Diablo 2: Resurrected forum trading blamed for Diablo 4 changes

Fans are slamming Diablo 2: Resurrected forum trading once more following the arrival of the Diablo 2: Resurrected 2.5 update and the start of ladder season two in the Blizzard RPG game. After the launch of its closed ‘friends and family’ internal testing, Diablo 4 beta leaks seem to confirm initial suggestions from the development team that the next game will feature limited trading on lower-end items, with no trading for unique, set, or legendary equipment and gold.

It didn’t take long from the launch of Diablo 2: Resurrected ladder season two on October 6 for players to start popping up with fancy endgame gear. This has led to frustrated players taking to both the Blizzard forums and the Diablo Reddit to voice their discontent. In a post explosively titled “F*** JSP,” user BerettaValentine takes aim at the leading Diablo 2: Resurrected trading site, D2JSP.

The site allows users to trade their Diablo 2: Resurrected items with one another, utilising its own resource called ‘forum gold’ as an intermediary currency. Forum gold can also be bought directly for real money by making a ‘donation’ to the site, though D2JSP maintains a strict policy that users may not sell their forum gold to other people for real money.

BerettaValentine’s post claims that the presence of JSP “ruins the whole spirit of the game, especially ladder.” They explain how one player in their group was quickly “decked out with perfectly rolled magic find items bought with forum gold” and that the player’s rationale is that they’ve “earned it” by grinding forum gold for months. BerettaValentine explains that “the point of ladder reset is that everyone is supposed to start from zero” and that players being able to trade for the best gear with an external currency defeats the idea of the new season.

They close by addressing users of forum trading, claiming that “you’re the reason we won’t have [unrestricted] trading in Diablo 4.” The reported trading restrictions are already a source of much debate, with some players more in favour of an ‘SSF’ playstyle. SSF, which stands for ‘solo self-found,’ refers to characters only having access to gear they find themselves in a single-player game. Some players say they find the thrill of a rare drop much more enticing when trading is removed; however, others, who might have less time to grind for gear, say they’d rather have the option to trade good item drops they don’t want for ones they do.

As for the here and now in Diablo 2: Resurrected, many users are calling for the introduction of an SSF ladder as a possible workaround. Several responses on the Reddit thread say they would be inclined to play ladder if SSF was an option, while one post on the Blizzard forum post remarks, “The voices for an online SSF ladder are getting louder and louder and it would be something where the normal player can participate.”

While many players in the Diablo 2: Resurrected community recently celebrated MrLlamaSC becoming the first player to hit level 99 in ladder season two, some say they’d be much more interested in watching someone attain the max level in an SSF setup, rather than rushing through premade dungeon runs with a full party and gear trading.

The trading debate is likely to rage on forever, and the ever-nearing Diablo 4 release date will only further stoke the flames, however Blizzard lands on its systems and rules. Meanwhile, invites have been going out to members of the fantasy game’s community for a closed Diablo 4 endgame beta. We’ve got everything you need to know about the Diablo 4 classes and how Diablo 4 microtransactions are shaping up. If you fancy a bit of mystery, fans recently uncovered hidden messages in a Diablo 2: Resurrected ARG that seemingly lead to a cryptic recapping of the series so far.