Welcome back!

Sign in or create an account to enjoy GINX perks, enter competitions and access exclusive features.

NEWS
GUIDES
CODES
REVIEWS
WATCH LIVE
VIDEO LIBRARY
Grounded Guides Hub
GINX TV > Guides & Tutorial > Diablo

Diablo 2 Next Hit Delay: Skills & Timings

We explain the Skills and their Timings affected by the Next Hit Delay system in Diablo 2 Resurrected (D2R) alongside the change for Season 4.
By Wessel Minnie | 
First Published May 3, 2023, 08:03
Diablo 2 Next Hit Delay: Skills & Timings

While Diablo 2 Resurrected (D2R) Ladder Season 4 got off to a faster-than-expected start, and via the 2.7 patch notes, we know there is no new content, Blizzard did make a significant system change to Next Hit Delay (NHD).

This Next Hit Delay change in Diablo 2 Resurrected patch 2.7 can have quite an impact on some builds, and many ARPG fans might not even know precisely what the system is all about. Therefore, our guide explains all the Skills affected by NHD in Diablo 2 and the Timings players need to know about. 

What is Next Hit Delay in D2R?

Diablo 2 next hit delay NHD timings skills effects d2r season 4 update 2.7 patch changes
Maybe it is time to roll an Assassin in D2R Ladder Season 4... (Picture: Blizzard)

First and foremost, Next Hit Delay in Diablo 2 Resurrected rarely, if ever, impacts single-player. It is more of a multiplayer system, which is set in place so enemies can't take unintended amounts of damage from certain skills.

The most basic of explanations of what Next Hit Delay is in Diablo 2 Resurrected is that if a monster is hit by one of the Skills with Next Hit Delay, a timer starts, and they cannot be damaged by another Skill of the same type for a specific time period. For example, two casters hitting Frost Nova at roughly the same time will see the enemy only getting damage from the first Frost Nova that hits. 

These timings range from 0.16 seconds all the way up to 1-second max for certain skill types. In Diablo 2 Resurrected patch 2.7, Blizzard made the following change: "The Next Hit Delay system now only applies to missiles created by casting the same skill."

The developer explains:

We have revised Next Hit Delay to become an easier concept to grasp while still maintaining its original design goals. This change will alleviate some headaches in multiplayer and smooth the edges of certain character builds.

Check out a video from MacroBioBoi below explaining the type of impact the Next Hit Delay change could have on D2R Season 4.

Clearly, the content creator for Maxroll.gg explains this intricate system in much more detail than we possibly could. We can, however, provide you with the D2R Skills affected by the Next Hit Delay system and their timings/frames.

All Diablo 2 Resurrected NHD Skills & Timings

Diablo 2 next hit delay NHD timings skills effects d2r season 4 update 2.7 patch changes
Learn about the Timings of Skills affected by the Next Hit Delay system in Diablo 2 Resurrected. (Picture: Blizzard)

Below, you can check out the full list of Diablo 2 Resurrected Skills with Next Hit Delays and their timings for good measure, as per Maxroll.gg's data.

D2R Skills with Next Hit Delay NHD Timings/Frames in Diablo 2
Battle Orders 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Battle Command 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Battle Cry 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Multiple Shot 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Strafe 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Lightning Strike 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Chain Lightning 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Nova 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Poison Nova 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Frost Nova 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Shock Wave 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Wake of Fire 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Claws of Thunder On 2 or 3 charges: 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Phoenix Strike On 2 or 3 charges: 4 Frames, aka 0.16 seconds
Fissure 5 Frames, aka 0.20 seconds
Volcano  5 Frames, aka 0.20 seconds on the Fireballs
War Cry 6 Frames, aka 0.24 seconds
Volcano 10 Frames, aka 0.40 seconds on Eruption only
Shock Web 25 Frames, aka 1 second
Blade Sentinel 25 Frames, aka 1 second
Twister 25 Frames, aka 1 second
Tornado 25 Frames, aka 1 second on Tornado collision.

We can't help but wonder just how this big Next Hit Delay system change will affect the Diablo 2 Resurrected meta in Ladder Season 4 and beyond. There's a very good chance that the Assassin's Martial Arts Pheonix Strike build could just jump to the top of the S-Tier.

If anything changes, we will endeavor to update this article with the latest Timings/Skills affected by Next Hit Delay in Diablo 2 Resurrected.

Check out our video below, discussing Diablo Immortal's story and how the game fits into the franchise's timeline.

For more news on the game and the iconic ARPG franchise, check out our sections dedicated to Diablo 3, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo 4. Get the latest guides & tutorials for your favorite Diablo title below.

Diablo Immortal Guides - Character Server Transfer | Next Hungering Moon | Hell Difficulty Levels | Combat Rating (CR) | Recruit A Friend | Redeem Codes | Next Season | Fractured Plane Event | Vote Kick Feature | Next Helliquary Boss | XP Bug Fix | Class Change | Max Level Cost | Lost Pages | Legacy of the Horadrim | Player vs. Player (PVP) | Set Items | Resonance | Potency | Level Progression | Trading | Crusader Build | Barbarian Build | Monk Build | Necromancer Build | Marketplace | Zone Events 

Diablo 2 Resurrected Guides - Ladder Reset | Magic Find Bonus Event | Holy Grail Challenge | Underground Passage Location | Character Deleted Fix | Black Screen Freezes Fix | Unable To Start Fix | Best Assassin Build | Best Barbarian Build | Best Amazon Build | Secret Cow Level | Runewords | Attacks Missing | Horadric Cube | Cairn Stones | Reset Skills & Stats | 

Diablo 3 Guides - Zoltun Kulle Adventure Mode | Puzzle Ring | Ramaladni's Gift | Death's Breath | Next Season | Kanai's Cube | Sanctified Powers | 

Diablo 4 Guides - Cross-Play & Cross-Progression | Dungeons | Game Pass | Endgame Beta | Book of Lorath

Wessel Minnie

Written by Wessel Minnie

Wessel is a former member of Bravado Gaming, a top South African esports organization, and a former editor at GLITCHED.online. He can also be found on HLTV discussing everything CS esports.  When he's not writing or editing, Wessel is clicking heads in Counter-Strike 2, pondering over the best Diablo 4 builds for each class, or venturing into the Lands Between of Elden Ring for the umpteenth time. He loves ARPGs and any SoulsBorne title he can get his mitts on, but feel free to email or drop him a message on social media with any interesting gaming-related topics you think he might enjoy.