Even though there's still cosmetic microtransactions, and the forced online connection feels like it's likely to cause criticism, the juxtaposition between the loot-box-driven, absurd mobile title, we're hoping this could be a breath of fresh air. Even the players that got excited about D2R Items seemed to do so because it contained just enough of the distinct Diablo sauce to differentiate this series from other games, so a game full of it is set to be a success.

There was a period in the world of games when anything that Blizzard launched stopped the flow of traffic. It was common for weeks to be taken off of work and the business overall would slow down for a while to admire the work that was created by the Blizzard team had come up with.

It's true that this doesn't happen often anymore, and a lot of that great Blizzard team is no more in the game industry, for a valid reason, Diablo is a franchise that has significance. In all its legendary experience as a franchise, this is only the fourth mainline installment. Diablo 2 Resurrected can be a game that makes the industry stop and pay attention to Blizzard yet again, this time with the right motives.

While some may reel at the concept of Diablo 2 Resurrected followers, like them or hate them these helpful friends have become a standard part of the action RPG's combat. I asked Blizzard about its plans for aides in Diablo 2 Resurrected, and while they did not reveal too much but it appears that followers will join in the future at some point.Speaking with lead class developer Adam Z. Jackson in the wake after the Diablo 2 Resurrected gameplay preview, I asked whether or not the follower system is like that of Diablo 2 or Diablo 3 If there were any that was at all.

For those who aren't aware, in Diablo 2 you would hire followers to go through Hell's gates along with you. However, when the followers were killed, you needed to rehire them with cold, hard cash. The new followers appeared in each zone. This means that some were far superior than other followers.

This evolved into Diablo 3, where instead hiring mercenaries, you got three companions in the story campaign. There was the Scoundrel Sorceress and Templar which represented the different categories of DPS tank, ranged DPS, as well as magic users respectively.In the course of my Diablo 2 Resurrected adventure I only encountered helpful NPCs that hung around for a dungeon or two then rode of to the sunset. When I asked Jackson what the follower function works it was explained that "for the first version of the game we do have certain places in the story in particular where you will have certain known NPCs who will follow you and help you to figure out the what Lilith is up to around the globe.

"We do not have anything to announce about the Diablo 2-type follower you've hired – we're sticking it to the campaign until now." Accent on the current situation.

With a smile, they continue "stay in the loop, we might come up with something in the near term to announce but no promises." This instantly provoked an response from the producer of dungeons Ash Sweetring, who channelled her the"Mr. Burns with an 'interesting hand motion that was visible in the background. What's that? That's sus.If any variation of the follower system does make its way into the Diablo game, I would prefer a Diablo 2-style hired gun instead of ubiquitous players. I really enjoyed the vast range of abilities that followers offered when they played Diablo 2 and would love to see this reimagined. This will open up more possibilities for various builds, as well as incredible ability chains for demons.

However, for now, you may want to study the Diablo 2 Resurrected classes since they're the ones we'll be playing as mostly. In a separate interview with gaming director Joe Shely, however, there was a hint that this roster could be expanded in the future - after all, it's not like there's a permanent thing in Sanctuary.

The lead developers of Diablo 2 Resurrected have stressed that they don't want players "feel that they are able to pay to win" when the game releases next year.

In the latest Diablo 2 Resurrected livestream(opens in new tab) Game director Joe Shely, along with associate game director Joesph Piepiora and community manager Adam Fletcher gave fans an update on everything Diablo 2 Resurrected, as well as gave an insight into the way things are going to work before the game's launch this summer.

During the livestream during the stream, the group discussed the Diablo 2 Resurrected battle pass (around the 39:15 mark in the video below) and also the coming seasons of the game. "It's extremely important to us that we keep in mind with the features you'll find inside the combat pass," Piepiora added, "the way that they're challenging but are also very fair. We do not want to create any conditions where players feel like they're being forced to pay. "To be able to clearly differentiate between the battle pass and Diablo 2 Resurrected's seasons Piepiora clarified that "the season journey is still within Diablo 2 Resurrected, in the same way you experienced it the first time in Diablo 3." The chapter-based mechanic will offer players numerous goals throughout the seasons and allows them to earn in-game rewards that will be rewarded to the character they choose. "All of the seasonal content is totally free. It's not attached to the D2R Ladder Items buy battle pass itself," Shely adds.