Diablo 2: Resurrected’s open beta weekend doesn’t start until August 20th for most people, but there are actually a couple ways to start playing it right now. One is to pre-order the game, and the other is to watch a couple hours of it being streamed on Twitch right now.
Roughly 200,000 viewers are currently watching Twitch streams with Diablo 2 beta key drops enabled. Tune into Fextralife, for example, and you’ll see a note in chat that you will earn a key after 2.5 hours. So if you want to play some Diablo this weekend, pop in a stream, leave it on, maybe go make some dinner or take a nap. Check back in for exploding cows now and then, and after awhile you’ll be ready to go.
Unlike some other Twitch drop events, there’s no random chance involved here—put in the time and you’re guaranteed a key, unless it’s possible for them to run out.
The beta key drops end on Saturday, August 14th, so that doesn’t give you a lot of time to get one. But that makes sense considering this “early access” period for the open beta, which covers the game’s first two acts, only runs through the 16th.
The open beta supports multiplayer for up to 8 players and five of the seven classes:
- Amazon
- Barbarian
- Druid
- Paladin
- Sorceress
Sorry, Assassin and Necromancer fans—at least you don’t have too long to wait. The full game is out on September 23rd.