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.”
A new face around a familiar fire.
Credit:
Blizzard
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.
