Diablo 2 (came back from oblivion as Diablo 2: Resurrected) has plenty of interesting aspects that make it one of the most important entries in the series. With six published titles (counting Diablo: Immortal and D2R) it's not hard to see that this is one of the biggest franchises in Blizzard Entertainment's history. With millions of fans worldwide, Diablo has become iconic, and with its latest entry, Diablo 4: Ships of Hateplayers have accumulated tons of experience killing demons and other evil creatures that plague the Sanctuary.
Now there is a debate going on as to which Diablo 2 and Diablo 4 are the best, most played titles (or at least the ones with a greater number of active players): Which one is the best? To clarify this, we've come up with a list that highlights five things that Diablo 2 does far better than Diablo 4. Considering the mechanics, character building, storytelling, and other aspects of this ARPG classic.
Every Diablo game, ranked
The long-running Diablo franchise has had its fair share of highs and lows. Here are all the matches in the series, ranked.
Better Buildcraft
Not even up for discussion
When Diablo 4 still had diapers, Diablo 2 had already amassed an impressive amount of possible builds for their core classes, and now, with the inclusion of Warlock in the mix, even more. With hundreds of unique items, set items and the coveted runewords, the possibilities are almost endless. Some buildings are good for farming, some are good for taking down the most dangerous enemies in Sanctuary, and others are so ridiculously broken that even a goldfish can kill Diablo in Hell with them.
Diablo 4,On the other hand, it has the advantage in terms of graphics and effects: the visual impact of the series (or its misery) has actually increased over the years. But as previously mentioned, Diablo 4 doesn't have the same number of items, or classes, nor enough room for buildcraft to consider itself better than Diablo 2. At least not in that aspect. And then, looking back at Diablo 2: Resurrected, if things continue to go the right way, we can look forward to the gap between the construction of both games growing wider and wider. Only time will tell.
Better runes
The new system is okay, but the classic is still superior
Runewords is a gimmick that only three games in the series have: Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, its Resurrected versionand Diablo 4: Ships of Hate. This system, which was originally introduced with SOLDER escalated into one of the most infamous and beloved gimmicks in the franchise. Players all over the world went in search of the best runes to build powerful gear and weapons. This notoriously increased the replay value of the game, as the Rune system was included D2 went by levels. Basic runes dropped in Normal, but advanced only in Nightmare and Hell difficulties. A similar case occurs in Diablo 4: Ships of Hatesince this expansion (season 11) brought back runes to the main games (although, to be fair, they never left).
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In any case: The rune system in Diablo 4 depends on a series of strict rules (such as not being able to equip the same rune twice, or having a maximum of two Runewords equipped at the same time), plus it's a stand-alone system that doesn't depend on equipment sockets, but is instead connected to a special part of the character menu. Also, runes in Diablo 2 are much more attractive both in terms of power scaling and effects. So it is clear that Diablo 2 also has the upper hand when it comes to Runewords.
More versatile classes
Old classes just hit differently (and harder)
Even if Diablo 4 has introduced ultimate skills into the mix, and its focus on original classes like the barbarian, druid, and wizard are top-notch, it's something it lacks: Real power and that brutal snowball effect that came with maxing out skills, stats, and damage output, something that just D2 and D2: Resurrection managed to achieve. Additionally, the original classes are extremely versatile, both in terms of builds and potential to solo the endgame content. But since then Diablo 3 in the gaming world, there has been an increasing tendency to balance out every single character in the game to make it just powerful enough to survive.
Even though Diablo 4 has some great synergies and builds that can be used to carry or farm, Diablo 4 is getting closer and closer to being a multiplayer game by design, and that's okay. But this does not change the fact Diablo 2 classes are much better both in terms of power, survivability and snowball potential. However, it is worth mentioning Diablo 4next expansion (Lord of Hate) could also game the board by introducing both Warlock and Paladin. With that, both games may have a similar list, so it may be possible to put them through comparison again to see if Diablo 4 the classes are getting closer to what they used to be (or better).
Better narrative flow
Having to fight all three main evils in a row is hard to beat
The story of Diablo 2 actually begins long before the events that led to the resurrection of the three Prime Evils. It is the story of the Dark Walker (formerly known as Prince Aidan, and the warrior from Diablo I) and how his struggle to free Khandura from Diablo's influence ends with him being corrupted and transformed into the vessel of the new evil. The narrative flow and the events that follow up to Tristan's fall are then told diablo 2, which turns into a wild hunt for the wandering possessed prince, while the heroes fight tooth and nail against hordes of demons. The epic conclusion begins in Travincal, with the heroes clearing the corrupted Zakarum and killing Mephisto. Then descend into Hell after Diablo, to also beat him and destroy both Soul Stones at the Hell Forge. In Lord of Destruction, the epic conclusion to this story, players face absolute annihilation, as Baal has unleashed his horde in an attempt to corrupt the Worldstone. So, as players who have experienced this game firsthand know, the battle for Mount Arreat and its outcome is an epic conclusion to the game's main story.
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IN diablo 4, the story is much slower, and the pace begins awkwardly as players are introduced to the cult of Lilith and continues the story of Nephalem by Diablo 3. Since the game is more focused on exploration and has tons of side activities to discover, it also changes the flow of the story. While you're inside Diablo 2things were more direct and the quests made players naturally grow stronger and face increasingly difficult opponents, in diablo 4, the story is more focused on exploration, and the focus is more open world-like. Showing the main antagonist of the story directly also reduces the impact, and the story does not have the heartbreaking twist of Diablo 3 (Adria's betrayal and Lea's transformation into the Lord of Horrors). So, less punchy, less meaningful goals, and a plot that gets watered down until “The Mysterious Wolf” shows up and starts churning out a subplot that gets a little more interesting than stopping Lilith and her cult. Diablo 2 has proven to be superior time and time again, and narratively it hits Diablo 4 of a landslide.
Better replay value
The ultimate reason why Diablo 2 is better than Diablo 4
Both Diablo 2 and Diablo 4 is incredibly engaging gameplay; there is no denying that fact. But their focus is like night and day. Diablo 2 is one ARPG with a cooperative mode and a PvPvE focus, while Diablo 4focus is one multiplayer live service type of game. While Diablo 4 retains the charm of beating the game and starting over to challenge it in a new difficulty level (not to mention all the Uber bosses included in the postgame), its replay value is more like a game that must keep the audience engaged by force through endless in-game events, a season pass and a similar criterion that was created in an era marked by Diablo 3: New Seasonal challenges as one incentives for players starting over.
On the other side, Diablo 2s core values are grinding, building a stronger character, more grinding and defying impossible odds in three consecutive runs, which escalate in difficulty significantly. And given that every character in the Diablo 2 has a certain utility to help players get the most powerful items, charms and Runewords (especially Sorceress and Necromancer), its replay value increases exponentially. And that, without mentioning the co-op mode that can be enjoyed by up to eight players, which increases the difficulty rather than making it less complicated, as enemies are empowered every time a new player joins a session. It has a certain charm to it Diablo 4 could not imitate, despite his best efforts. Now with Diablo 2: Resurrectedthese the differences are even more notorious. So, dear readers, this can be your tip to try both titles and see for yourself which one is the best.
- Formative years
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1997
- Developer
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Blizzard Entertainment, NetEase Games
- Publisher
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Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment
