Path of Exile co-creator defends Diablo 2: Resurrected’s $25 Reign of the Warlock DLC paywall
Path of Exile’s co-creator Chris Wilson recently stepped forward to talk about the latest Diablo 2 Resurrected DLC and called Blizzard’s approach “the ultimate sign of respect,” stating that the company isn’t locking new quality-of-life updates behind the paid Reign of the Warlock expansion to generate revenue, but rather to preserve an inspiring piece of video game history.
For those who have been out of the loop, Diablo 2 received a surprise DLC on 11 February 2026, celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary. To put things into perspective, Diablo 2 received its first new class after twenty-five years, considering the game was released in June 2000.
The DLC is not free, as players will have to pay $25 to get the demon-spawning Warlock, refreshed Terror Zones, a new pinnacle boss, and an overhauled endgame. The new expansion arrived alongside Diablo 2: Resurrected – Infernal Edition’s debut on Steam the very same day. The Infernal Edition contains the base Diablo II: Resurrected game, along with Lord of Destruction and the Reign of the Warlock DLC, for $39.99.
However, not all existing owners of Diablo 2: Resurrected were thrilled to find out that they would have to pay an additional $25 for the Reign of the Warlock expansion after previously purchasing the base game for $39.99. This means that many of the new quality-of-life improvements in the new update remain paywalled for existing owners.
That’s where Chris Wilson, Path of Exile 2 co-creator, chimed in. He has already openly admitted that Path of Exile was a homage to Diablo 2 and better understands why this 25-year-old ARPG received the right treatment from Blizzard in the grand scheme of things.
In a YouTube video posted on 18 February, Wilson explained his thoughts and said, “When working on changes to Diablo 2, you need to be so careful. This is a 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 before, and they not only say yes, but have incredibly fond memories of playing it as a kid, a teenager, or while at university.”
He further explained Blizzard’s intent behind the game, stating, “I suspect that the intent behind Blizzard paywalling quality-of-life improvements behind paid DLC wasn’t about selling more copies, but preserving a museum-piece baseline.”
“To me, those features being available only 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.”
Add as a preferredNo comments for this article
