It’s not every day that a classic PC game gets a new content expansion 25 years after its last major update. But that’s what happened last night, as Blizzard suddenly released new “Reign of the Warlock” DLC that adds a new class, new end-game challenges, and new inventory-management options to the classic Diablo II.
To be clear, the new DLC is technically not for the original 2000 release of Diablo II (which was still getting patches as of 2016) but for the game’s 2021 Resurrected remaster. Still, that remastered version has gameplay and animations that are extremely faithful to the original, making yesterday’s surprise update the kind of content drop that players have been waiting for since 2001’s “Lord of Destruction” expansion.
The “Reign of the Warlock” DLC lets you “command forbidden power” as a new class that “wields forbidden arts, bridles hellfire and shadow, and dominates demons,” according to the in-game class selection screen description. By way of backstory, Blizzard writes that most Warlocks “have the means to lead a lavish lifestyle but find the pursuit of luxury and ease stale. Instead, they leverage their elevated status in Sanctuary to hunt down lost knowledge that would enable them to continue the legacy of Horazon.”
The Warlock has a skill tree that has three distinct paths:
- Demonic: Summon three different types of demons to fight alongside you, then consume those demons to gain powerful boons.
- Eldritch: Imbue weapons with hexes that cause status effects on foes, and duplicate and throw weapons at enemies. This includes the unique ability to carry a two-handed weapon and an off-hand single weapon at once.
- Chaos: Throw ranged miasma attacks and gain the ability to summon portals that suck in enemies.
The Warlock class is also coming to more recent Diablo games, though players will have to wait a bit for those updates to hit. Diablo IV will get the new class via the previously announced “Lord of Hatred” expansion on April 28, with more details promised for a March 5 Developer Update livestream. Diablo Immortal will also add the Warlock as yet another free-to-play option in a June update.
And the rest
In addition to the new class, the “Reign of the Warlock” DLC updates the game’s late-game rotating Terror Zones with new options that let you “terrorize” a specific Act. High-level players will also be able to collect statues from bosses that can be combined to summon “a new pinnacle test” in the form of a Colossal Ancient boss. And players on the highest “Hell” difficulty will now have to face down Heralds of Terror that “stalk you as prey.”
Blizzard is also introducing a few quality-of-life updates to make D2: Resurrected a little less annoying. A new loot filter helps you sort through drops for specific types of items more quickly, while the ability to stack items inside your Stash Tabs prevents the need to scroll through pages of identical gems.
Alongside the DLC announcement, Blizzard revealed the first Steam version of Diablo II Resurrected: an “Infernal Edition” that includes the new Reign of the Warlock DLC for $40. Existing Resurrected owners can also purchase the DLC on its own for $25 on Battle.net or Xbox.
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