Some new Diablo Immortal details have been released at Blizzcon 2019. With the recent announcement of Diablo IV, players might have forgotten about its mobile cousin. Well, the developers have come out to say that it is still very much in development, although when exactly it will come out still remains a mystery.
A news post on Blizzard's website opened with a quick recap of everything we knew about the game so far. Here are the key highlights:
- It is planned to release for Android and iOS.
- There will be six classes in the game at launch:
- Barbarian
- Crusader
- Demon Hunter
- Monk
- Necromancer
- Wizard
- Diablo Immortal is going to be an "MMOARPG" (Massively Multiplayer Action Role-Playing Game).
- Players can play solo, but there will also be support for:
- Persistent shared zones
- Four-player instanced dungeons
- Guild support
- Social systems
- Story-wise, this game takes place in-between Diablo II and Diablo III.
The New Diablo Immortal Details Shared at Blizzcon 2019
Now that we're all caught up, let's get into the new stuff shared at Blizzcon 2019.
Last year's demo let players go hands-on with the Barbarian, Monk, and Wizard in a "streamlined dungeon experience". This year added the Demon Hunter to the mix and let players experience some open-world gameplay in the town of Wortham and the outdoor zone of Ashwold Cemetary.
One of the newer additions to the game is "Ultimate Abilities", a concept that should be well-familiar to people who have played Overwatch or similar titles. As players use basic attacks, they'll charge up a meter. Once it's full, they can activate their classes' unique Ultimate Ability and augment their basic attacks.
Also shared at Blizzcon 2019 was the first look at the game's equipment system. One of the more interesting tidbits is the reveal of "Legendary items", pieces of gear that can alter your character's skill. Here are some examples:
- Scorch's fireball can be changed into a Frozen Orb
- Exploding Palm's targeting and damage can be changed
- Strafe's arrows can be transformed into grenades
The news post concludes with some of the more important Diablo Immortal details: namely, the release date, microtransactions, and post-launch support. As one might expect, Blizzard's release date for the game is "when it's done" and we don't yet have a firm timeline on when that will be.
Post-launch support is expected to include:
- Balance changes
- New zones
- New dungeons
- New bosses
- New loot
- Additional stories
- New classes
And finally, we come to the question of microtransactions. They will be in the game in some fashion, although Blizzard hasn't really gone into many details. Here's what they had to say on the topic:
We’re focused on building a great Diablo game first. That said, we know the business model is top of mind for lots of people out there and we’re taking the time to get it right. It’s too early to share details, but we want to make a Diablo game players love and to support it for years to come. We plan to achieve that by creating an ecosystem that accounts for and welcomes every type of player—from our most die-hard Diablo veterans to those who’ll be exploring Sanctuary for the first time.
We're sure to find out more about this game in the coming months.
What do you think of the Diablo Immortal details shared at Blizzcon 2019? Do you think this game will turn out to be a good ARPG experience? Let us know in the comments below!
