If you are a curious gamer who is happening to want to get into Diablo II, you’ve come to the right place. I will go in detail of what are the differences between the legacy and Resurrected version of Diablo II. I will also recommend which version is the best to play in the year of 2023 and beyond.
I have been a fan of both Blizzard games and Diablo II for a good amount of my life. With that mentioned, I certainly do have a lot of experience with Diablo II, and it’s always nice to know the fact that there are people who are still interested in playing this game in today’s times. I will try to keep things objective because I grew up on the legacy version of Diablo II, so there is some sort of bias I do have towards the game compared to the Resurrected version.
Diablo II: Resurrected Is More Than Just Graphics
If there is something you should know about Diablo II: Resurrected, it is more than just a graphical update. Basically, the developers have done some amazing quality of life changes like having bigger stash which is something that was an issue in the legacy version. The game is also available on multiple platforms including consoles and the legacy version was always a PC exclusive since its inception.
Another thing to know is there is cross progression for your character on the various platforms you play. That means you can take a character from PC and be able to play it on PlayStation as long you have an online character available. However, the game doesn’t have cross platform like Diablo IV does. You can only play players that are on your platform in Diablo II: Resurrected.
Disappointing drops by Diablo himself.
On top of that, there has been new content update which is something the legacy version didn’t have for the longest time. Diablo II: Resurrected likes to do these content update with its ladder resets or seasons is what some people like to call them. Basically, every certain amount of months, the game will reset its leaderboards and it basically becomes a fresh start. Players who want to participate the ladder reset will have to start from new again, but it isn’t a mandatory thing to do.
There is an alternative realm called “Non Ladder”, and people can play this realm if they want to continue with their character and progress their power. The Ladder realm is basically for those who want to compete because of the access to leaderboards or taking advantage of the new content. Some people also enjoy playing the Ladder realm just because everything is reset similar to how some players would replay their favorite games from start to end. For some Diablo II players, they like to start off with nothing to make the loot hunting more exciting. Once you are completely decked out with high end gear; the loot hunting does start to lose its appeal.
As of right now, the fifth season of Diablo II: Resurrected will not be adding anything new to its next ladder reset. The next ladder reset is confirmed to be on September 28.
Diablo II Legacy – Is It Obsolete?
The legacy version of Diablo II is still available to play, and it is actually not connected to the same servers of Resurrected. That means if you plan on playing Diablo II legacy, you’re only playing with players who are playing that particular game. Since it is a game from the early 2000s, it is by far a game that should be accessible to most people’s PCs because Diablo II Resurrected is certainly a lot more demanding to run. The game will be missing many quality of life features that can be found from Diablo II Resurrected, but there is some third party software that does give similar features of Resurrected if you choose to play single player.
It’s called PlugY, and you will have access to a bigger stash and shared stash Tabs similar to Diablo II: Resurrected. If you don’t plan to play on single player, you’re definitely going to have to get used to the smaller stash space and you will have to make multiple mules to carry valuable goods along the way. It should also be noted that you need to log in your account constantly to keep your account alive and that is said the same for your characters.
A screenshot of one of my muling characters.
The last and noteworthy thing about old Diablo II is there are mods. You can definitely find some mods that change Diablo II’s sandbox completely or modernize it in a way. There is a mod called Project Diablo II which is a popular one among the diehard fans. The best way I can describe is its Diablo II meets Path of Exile. If you’ve played a good amount of Path of Exile, you will notice its similarities as far as endgame and mechanics go in this mod. It’s not quite a necessity to play this external content, but it is something for you to explore if it does interest you.
Overall, playing the legacy version without the big quality of life features does make the game feel more antiquated, but when it comes to the actual combat, the loot system, character progression the endgame of Diablo II, it’s definitely there and it will make you forgive certain annoying things.
Which Version to Play Nowadays?
Now it’s time for the most important question: which version to play in the year of 2023 and beyond? Without a doubt, Diablo II: Resurrected is simply the way to go if you are interested in playing Diablo II. Its quality of life is just too good, and it is the latest version, so it’s simply going to appeal the newer players easier due to the fact that it is only multiple platforms. The new content update is also nice to the game, and it also means you don’t have that fear of missing out if you’re playing the legacy version. The developers have also considered the remake to be more of a live service title than the original version. You will also never have to know how frustrating it is to have somebody randomly killing The Cow King in a public game.
Despite Resurrected being the better version to play nowadays, the legacy is still worth playing if you don’t have a good PC or you’re not playing on the Xbox Series consoles or PlayStation 5. I wouldn’t recommend playing Resurrected on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 because there are more load times in the remake and the load times can actually impact the gameplay when you are changing waypoints or entering into a portal. They are not good on the previous console generation and it can definitely affect the playing experience. There are still people playing the legacy version on both offline and online, but I can definitely say Resurrected is certainly the bigger population nowadays.
A snapshot of Act III.
While Diablo II Resurrected is certainly an amazing remake, I do tend to prefer the legacy version due to nostalgia and because it was the only Diablo II I could play during my younger years. I am also not the biggest fan on the Sundering Charms which I think it just encourages players to favor the meta builds even more than before and I think Resurrected’s obsession of adding more runewords is hurting the value of unique and set items. Basically, I think the current version of Diablo II legacy is a more balanced playing experience than what Resurrected has done with its gameplay balance changes.
But if you’re a new player who wants to play Diablo II and see what the fuss is about, Resurrected is objectively the best version to play. I hope all of this information is useful if you were wondering about the differences between the original and updated versions. With all of that out of the way, go out there and kill some demons and collect some nice loot.
