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Diablo Immortal begins rolling out technical alpha today

The mobile take on Diablo is hitting the technical alpha stage and Blizzard had a lot to say about it on Thursday.

Ozzie Mejia

December 17, 2020 3:00 PM

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There's been a lot of attention on Diablo 4, which is still in line to release on PC at some point in the future. However, it's not the only Diablo game on Blizzard's plate. The publisher is still working on Diablo Immortal, the series' first foray into mobile platforms. There hasn't been a lot of information on the game since it was first unveiled at BlizzCon 2018, but that changed on Thursday. Not only did Blizzard reveal more information, the team is about to roll out the game's technical alpha.

It's been over two years since Shacknews last went hands-on with Diablo Immortal. Since then, Blizzard's clarified a number of things, including a series of items that the development team cleared up today on the Diablo Immortal website. Players will return to Sanctuary five years after the destruction of Worldstone, putting this story square in the middle of Diablo 2 and 3. While the Worldstone has been shattered, its remnants threaten to throw the world into chaos. The goal is for players to hunt down what remains of the Worldstone and destroy its remnants, a journey that will take them all across Sanctuary.

The hunt for the Worldstone remnants begins in Wortham, where players can explore areas like Ashworld Cemetery, Dark Wood, and the Shassar Sea alone at any time. Six zones will be available over the course of the technical alpha. For those who want to explore with friends or strangers, those players can party up for dungeons. The dungeons are filled with both lore and loot. While these will ideally provide an ample challenge, Blizzard assures mobile users that these dungeons will average 10-15 minutes.

The technical alpha will feature four playable classes. The Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, and Demon Hunter will all return from previous Diablo games. They'll each have two different Primary Attacks, their own Skills, and a unique Ultimate ability. Each character will have their own character progression system, which will include the returning Paragon system, which kicks in after hitting the level cap. Four different Paragon Talent Trees will be available in the technical alpha: Survivor, Treasure Hunter, Vanquisher, and Gladiator. Yes, as implied here, Blizzard has its eye on endgame character builds in the hopes that Immortal will prove enticing enough for players to stick around.

Another incentive for players to see this game through to the end is the updated loot system. Like in past Diablo games, players can find loot drops throughout their sessions with the ability to level up rare and legendary gear with salvaged materials. There are 12 gear slots available, which will include reserved slots for legendary items. The most prominent way to experience the Diablo endgame is to play Rifts, which consist of a randomly generated map infested with powerful monsters. Both Challenge Rifts and Elder Rifts (the latter of which can be modified) can be completed for greater drops.

Diablo players are likely reading all of this and have a few things they're thinking about. Immortal is a free-to-play game. It's a mobile title. It's from developer NetEase. There's a lot of loot. Their questions are likely, "What's the catch?" and "How is Blizzard making its money?" In an effort to ease concerns, Blizzard is noting that real-money purchases will mainly center around a few items, purchasable with the real money Eternal Orbs currency. Crests, which are modifiers for Elder Rifts, are among the items that can be purchased with Eternal Orbs. Those can be purchased, but can also be earned through natural gameplay. Players can also purchase materials for reforging item properties, though Blizzard notes that these can also be earned through gameplay. Lastly, there's a Battle Pass system, which will feature special season quests and activities. There will be both a free and paid Battle Pass available, though given the backlash to sister series Hearthstone's similar Season Pass model, players may rightfully be wary of what's coming.

Diablo Immortal is also looking to implement something called "The Market," which Blizzard is adamant is not the infamous Diablo 3 real-money auction house. To that end, players cannot cash out in The Market. Everything players find here will be exchanged with in-game currency only with limits on what players can and cannot put up for sale. Blizzard's goal is a sustainable player-driven economy where players can search for the materials they need without diving into their wallets.

Based on the initial reaction to Diablo Immortal, both Blizzard and NetEase know they have an uphill battle to sell this to the Diablo player base. Their hope is that the story, the traditional Diablo gameplay, the impressive (for a mobile title) visuals, and a design that appears to move away from predatory free-to-play practices will eventually win players over. Their efforts will begin with this technical alpha, with the first invites rolling out today.

The Diablo Immortal technical alpha will first open to Android users in Australia. Those who pre-registered the earliest will receive access if their device meets the minimum system requirements. Blizzard will also look to invite various members of the Diablo community to get their input. Look for the technical alpha to roll out to everyone else, both on Android and iOS, in the months ahead.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?