While I am encouraged by the majority of the interview, I do not understand the design philosophy addressed in this answer.
When we first meet our character in Diablo 2, they have not been confronted by the minions of the Dark Wanderer. Everything has just started. The adventurers that come to the Rouge encampment are new to the conflict. They have not yet fought the evils nor have they experienced the horrors. D2R starts from the exact same point in time.
The answer to this questions seems to indicate that the art direction wanted to indicate that the adventurers were veterans of battles against Hell’s forces. Thus they sought to indicate that by aging them and adding fatigue, lines and wrinkles to make them look battle hardened.
However, for me, this goes against the story that is being told in Diablo 2. The characters (and we) are noobs to the struggle when we arrive to speak to Akara. We are looking to make a name for ourselves, gather riches and gear and save the world. Some of us are even called “young” by Akara. The game made me believe we were all young, robust, strong and ready to take on the world. This was a core part of the game for me.
Because of that, the new art direction actually takes away from my enjoyment of the game because it seems to indicate that my character is a battle tested veteran from day one. Why then am I beginning my adventure without my armor and weapons? Why am I venturing forth from the Rogue encampment nearly naked to face the monsters that roam outside the gate? Why am I so ill prepared for what awaits me? Why am I so naive and clueless?
It makes no sense. Please make the characters appearance match their level of experience given that this is the same time as the start of D2. No time has passed for them. Doing so will increase my level of immersion in the game and my enjoyment while playing it.