When does Diablo 2: Resurrected’s ladder start?

When is ladder ranked play coming to Diablo 2: Resurrected?

Diablo 2: Resurrected is a second coming of the ARPG that has enthralled so many gamers since its original release in 2000. Ranked ladder play, which is usually called a “season” these days, was always a staple of the online Diablo 2 world, and it’s making a return to Diablo 2: Resurrected.

A Diablo 2 ladder generally lasts no less than a few months, with all players starting off again with fresh characters and empty inventories. This resets the economy and gives players a chance to fight for the top of the XP leaderboard. While Diablo 2: Resurrected still doesn’t have a true endgame like Diablo 3’s rifts or Path of Exile’s maps, a new ladder always attracts a bunch of players who want to get in on the thrill of a fresh start.

Diablo 2: Resurrected still doesn’t have a concrete date for its first ladder season, but it is expected to be on the way in the near future. Patch 2.4 launched to the Public Test Realm on Jan. 25 and lasted until Feb. 9 when it was brought down for maintenance. The two-week initial PTR period gave players on PC a chance to test the myriad changes to class skills, mercenaries, runewords, and more.

It’s expected that the PTR for Patch 2.4 will resume once maintenance is completed. A tweet from the official Diablo account said it had been “temporarily brought down” and that we’d see it again soon.

Assuming we get just one more test period and it lasts the same two weeks following the relaunch of the PTR, this could line us up with a ladder start date sometime in mid-March. If more test periods are required or if the next test period lasts longer than two weeks, the ladder launch will be delayed.

What can you expect from Diablo 2: Resurrected ladder rank play?

In an official Blizzard blog post from Dec. 15, 2021, the first details about ladder rank play were revealed.

There will be four different ways to play, including standard and hardcore versions of expansion and non-expansion content. This will allow players who prefer the first four acts to race against other players in softcore and hardcore modes, as well as the more popular expansion modes that most of us enjoy, complete with all five acts.

New runewords, Horadric Cube recipes, tweaks to class skills, tweaks to mercenaries, unique items, and more are all expected with the first ladder season. A bunch of this content will only be available to those who join ladder play.

The Diablo 2: Resurrected team stated that it was looking at a four-month period for the initial ladder, though that is subject to change. Although the PTR is restricted to PC only, Diablo 2: Resurrected’s ladder rank play will hit consoles as well.

Be sure to check out our Diablo 2: Resurrected Sorceress build guide and Diablo 2: Resurrected Paladin build guide if you’re looking to get a fast start out of the gate once the ladder season begins.