Loot boxes have been one of the more highly controversial elements of gaming in recent years. Gamers loathe them, and for good reason. Microtransactions are often seen as predatory and costly, often harming the games’ that they’re included in. Some areas and countries have introduced legislation to restrict their inclusion, especially when marketed to kids ignorant of what they’re spending money on.
Mobile games are notorious for having a mountain of loot boxes, premium currencies and other pay-to-win mechanics. The idea is to slowly wear down player resistance to spending real money, and put roadblocks in front of them. The harder it is to stay competitive, the more certain players will pay to keep the edge. This is the common strategy for mobile games, infamously so. And being a mobile game, of course there’s a ton of that in here too. it should come as no surprise that Diablo Immortaloffers quite a few microtransactions.
Are there any loot boxes in Diablo Immortal?
While there aren’t traditional loot boxes in Diablo Immortal, there’s a system that does resemble them. There are actually a lot of similarities to previous games in the franchise this time around. There’s also a Rift system as well, that’s very reminiscent of the Diablo III approach to Rift. One of Diablo Immortal’s main featured game modes is the Elder Rifts. Elder Rifts work very similarly to their previous incarnation, but with one key difference. You still get random rewards for killing enemies. However, players can earn and buy Crests, which can be added to the Rift to “modify” the Rift and earn more rewards.
It’s those Crests that should be called loot boxes. If you want to increase (or guarantee) the odds of acquiring high-value items, you’ll need to modify Elder Rifts to get the best rewards.
Like many loot box systems, it’s intentionally messy: You’ll pay for crests for the opportunity to pick up powerful gems for your character. That has already angered some players due to the pay-to-win implications, as well as the knock-on effects for gambling addiction. And it would seem some regions already don’t want to mess with the potential implications. Diablo Immortal was banned in two countries before its launch for their loot box legislation
What other microtransactions are there in Diablo Immortal?
It doesn’t stop with Crests either, there’s more. And how many microtransactions there are depends on how many premium currencies there are.
Gold works in Diablo Immortal about the same way it works in every other Diablo game. But the developer also included Platinum as well. This is basically the term for one of the main premium paid currencies within the game. It’s this Platinum that would be spent to reforge Gems. The other, more obvious, pay-to-win currency is Eternal Orbs. You cannot earn Eternal Orbs through gameplay in Diablo Immortal, you must buy them. They would then be used as a trade-in for valuable items like Legendary Crests and Dawning Echoes. These items are key to the powerful items in the end-game.
There are a few other things to learn about this hit new RPG, so listen up. The Paragon leveling system is a bit different this time around, but mostly familiar. There’s also a more restrictive leveling system at play here, so keep that in mind. And if you find yourself not being challenged, trying a new difficulty in Diablo immortal might help.
