Blizzard has revealed that Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, the expansion to their bestselling title Diablo II, will support 800 x 600 resolution, a significant improvement over the original, which only offered that resolution on menus and in Blizzard's battle.net servers. As the game's release draws nearer, more gameplay details have also become available.

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction will add two new character classes to the existing five that a player can choose from in the original. The two classes, druids and assassins, will each have a unique set of skills, and additionally, a number of new weapon types will be added to augment these new characters. Most significantly will be the inclusion of runes and orbs. Runes will act in similar fashion to jewels; in the game, jewels may be inserted into socketed armour and weapons in order to enhance the power of that piece of equipment. The orb, on the other hand, will be a type of weapon allowing sorceresses to cast spells more effectively, as well as to provide a longer-ranged magical attack.

Equipment isn't the only thing getting updated in the game, although the new items, as well as the dozens of new prefixes and suffixes Blizzard plans to add to the game, will provide potentially thousands of new weapons (Fortunately, increased stash size will also provide more space in which to store them). Additionally, further unique items and set items will be included, and a number of new monsters will be added. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction will also introduce a new act. While players will start from the original beginning from Diablo II, the game will now extend to a fifth act. The act will feature both indoor and outdoor areas, and is set in the Barbarian highlands.

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is currently scheduled for release in the summer of 2001. For more detailed information on the game, check RPGamer's coverage or visit Blizzard's FAQ.