Introduction
What is Diablo II Enhanced Edition?
Diablo II Enhanced Edition is a community remaster & overhaul modification for the legacy edition of Diablo II Lord of Destruction.
I originally conceptualized it in a discussion on Beamdog online forums, and it was announced there on 10 June 2016.
Hence I called it an Enhanced Edition, after Beamdog's reworks of the Infinity Engine classics like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.
The project's creed is to stay meticulously true to core gameplay and aesthetics that make Diablo II an unrivalled classic.
Although it started as an interface remaster and reworked UI remains its most noticeable attribute,
the project's features go beyond that, thanks to awesome people who contributed code, know-how and assets to the Diablo II modding community.
Why make it in the first place, and why still continue making it when Diablo II Resurrected is available?
Diablo II holds personal significance to me and I like to return to it every now and then.
In 2016, trying to play on a modern PC, I found myself wanting for a higher resolution UI.
The mods available at the time either used the vanilla tiny panels, originally designed for 640x480, or employed art styles that would distract me from the experience.
So, knowing that I will likely have this problem again any time I revisit Diablo II in the future, I started remastering the UI on my own.
Three years later, Diablo II Resurrected was released, and it only further confirmed my belief that there is need for the Enhanced Edition.
While Resurrected's new interface is undoubtedly of very high quality and created by incredibly talented artists and designers, it's not what I expect of my Diablo II game.
Vicarious Visions' remaster is also (as of now) missing local multiplayer which is an essential functionality for me.
Who is Diablo II Enhanced Edition intended for?
It started as a private mod for a group of friends, thus private groups of friends who just want have a good time together are most likely to enjoy it.
While Diablo II Enhanced Edition welcomes everyone, there are many other mods that cater specifically to competitive players.