Diablo 2: Resurrected is coming on September 23. Blizzard announced the date during today's Xbox E3 livestream, along with word that a multiplayer beta will take place in August.
The remastered version of Diablo 2 supports 4K resolution and 7.1 Dolby Surround audio, with "recreated" cinematics and quality of life upgrades including a larger stash and automatic gold pickup. Players who prefer the old-school experience can switch to the original resolution—good ol' 800x600—and back again with a single button, and cross-progression is supported across all platforms via a linked Battle.net account.
The Diablo 2: Resurrected open beta will take place in August—a date hasn't been announced yet—on "supported platforms," which also haven't been specified. Beta players will have access to the Amazon, Barbarian, Paladin, Sorceress, and Druid classes, while the Necromancer and Assassin classes will be held back until launch. Tester feedback "will help us put the finishing touches on a game we hope players will continue to enjoy for many years to come," Blizzard president J. Allen Brack said.
Diablo 2: Resurrected will go for $40 standalone, or $60 in the Diablo Prime Evil Collection, which will also get you the Diablo 3 Eternal Collection (with Diablo 3, the Reaper of Souls expansion, and the Rise of the Necromancer pack) and the Mephisto pet and Hatred's Grasp wings for Diablo 3. Preordering will also get you the Heritage of Arreat transmog, which gives Diablo 3 barbarians the blue warpaint and leather armor they wore in Diablo 2, and early access to the beta.
If you're not sure what class you'd like to get started with, we've got a guide to all seven that will tell you what you need to know before you embark upon your new journey. To learn more about Diablo 2: Resurrected, have a look at our hands-on preview: Tyler liked what he played in the first beta, including the quality-of-life improvements, but for the most part it's just Diablo 2. Which isn't at all a bad thing: The foundational, 21-year-old ARPG is relatively simple by today's standards, but it wasn't beloved by PC gamers at the time for nothing, and it's still fun to click on skeletons until they're double-dead. For official info, hit up diablo2.com.
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