Sanctuary has never looked quite like this. A pair of free, fan-made mods are turning Diablo II: Resurrected into a full virtual reality experience, letting players step into the game in first person, swing their weapons by hand, draw bows with both arms, and even physically throw javelins at demons.
Clips of the mods in action have been spreading across social media over the past few days, with players showing off everything from Druid melee swings to hurling javelins with a flick of the wrist. It looks incredible, but there is one big thing to know up front: this is not an official Blizzard project.
Who Made It
The original mod, called D2R VR, comes from developer BodyWalkVR. Its first public release went out earlier this month (October 6th), and it has been updated at a rapid pace since then, with dozens of versions released in under two weeks. The project is open source under the MIT license.
D2R VR offers four ways to play, mapped to the F1 through F4 keys. You can view the classic top-down camera in true stereo 3D, use a free camera behind your hero, lay the entire game out on your floor in mixed reality, or switch to full first person with your weapon in your hands.
Building on that work is a fork called D2R VR Unleashed, which was originally released as D2R PCVR, from developer bearstonem. It focuses on first-person motion combat and credits BodyWalkVR's mod as its foundation. The latest version, 0.3.20, went out today (October 19th) with updates to spells, combat and foveated rendering.
Here is the official introduction video for the Unleashed version, recorded in the headset:
What You Can Do In VR
The feature list for D2R VR Unleashed reads like a wish list for anyone who has spent hundreds of hours in Diablo II:
- Free-swing melee, where you physically move your weapon through enemies
- A physical bow you draw with both hands, with arrow skills loaded into a quiver
- Javelin throws by hand
- Aimed spells, including Sorceress projectiles, Necromancer Bone Spear and Paladin Holy Bolt
- Belt potions you can grab and drink
- Health, mana and experience shown on your wrist, plus a minimap on your left hand
- Weapon swaps by reaching over your shoulder
- Body calibration for your height and arm span
BodyWalkVR's own version has been adding similar features, including weapons that have weight based on your hero's Strength, a flail with a ball on a real chain, a shield on your forearm, and spells aimed with your hand or staff.
Platforms And Requirements
Both mods are PC VR only. The game runs on a Windows PC and streams to your headset, so there is no standalone Quest version. According to the Unleashed project page, the Steam Frame connects through SteamVR streaming, while the Quest 3 works through Steam Link with SteamVR or through Virtual Desktop. Quest 2 support has not been confirmed yet.
The mods are free, but you need your own purchased copy of Diablo II: Resurrected. The developers stress that no Blizzard game files are included, and the mods read what they need from your own installation. Unleashed supports the Steam version of the game, with experimental Battle.net support.
Offline Only, And Not Endorsed By Blizzard
This is the important part. Both mods are for offline single-player characters only. The D2R VR page warns that injecting code into the game online can get your account banned, and both projects state that they are not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzard has not announced any official VR plans for Diablo II: Resurrected. Since these are early, fast-moving community projects, expect bugs and frequent updates, and stick to offline characters.
Still, seeing a 2000 classic reworked like this is pretty remarkable. Diablo II: Resurrected's 3D remastered models are what make this possible in the first place, and the modding community is clearly making the most of them.
Would you rather play Diablo II in VR from the classic top-down view, or dive straight into first-person combat?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.