Diablo 2 Resurrection, Diablo 4 headline first day of Blizzcon 2021

By Giovanni Colantonio February 19, 2021

Blizzcon 2021 kicked off with a batch of exciting game announcements, headlined by a Diablo 2 remaster. The showcase also highlighted Diablo 4, Blizzard Arcade Collection, new World of Warcraft updates, and more.

The long-rumored Diablo 2 remaster was finally shown off following weeks of speculation. Diablo 2 Resurrected is a full HD remaster of the original game and its expansion, Lord of Destruction. The rerelease will allow players to play the game in its original 2D form. The game is coming this year to PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox with cross-progression.

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🔥 🔥 🔥
Arise,
🔥 Diablo, 🔥
🔥 Lord 🔥
🔥 of 🔥 🔥
🔥 Terror.
🔥 🔥
🔥 🔥
🔥 pic.twitter.com/76kxCCMv51

— Diablo (@Diablo) February 19, 2021

Blizzard also gave some new details on Diablo 4. The classic rogue class is coming to the game, a fast character that fights with various bow and arrow abilities.

Blizzard Arcade Collection is a new retro game bundle that includes The Lost Vikings, Rock n’ Roll Racing, and Blackthorn. All three classic games are faithful ports with some added features and quality of life improvements, such as saving and loading. The collection will be available on PC via Battle.net, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Introducing the next chapter in Shadowlands, Chains of Domination. ⛓ pic.twitter.com/98rS6WisQS

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) February 19, 2021

World of Warcraft is getting its first new update since the launch of Shadowlands. The new DLC is called Chains of Destruction, and Blizzard will discuss more details during Blizzcon weekend. World of Warcraft Classic is getting an update as well, a new version of 2007’s Burning Crusade update, which launches in 2021.

Hearthstone is getting an update called Forged in the Barrens, which brings new cards to the game. In addition, the deckbuilding game is getting a new single-player mode called Mercenaries, which is a take on the roguelike genre.

Unfortunately, Overwatch 2 was a no-show at the presentation, but more details on it are coming later this weekend during Blizzcon.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

Best Diablo 4 Rogue builds: recommended skills, passives, and gear

A rogue looking determined.

Rogues are always an enticing class to play as in RPGs like Diablo 4. These characters have plenty of different tricks and options open to them, making them versatile, but always deadly, no matter what World Tier you're on. With so many options to pick from, such as melee or ranged, trap types, and different status effects, it can feel overwhelming when trying to figure out what is worth investing in to make a powerful Rogue. Rather than tinker endlessly with all the possible combinations of this class, we'll give you two powerful Rogue builds to make you more formidable in Diablo 4.
Rogue overview
Rogues are meant to be fast and deadly. They have very high damage-per-second (DPS) potential to make up for lower defense and HP, as well as numerous tricks like bombs and traps to keep themselves safe. This is one of the more active classes in Diablo 4, requiring you to manage your cooldowns and be more active during fights compared to more tanky classes. You'll need to be more precise playing a Rogue because many of their skills need to be targeted. However, thanks to some powerful synergies, mastering this class could make you one of the most powerful members of your team.
Ranged build

Unless you're absolutely certain you can take out an enemy before they can land any significant blows on you, a ranged Rogue build is the safest bet. Don't let that get you down, though, because Rogues are arguably even more deadly at a distance than up-close. Here's a strong range build to mop up enemies before they even have a chance to touch you. Feel free to use either a bow or crossbow depending on your preference.
Must-have skills
Penetrating Shot: This is going to be your basic attack in many ways. As the name suggests, this skill shoots an arrow that penetrates all enemies to hit as many as you can get lined up, though at slightly reduced damage than a normal shot. It also has a chance for a Lucky hit, but make sure you get the Enhanced Penetrating Shot as well to increase the damage the shot does by a percentage for each enemy it hits.

Gaming

Best Diablo 4 Necromancer builds: recommended skills, passives, and gear

The necromancer holding a balde in a crypt.

Why should all those corpses you create in Diablo 4 go to waste? You'll be ripping through swaths of demons, monsters, and other evils all across Sanctuary during your adventure, and if you're not playing in a group, you might feel a little lonely. Thankfully, the Necromancer is here to turn those former foes into brand-new friends. Sure, Necromancers have typically been seen as the villains, but you're free to flip the script and show the world they can be heroes too. Becoming a master of the dead isn't so simple, so we've come up with two of the best Necromancer builds to test out in Diablo 4.
Necromancer overview
The Necromancer is a very interesting class in Diablo 4. Not only can it serve as a high-damage, single-target class, but it also has some strong area of effect options. Of course, the thing that really makes this class stand out is the ability to summon up minions to fight on your behalf, keeping you from being overwhelmed by enemies. How and why you summon those minions is where the diversity comes in, so let's take a look at some build options.
Bone Spirit build

If you want to hit as hard as possible, then this Bone Spirit build will certainly do the trick. By focusing on maximizing crit chances, you'll be able to crush even the tankiest of foes in just a few hits. This does take a good bit of mechanical skill, but once you've gotten the hang of it, you'll basically be unstoppable.
Must-have skills
Reap: This one is basic, but you need your normal scythe swipe to fall back on. Mainly, you'll just use this as a corpse creator for other skills.

Gaming

Best Diablo 4 Sorcerer builds: recommended skills, passives, and gear

Diablo 4

Each of the five classes in Diablo 4 plays to different strengths. All of them are viable for completing the game, whether you're going through the story alone or with a group of friends, but it is important to know what role each one serves best and how to optimize them to take advantage of those strengths. The skill trees for each character can be a bit overwhelming, especially if this is your first time venturing into the world of Sanctuary. If the Sorcerer has caught your eye as a fun character to begin with, then a little guidance on how to make a powerful build will go a long way. Here is a general overview of the Sorcerer class, plus some examples of builds you can work toward to melt all that oppose you with powerful magic in Diablo 4.
Sorcerer overview

The Sorcerer is a magic-focused class that focuses on three primary elemental magics: Fire, Ice, and Lightning. They tend to be something of a glass cannon, meaning they deal very high damage, but are not able to take many hits. There are ways to mitigate your more squishy nature, but this isn't a class you should pick if you want to get right up in your enemies' faces and beat them down. Sorcerers are best used at range, so they can keep moving and dishing out tons of damage and effects.
Lightning build