Diablo is getting a ton of new content in the coming weeks, spread across three games in the series. Kicking off is Diablo 2: Resurrected, whose new expansion you can already play. MeinMMO spoke with Diablo expert Rob, known for his content on Diablo 4. Even he is excited.
Who is the expert?
- Rob2628, or simply Rob, is a streamer and YouTuber focusing on various action RPGs, particularly Diablo 4 – although he praises the competition from Path of Exile 2 for its challenge .
- His expertise lies particularly in extremely strong builds for the endgame and a deep understanding of the game’s mechanics. His opinion is often crucial for our tier list of the best classes in Diablo 4.
- Now that Blizzard has revealed how Diablo 2: Resurrected will continue, the streamer wants to “grind” in the remaster for a while – at least until the Lord of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4 arrives. And so far, Diablo 2 has him fully hooked.
What exactly is new in Diablo 2? In case you missed it: Blizzard has announced the Warlock as a new class for Diablo 2, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo 4.
While information about the Warlock in Diablo 4 is still to come, he is already playable in Diablo 2 as part of the “Reign of the Warlock” expansion – enough reason for our veteran Karsten Scholz to immediately start downloading Diablo 2 again. However, the expansion contains much more content than just the new class.
One highlight is the significantly larger inventory, but particularly – or at least for Rob, very interesting – the expansion of the endgame. Because Blizzard has really stepped up:
The terror zones that have existed for some time are now harder. Starting from the difficulty level “Hell”, you’ll be hunted by demons that get stronger. If you defeat them, you can sacrifice their loot in the horadric cube to initiate an even crazier boss fight.
Diablo 2 “does not need an endgame”, but the new challenge sounds way too good
Shortly after the release of the new information on the night of February 11 to 12, I met briefly with Rob to exchange impressions – especially since the expert always has a very good eye for details that sometimes escape me.
Although Rob is mainly looking forward to what is yet to come in Diablo 4, he sounds super excited about what Blizzard has created for Diablo 2:
I know the lead developer, Matthew Cederquist, who also made the video that came out a few days ago. And he has mega passion. […] With the terror zones, it’s just a better-developed endgame system with a similar UI to what was in Diablo 3 with the adventure mode.
Rob in interview
Particularly the new Herald of Terror, which we think could function similarly to the Butcher in Diablo 4, seems to appeal to him. “This is awesome,” he says dryly, “hopefully it will also have a really good challenge.”
Because actually, Rob thinks, Diablo 2 is not known for its endgame: “Diablo 2 is hard to play through, but in the endgame, once you surpass level 80 or so, you are already the god. Many say Diablo 2 basically does not need a challenging endgame.”
However, if Blizzard is now planning new challenges with the terror zones and new bosses, that is very welcome. “I’m really excited,” he adds, revealing that he also wants to play the new content of Diablo 2 for a few days before continuing in Diablo 4.
Rob usually produces his streams and videos in English for the wider audience, but he now has a channel for German videos on YouTube, where guides and tier lists will appear once Lord of Hatred releases.
“I am pleasantly surprised, this is so awesome”
Since Blizzard surprisingly released the expansion for Diablo 2 right away, we were able to discuss the live content shortly thereafter. Rob’s opinion: Reign of the Warlock and the new class are doing everything right. In particular, he likes the Warlock:
“The Warlock is simply mega versatile. I hope he appears similarly in Diablo 4. You have so many options, every build has its niche. You can play a physical build, fire, magic summons… I find that mega cool.
And he is of course already very strong. Not as crazy as the Spiritborn in D4 back then, not a million times stronger, Diablo 2 does it a bit better. The Warlock is not completely OP, but still very strong right from the start.”
Rob in interview
One of his colleagues took less than 5 hours to reach the famous Uber bosses with a new character. Visually, the class is also convincing: “The skill animations with the fire AoE, the death star on the ground that explodes… I just logged in and I’m already really excited again.” Although we are only speaking on voice, I hear his grin while he talks. There are no three days between the release and this conversation, and he has already reached level 96.
Rob also finds the price of the expansion, 25 euros for the new content, fair. For the amount of content, with the improved terror zones, the improved chests, and indeed the Warlock, Reign of the Warlock is really strong even without a 6th act. The story of Diablo 2 is actually perfect as it is. A particular highlight for him: the rune tab in the inventory that a 26-year-old game received before the much newer Diablo 4.
During the conversation, we also chatted about our favorite classes and speculated about what exactly Blizzard could be planning with the Warlock in Diablo 4. Rob mentioned something I hadn’t thought of: With the Warlock – and the Paladin – new classes are in the game.
New classes mean more coins that can be thrown into the wells. Into the wells that are thought to be for the greatest secret in Diablo, at least fans suspect: the cow level. And yes, with Lord of Hatred, we might actually be getting a lot closer to that: What is the cow level in Diablo and why does everyone want to find it?
