"I just cried. Already bought." — Diablo 2 fans rejoice over the Reign of the Warlock expansion, and I'm right there with them in demon-slaying glory

Diablo 2: Resurrected's new Reign of the Warlock expansion, complete with a new class, a host of quality-of-life changes, and a ton of new items, has officially arrived not only on Battle.net, but also on Xbox Game Pass (with an additional expansion purchase) and Steam.

I must commend Blizzard and its partners; they did a great job of keeping the lid on this thing right up until the official reveal yesterday, and it made the presentation that much more special.

When the Diablo 2: Resurrected logo appeared between Diablo Immortal and Diablo 4 badges in the Warlock reveal trailer? Goosebumps.

To say it's great to see the ARPG that defined the genre receive the biggest content update about 25 years after the Lord of Destruction expansion in 2001 is a massive understatement.

Diablo | Warlock Class Cinematic Trailer - YouTube

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I'm shocked. I still cannot believe it's true. I still feel like this is a global prank played on me alone. It's a feeling akin to the one I had when seeing Diablo 2's Resurrected remaster for the first time about five years ago.

I spent last night running through Diablo 2's Normal difficulty with the new Warlock class. I took my time reading the new class skills, studying how they interact with each other through synergies. I fretted about where I should spend my skill points. I pondered the viability of a dual-tree build. I picked up everything, hoping it was something new.

As I played the new Reign of the Warlock expansion, I had a strange feeling wash over me. For the first time in probably a decade (or more), I was running through Sanctuary without knowing everything about it. Friends in my demon-slaying party were suddenly dismayed that I didn't have an answer for every question.

👉 Why Diablo II is still my favorite action RPG 20 years later

Diablo 2 and its faithful Resurrected remaster are my favorite games. That's no secret; I've written about them many times over the years here at Windows Central. Just last month, I shared a retrospective piece about D2R's past, present, and future, coming to the conclusion that the game was unlikely to receive a content update anywhere near as big as Reign of the Warlock.

Sometimes it's great to be wrong.

Blizzard can still wow us with Diablo 2 more than 25 years later

Yesterday's reveal was felt deeply by a lot of people. Diablo 2 is a legendary game that's attracted countless players over the years, and for many of us, it's still the best ARPG on the market.

A lot of players would have been happy with some extra stash tabs and some stackable currency slots. A lot of players would have likely paid a small sum to get them.

But an entirely new class? New items and runewords? New endgame content? A built-in grail mechanic with rewards for finding every item in the game? New ways to fight Terror Zones? A built-in LOOT FILTER?! This is far more content than most of us were expecting, and the reactions online say it all.

"I just cried. Already bought," said one Reddit user. "What a day to be a D2 fan," said another. Tears over a video game? It's certainly possible, and it goes to show how beloved the game really is.

Comment from r/diablo2

Comment from r/Diablo

The same discourse is going on over at X (formerly Twitter), with players expressing their disbelief at the Reign of the Warlock expansion.

Of course, any modern video game news comes with its share of detractors. Some people seem upset that Blizzard is charging $25 for the expansion, while others bemoan the fact that Reign of the Warlock can't be played with legacy graphics.

I think Blizzard's decision to make Reign of the Warlock a "fork" of Diablo 2: Resurrected is smart. Players can decide if they want to port their existing characters into the new universe, leaving core D2R separately playable for purists.

Let's not forget the fact that it's now available on Steam with Deck Verification, a huge revelation for all handheld gamers who didn't want to install the Battle.net launcher.

With a new online ladder season kicking off on February 20, it feels like Diablo 2: Resurrected was just re-resurrected. What a time to be alive.

Diablo 2: Resurrected Reign of the Warlock: at xbox.com

Reign of the Warlock is Diablo 2: Resurrected's biggest update yet, with a new class and tons of quality-of-life changes. Buy the expansion separately, or pick up the new Infernal Edition with all D2R content.

👉 See at Xbox.com

👉 See at Steam

👉 See at Battle.net

Excited for the new Reign of the Warlock expansion for Diablo 2: Resurrected? Have you already jumped in to try it out? Let me know in the comments section!

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