 and having my heartbroken, coming home to Diablo 2 was exactly what I needed, because holy shit was Prime 4 awful.

The Past

I can’t even begin to count how many hours/days I have put into this game over the decades. When the original Diablo 2 was released in 2000, and its expansion, Lord of Destruction, a year later, my friends and I lost countless hours battling the forces of hell. Back in those days there was no voice over IP like Discord or Ventrilo or Teamspeak, so instead we would all sit on our landlines together in group calls. We would sit together on the phone for hours while we fought our way across Sanctuary, battling the countless minions of hell, always hoping for that one awesome item drop, and getting sore necks in the process. It was amazing and so much fun, and I count my lucky stars that I got to experience Diablo 2 like that back in the day. My one friend even taped the phone receiver to his head one time with duct tape, like, this was dedication to the grind, and something I will remember till the day I die. So yeah, Diablo 2 has been a big part of my life for a long time, so coming back to it is like coming home.

If I am remembering correctly, my first character was an Amazon. I am pretty sure she was a ranged Amazon, because magic arrow and valkyrie were great, and I have been a fan of the whole archer archetype forever. Then with the release of Lord of Destruction, I fell in love with the Assassin, both the trap build as well as the melee focused martial arts build. Both builds are so much fun, with the traps being super easy and martial arts, with the combo point system, being so intense and ever so satisfying. Ever since I have loved dual wielding fist weapons or daggers in games, but no game has ever really captured how awesome it is as much as Diablo 2; Diablo 3’s Monk came close, and WoW’s Rogue with its combo points also came close, but neither of them scratched the itch the same way the Assassin does.

Another vivid memory I have of my time play Diablo 2 as a kid/young teen, is listening to my tunes with good ol’ Winamp while I slaughter the forces of hell. Blasting my music while leveling was, and still is, one of life’s simple pleasures: there is just something so relaxing about listening to your tunes while playing this game. Hell, I listened to my music so much back in the day, that when I was playing through Resurrected and listening to the in game music again after so long, was like listening to a brand-new soundtrack! I remembered how amazing and captivating Diablo 2’s OST really is, and how no Blizzard game has come close to it since. The ambient sound design along with the actual songs work so well together, it still holds up decades later.

Right Here, Right Now

Resurrected and Reign of the Warlock are insanely good additions to Diablo 2, like, it is crazy how awesome they are. Sure, I didn’t get Resurrected right when it came out, but I am so happy that I picked it up on a whim during a sale last year, because I am having way too much fun right now. What really blows my mind about Resurrected is how beautiful the updated graphics are, and how the developers captured how Diablo 2 looked in my memories, if that makes sense? Yes, I know that the updated visuals are not at all how Diablo 2 looked back in the day, but somehow (I think it’s witchcraft), they made the game look like how it does in my memories, which is so crazy to me. It is also awesome that you can switch between the game’s classic graphics and the updated ones when you’re playing Resurrected (not when playing Reign of the Warlock) with the press of a button, just like the Halo and Halo 2 in the Master Chief Collection, and this is something I think all remasters should have.

So, I am so much better at this game now then when I was a kid. Like, so much better, it’s not even a contest. The furthest I ever got back in the day was maybe an act or two into nightmare, but never much more than that, which is not even half the game, ya know? Now in Resurrected and Reign of the Warlock I am doing so much better. Sure, the fact that there is so much more information about the game available on the net these days helps a lot, but there is also the simple fact that I am just that much older. Looking up builds, runewords, and everything else so easily makes a world of difference, as does comparing strategies and guides with my partner is a dream come true! Hell, I never thought I would be with someone who plays as many games as I do, let alone being as addicted to Diablo 2 as I am, but here I am, living the dream!

Like I said, maybe the world really isn’t all that bad?

While Resurrected was awesome enough, Reign of the Warlock made this game even better! The updated stash, as well as being able to stack your gems and runes, is amazing, and if Blizzard had just added that to the game, I think the community would have been happy enough. Yet that was just the start, because they also gave us a new class, the Warlock. The addition of a new class to Diablo 2 was something I never thought I would see, or even something I would even think of, but I am all for more classes. I haven’t played the Warlock yet, but my partner has and she said it’s a lot of fun, if only a little too strong. I’ll give it a try here one day, but for now I have four other characters on the go this season (different ones for who I am playing with), and I want to get them leveled and geared before starting something else.

Ladder Season 13

Here is a look at the characters I am leveling in this current season, because why not? I am hoping that I can get at least one of them to level 99, because I have never reached max level, and I would love to be able to check that off my gaming bucket list.

And yes, they’re all named after food. I’m so creative, I almost scare myself sometimes.

Ketchup – Lightening Trap Assassin

The Lightening Trap Assassin is mind numbingly easy but still a lot of fun. I run into an area, throw down my traps, and watch them take out everything while I chill and reap the rewards. The only problem with this build right now is that in hell I am running into monsters who are immune to both fire and lighting, so my lightening traps and firebombs are super useless. Yes, my mercenary helps out a lot, but once I make the crescent moon runeword that reduces mob’s lightening resistance, things will go a lot smoother.

All in all, it’s a fun build. While I am a bigger fan of the martial arts builds, I just leveled one of those before this season started, so I went with the traps this time to change it up.

Cheese – Fury Werewolf and Summoner

This character I am running with my partner and her Amazon. Once I got Fury, this build became so much more fun; running into the groups of demons with my menagerie of animals (5 wolves, 3 dire wolves, 5 ravens, a grizzly bear, and my oak spirit) and going ham with Fury is so much fun. Along with my girl’s Amazon raining explosive arrows from afar, we are shredding the demons that are getting in our way and flying through the game.

This is also the first time I have played a Druid for any length of time, and I am really enjoying it. The whole werewolf thing is a lot of fun, and having a literal zoo at by beck and call is awesome. All in all, it’s a good time, and I am looking forward to playing it more.

Bread – Paladin, either Hammers or Zeal, not sure yet

The Paladin is what I am playing when my partner and I are playing with her son! She is playing as a Sorceress and her son is rolling as a summoner necromancer, which is a solid choice for your first character ever. It has been ages since I leveled a Paladin, and so far, I am really liking Zeal combined with the Holy Fire aura. I’m not sure if I want to stick with Zeal or respec into Hammers since it has been an amazing spec since the start? I am really leaning towards Hammers, because I have never tried it and why not play something that has been a staple for the better part of twenty years?

Salsa – Poison Javelin Amazon

I just started this character today (March 16, 2026), and so far, it is going pretty well. I have yet to get through Act 1, but I am liking the mix of melee and range the spec is offering. Only time will tell how things go with this specialization in the long run, but the consensus on the net is that javelin Amazons are awesome, so I guess we’ll wait and see. I want to go with poisons because my Assassin is lightening focused, and I want to do something different.

Things to Come

Reign of the Warlock has been such a great update, and I hope this is just the beginning of a long life for Diablo 2: Resurrected. While I would love more updates, I want Blizzard to be cognizant of what makes Diablo 2 so special, and to preserve its identity. I do not want this dark fantasy world to be full of people running around with twinkling wings, dressed in overly expensive cosmetics off some shitty store, no fucking thank you. I also don’t want them to cater to the whales, because while I know that would make them a lot of money (some people have to buy everything), it would ruin everything that makes Diablo 2 so wonderful. Instead, I want them to add more classes that fit with vibe of Diablo 2 (the Warlock, aside from being a little over-powered, fits in so well), new runes and runewords (and not just high level ones, runes and words for all levels of play), new uniques and set items, and more quality of life changes (which I can’t think of any at the moment). Like, this isn’t rocket science, is it?

Please Blizzard, do not go and make this game like Diablo 4 or the countless other ARPGs that cater to the whales, because that would kill Diablo 2 for so many of us. They have to thread a fine line here, because if Blizzard fucks it up, they will kill the game. I have all of my fingers and toes crossed that the game is in good hands, and that the developers are good stewards of this legacy, because they are in charge of a game that means a lot to so many of us. Not that we, the player, matter to the stockholders, and with how things are going in the world of gaming and technology (AI slop as far as the eye can see), lets say I am not about to hold my breath.