That’s right, Blizzard still updates and regularly resets the ladder of a game that will be turning twenty in 2020.
Most people probably don’t think about Diablo II that often anymore, unless it’s a game they played when it was still newly released. It sets a grimmer tone than Diablo III does, which is saying something seeing as you spend that game fistfighting demons and watching innocents get murdered.
The gameplay of Diablo II is massively different from what we got in Diablo III though, as most fans of the series are likely to tell you. Diablo II is arguably more difficult, especially now that it doesn’t have as big of an online following, making help harder to find.
But that online following that it does still have follows it like necromancers follow Rathma. Those that continue to play Diablo II this long after its release do so devoutly and a ladder reset is always a welcome thing to keep the game fresh.
[D2] The next ladder will reset on Dec.6! pic.twitter.com/sJIDp2sXuq
— Diablo (@Diablo) November 21, 2019
For those that may not be familiar with the terminology, a ladder reset means that all of the ladder characters are moved to non-ladder status. Players can’t transfer equipment, gold, or anything else between ladder and non-ladder characters. Once the ladder resets, everyone that wants to be on the ladder has to restart, while their previous characters remain playable on non-ladder.
In essence, this is similar to the way that seasons work in Diablo III. The third installment in the series installs new seasons more frequently than Diablo II resets the ladder, as well as having more features, but the primary mechanic is still the same.
The two main purposes of this are to keep things fresh and to keep things competitive. If you have the same character forever, you’ll inevitably find a peak and have no need to continue playing. Blizzard doesn’t want this for obvious reasons, but no player wants to get to where a game isn’t enjoyable anymore either.
In terms of keeping things competitive, the game would eventually be dominated by a cabal of high-ranking players if no one was ever forced to reset. Imagine trying to PvP when there are a handful of players capable of just rolling over you with the absolute best stats possible since they’ve sunk thousands of hours into a single character.
More than anything, it’s heartwarming to see Blizzard still supporting their relatively-ancient games. It’s especially nice that they’re paying attention to the Diablo franchise, especially with Diablo IV well on its way.
