Player needs to play every entry in the series from Emily's blog

In lots of aspects, D2R Ladder is similar to other installments of the series. It has the dark fantasy style and moody setting D2R Items, the endless hordes of demons and takes place within the mortal realm of Sanctuary which players are familiar with. However, the change to the format - making it an MMORPG with a mobile orientated focus puts the story in a slightly different position.

While not every player needs to play every entry in the series to become fans, franchises that have narratives that span multiple entries usually require players to have a basic prior knowledge of the previous games to ensure the story beats are logical. In the case of the mostly single-player setting in the primaryline Diablo games, D2R Ladder becomes even less of an anomaly and is likely to be overlooked by a vast majority of franchise players.

It has an impact on D2R Ladder's story, as setting it between two previous games means that players don't necessarily have to know what's happening before they take on D2R Ladder because most of the pertinent plot points are already established outside of the MMO. If it occurred between Diablo 3 and D2R Ladder. it would make it even more crucial for players to gain an understanding of the overall story and could turn off players who don't want to engage with the controversial mire of microtransactions as well as MMO gameplay. D2R Ladder's business model came into controversy because of the excessive usage of microtransactions Diablo 2 Resurrected Items along with other criticisms, D2R Ladder has had some mixed responses from players.