Path of Exile creator praises Diablo 2's Warlock update while calling it a 'strategic mistake'

Blizzard recently surprised a lot of action-RPG fans by announcing a new class and expansion for the iconic Diablo 2, 25 years after the game's last major expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Released for the impressive Diablo II: Resurrected remaster, Diablo II: Reign of the Warlock introduces a brand-new playable class, multiple quality of life updates, and an overhauled endgame.

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Now, the action-RPG landscape has changed significantly since Diablo created the genre, with one of the most notable releases in recent years being Path of Exile from the New Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games. As an action-RPG released in the modern era of live service games, Path of Exile has received well over 60 meaningful updates since its debut, with the sequel Path of Exile 2 currently experiencing regular updates as an Early Access release.

As Path of Exile was born from a love of Diablo 2, one of the creators and lead designers, Chris Wilson, has posted a new video on his personal YouTube channel to share his thoughts on Diablo II: Reign of the Warlock. From praise to some respectful criticisms, here are some of the highlights.

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How Reign of the Warlock Fits in Diablo 2's Legacy

"This is a very special game. It launched the entire action-RPG genre. It feels like wherever I go in life, I can ask someone if they've played Diablo 2, and they not only say yes, but have incredibly fond memories of playing it. It's very clear that the Diablo II: Resurrected team deeply cares about this. When you see how they have partitioned off the changes into a New Era, you can choose on a per-character basis. If at any point you feel a change made hurts the game, players still have the original pre-Reign of the Warlock era of Diablo 2 to enjoy forever."

On Blizzard Charging Players for a New Class and Quality of Life Improvements

"I suspect that the intent wasn't about selling more copies but about preserving a museum-piece baseline. The fact that those features are only available in the New Era is the ultimate sign of respect for the original game. The team seems fully aware of the care that needs to be taken around this important piece of gaming history and is treating it with the respect that it deserves."

On the Lack of a New Act, Story, and Region to Explore

"I think this may actually be a strategic mistake. Now, it may sound a bit rich of me to just wave my hand and inflict the expectation of dozens of developer years of work on the team. I'm fully aware of how much effort it takes to produce an entirely new Act for an action-RPG. It would take a year plus of development and millions of dollars, and that would push it out from being able to be released this month."

"My issue with this update is that without a new Act, it essentially boils down to a new character class, some quality of life features, and some new endgame content. But the quality-of-life features and endgame content are only really relevant to franchise players who are actively playing."

"A new Act would have pretty much guaranteed that everyone who had a chance of re-engaging with Diablo 2 would have purchased and played the update. Without new exploration content, it's up to the Warlock to sell the update."

On the Warlock as a new Diablo 2 class

"Something interesting to consider with the Warlock is that it probably wasn't the result of someone sitting down and asking what class would be best to add to Diablo 2. It was simultaneously announced for Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo 2. Blizzard's current flagship Diablo product, Diablo 4, is generating a lot more money than Diablo 2. It's very likely that the priority was finding a class that fit in perfectly with Diablo 4 and could essentially be ported to the other two games for marketing benefit."

"The idea of a class being added because it was in Diablo 4 did upset me a little, but despite this, I think the Warlock class itself is cool. I feel that the team did a great job putting a Diablo 2 spin on the class. Things like binding demons really feel like a Diablo 2 concept, similar to Iron Golem, and wouldn't be the way the class works in other Diablo games."

"The Warlock has clearly been designed with modern action-RPG sensibilities and decades of genre experience. It doesn't really have any bad skills, and that makes it stand out when compared to Diablo 2's other seven classes. The Warlock is a strong spellcaster, a strong summoner, and strong at both ranged and melee combat. It even has a Teleport. It feels like it has been designed to appeal to everyone. And because of that, it doesn't really feel like an actual Diablo 2 character class."