Diablo Immortal is Blizzard’s mobile vision for the Diablo franchise. And if you’re like us and you’ve been curious about this game from the moment it was announced a few years ago, then you’ve come to the right place. Since its announcement back at BlizzCon 2018, the game has gone through a fairly lengthy development cycle for a mobile game. Going into what is now its fourth year of development since the announcement.
However, it hasn’t all been behind the scenes. As you may already know, Diablo Immortal has gone through three different player tests over the past year and a half. A technical alpha, a closed alpha, and then finally the most recent test which ended in the beginning of January, the closed beta.
We were lucky enough to get time with all three tests, and have put together a handy guide to tell you everything you need to know about the game.
What is Diablo Immortal?
Diablo Immortal is a mobile adaption of the popular Diablo franchise from Blizzard. It takes place between the timelines of Diablo II and Diablo III in terms of the game’s chronological setting. It’s an isometric action rpg, which means it features an angled top-down view of your characters as you control them throughout the game. Just like every other Diablo game.
When is Diablo Immortal releasing?
At this point in time Blizzard has not announced an exact release date for the game. We do know however that it’s releasing sometime in 2022. Blizzard says the plan is to launch the game in the first half of 2022. So as long as everything is able to stay on track, we should see the game sometime between now and July.
Update: April 25, 2022
This morning Blizzard announced the official release date of the game, confirming it will launch on June 2.
Update: June 2, 2022
Diablo Immortal has officially launched for Android and iOS and is available in open beta on PC through battle net. You can download and install the game on all available platforms.
What platforms is the game available on?
Diablo Immortal will be launching for mobile devices only running on Android or iOS. Blizzard has no intention of bringing this game to PC or consoles like it has done with Diablo III and Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Update: April 25, 2022
As part of today’s launch date announcement, Blizzard has revealed that Diablo Immortal will be releasing on PC as well. It will initially go live as an open beta the same day as the mobile launch. Any progress made during the PC open beta will carry over to the PC launch.
In addition, the game will support cross-play between platforms so you can play with friends who play on PC. As well as cross-progression so you can move between mobile and PC and vice versa at your leisure.
Does Diablo Immortal support cross-play?
Yes. Diablo Immortal does support cross-play so you can play with your friends who play on other platforms. You can play on PC, and your friends can play on Android and iOS and you can all party up and play together. However, there is one caveat. You will need to be on the same server to play with each other. As there is no cross-server play. So make sure to coordinate which server you’re all going to join and join the same one.
Does the game support cross-progression?
The game also supports cross-progression, so you can switch between platforms. Say you want to play on PC while at home most days. You can do that. Then you can pick up where you left off on mobile when you’re away from your PC. You can even swap to mobile and play on the couch if you feel like it.
Is Diablo Immortal free-to-play?
This is probably common knowledge, but we’re covering it just in case. Yes, Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play game for mobile devices. So it’s not a premium title you pay for upfront.
Does Diablo Immortal have micro transactions?
Yes, Diablo Immortal does have micro transactions. As Blizzard needs to fund the development of the game. And since it was designed as free-to-play, the money will come from in-game store purchases.
While Blizzard hasn’t confirmed all of the things the store will carry, the closed beta opened up the store for the first time. In the test, players were able to buy the seasonal battle pass, along with the some of the game’s premium currency like eternal orbs.
It’s worth noting that any of the in-game currency you were able to spend real money on was also attainable through gameplay. Just at a slower pace.
Blizzard will also offer customizable player skins or outfits for characters when the game launches. Beyond that, it’s unknown what else the game will offer for IAPs. Any money spent on the game during the beta will also be transferred to players at launch in some form.
Is the game single player?
Yes and no. The game is officially a multiplayer game but not all aspects of the game are multiplayer. Some content you will be able to play solo and other content you will need to party up with other players to complete. Such as raids and harder difficulty dungeons.
It’s also possible to team up with friends and play through normal story content if you wish. So most of the game can be multiplayer if you prefer it. Which would make certain content a little easier to breeze through at a faster pace. That’s not how everyone likes to play, but for those that don’t mind it, it would make leveling quicker.
What classes does Diablo Immortal have?
When the game launches, it will feature six classes in total. This includes the Crusader, the Monk, the Demon Hunter, the Necromancer, the Wizard, and the Barbarian. All six classes are now in the game as of the closed beta. So players who were able to participate have been able to try them all out.
Will there be more classes post launch?
Yes. Blizzard has confirmed that it plans to add more classes to the game post launch. While it wouldn’t say anything about when new classes would be added or what they would be, we know more are coming.
Additionally, the game’s Chief Producer Caleb Arseneaux stated in a Q&A before the closed beta started last year that some of the new classes coming to the game would be all-new. And by all-new, he means classes that the Diablo franchise has never seen before.
He also noted that there would be more familiar classes. Out of all the classes Diablo has ever had across its three available games, there are a handful of classes that aren’t in Diablo Immortal that could end up coming to the game later on. This includes the Amazon, the Druid, the Assassin, the Rogue, the Witch Doctor, the Warrior, the Bard, and the Paladin.
It’s likely we’ll see at least one or two of these classes in Diablo Immortal. Though which ones they will be is anyone’s guess. The game’s development team will have to think about which classes would fit best in a mobile ecosystem and with the game’s touch-based controls. On top of that, it’ll likely consider the most popular of these classes over others.
Does the game have controller support?
Diablo Immortal does have controller support, and it was added to the game as part of the closed beta. That being said, controller support only worked for controlling your character, executing abilities, and interacting with NPCs. There was no controller support in the beta for UI elements like opening and closing menus, equipping gear and the like.
That will be added to the game later on though. With a possibility of it being ready for players by the time the game launches later this year.
Which controllers can be used to play?
As of the closed beta supported controllers included the Sony DualShock 4, Xbox Wireless Bluetooth Controller, Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, and the Razer Kishi.
Other controller support may be added over time. And it’s also possible that additional controllers will already work, but the ones listed here are the ones which are officially supported and have been tested by Blizzard.
Update: April 25, 2022
During the PC reveal, Blizzard says controller support will be available for PC players. Additionally, PC players will also be able to play with mouse and keyboard.
Update: May 27, 2022
In a blog post on May 26, Blizzard revealed all the compatible controllers for every platform at launch. For Android, this includes the controllers listed above, as well as the DualSense controller, the 8BitDo SN30 Pro controller, and the SteelSeries Stratus Duo controller.
For a full list of compatible controllers across the available platforms, you can visit the blog here.
Will you be able to customize your character’s look?
To an extent. Ever since the first Q&A about the game prior to the technical Alpha back in 2020, Blizzard has stated that features such as applying dyes to your gear and transmogrification would not be available in the game. It has continued to echo that answer with each subsequent Q&A. So unless Blizzard changes its mind either between now and launch or post launch, these customization features will not be a part of Diablo Immortal.
However, there will be customization. Players will have the chance to upgrade their gear to take on new looks. Although it’s not entirely clear on how that will work as it wasn’t available in the beta.
Blizzard will also be adding character skins to the game. These will probably have to be purchased from the shop. But since it’s completely aesthetic and in no way impacts gameplay, players won’t need to buy them.
Update: April 4, 2022
Back on March 28, Blizzard shared a handful of images of what some of the game’s cosmetic armor sets look like. Since these will be one of the main ways you customize your character’s looks, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with these.
You’ll be able to earn some through gameplay while others will need to be purchased from the store.
What is the leveling and gear system like?
The gear system can feel like a complex beast at first. But once you play more of the game you get used to it. Just like in other Diablo games you can acquire higher level gear as you level up your character. Gear will also have higher quality tiers, including those shiny orange legendary items, and you can upgrade your pieces to apply improved stats and more.
You can also affix gems to your gear, and you can upgrade those as well. Set pieces have also been added to the game as of the closed beta. Allowing for huge bonuses to your stats and abilities the more of a set you have equipped.
When it comes to leveling, the level cap for the game currently (as of the ending of the closed beta) is 60. You can then go beyond that by adding paragon levels to your characters to allow for even stronger gear, stats, and abilities. Which in turn will allow you to take on some of the harder content.
Does Diablo Immortal have end game content?
Yes. In fact there’s quite a bit of end game content for high-level players. This includes but isn’t limited to the Cycle of Strife. Which is basically an in-game war of sorts where players have to face off against each other as part of two separate in-game factions – the Shadows and the Immortals.
At the end of the Cycle of Strife, the top Shadows players must take on a single Immortal player, who is buffed in size, appearing as a giant raid boss, with stronger abilities and more health. If the Shadows win, they must then face each other and the last Shadow standing ends up being the new Immortal.
There are also raids, harder difficulty dungeons, elder rifts and challenge rifts with multiple tiers, and the Helliquary which includes an 8-player raid.
Other in-game content
There’s a lot on offer, so trust us when we say there will be no shortage of things for you to do. Both PvE and PvP content will be available across some of the things we mentioned above. There’s also bounties players can pick up and complete each day to gain XP and potentially stronger items as well as gold.
There are 8 bounties you can do each day in sets of four. But it’s also now possible to stack these bounties over a period of days just in case you miss a day. That way you don’t miss out on the bounties that you weren’t able to pick up. So, as an example, let’s say you don’t play for a day and you miss those 8 bounties. The following day you’ll be able to pick up a total of 16 bounties to complete. And if you miss two days in a row you’ll be able to pick up a total of 24 bounties on the third day.
Blizzard says this was a sort of catchup mechanic that it added so players who can’t go hardcore on gameplay will have an additional way to level up fast when they do have time to dive in.
What are the minimum device requirements for Diablo Immortal?
While most phones will be able to play Diablo Immortal, there is a set of minimum requirements they will need to meet. You can find them listed down below.
Android Requirements
- CPU – Snapdragon 670/Exynos 8895 or higher
- GPU – Adreno 615/Mali-G71 MP20 or higher
- RAM – 2GB of RAM or higher
- OS Version: Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher
iOS Requirements
- iPhone Version – iPhone 8 or higher
- OS Version: iOS 12 or higher
Will there be a social aspect to the game?
There are already some social elements available. This includes in-game chat for both parties and world. As well as voice chat for parties when you want to group up for some demon slaying.
Blizzard also plans to add guilds to the game along with a voice chat option for guild members. That way you can talk amongst other guild members even if they’re not in your party at the time.
The goal is to make this feel like a mobile MMO in many ways. So expect some features to evolve over time. Or for new features to be added that make the game more social as time goes on.
Check out the Diablo Immortal Trailers
That about covers most of the need to know content about Diablo Immortal. While there are a lot more features and content available, you’ll want to discover plenty of it for yourself as you play. So we’ll leave things here for now with a collection of the trailers Blizzard has released. If you’ve yet to watch them, give them a look and get hyped up.
2022-06-03 15:07:04