Seven new features we’d like to see added to Diablo 2: Resurrected

If the introduction of Seasons of Mastery to WoW Classic teaches me anything, it’s that you can absolutely introduce concepts from newer games into older ones, since the Seasons concept is basically life from Diablo 3 Seasons. And WoW Classic has also shown us that entirely new content can be introduced into an aged game, such as the Chronoboon Displacer, to help keep the game fun to play without breaking what it was. Furthermore, the devs on Diablo 2: Resurrected have outright admitted they have ideas for new content for the game, so we could see changes coming to Diablo 2 in the future..

Now, clearly, I don’t know what their ideas are. I mean, I don’t have their houses bugged, what do you want from me? I’m just one man. But what I do have is a head crammed full of completely probably unreasonable ideas for the game and what I’d like to see for it. So I figure, why not? Why not just speculate on what we might get for Diablo 2: Resurrected? And so, this post was born.

Some of my ideas for updating Diablo 2: Resurrected are potentially feasible. Some really, absolutely are not. Let’s go through them by their order of likelihood.

Diablo 2 changes I could almost see happening

More difficulty levels

First off, we could see more of stuff that’s already there. A new difficulty level or two isn’t very hard to imagine and would simply mean making the game more challenging — it would probably have to be balanced by new, even more powerful gear, runewords, demonic skulls to socket, etc etc. But it’s not hard to imagine Blizzard adding something like this because we’ve seen them do it with Diablo 3 and Torment levels. The D2R team could maintain and expand the gameplay loop that’s already in place, come up with something equivalent to Ancient and Primal Ancient Legendaries and set pieces, and there would be a whole new tier of content to play.

Not that it would be an easy addition, just that it doesn’t involve anything the game doesn’t already have.

An easier way to replay Acts

A means to more easily replay and farm Acts in Diablo 2 would also be really nice. Maybe a toggle that restarts the Act once you finished it so you don’t have to keep starting a new game?  Just a nice convenience change, something akin to the shared stash D2R already has.

New mobs and boss fights

Similarly, putting in a few new mobs here or there, a couple of new semi-boss fights, isn’t something that would require extensive retooling. It would require design, and it wouldn’t be trivial, but it’s not the same thing as introducing a whole new gameplay mode, for example.

Diablo 2 changes I’d like but don’t expect

Add the best of Diablo 3 to Diablo 2

Speaking of new gameplay modes, why not plunder Diablo 3 for every good idea it has? No, not the Real Money Auction House, nobody liked that. But people liked the specific Class Set Dungeons, with their high level of challenges based around specific set bonuses. People liked Seasons, with their gear reset and special rewards for completing them. People liked Nephalem Rifts and Greater Nephalem Rifts, and Adventure Mode, allowing you to level and gear up without really even bothering with the story of the game if that’s how you liked playing.

I don’t expect them to do this, but I think it could go a long way towards extending Diablo 2: Resurrected‘s viability if some of these ideas made their way to the game. Seasonal Play in particular I think could be a real winner for D2R.

Armor dyes and transmog

Also, while we’re at it, gear dye and transmog. Now, this is edging into no freaking way will they ever do this territory, but while I’m wishing for stuff, the ability to customize my gear’s appearance in Diablo 2: Resurrected would be sweet. The game looks so much better now. I realize that it’s still running the older game’s graphics and you can even switch back to them, and I also realize it would probably be extremely difficult to make cosmetic changes like this that only appear in the higher res version of the game, which is why I don’t think this would ever happen. But man, it would be nice.

Diablo 2 changes that will absolutely never happen, ever

New Diablo 2-era expansions

While I’m dreaming, let’s get nuts — sure, new runewords, new items, maybe some tweaks and balance changes, that’s all fine. We’d like to see that. And sure, we’d like to see some QoL changes, and new game modes are a neat idea. But what’s the one thing that’s absolutely never going to happen no matter how much I’d like it?

Expansions.

There is no way we’re going to see a second expansion to Diablo 2, bridging the gap between the game and Diablo Immortal. It’s just not going to happen. There will be no introduction of Diablo 2 versions of classes like Demon Hunters, Witch Doctors, or Crusaders. They won’t make a version of the Return to Tristram event for D2R, or introduce a whole new region — like say, the Skovos Isles, letting us see what happened there during Diablo 2 and why they never showed up in Diablo 3 and expanding on the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye and their theft of that artifact from the Amazons.

I mean, seriously, imagine an Amazon-based expansion set on Skovos? It would be amazing, but it’s absolutely not going to happen and I’m ridiculous for even wanting it to happen. There’s also practically no way we’ll get new talents, or a class redesign of any kind, so don’t even start thinking about things you’d like to see added to your Assassin or Druid.

Class updates and new abilities

But while I’m dreaming, I’d love to see Assassins get more ranged options and Druids get more forms. I mean, while we’re talking about it. More Amazon abilities, more Paladin powers, more kinds of dead for Necromancers to summon, more ways for Barbarians to smash things.

And we’re never going to get Bards, not in any Diablo game. Even though I already have a whole 80’s Death Metal theme picked out for them and everything.

As to exactly what the Diablo 2: Resurrected team has in mind for future development of the game, we don’t know. But anything is possible, so perhaps a feature or two on this wishlist will become reality.