Blizzard has given a Diablo 2: Resurrected 2.5 PTR update for players, discussing feedback and balance change plans for the new Diablo 2 Terror Zones feature as well as outlining its plans for the upcoming ladder season 2 release times. Players trying out the remake of one of the best RPG games on PC in its latest iteration have been tackling the new feature, which creates deadly packs of pumped-up enemies in certain areas of the map, offering a chance at better gear and an alternative way to approach reaching the Diablo 2 max level in a season.
Diablo community manager Adam ‘PezRadar’ Fletcher updates players on the feedback the Diablo 2 team has received during the first week of PTR testing for Diablo 2 Resurrected patch 2.5. He says that the general changes players can expect include a rotation of areas where Terror Zones can appear, to acccount for places where they didn’t work well. There will also be further info provided on the unlock conditions and duration for Terror Zones to improve clarity for players.
Fletcher says that some players remarked that the Terror Zone enemies didn’t feel quite as challenging as expected, but notes that a large proportion of this feedback came specifically from players using a Hammerdin, one of the best Diablo 2 Resurrected Paladin builds. Fletcher explains that the team has some ideas resulting from this discovery, and that he expects the resulting changes – set to be announced soon – to “create a bit of a shift in build/class opportunities for players.”
Regarding players asking for Terror Zones in Diablo 2: Resurrected offline play, Fletcher says that “this is being looked into but, for now, I would expect this to be a ladder season 2 feature as we are able to make tweaks to online numbers on the fly while single-player has different values for experience and needs to be tuned differently.” He adds that “the desire is high” to add Terror Zones to offline play, but that the team wants “to get this nailed down for ladder play first and will move into looking at it for offline afterwards.”
The Diablo 2: Resurrected ladder season 2 timing has been a source of much confusion, Fletcher admits, because the initial plan was for seasons to last four months but “we are obviously past that timeline and, to be 100% honest, we didn’t plan very well on our end for that date.” The development of Terror Zones cause delays on the season transition, Fletcher explains, apologising for “murkiness around when the season transition would occur.”
Fletcher says that the current plan is to end the 2.5 PTR soon and start submission for final builds to get the 2.5 patch out to everyone on live servers. Once that’s done, Diablo 2: Resurrected season 2 is expected to begin “a week or two after 2.5 hits.” Fletcher adds that the plan is to end season 1 right as season 2 begins, and says that further updates on the 2.5 update and ladder season 2 release window will be provided “as more dates become aligned in the coming week.”
If you’re playing this reimagining of one of the best fantasy games, you’ll want to take a look at our pick of the best Diablo 2 Resurrected classes. If you haven’t jumped in yet, check out the Diablo 2 Resurrected system requirements – though suffice to say, it should run on most modern machines. Meanwhile, we have everything you need to know about Diablo 3 season 27 and Diablo Immortal patch 1.5.5, as the Diablo 4 release date looms ever closer on the horizon.