We knew it was coming. Now it's a reality. A remaster for Diablo has been announced, and it's the star of BlizzCon 2016.
Titled The Darkening of Tristram, a portion of the Diablo campaign has been rebuilt within the Diablo 3 engine, meaning better visuals and online features than the now 20 year old original. The included dungeon is 16 levels deep, and features four major returning bosses. You will be able to play it using classic 8-directional movement controls, or not, and even enable graphical filters. This is a nostalgic piece of content that was made in celebration of Diablo's 20th anniversary, and it shows.
Fans roared upon the announcement, which closed out the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2016. Blizzard made clear that it'll not only be a great way for fans to go back and remind themselves why Diablo was one of the best games of the 90's, but provides an opportunity for gamers who may have missed it to go back and see what it was all about with the conveniences of modern game design.
Blizzard also announced that it will be adding Necromancer to the game in 2017. This is a class that was a fan favorite in Diablo 2, and has been requested by thousands of vocal Diablo 3 players over the years.
The class features iconic abilities such as Corpse Explosion, Siphon Blood, and Blood Rush. More about what it's capable of and what makes it different from the Witch Doctor can be read here.
The Diablo remaster will be released in the form of a patch before the end of the year at no cost. This will be backed by two new zones being added to the Reaper of Souls campaign. The Necromancer will be available at a small cost in the form of an add-on pack that also includes an in-game pet, two additional character slots, two additional stash tabs, a portrait frame, pennant, banner, and banner sigil.
