Diablo 2 Resurrected: All difficulties & modes

Alan Bernal
diablo 2 resurrected hardcore

The hordes of evil never cease in Diablo 2 Resurrected with its many modes and difficulties players can opt into. Here’s how to access everything from Nightmare difficulty to Hardcore runs.

Diablo 2 Resurrected brings back the classic hack-n-slash gameplay that still resonates with gamers to this day. The remaster leaves all that we loved about the original 2000 release intact, with plenty of fans gearing up to go back to hell.

For people who want to stack on the pain, Diablo comes in varying degrees of difficulty to push your min-maxed build to the test.

When you’ve finally decided to make DR2 your new life, you’ll eventually want to try out Hell on Hardcore for some really sweaty runs.


Contents


diablo 2 resurrected hardcore
Challenge yourself in Diablo 2 Resurrected with the many difficulties and Hardcore.

Diablo 2 Resurrected Difficulties: Normal, Nightmare, Hell

Diablo 2 Resurrected has three different difficulties in Normal, Nightmare, and the hardest one, Hell. The best loot appears the higher you go, and that’s where the real thrills of the franchise starts to take shape.

But before that, you have to unlock each difficulty as you clear Acts. There’s an order to how you unlock the difficulties, so best to familiarize yourself with the game before the heat really turns up.

Pick up D2R and start your game on Normal to experience the remake in all its glory. After Baal has been taken down, go back through the menus to start up a new run.

diablo 2 resurrected hardcore

Clearing Normal difficulty unlocks Nightmare and here’s where you start to feel the addictive burn of finding higher tier loot and taking down monsters that pack more of a punch.

Here’s where dying has consequences, and where different builds start to have more of a purpose. Runs with friends get more fun, and pave the way to the apex of Diablo’s homeland.

Once you beat Baal on Nightmare you unlock Hell, where the best loot is available for people seeking the best builds.

This is the pinnacle of D2R and where you’ll start to think differently about your approaches run-after-run.

Diablo 2 Resurrected: Hardcore mode

diablo 2 resurrected hardcore
Choose wisely about how you play in Hardcore, cause once you’re dead, it’s over.

So you’re a D2R fan who hates themself enough to despise what you love. Hardcore mode is the most punishing road to embark on, if you so choose. Toggle Hardcore during Character Select by clicking the Skull icon.

Hardcore itself isn’t a tier of difficulty, rather an alternative way of playing D2R. Every bit of gameplay and difficulty remains intact from the base Normal, Nightmare, and Hell runs.

The only difference now is that death is permanent. NPCs have a good reason to bid you safe travels, since opting into the mode makes your character mortal.

There’s a future ‘you’ that will only find enjoyment in Hardcore Hell runs since this is where the best tactics, builds, and players are put to the test.


Those are all the difficulties in Diablo 2 Resurrected, so make sure you’re persistent in your runs. As hard as it will be, every tier in D2R is possible to overcome.

Make sure you check out our other D2R guides to make your trek through hell way better:

Diablo 2: Best builds for Amazon in Resurrected | Diablo 2 Barbarian: Best builds for Resurrected | Diablo 2 Druid: Best builds for Resurrected | Diablo 2 Necromancer: Best builds for Resurrected | Diablo 2 Paladin: Best builds for Resurrected | Diablo 2 Sorceress: Best builds for Resurrected

Related Topics

About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?