DLC Review: Diablo II – Reign of the Warlock

I’m a little late with this review, I know. That seems to have become a standard habit of mine these days. But, can you believe it? It’s 2026 and I’m writing about new DLC for Diablo II! Yes, you read that right, not Diablo IV (although there is new DLC for that game as well), but Diablo II! A few years ago, Blizzard released an updated version of Diablo II called Diablo II Resurrected. I made a write-up about the update at the time. Well, that remaster now plays host to the new Reign of the Warlock DLC.

This DLC update includes an entirely new class, the Warlock. That makes this the first new Diablo II class in 25 years! Compared to the other classes in the game, the Warlock proves to be quite unique. It’s a magic-wielding class that uses telekinesis to attack with weapons (even two-handed weapons). This allows the Warlock to keep something in their off-hand as well. So yes, this means the Warlock can use both a shield and a two-handed weapon at the same time.

But melee weapons aside, the Warlock is first and foremost a summoner-type character. Their main point of focus is conjuring demons. These demons can then be ordered to fight for the Warlock. There’s a variety of demons that the player can control, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. From there, the player can further customize their attacks using various skills and abilities. All of this seems a bit overwhelming at first. But as you continue to play and experiment with the class, you soon find a play style that’s suited for you.

Undoubtably the Warlock class is the big focus of this update. But, there’s quite a bit more introduced to the game in this DLC. For starters, Reign of the Warlock also introduces a new mechanic called Terror Zones. This is an optional play mode that picks various areas of the game and floods them with powerful demonic enemies. These monsters are considerably stronger than the player, but also grant better rewards upon defeat.

Aside from this new challenge, there’s also the inclusion of new bosses. First off, we have Heralds of Terror. Whenever players kill uniques, champions or bosses in a terror zone, there’s a small chance that this will result in the spawning of a Herald monster. These are extremely challenging monsters that feature rare drops.

There’s also a new class of monster called Colossal Ancients. These monsters can only be encountered after collecting a number of special statues that are dropped by various act bosses. Once these drops are collected, players can use them to spawn the Ancients for a really brutal challenge. And trust me, these are no walk in the park…

The update also includes a slew of new items, a new in-game achievement system, and various quality of life improvements. There’s really too much for me to go in here. But, all of it together really makes Reign of the Warlock a nice well-rounded update.

It’s good to see Blizzard giving attention to such an older game. As we begin to see more and more game remasters, I hope this sort of thing is a trend that continues. I can’t think of a single thing in this update that would be unwelcome by most Diablo II fans. Well… except the price.

Reign of the Warlock costs $20. The price tag of $20 may seem a little high at first for such a small update. But considering the amount of work and testing that was required to release an entirely new class, I feel that it’s a fair ask. If I had to find something to complain about with this update, it would be the fact that the Warlock class seems a bit overpowered compared to all of the older classes in the game. Then again, I’ve also not spent any time testing those old classes in this new update either. Still, there’s nothing in the release notes that indicate they’ve been changed in any way.

If you’re a cold school Diablo II fan, this update is certainly worth considering. Of course, it should go without saying, Reign of the Warlock does require Diablo II Resurrected. It is not compatible with the original version of the game.