diff --git a/Source/loadsave.cpp b/Source/loadsave.cpp
index 634c5b7e3..838c0c3ce 100644
--- a/Source/loadsave.cpp
+++ b/Source/loadsave.cpp
@@ -50,8 +50,6 @@ namespace devilution {
 bool gbIsHellfireSaveGame;
 uint8_t giNumberOfLevels;
 
-void ValidatePlayerForLoad();
-
 namespace {
 
 constexpr size_t MaxMissilesForSaveGame = 125;
@@ -2521,7 +2519,7 @@ tl::expected<void, std::string> LoadGame(bool firstflag)
 	Player &myPlayer = *MyPlayer;
 
 	LoadPlayer(file, myPlayer);
-	ValidatePlayerForLoad();
+	ValidatePlayer();
 	CalcPlrInv(myPlayer, false);
 	SanitizePlayerSpellSelections(myPlayer);
 
diff --git a/Source/player.cpp b/Source/player.cpp
index ca3226d5c..07cf197f9 100644
--- a/Source/player.cpp
+++ b/Source/player.cpp
@@ -1410,6 +1410,8 @@ bool PlrDeathModeOK(Player &player)
 	return false;
 }
 
+} // namespace
+
 void ValidatePlayer()
 {
 	assert(MyPlayer != nullptr);
@@ -1467,6 +1469,8 @@ void ValidatePlayer()
 	myPlayer._pInfraFlag = false;
 }
 
+namespace {
+
 HeroClass GetPlayerSpriteClass(HeroClass cls)
 {
 	if (cls == HeroClass::Bard && !HaveBardAssets())
@@ -1528,16 +1532,11 @@ void GetPlayerGraphicsPath(std::string_view path, std::string_view prefix, std::
 	*BufCopy(out, "plrgfx\\", path, "\\", prefix, "\\", prefix, type) = '\0';
 }
 
-} // namespace
-
-void ValidatePlayerForLoad()
-{
-	ValidatePlayer();
-}
-
-void Player::CalcScrolls()
-{
-	_pScrlSpells = 0;
+} // namespace
+
+void Player::CalcScrolls()
+{
+	_pScrlSpells = 0;
 	for (const Item &item : InventoryAndBeltPlayerItemsRange { *this }) {
 		if (item.isScroll() && item._iStatFlag) {
 			_pScrlSpells |= GetSpellBitmask(item._iSpell);
diff --git a/Source/player.h b/Source/player.h
index 5cc99ca19..d84bdf94d 100644
--- a/Source/player.h
+++ b/Source/player.h
@@ -985,6 +985,7 @@ void CheckPlrSpell(bool isShiftHeld, SpellID spellID = MyPlayer->_pRSpell, Spell
 void SyncPlrAnim(Player &player);
 void SyncInitPlrPos(Player &player);
 void SyncInitPlr(Player &player);
+void ValidatePlayer();
 void CheckStats(Player &player);
 void ModifyPlrStr(Player &player, int l);
 void ModifyPlrMag(Player &player, int l);
diff --git a/test/writehero_test.cpp b/test/writehero_test.cpp
index cd9f4f1f7..4a4fa2dda 100644
--- a/test/writehero_test.cpp
+++ b/test/writehero_test.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "game_mode.hpp"
 #include "init.hpp"
 #include "loadsave.h"
+#include "menu.h"
 #include "pack.h"
 #include "pfile.h"
 #include "spells.h"
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@
 #include "utils/paths.h"
 
 namespace devilution {
+
+uint32_t gSaveNumber = 0;
+
 namespace {
 
 constexpr int SpellDatVanilla[] = {
@@ -536,5 +540,81 @@ TEST(Writehero, pfile_read_player_from_save_preserves_valid_spell_selections)
 	EXPECT_EQ(player._pRSplType, SpellType::Spell);
 }
 
+TEST(Writehero, DiabloRewritePersistsSanitizedSpellSelectionsFromHellfireSave)
+{
+	LoadCoreArchives();
+	LoadGameArchives();
+
+	if (!HaveMainData()) {
+		GTEST_SKIP() << "MPQ assets (spawn.mpq or DIABDAT.MPQ) not found - skipping test";
+	}
+
+	const std::string savePath = paths::BasePath() + "multi_0.sv";
+	const std::string hellfireSavePath = paths::BasePath() + "multi_0.hsv";
+	paths::SetPrefPath(paths::BasePath());
+	RemoveFile(savePath.c_str());
+	RemoveFile(hellfireSavePath.c_str());
+
+	gbVanilla = false;
+	gbIsSpawn = false;
+	gbIsMultiplayer = true;
+	leveltype = DTYPE_TOWN;
+	currlevel = 0;
+	ViewPosition = {};
+	giNumberOfLevels = 25;
+	gbIsHellfire = true;
+	gbIsHellfireSaveGame = true;
+
+	Players.resize(1);
+	MyPlayerId = 0;
+	MyPlayer = &Players[MyPlayerId];
+
+	LoadSpellData();
+	LoadPlayerDataFiles();
+	LoadMonsterData();
+	LoadItemData();
+	_uiheroinfo info {};
+	info.heroclass = HeroClass::Rogue;
+	pfile_ui_save_create(&info);
+	gSaveNumber = info.saveNumber;
+
+	Player &player = *MyPlayer;
+	player._pMemSpells = GetSpellBitmask(SpellID::Healing) | GetSpellBitmask(SpellID::Apocalypse);
+	player._pSplLvl[static_cast<size_t>(SpellID::Healing)] = 1;
+	player._pSplLvl[static_cast<size_t>(SpellID::Apocalypse)] = 1;
+	player._pSplHotKey[0] = SpellID::Apocalypse;
+	player._pSplTHotKey[0] = SpellType::Spell;
+	player._pSplHotKey[1] = SpellID::Healing;
+	player._pSplTHotKey[1] = SpellType::Spell;
+	player._pRSpell = SpellID::Apocalypse;
+	player._pRSplType = SpellType::Spell;
+
+	pfile_write_hero(/*writeGameData=*/true);
+	RenameFile(hellfireSavePath.c_str(), savePath.c_str());
+
+	gbIsHellfire = false;
+	gbIsHellfireSaveGame = false;
+	giNumberOfLevels = 17;
+
+	pfile_read_player_from_save(info.saveNumber, player);
+	pfile_write_hero();
+
+	player._pSplHotKey[0] = SpellID::Apocalypse;
+	player._pSplTHotKey[0] = SpellType::Spell;
+	player._pSplHotKey[1] = SpellID::Invalid;
+	player._pSplTHotKey[1] = SpellType::Invalid;
+	player._pRSpell = SpellID::Apocalypse;
+	player._pRSplType = SpellType::Spell;
+
+	LoadHotkeys();
+
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pSplHotKey[0], SpellID::Invalid);
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pSplTHotKey[0], SpellType::Invalid);
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pSplHotKey[1], SpellID::Healing);
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pSplTHotKey[1], SpellType::Spell);
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pRSpell, SpellID::Invalid);
+	EXPECT_EQ(player._pRSplType, SpellType::Invalid);
+}
+
 } // namespace
 } // namespace devilution