Diablo II: Resurrected is slated for another update this week. Patch 2.4.3 will largely focus on online functionality, which will include more options for finding other players and modifying games, particularly on consoles, and backend improvements that should give you far more games to choose from. A number of quality-of-life tweaks and improvements are also being rolled out. You can check out the full list of new features included in update 2.4.3, below.
Backend Improvements
One common issue among players is that their Game List did not populate with enough games, even when they felt it should have. When you create a game in D2R, it gets hosted on one of many game sites in your region. Prior to ladder’s launch, the Game List would only populate with games from just one single game site in your region—whichever you had the best connection to. This was done to preserve a high-quality gameplay experience in any game you may join through the lobby, but we found our criteria to be overly aggressive. When ladder launched, we expanded this to provide players games from up to three game sites. This helped players see more games in their Game List without a cost to connection quality, but players still weren’t seeing enough games.
We’ve decided to broaden it even further in Patch 2.4.3. Now, any number of game sites in your region that you have a strong enough connection to can contribute to the results in your Game List. To provide even more options for those looking to join a game, we’ve also doubled the maximum number of games that can appear in the Game List at a given time from 20 to 40. Plus, we’ve fine-tuned game details to refresh in almost real time. These improvements have been applied to both console and PC lobbies.
Console Lobby Updates
Following the successful launch of Ladder Season One, the team has turned their focus to features that required the most attention. Console Party Finder was the top item on our list by a large margin. Patch 2.4.3. brings multiple improvements to the console multiplayer experience, providing new and improved ways to create and find games by replacing Party Finder with Game Creator and Game List.
Three Options Lie Before You:
- Private: Enter a private game that will not populate to the Game List. The only way for others to join your game is through the Friends List or by being invited.
- Game Creator: Create a public game that will populate on the games list.
- Game List: View the games list, use the search feature, or join a public game.
Game Creator
Game Creator will equip you with the ability to quickly create the type of game you desire. To aid you in doing so, all previous game categories that were available in Party Finder have returned in the Game Creator. Selecting and confirming one of these game categories will generate a pre-made name for your game, accompanied by an assigned number—this is to prevent games with duplicate names from being created. Level Difference, which was previously only available as a Game Creation option for PC players, has been added as a game creation option.
We have also added an additional category called Custom—this category consists of two options:
- Public Game: Create a public game to populate in the games list with a name of your choice.
- Password-Protected Game: Create a public game with a password that must be entered to join.
Game List
Selecting the “Game List” button will display up to 40 matching games created by other players that your selected character is able to join. To aid in finding specific games, you can use the search feature to locate a specific game or filter games displayed using keywords. Within the filtering options you can set the following parameters:
- Difficulty: Filter to display only Normal, Nightmare, Hell, or any combination of the three options.
- Ping: Restrict your results to only display games of a particular connection quality or better.
- Game Name: Search for both Custom and pre-made game names using the same familiar layout you would use during Game Creation.
PC Lobby Updates
We want Multiplayer lobbies to be the bridge to many hours of slaying demons, collecting loot, and memorable moments with friends. Unfortunately, many players have experienced difficulties in finding specific types of games they would like to join. To solve this, we added a search functionality in the lobby—specific keywords or game names can now be typed in to return a list of games based on that search term.
With Patch 2.4.3., the Game List will now display each game’s connection quality in a tooltip that pops up when you hover your mouse over a specific game. Games will populate into the Game List based on their connection quality, offering you expanded knowledge when deciding which game to join.
Quality Of Life Improvements
Gameplay
- Players can now start a new Whirlwind, Leap, or Leap Attack immediately after a Whirlwind ends.
- Changed the logic for determining how often Whirlwind attacks occur. Whirlwind now incorporates Increased Attack Speed (IAS) from all equipment. The frames between each Whirlwind attack are equal to the attack frame of a basic attack for that character (modified by increased attack speed). While dual wielding, the attack frame for each weapon will be averaged (rounding up). Overall, Whirlwind attacks should be at least as fast as they were before. Slower weapons will attack notably faster.
- Added a new “Loot to Cube” skill for controllers in the general skills menu. Using this skill on an item will pick it up and place it in your Horadric Cube, if there is space.
- Added a bindable hotkey for mouse and keyboard to open the Horadric Cube if it is in your inventory.
- Added a new button shortcut to open the Horadric Cube from the inventory menu.
- Players can now bulk assign stat points using a controller.
- A confirmation prompt will now appear when bulk assigning all remaining stat points on both PC and console. This option is unavailable while using legacy graphics.
- Added an Automap Auto Open setting to allow players to set their preferred Automap position.
Online
- You can now double click on a game to join it in the PC lobby.
- Players on Switch can now join a friend’s game via the in-game Friends List.
- Game List size has been doubled from 20 to 40.
- Game list details in both the details panel and in the Game List now load faster upon selecting a game.
- Friends playing D2R are now sorted to the top of the Friends List.
- Console players now have an option in the options menu to toggle Game Name visibility.
Of course, Diablo II: Resurrected ver. 2.4.3 also includes a variety of bug fixes. If you need to know about those, here are the full, unabridged patch notes.
Activision Blizzard has faced a series of lawsuits and other legal action on the heels of a suit filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) alleging widespread gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment at the Call of Duty publisher. You can get more details on that unfolding story here.
Diablo II: Resurrected is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch. Update 2.4.3 is available on June 29. From June 30 to July 4, Blizzard will be offering a 50% buff to Magic Find, which will make Magic, Rare, Set, or Unique loot easier to find.
