by theygamesProject Diablo 2, the ambitious, fan-run mod project for one of Blizzard’s best RPG games, is set to launch its eighth season soon. If you’ve had your fill of the latest entry in the series, or fancy something different to pass the time until Diablo 4 Season 2 arrives, then Project Diablo 2 Season Eight might be just what you need.
The team behind Project Diablo 2 aims to maintain the core feel and experience of the original Diablo 2 and its Lord of Destruction expansion, running a regular seasonal model with ladder resets while adding plenty more features to the game “as if development never ceased.” That means all-new items and skills as well as extensive balance changes for existing ones to allow for plenty of new builds.
There are plenty of quality-of-life improvements such as quick casting, buff timers, stackable items, a shared stash between your characters, and more. Taking inspiration from other top games in the ARPG space such as Path of Exile, the Project Diablo 2 endgame offers ultra-challenging Uber fights, a customizable mapping system, and group-oriented dungeons, all while retaining the core endgame of Lord of Destruction.
Project Diablo 2 Season Eight is titled ‘Depravity’ and begins Friday, September 22, 2023. There will be a closed beta for the seasonal content running September 8-17, followed by an open beta on September 18-20. You’ll need a retail copy of Diablo 2 and Lord of Destruction to play, so keep that in mind.
Among the new features included in Season Eight are:
- Throwing potions now apply negative resistance debuffs
- Added new cold and lightning thrown potions
- Added a button to lock your inventory and charms
- Belt UI now shows your reserve potion count and types in each slot
- Dragon Claw now expends charges twice, once on each hand
- Blade Shield no longer uses durability
- New unique spear Uldyssian’s Awakening, which gives you energy shield when equipped
- Kick damage reworked
- New unique map The Fallen Gardens, which leads to Diablo 2’s famed Diamond Gates
For additional details, you can head to the Project Diablo 2 website, which also includes a link to the team’s Discord server, probably the best place to keep up to date with the latest news and meet other players.
Alternatively, the Diablo 4 bonus XP weekend gives you another reason to return to Blizzard’s new take on Sanctuary, while the Diablo 3 final season gives players nearly everything they’ve asked for to send it off with a bang, and will likely also launch later this month.