What is included in Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition?

The Infernal Edition includes the full original Diablo II campaign, the Lord of Destruction expansion, and the new 'Reign of the Warlock' DLC. This DLC adds the Warlock class, reworked Terror Zones, new items, runewords, and quality-of-life features like a loot filter and updated stash tabs.

Is the Warlock a good class for beginners?

The Warlock is a new class in the Infernal Edition with three distinct skill paths (Demon, Eldritch, Chaos). While specific beginner Warlock builds are still emerging, its diverse playstyles suggest it can be adaptable. As with any class, focusing on a strong, gear-independent build initially will help new players.

How do I make Runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected?

Runewords are created by inserting specific runes in a precise order into normal (gray) quality socketed items that have the exact number of sockets required by the runeword recipe. Early runewords like 'Steel' and 'Stealth' are very beneficial.

Where should I put my attribute points as a beginner?

For most classes, it's recommended to invest just enough points into Strength and Dexterity to equip your desired gear. The vast majority of your remaining attribute points should then be allocated to Vitality to increase your health pool and survivability. Generally, avoid putting many points into Energy.

What are the new quality-of-life features in the Infernal Edition?

The Infernal Edition introduces several QoL updates, including a customizable Loot Filter to reduce screen clutter, updated Stash Tabs with dedicated sections for gems, materials, and runes for easier inventory management, and a new Chronicle system to track account-wide item collection.

Main Content

Introduction to Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition

Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition is a comprehensive package that includes the critically acclaimed remaster of Diablo II, its Lord of Destruction® expansion, and the brand-new 'Reign of the Warlock' DLC. This edition revitalizes the dark fantasy classic with modern 3D graphics, remastered audio, and updated cinematics, while faithfully preserving the iconic gameplay that defined the ARPG genre.

The 'Reign of the Warlock' DLC introduces several key additions: a brand-new Warlock class, reworked Terror Zones, new unique items, sets, and runewords, and significant quality-of-life (QoL) features. These QoL updates include a customizable Loot Filter to reduce screen clutter and help identify important gear, along with updated Stash Tabs featuring dedicated sections for gems, materials, and runes for easier resource management across characters. The Infernal Edition also brings expanded endgame challenges, such as the Colossal Ancients fight, reworked enemy difficulty scaling, and a new Chronicle system to track account-wide item collection and reward completionists.

Getting Started: Core Mechanics

Character Creation & Class Choice

When starting Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition, you'll choose from eight available classes, including the new Warlock. While it can be tempting to focus on optimized builds from the start, especially as many rely on late-game gear, newcomers are encouraged to pick a class based on personal preference and learn the game mechanics as they progress. All classes are viable for the endgame with the right build.

Attribute Points

Upon leveling up and completing certain quests, you gain attribute points to allocate to four core stats:

Strength: Increases attack damage and is a prerequisite for equipping heavier armor and weapons.

Dexterity: Improves attack rating (chance to hit), increases block chance, and is required for equipping certain weapons and shields.

Vitality: Greatly increases your character's life pool and stamina. Most builds recommend allocating the vast majority of attribute points here for survivability.

Energy: Increases your mana pool. Generally, most builds advise against heavily investing in Energy, as mana can be managed through potions, gear, and skills (like the Sorceress's Warmth). You should invest just enough Strength and Dexterity to equip desired gear, with the rest going into Vitality.

Skill Points & Skill Tree

Each time you level up, you also gain skill points to invest in your class's unique skill tree. Skills often have prerequisites, meaning you must put a 'Hard Point' into a previous skill to unlock subsequent ones. Hard Points are those you physically allocate, while 'Soft Points' come from gear or buffs. Skills can also benefit from synergies with other skills, boosting their effectiveness. It's generally advised not to spread skill points too thin, focusing instead on maxing out one main skill and its synergies, along with a few useful one-point wonders. You can reset your attribute and skill points (respec) a limited number of times through Akara in Act 1, or by using a 'Token of Absolution' later in the game.

Difficulty Levels

Diablo II: Resurrected features three difficulty modes: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell. You begin on Normal difficulty. Completing the Baal Quest in Normal unlocks Nightmare, and completing it in Nightmare unlocks Hell. Each successive difficulty increases monster strength, lowers your resistances, and offers higher-level loot. If you find yourself struggling, you can always return to a previous zone or difficulty to farm experience, skill points, and gear.

Essential Gameplay Tips for New Adventurers

Looting and Item Management

Pick Up Everything (Initially): In the early game, pick up most items, especially blue (magic) and yellow (rare) items, to sell for gold. Normal (white) items with sockets are crucial for runewords. Tan text indicates a Unique item, and Green text indicates a Set item, both of which are high quality. The Infernal Edition's customizable Loot Filter helps reduce screen clutter and highlight important gear.

Selling Items: Rings, amulets, charms, and wands/items with +skills generally sell for good gold. Identify rare (yellow) items before selling them to maximize profit.

Shared Stash: Diablo II: Resurrected includes a shared stash, making it easier to transfer items between your characters. The Infernal Edition further refines this with dedicated stash tabs for gems, materials, and runes.

Runewords

Runewords are powerful items created by inserting specific runes in a particular order into normal (gray) socketed items of the correct type and exact number of sockets. Even early-game runewords like 'Steel' (Tir + El), 'Stealth' (Tal + Eth), and 'Leaf' (Tir + Ral) can provide significant power spikes. Collect all runes you find and save them for runewords. The Arreat Summit is a valuable resource for runeword recipes.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are invaluable companions that provide extra damage, tanking, and utility. You can hire them in town or receive them as quest rewards. They can be equipped with items to boost their power and survivability. Remember to feed them healing potions when their health is low (by shift-clicking on their portrait) and revive them for a fee if they die. Mercenaries gain experience, but at a lower rate than your character, so consider hiring a new one occasionally to keep them appropriately leveled. A Holy Freeze Aura Mercenary is often recommended for crowd control.

Waypoints & Town Portals

Always light Waypoints when you encounter them, as they allow for quick travel between different areas. Keep a Tome of Town Portal and Tome of Identify in your inventory. Opening a Town Portal before engaging a boss is a crucial tip: if you die, you can quickly return to your body and gear without having to trek back through dangerous areas. Shift-right-clicking potions will automatically fill your belt.

Combat Strategies

Prioritize Enemies: In groups of monsters, identify and eliminate high-priority threats first, such as Fallen Shaman or Blood Hawk Nests.

Walking vs. Running: While running, your defense drops to zero and block chance is reduced, making you easier to hit. Melee characters, especially, should consider walking during combat.

Resistances: Elemental resistances are vital for survival, especially in Nightmare and Hell difficulties. Focus on gear that provides resistances, aiming for the cap of 75%. Lightning resistance is particularly important due to dangerous lightning-casting enemies.

Horadric Cube

The Horadric Cube is a powerful artifact obtained in Act 2. It functions as extra inventory space and can be used to transmute items through various recipes. While many recipes are for advanced play, it's essential to understand its basic function for quests and item upgrades.

Potions

Always carry health and mana potions. Stamina potions can be very useful in the early game to mitigate the stamina drain from running. You can quickly fill your belt by shift-right-clicking potions from your inventory. Shift-left-clicking allows for faster purchasing of multiple potions and scrolls from vendors.

Identifying Items

Blue (magic) and yellow (rare) items need to be identified to reveal their stats. You can do this using a Scroll of Identify or by speaking to Deckard Cain after rescuing him in Act 1. Identifying items before selling them generally yields more gold.

Trade Safety

When trading with other players, always double-check the items in the trade window before confirming. Scammers may try to swap valuable items with similar-looking low-tier items. Never drop items on the ground with the expectation of them being duplicated or returned, as they will likely be stolen.

Keybinds and Quality of Life

Several quality-of-life features and keybinds can enhance your gameplay:

Auto-Gold Pickup: Enable this in settings to automatically collect gold by walking over it.

Item Label Display: Set this to 'Toggle' instead of 'Hold' to easily view all dropped items on the screen.

Display Active Skill Bindings: This option allows you to see more than two active skills, creating an 'action bar' feel.

Shift + Click: Allocates all available stat points.

Ctrl + Click: Allocates 5 stat points at a time.

Ctrl + Left-Click: Moves items quickly between inventory and stash.

Beginner-Friendly Class Builds

While the Infernal Edition introduces the Warlock, many classic starter builds remain effective for new players to tackle Normal and Nightmare difficulties. Here are some commonly recommended options:

Sorceress: Blizzard Sorceress is consistently an S-tier choice due to its high AoE damage and ease of use, even with basic equipment. Frozen Orb and Blizzard hybrid builds (e.g., Blizzballer, Orballer) are also excellent for handling varied immunities. Fire builds are strong early on, with a potential respec to cold or a hybrid later.

Paladin: The Blessed Hammer 'Hammerdin' Paladin is a popular and powerful starter build, known for its solid damage and AoE, making it great for farming. The Fist of the Heavens Paladin is also highly rated for its tankiness and support capabilities, excelling in close combat.

Necromancer: A Summon Skeleton/Corpse Explosion Necromancer, often called a 'Fishymancer,' is one of the easiest summoner builds, offering good DPS for lower-geared characters. It's strong in group play and can handle solo farming.

Assassin: The Lightning Trapsin (Death Sentry Trapsin) is a strong leveling build, dealing multiple damage types and offering good clear speed.

Amazon: A Javazon (Javelin Amazon) is a top all-around starting build. Early-game Amazons can also utilize javelins and bows, with Critical Strike and Poison Jab being good initial skill choices.

Druid: Early-game Druids can find success focusing on either shape-shifting (e.g., Werewolf Lycanthropy for tankiness and damage) or summoning (e.g., Ravens). A Wind Druid is a common switch for Elemental Druids before Hell difficulty.

Barbarian: A Berserk Barbarian can be effective, though melee classes can be more gear-dependent for beginners. Frenzy is also a strong Barbarian starter option.

The Warlock Class (Infernal Edition Exclusive)

The Warlock is a new class introduced in the 'Reign of the Warlock' DLC, mastering forbidden powers of shadow. It features three unique skill paths:

Demon: Focuses on enslaving hellspawn and binding them into loyal allies.

Eldritch: Channels searing mental magics into ordinary weapons, transforming them into conduits of devastating force.

Chaos: Unleashes the raw elements of Hell, fire and shadow, to rain elemental destruction upon enemies from afar.

These diverse paths suggest a flexible playstyle for the Warlock, catering to summoner, melee-caster hybrid, and ranged elemental damage roles. New items, sets, and runewords are also available to support powerful new builds for both classic and Warlock classes.

Progression and Endgame in the Infernal Edition

Farming and Leveling

If you find yourself struggling with current content, it's beneficial to 'farm' previous zones or difficulties to gain levels, better gear, and skill points. Monsters in Diablo II do not scale with your character level in the same way as some modern ARPGs, so revisiting lower-level areas can be an effective way to power up. The Countess in the Forgotten Tower (Act 1) is a good early source for runes.

Reworked Terror Zones

The Infernal Edition includes reworked Terror Zones, which are expanded endgame challenges. These zones offer updated challenges and can be a source of new unique items, sets, and runewords.

Colossal Ancients Fight

Another new endgame challenge introduced in the Infernal Edition is the Colossal Ancients fight, further expanding the game's high-level content.

Quality of Life Features in Infernal Edition

The Infernal Edition brings several modern quality-of-life updates without compromising the game's iconic feel:

Customizable Loot Filter: Reduces screen clutter and helps you identify the gear most relevant to you.

Updated Stash Tabs: Includes dedicated tabs for gems, materials, and runes, making resource management across characters easier.

Chronicle System: Tracks all account-wide collected items and rewards completionists with exclusive bonuses.

These enhancements aim to provide a smoother and more enjoyable experience for both new players and veterans alike. You can also switch freely between the remastered and legacy graphics at any time.

Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition Beginner Guide: Conquer Sanctuary and Master the Warlock

Quick Summary