Last updated date: September 23, 2024

The modding community is actively creating new mods for the remastered version of Diablo, and in this detailed guide, I will describe step by step how to install mods for Diablo 2 Resurrected (PC).

This guide covers creating, merging and exporting MPQ mods manually (for advanced users), and installing mods with one click by using D2R Mod Manager (for regular users).

If you encounter a problem, be sure to check the Troubleshooting section below. You can also watch my video guides at the end of this page.

Where to find Mods?

Most of the mods for different games are published on the popular website NexusMods which can be found here. ModDB is another alternative for modding the game. Consider checking both if you want to find something suitable for your needs.

There are not many mods for Diablo 2 at this moment yet because of the recent release, but you can certainly find something interesting there for a comfortable single-player (offline) experience. Due to the engine and the file system, most of the mods include only Quality of Life changes, or some basic UI changes, so don’t expect to see new classes, zones, enemies or items for now.

For Top 5 list of mods, you can check out my video on YouTube channel or read this article – Top 5 Mods for Diablo 2 Resurrected.

Unfortunately, Multiplayer modding for official blizzard servers is not possible for technical and safety reasons. Play Online with modded client AT YOUR OWN RISK

Installation steps

For this guide, I’ll install Better SP Mod by Karla for Diablo 2 Resurrected which provides many changes to the original game such as higher density, larger stash and cube space, no XP Penalty on high levels, new recipes, and more.

The instructions below require manual editing, as most of the popular mods are still utilizing an old MPQ file system with JSON files. Alternatively, you can now use the Mod Manager program (released in February 2022) which takes a different approach to modding. Jump to detailed instructions below.

1. To download any mod from NexusMods.com you have to create a new account
2. Press Manual Download and the file will be downloaded to your computer

3. Now head to Blizzard Launcher, click next to Play button on the cog and Show in Explorer
4. Inside Diablo 2 Folder create a new Folder and name it Mods
5. After that, you can unzip the recently downloaded file to the Mods folder
6. Better SP Mod has 2 files, one is the Instructions document and the other is MPQ mod. Inside the Mods folder, we should now manually create a new folder for this specific mod and name it Karla, then place all unzipped files there. (Detailed instructions can be found in txt file next to the mod file or on Nexus page).
7. A) The final step is to create a shortcut to launch the game with this mod. To do that, create a new Shortcut from D2R.exe file. Then head to Shortcut properties and edit Target Field by adding new command argument -mod karla as shown in the image below.

This shortcut will be used to launch the modded game and play in a Singleplayer. If you want to play original game (without mods) you can simply use Blizzard launcher and hit Play button instead of that shortcut.

7. B) Alternatively, instead of creating shortcuts or playing the original game, you can add new command argument right in the Blizzard Launcher.

8b. Navigate to Game Settings, Check Additional command-line arguments and type -mod karla

9b. This mod can now be launched by using Play button in Blizzard Launcher.

IMPORTANT STEP FOR UNPACKED FOLDER.MPQ MODS:

If a mod, INSTEAD of a single packed MPQ File (i.e. /mods/karla/karla.mpq) contains a folder_name.mpq with extra files inside like modinfo.json and /data, then you must add extra command -txt after the mod name in the shortcut or Blizzard launcher as shown below:

Example Karla (betterSP) mod line: "*\D2R.exe" -mod karla -txt

New Automatic Method (Mod Manager)

There is a new tool called Diablo 2 Resurrected Mod Manager (or simply D2RMM) developed and published by Olegbl which simplifies the process of installing mods for your game. This tool is especially handy if you are not into manual modding or don’t have much time to dive deep into this process.

Basically, you can drag and drop your preferable mods to this manager, and it will then merge them together as one mod, and you will be able to launch Diablo 2 Resurrected without doing some extra steps like creating a shortcut or creating additional folders – This manager does all these steps for you!

But don’t get too excited just yet, because this Mod manager runs on JavaScript and uses a different mod format to compile all the mods into one. While this tool works flawlessly with simple mods like UI changes, drop rate tweaks or mobs density, it cannot work with large mods that are adding new zones, textures or models.

And for this reason, D2RMM is not compatible with the large QoL mods like BetterSP or Zander which use a regular MPQ format. If that’s OK for you, then here are the steps you need to follow to use D2RMM and play with mods:

1. Download D2RMM tool from Nexusmods.com (You will need to use manual download. The file size is ~80MB)
2. Extract this manager to any desired place (preferably Diablo 2 Resurrected folder)
3. Launch the app by clicking D2RMM.exe file
4. Go to Settings tab and specify the location of the installed Diablo 2 Resurrected client
5. To find the list of compatible mods for this manager, expand the Requirements tab on Nexusmods Manager page from the first step and download them to your computer.
6. Extract desired mods into Mod Manager folder (E.g. /Diablo 2 Resurrected/D2RMM/mods/…)
7. Inside the Manager, click Refresh Mod list, and it will auto-detect the mods you wish to install and play.
8. Make sure the mods are Checked, then click Install mods. Depending on how many mods you wish to install, it can take some time to merge all the mods.
9. After that, You can hit Run D2R button inside the Mod Manager and play.

If you want to launch the game via shortcut, create one and type this line inside the Target field after brackets:

-mod -D2RMM -txt

For Battle.net launcher, you will need to add this line in the settings. Refer to 7-9 Steps here.

Video guides

Single MPQ Modding

Merging Multiple MPQ Mods

Merging with Mod Manager (One-click method)

FAQ – Troubleshooting

Can you launch several mods at once?

• Yes. You can manually merge these mods together by using custom software, such as Ladik’s MPQ Editor and you will need source files for that.

Alternatively, for unpacked mods that have Foldername.mpq directories (not the single mpq file), you can manually copy/replace certain values merging together multiple mods in a single mod:

i.e. To merge X10 Monsters density mod with BetterSP (unpacked) you simply need to replace several (txt) files in the betterSP directory – \Mods\Karla\Karla.mpq\data\global\excel

The newest solution includes Mod Manager created by Olegbl. It can be found on Nexusmods or GitHub page. However, this tool doesn’t support most popular mods that change models or textures.

My Mod doesn’t work

• Some mods can be packed as one MPQ File, and they must be launched with command argument -mod #name, AND some may be unpacked and look like a folder_name.mpq with many extra folders and modinfo.json file inside. So these unpacked mods must be launched with command argument -mod #name -txt instead.

I have only one txt file. Where should I place it?

• The txt-modded files are usually located in this directory – \Mods\Modname\Modname.mpq\data\global\excel. If this directory doesn’t exist, you can create it manually.

My modinfo.json file is missing. Where can I find one?

• A mod will not launch without that file, so We need to create one and name it properly. You can copy/paste this file to your specified folder next to Data folder (e.g. Mods\Modname\Modname.mpq\) and then manually edit two lines with any text editor (change the "modname" to any in name and savepath lines) for the corresponding mod.
• You can also create your own modinfo.json file with these two required lines below. Make sure your file is saved in .json format next to the data folder, and don’t forget to add the correct command argument to your shortcut.

{
	"name": "modname",
	"savepath": "modname/"
}

Is it safe to play modded game Offline/Online?

• Not really. While a Modded client still connects to Battle.net servers, in most cases the game will not allow you to create an online game, and you can safely play offline. Playing online with the edited game client (aka. mods) is possible, but it is risky due to the license agreement. Remember that offline progression is stored separately from live characters, and they can be edited safely.

Can I use Cheats while playing modded/offline game?

• Yes. You can safely use any trainers, or cheat tools like (ArtMoney, CheatEngine, WeMod).

How to uninstall a Mod?

• Simply delete a folder that contains a certain mod from the game directory and also remove Command-Line argument in Battle.net launcher OR delete a corresponding shortcut for that mod.

Can I play Diablo 2 Resurrected with mods on my handheld PC-console?

• Yes. If your portable console runs on Windows, then you can 100% play this game just as on a regular PC.

Can I use these mods on Alpha/Beta version of D2R?

• 99% No. Most mods aren’t compatible with outdated versions. Except, maybe inventory or cube mods that only affect Interface.

I am using D2RMM, but the list of mods is empty

• Make sure you downloaded the compatible D2RMM (JavaScript) Mods and put them inside the correct folder (e.g. Diablo 2 Resurrected/D2RMM/mods/…).
• Mods like BetterSP, Zander, or other .MPQ Format mods DO NOT WORK.

D2RMM is getting this error: TypeError: Cannot read properties of null (reading ‘rows’)

• Make sure that you have specified the correct directory to the game folder.
• You may also try to update D2RMM to the latest version from NexusMods. Additionally, you may Scan and Repair the game, using the Blizzard (Battle.net) Launcher.

D2RMM returns me an error: API.openStorage:Failed to open CASC Storage…

• D2RMM tool probably has no permission to access the game directory. It is recommended to update D2RMM to the latest version (1.4.5+). Also, make sure to point the tool to the correct D2R directory. If it doesn’t solve the problem, try to run it as Administrator.

D2RMM returns me an error: BridgeAPI.extractFile: CASC storage…

• Try to install an older version of D2RMM.
• Some mods might be outdated and not compatible with the latest version of D2RMM.

My D2RMM mods stopped working after a recent update

• You will have to reapply all the mods you previously installed. Simply open D2RMM and click Install Mods. This action will fix the client to work with your mods without losing any progress.

Can I use custom texture mods with D2RMM?

• No. D2RMM is not compatible with MPQ file format. This tool only tweaks certain values, such as your inventory, drop rates or other quality-of-life features.

My Shortcut target field is grayed out

• Check your Diablo 2 Folder permissions. Make sure that your profile has Admin rights (Windows only) to control and edit specific files fully.

How to respec my characters with mods?

• Add -enablerespec argument to the target field in your D2R Shortcut. If you play with mods, then it should look like this:

"C:\Diablo II Resurrected\D2R.exe" -mod d2rmm -txt -enablerespec

• Now enter the game with the desired hero and open your Character window where you distribute stat points. Hold Left Alt key and click + to spend stat point. It will reset all your stats and skill trees immediately. You can do that as many times as you want.
• For faster distribution, hold Left Ctrl and click + to spend 5 points per click, or hold Left Shift to spend all available points to one stat.

Where to find Modded Character Savefiles?

• As for the character saves, they are tied to the mod you play and will not override your progress. All these modded characters are stored in this folder – C:/Users/<name>/Saved games/Diablo II Resurrected/Mods

Can I import character saves from other mods?

• Yes, just make sure that the new save folder corresponds to the Mod name.

Can I transfer my D2R Online character to an Offline mod?

• Unfortunately, all D2R characters created Online have a different save format which is incompatible with Offline play. But, you can use web d2s-editor to recreate your online character or import your older save files from Diablo 2 Classic.

Can I apply mods on the console version? (Playstation, Xbox)

• No. Console versions have a different file system. Editing files is also not allowed with the official firmware.

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