Diablo 2: Resurrected’s PTR update is back with Ladder testing

pcgamesn.com:

The next patch for Diablo II: Resurrected is hitting the Public Test Realm tomorrow, which will bring a Ladder system to the remake of one of the best RPGs on PC – as well as some tweaks to how the monstrous Uber Diablo works.

Diablo II: Resurrected patch 2.4 was revealed in January this year and first hit the PTR on January 25, although Blizzard removed it on February 9. Now the developer has announced in the latest Diablo II blog that it will bring the pre-release patch back to the test server with some new changes, including the first testing of Ladder functionality.

Following feedback from the previous test, Blizzard says that it is now focusing “on the areas where the feedback was overwhelmingly unified, as well as some areas where we may not have pushed hard enough for a meaningful change”. Most notably, this test includes a ranked competitive Ladder system and a series of modes that support it. Each mode will have its own leaderboard, “where players compete to strategically gain experience within a limited timeframe”.

In addition to this, there are also some changes to Uber Diablo and how progress towards spawning the monster is calculated. Players can still get it by selling Stone of Jordan rings, but that’s now tracked regionally rather than by server. Progress towards Uber Diablo is tracked by game type, which includes several of the new Ladder modes – Classic, Classic Hardcore (HC), Classic Ladder, Classic HC Ladder, Expansion, Expansion HC, Expansion Ladder, and Expansion HC Ladder. “We hope these changes allow more players to get to experience the true terror that is Uber Diablo”, Blizzard adds.

Prepare to climb.