Diablo Immortal appears to be pay to win, here's why
Blizzard is under fire after multiple streamers have accused Diablo Immortal of being pay to win. The mobile version of the popular game was released on June 2 after a surprise open beta and was quickly criticized for the amount of money players have to spend in order to avoid an exhausting amount of grinding in later levels.
One of the biggest criticizers of Diablo Immortal is Asmongold, a World of Warcraft streamer who has been outspoken against Diablo Immortal since it was first announced. Asmongold accused Blizzard of greediness, joking at the time that he would have to take out a loan of $50,000 to even play the game properly.
On June 5, Asmongold decided to stream himself playing Diablo Immortal. During the stream, Asmongold would make a purchase any time the game prompted him to. After a few hours, Asmongold had paid almost $350.
“Had a pretty disappointing first day on Diablo Immortal. Played for over five hours but only managed to spend $347 dollars. Sorry to let you guys down. We’ll have to come back stronger next time,” Asmongold tweeted after.
Is Diablo Immortal pay to win?
Asmongold is known for his ranting, especially aimed at Blizzard, but is he onto something here? It appears that Diablo Immortal is pay to win after all, with Asmongold not being the only streamer to drain their accounts on the game.
One streamer, Quin69, spent $4,000 in Diablo Immortal and didn’t even get one five-star Gem. Quin69 stated that he isn’t a “whale,” but a “scientist” looking to shed light on the issues with Diablo Immortal and other pay-to-win games. So what exactly are gamers spending money on?
Diablo Immortal is an overall fun mobile game until players get to the later levels. From about level 35 and up, progress comes to a sudden halt and players must do an extensive amount of grinding to continue ranking up. There is an option to rank up within the free battle pass for XP gains but once you beat the story content there is nothing left to do but get stronger and obtain better gear.
So how do you become stronger? Legendary Gems, which are used to create armor with various bonuses and abilities. Legendary Gems are obtained with Crests, which come in Rare and Legendary varieties. While players get a free Rare Crest every day, Legendary Crests can only be obtained if players play through a dungeon.
Legendary Crests are the only way players can get 3-5 star Gems, which are more powerful of course. These Legendary Crests act like loot boxes, where every 50 Legendary Crests will guarantee one 5-star Gem. But players only get 45 Legendary Crests in the $100 bundle.
YouTuber Bellular News has also been looking deep into the pay-to-win system in Diablo Immortal, coming to the conclusion that players would have to shell out $100,000 to complete the game. During his research, he noticed a lot of “cash grabs” within the game increasing as he climbed up the levels.
AngryJoeShow has also ranted about the incredible amount of cash players have to shell out to complete Diablo Immortal. He concluded that players slam into a paywall eventually, forcing dedicated gamers to pay $110,000 to be “fully geared.”
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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