The other big issue with Diablo Immortal is this server system and its lack of cross-server play. Yes, the monetization in this game is terrible if you have an addictive personality, and you should avoid it at all costs if you feel tempted to spend half a paycheck more quickly gearing up a single class that is tied to a single server. The Boon of Plenty adds extra resources, drops, and various inventory slots for more money but only lasts for a short period of time. The month-long battle pass has 40 levels and costs $5 while offering up tons of in-game resources and a few cosmetics. You can pay to bypass this limitation as often as you want, and that is the heart of how Blizzard and developer NetEase are making tons of cash. This treadmill is the heart of a diablo title but it’s time gated here because it’s a free mobile game. You have a minuscule chance of getting a legendary gem drop which you can then use or destroy to upgrade a gem you already have. If you want to min/max your gear, the true focus of any Diablo title, as quickly as possible you need to run Legendary Rifts over and over again. The biggest offender in the MTX arena is the legendary gem grind, which is really hard to get after a while and incredibly expensive to upgrade. Enough “whales” are out there willing to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and they pay for the freeloaders like myself who might buy an occasional season pass for $5 at most. It’s been interesting to see people’s first real foray into the world of Gacha mechanics, and I hope it signals a sea change though I doubt it. This is the tried and true horrific monetization scheme behind nearly (all?) major mobile titles. I haven’t found anything that is inaccessible without paying yet, but there are multiple areas where things are far more readily available if you cough up some dough. Timers and resource limitations exist everywhere in the endgame, and you can pay lots and lots of money to try and maximize your character’s gear if you so choose. The game doesn’t so much feature pay-to-win as it delights in endless pay-to-skip. The biggest narrative around Diablo Immortal’s release has been about the monetization, so let’s hit that first.
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