A new update for Diablo II: Resurrected will be available on the Public Test Realm (PTR) today. It focuses on Ladder testing and class balancing changes. There’s also a change in the way Uber Diablo is spawned, so do read further to find out.
Ladder Testing
Diablo II: Resurrected has been out since September, and developers at Blizzard feel that now is the right time to put the Ladder into the game. The Ladder is an optional ranked competitive system where players start from scratch and build their characters to reach the upper echelons. The Ladder also resets after several months, starting the cycle again. When the season ends, all of the players’ characters and items will transition to non-ladder mode.
Keep in mind that this is just the testing phase and things are subject to change before the feature becomes official.
Uber Diablo Changes
Uber Diablo is a special event boss that can be summoned by selling enough Stone of Jordan rings. In this month’s PTR, there is a change in the way progress is calculated.
Basically, the progress for each game type will now be kept by the regional database. So once the threshold is met, Uber Diablo spawns for everyone in the same region and not just on the same server instance.
In addition, progress towards Uber Diablo is tracked per game type, with eight progressions being tracked:
- Classic
- Classic Hardcore (HC)
- Classic Ladder
- Classic HC Ladder
- Expansion
- Expansion HC
- Expansion Ladder
- Expansion HC Ladder
This is a great way for those playing on the Ladder to get their hands on the highly coveted Annihilus unique charm faster when a new season begins.
Class Balancing Changes
The Amazon, Druid, and Barbarian have received some major improvements as well. Amazon's Impale animation has increased by 30%. Besides that, physical bow skills, such as Multiple Shot, Guided Arrow, and Strafe, now have added synergies to help retain their viability.
To make the Druid summoner builds become appealing to use, Druids can now have dire wolves, spirit wolves, and bears all summoned at the same time. This huge change will make summoner builds even more interesting and fun to play.
The Barbarian’s Leap Attack has long been utilized as a mobility skill, but the developers have made it even better. Leap attack now deals extra physical damage to surrounding enemies within a 4.6-yard radius upon landing. This, along with the animation changes, makes Leap Attack even more practical to use in most situations.
The full list of changes can be found on Diablo II: Resurrected’s official website.
