by Magistrate - 3 years ago     show comments

Work continues on Diablo II: Resurrected at a pace that honestly surprises me. Perhaps the online discourse surrounding Warcraft III: Reforged or the current climate of unending Blizzard controversies leave me somewhat jaded. But Diablo II: Resurrected‘s sales set a new benchmark for remaster popularity, and now we have news of Resurrected patch 2.3 for this December–just a couple weeks away.

There are a number of interesting 2.3 features coming this December, but one in particular has me more than a little excited–but also perhaps a little concerned: the Active Skill Bindings bar.

What is the Active Skill Bindings Bar?

Anyone who has played Diablo II is familiar with its unique active skill system–one that, back in 1999 (and especially Diablo I in 1996) really brought the action front and center.

But while skilled players can ascribe hotkeys (the F keys) to dynamically switch out the current right-click skill, they were still essentially limited to how quickly they could flip through F keys, and how easily they could correctly recall which key is bound to which skill. For me, a teenager back in the day, I realistically only used two of my tree’s primary damaging skills, a button or two for buffs or shields, and then, at the high end, a couple more for Battle Orders and such.

Diablo III iterated on this gameplay style by giving us immediate access to up to 6 active abilities.

Now, in the last weeks of 2021, Diablo II: Resurrected

will give PC players access to 16 abilities on an always-visible action bar. But more importantly, pressing your hotkey for any of these abilities instantly uses it, instead of temporarily mapping it to the right mouse button.

(Image Source)

Gameplay Implications

I want to upfront say I love this feature. I know I love it before I even touch it on Diablo II: Resurrected‘s first-ever PTR in just a few weeks (days?).

But the Active Skill Bindings bar does pose an interesting question: is this the moment that Diablo II: Resurrected essentially becomes its own game?

While this option is toggleable, realistically there will likely be few that don’t use it. It opens up a realm of ease and possibility previously barred behind what is, to our modern gaming sensibilities, antiquated and clunky design. Good for its time, gauche for 2021.

While I am without a doubt that there are players with incredible memories and reflexes that already map 8 or so skills to F keys and cycle through them with great dexterity, that is not me. Honestly, I think it’s very few of us. And the ability to press and use any ability instantly, instead of setting it to right-click and then

using it, really streamlines combat.

So, what could this mean for gameplay now?

1. We may start to see more builds focusing on using more abilities from different trees, sacrificing some power to better mitigate immunities and other situations. While this obviously currently exists, the Active Skill Bindings bar will make it much more fluid and accessible.This could be especially helpful with the first ladder season, as players will need builds which can counter Hell immunities without great gear on fresh characters.
2. Ability use may focus less on clicking on specific monsters or mobs, and focus more on using abilities directionally. While we obviously do this now with only a right-button to use abilities, we will now be able to do this instantly with more than a dozen. This could change movement and ability use habits.

The Active Skill bar will be the first structural change to Diablo II: Resurrected‘s systems–systems unchanged since 1999. I’m not opposed to it conceptually, and I’m eager to try it out for myself. But I do think it begins to push the boundary between faithfulness to original gameplay and creating something new.

Diablo II: Resurrected was a critical success in a year of trying circumstances, and all eyes are on the Diablo franchise with multiple projects in the works. The combination of the remake’s critical success and changing industry expectations for remakes may have already set Resurrected on a veering course. With optimistic curiosity, I wonder how far this rabbit hole goes.