How to Extract D2R Files with CascView

This guide explains how to extract D2R files from Diablo II: Resurrected so you can read the data tables, edit strings or build your own mod. Unlike the classic game, which keeps its data in MPQ archives, Resurrected stores everything in Blizzard’s newer CASC format, and the standard free tool for opening it is CascView by Ladislav Zezula. The program only reads the storage, so your installation stays exactly as it was.

What you need

• Diablo II: Resurrected installed through Battle.net or Steam. The whole installation is needed, because the storage is a directory of index and data files rather than one archive.
• A Windows PC.
• Free disk space: about 40 to 45 GB for a full extraction, but far less if you only take the folders you need.

Step 1: get the viewer

Download the program from the official CascView page, not from a mirror. Unpack it into its own folder and start the build that matches your system, normally the 64-bit one. There is nothing to install.

Step 2: open the CASC storage

Click Open Storage and select the Diablo II: Resurrected installation folder, the one that contains D2R.exe. The program reads the CASC storage and shows its contents as an ordinary folder tree. Nothing is changed on disk at this point, and you can browse as long as you like.

Step 3: find the D2R game data you want

All D2R game data sits in the data folder, split into three branches:

• global holds the game rules and interface: the data tables in global\excel, such as treasureclassex.txt for drops, and the interface layouts in global\ui\layouts.
• local holds language files, including the game strings in local\lng\strings, stored as JSON.
• hd holds the remastered models, textures and effects, which make up most of the size.

For balance changes, drop tables or recipes, global\excel is usually all you need. Text changes need local\lng\strings. Only take hd if you plan to work on graphics.

Step 4: extract

Select the folders you chose and press Extract with the default settings. The files are copied out with their folder structure into a Work folder next to the program. A full extraction of global, hd and local takes a while; a single excel folder is small and quick.

Working with the extracted files

The extracted tables are tab-separated text files. They open in a spreadsheet, but a dedicated editor is safer: AFJ Sheet Editor and the newer MrSoloz D2R TXT keep the format intact. For the JSON strings, D2RStrEdit is the specialised option.

To make the game use your changes, there are two common setups:

1. A mod folder. Place only the files you changed in mods\YourMod\YourMod.mpq\data inside the game folder, keeping the same paths as in the storage, and start the game with -mod YourMod -txt. This is the lighter option and the same layout that D2RMM generates.
2. Loose files. Copy the whole extracted data folder into the game folder and start the game with -direct -txt, so it reads loose files instead of the storage. This needs the full extraction and the disk space that comes with it.

Both setups are for offline play only.

Extracted data and D2RMM

If you only install mods, you do not need to extract anything, because D2RMM reads the storage itself. The exception is an error saying that it cannot read the game data. In that case, extract the data folder with this viewer and switch the manager’s Game Data Source setting to Pre-Extracted Data, pointing it at the folder that contains global. Do not point it at the folder where D2RMM writes its own output.

After every game patch

Extracted files are a snapshot of one game version. After an update, extract again before editing or playing with loose files; otherwise the game runs with outdated tables and can show bugs or missing content. Keep your own edits in a separate folder so you can reapply them to fresh files.

Classic Diablo II and sharing

Classic Diablo II and Lord of Destruction use MPQ archives, which this viewer cannot open; use Ladik’s MPQ Editor from the same author instead. Finally, extracted game data is Blizzard’s copyrighted material: use it for personal modding and share only your own changed files, never the full extracted folder.