Diablo Immortal First Impressions

I tried my best to avoid it. With all the controversy, the shameful monetization tactics, the bad press. I said to myself "I don't really play mobile games so no real loss". Then one afternoon I booted up Battlenet to see if there where any sales at Activision/Blizzard and there it was. PC Beta?!?! I had no idea there was a PC port. The gears in my head started turning. Diablo is a franchise that is near and dear to my heart. Ever since the days of traversing the dungeons below the Tristram Cathedral in the first Diablo I have loved the franchise. So I started reading a few reviews about the game. The reviews I read villainized Blizzard for the worse monetization in gaming history. Geared to land whales that will dump tens of thousands to have the best builds. However, the reviews did say the base game was, well, fun. Why wouldn't it be? Killing demons and monsters in the fantasy world of Sanctuary has always been. So I went against my best judgement and hit the download button.

So far I haven't finished the story. My crusader is only level 44. What I have played so far is pretty enjoyable. Compared to Diablo II It's a water down version of Diablo, Diablo light if you will. Which is a benefit for any new players to the franchise which apparently Blizzard has gained millions with this iteration. The game is definitely designed to try to get you to spend money. If you follow the guide it shows you all about different functions that you know you will eventually hit a pay wall. It gets you doing rifts very early on (again a way to lure you into spending real world cash). I am pretty sure in Diablo 3 rifts where an end game adventure vs. Diablo Immortal gets you right into it early. With the rifts the more of these crests you add apply modifiers to better your chances of better loot. The crests are tiered. Purples (Legendary Crests) again have better chances of better loot. Run out of them well then you might want to pull out that credit card. I also notice I got to points in the game where the next quest was to get to a certain level. Well if I don't have quests how do I level? Rifts of course! I'm all for free to play games with levels of monetization. You have to fund the project somehow. If I am enjoying the game and want it to succeed I won't hesitate to purchase. Path of Exile is a perfect example of that. Diablo Immortal just does it in a sleazy way that does leave kind of a bad taste in your mouth.

Now for the million dollar question. Have I spent any real world coin on Diablo Immortal. Sadly, I am only human and tempted by all the perceived benefits like everyone else. I have spent a small amount Only the battle pass twice so far. Is it worth it? Maybe if I played more heavily to gain enough levels. You get mostly materials and those rift crests which is nice. At certain levels you get certain items like unique gear or weapons. $6.99 CAD is not horrible either. I compare it to those days where I would spend $19.99 a month just to be able to play WoW.

The story is alright. I believe it takes place just after Diablo II and follows the same recipe as other installments in the series. I have just come across the Immortals and Shadows part of the game which I think is interesting. Not sure yet if this is to add depth to the game or just another mechanism to try to drain my pockets. It tells you about the Immortals tasked with protecting Sanctuary and the Shadows who are tasked with protecting the world if the Immortals falter. I ended up joining the shadows (really unsure if I had a choice or joining immortals over them) by doing some initiation type tasks. There are now these quests available to me to rank up within this clandestine group. I have to do something as my current quest is to reach level 46 so it's either this or rifts ( there is also bounties to do but they are the typical kill x amount of monster type quests).

Would I recommend Diablo Immortal? (I am not at end game at this point so this point of view is from my current play). If you're a casual gamer who is just looking to smash demons in the face with a war hammer, then yes give it a spin. It's free to play; the base game, so no harm in trying it out. If you are a hardcore Diablo player still climbing the ladders in Diablo 2, this is probably a spit in your face. Apparently, to be any good in end game or PVP you have to drop coin.. Serious amounts of coin.. More than the typical price tag of 89.99 for a triple A title.

Will I keep playing at this point? I think so. My gaming urges sway between different genres. One week I just have the need to grab my Lee Enfield and try to liberate France from the Nazi scourge. Other weeks I want to manage a football club where I usually end up getting sacked at the end of the first campaign. Then there are those days I want to loot dungeons and fight demons. When I get that feeling I will probably jump back into Sanctuary.

Gamers, let me know what you think of Diablo Immortal in the comments or on twitter @PlaysPadre

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