Blizzard surprise-drops Diablo 2 DLC with new Warlock class, but what they did to the base game has fans fuming

Blizzard Entertainment just shocked the gaming world by releasing a brand-new expansion for the 2000 classic, Diablo 2: Resurrected. The expansion is called Reign of the Warlock, and you can play it right now. The announcement was part of a recent stream celebrating the Diablo franchise’s 30th anniversary.

The star of the expansion is the new Warlock class. This class gives players dark and versatile powers through three different skill trees. Demonic Binding lets you summon demons to fight for you, then consume them for temporary buffs. Eldritch Weapons allows you to control melee weapons with your mind. Arts of Chaos is for players who like to cast spells that attack enemies from far away. The Warlock can also wield two-handed weapons with just one hand, which opens up many build possibilities.

According to Comicbook.com, the Warlock’s voice is provided by actor Rahul Kohli, known for roles in Midnight Mass and Gears 5. He said he was shocked when he got the call. “He said he thought the casting email he received had a typo in it since it was about Diablo 2 and not Diablo 4.”

The expansion brings much-needed improvements to the classic game

Reign of the Warlock is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch for $24.99. Players who own other Blizzard titles will get cosmetics for Diablo 4 and World of Warcraft. The original base version of Diablo 2: Resurrected has been delisted. Now, you can buy the base game bundled with Reign of the Warlock for $39.99, which was the original price of the vanilla remaster.

The expansion includes new quality-of-life updates. New loot filters let you see only the items you want. PC players can even share their filter settings with others. The expansion also adds new stash tabs that let you stack similar items like materials, runes, and gems. The Chronicle feature tracks every single item you’ve ever collected. This isn’t the only nostalgic gaming project becoming reality.

The expansion adds new Terror Zones that increase the difficulty of certain levels and give better rewards. On Hell difficulty, watch out for the Heralds of Terror. These powerful enemies hunt you down and come back stronger every time you defeat them.

This is only the second expansion for the game. The first expansion, Lord of Destruction, came out in 2001 and added the Assassin and Druid classes, a new act, and more weapons. A second expansion was actually planned decades ago, but was cancelled in the summer of 2003 when members of Blizzard North left the company. Fans of action RPGs might also enjoy hidden gems worth discovering.

The Warlock class is part of a bigger plan. It will arrive in Diablo 4 on April 28 and in Diablo Immortal sometime in June. The Immortal version centers around a hellish beast called the Soulgorger, while the Diablo 4 version will show the Warlock at the height of their power. Full details about the Diablo 4 version will be revealed in a developer update scheduled for March 5, 2026.