Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
Diablo 2: Resurrected features online co-op multiplayer but lacks the couch co-op of Diablo 3. The original Diablo 2 did not support couch co-op, either, being exclusive to PC and Mac OS. But in its transition to consoles for the first time, Diablo 2: Resurrected doesn't carry forward all the multiplayer capabilities of its original successor.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is a remake of Diablo 2 and its Lord of Destruction expansion, originally released in 2000 and 2001. While the remaster left major game systems and mechanics intact, it delivers a complete graphical overhaul. Still, players who want a classic experience can toggle original Diablo 2's basic 2D sprites. Players can also enjoy remastered cutscenes, experiencing Diablo 2's story in a richer, more detailed way.
The online co-op parties of Diablo 2: Resurrected allow for a maximum of eight players. Players can select between public and private lobbies, enabling matchmaking with strangers or playing exclusively with friends. Diablo 2 co-op parties can only be comprised of users on the same platforms, as the game currently doesn't feature crossplay (though Blizzard may implement crossplay in Diablo 2 in the future). In addition to there being no couch co-op, there is no local co-op via LAN connection in Diablo 2: Resurrected, nor true local play between multiple Nintendo Switch consoles using the same connection.
How To Enable Online Co-Op In Diablo 2: Resurrected
When creating a Diablo 2: Resurrected character, players must either choose to make that character "Online" or "Offline." This can't be changed, so players will have to create separate characters for each mode. What happens next depends on the platform.
- On console, selecting an Online character and then hitting "Play" brings up two further options: "Solo" puts that character in a private lobby where other players can join only if invited, and "Party Finder" lets the player choose parameters for joining a random public lobby, such as Act number, difficulty, and max player count.
- On PC, selecting an Online character and hitting "Play" automatically starts a private game. Players can instead click the "Lobby" button next to "Play" to customize their online settings. In the "Create Game" tab, they can create a party of their own, altering its name, password, description, and other parameters (difficulty, Friends List Joining, level difference, etc.). In the "Join Game" tab, players can search through existing parties created by other users, allowing them to join public games or password-protected ones hosted by friends.
Even with its online system, couch co-op was one of Diablo 3's greatest strengths, so Diablo 2: Resurrected's failure to duplicate the feature could steer some fans away. It does include one feature Diablo 3 didn't; while neither features crossplay, Diablo 2: Resurrected includes a cross progression system. Players can't play with friends on other platforms, but they are able to temporarily transfer their profile to another system, letting them play with their characters and saves on that platform. All players need to do is ensure they've linked their Blizzard Battle.net account to any platform they own Diablo 2: Resurrected on.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox systems.