Diablo Immortal: Closed Alpha, gameplay, and everything you need to know

The first Diablo entry designed for play on mobile devices will be called Diablo Immortal. While there are many mobile games to play, Immortal will be the first full Diablo game designed from the ground up to be played on a mobile device, and thus carries a lot of excitement with it. We have gotten a slow trickle of footage since its announcement.

There are two Technical Alpha's for the game that have been released in 2020, as well as new information on how monetization works, and much more.

Everything we know about the game so far.

What is Diablo Immortal's story?

There is a bridge between the two stories of Diablo: Immortal. Five years after the destruction of the Worldstone, Sanctuary is thrown into despair by some ancient evils, and humanity faces danger again. To help restore order to the world, players will have to travel across all of Sanctuary to find shards of the Worldstone.

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Players will face off against foes like the Skeleton King and his Queen, as well as the last Horadrim, Deckard Cain, during the course of the game. When players first start the game, they will find themselves in the town of Wortham, where they will be tasked with traveling through places like the Ashwold Cemetery, the cursed Dark Wood, and the Shassar Sea in search of shards of the Worldstone.

In a recent interview, Senior Narrative Designer at Blizzard, Justin Dye, talked about the team's excitement to explore some of the past while also bringing in new ideas for the game.

Dye said that someone will pitch the idea, and that they will kick it around to see how it feels. I feel like getting those has been easy.

A lot of the places in the game are new to us. It is a fun challenge.

What type of game is Diablo Immortal?

Like most of the games in the series, Immortal is a top-down, hack-and-slash game where you battle hordes of enemies and use magic to win the day. It's not unusual for a mobile game to have a large component, but this one is different because it is fully designed to run on phones, and will also include a large component.

The game will still have a substantial single-player story, but it will also have features like guilds, four-player dungeons, legendary loot, and shared social spaces. The content of the game will continue to grow over time, which is why the company is hoping that this approach will make it easier to monetize the game.

What is gameplay like in Diablo Immortal?

Fans of the franchise will be familiar with the game's Gameplay. You can progress through a variety of dungeons in order to earn new loot and progress in the main story. The dungeons in the game are filled with monsters, gears, and items, and can be completed by yourself or with a party. Daniel Bader described the experience as fun as hell in our hands-on.

Outside of the traditional dungeons found in Diablo games, Immortal also features a mechanic that comes into play during the final stages of the game. The ability to transport yourself to new areas will allow players to take on difficult monsters. You will be timed to finish off your enemy in the randomly generated areas that you will be transported to. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with a lot of loot that will help boost your character.

There will be different types of Rifts in the game. Elder Rifts can be modified to increase the variety and rewards you earn for completing them, as well as a higher difficulty option to show off how you fare against other players.

PvE is at the heart of the game, but it will also feature some elements of the game that are not PvE. According to the lead producer of the game, many of the Zones in the game will have their own randomly spawning event, which may be similar to a treasure hunt.

After initially planning on releasing the game in 2021, the game was pushed back into 2022. While no official release information is available, recent comments from the company during its latest earnings report seem to suggest that the game is still on track to release in 2022.

How to play the Diablo Immortal Technical Alpha

Fans can participate in the Closed Alpha for the game. The Alpha is only available in Australia for users who pre-registered for the game on the platform. While you won't be able to participate in the second Alpha, it's likely that the company will host another round of testing in the future because they want to gather valuable feedback on both server stability and client performance data.

Does Diablo Immortal have Paragon leveling?

Yes! For those who don't know, a new set of skill trees are unlocked once you reach max level in the game, allowing players to continue learning new abilities. The Paragon system has been adjusted to fit in with the new game, but players will still be able to access trees even further than what they can do when they reach max level.

Is there PvP in Diablo Immortal?

Yes. The ability to take each other on will be available in the game. The first thing that players will do is gain fame and fortune for defending Sanctuary citizens. The Cycle of Strife is a battle for dominance that lasts for a long time.

The most elite fighters are at the top of the group. The Shadows will come together in groups known as Dark Houses to challenge the Immortals. As Shadows grow in strength, Dark Houses can attempt to overthrow the sitting Immortals, and even replace them if they succeed. The new Immortals are in the sights of the Shadows.

The Battleground will have its own section where all the players can participate. There will be 8v8 battles here, with an attacking and defending team facing off. The Ancient Heart team will have to be destroyed by the Attackers. This will be a huge chance for players to show off their true power and abilities in a way that hasn't been before.

What is gear like in Diablo Immortal?

The gear is the foundation of any title in the series. One of the keys to success for any player is to earn gear in the game, and like every other game in the series, you can find gear by taking down monsters, buying it from vendors with gold, and playing the game.

All items will be available through playing the game, meaning you won't have to worry about someone being able to buy better gear than you without earning it in the game. Each item has its own unique stat, but gems, runes, and charms can be used to improve it.

• Players can insert Gems into pieces of gear to increase their stats, while stronger gems — named Legendary Gems — will also provide for new capabilities that keep your character continuing to grow in power and skill.
• Runes exist as a piece of currency to help players craft Legendary Gems, and they can be spent at any jewel crafter in Westmarch. For players who make it to endgame content, you'll also be able to find Runes in Elder Rifts, so collecting them shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
• Finally, Charms act as another way for players to customize their gear in Diablo Immortal. They occupy their own space in a gear slot, and will carry between one and five skill rank bonuses which help increase the rank of your skills.

The two biggest ways characters will be shaped are cosmetics and class changing.

cosmetics will allow players to change their appearance without affecting their gear or statistics. Instead, they act much like special skins players can wear, and will come in sets, some of which will include custom animations.

The current plan is to have a new set of cosmetics for all classes every month, themed after the Battle Pass. The Premium Battle Pass will include custom portal skins and portrait frames that match the cosmetics of that month, and players who own the Battle Pass will be able to unlocked a cosmetic set for any one class. Some of the free cosmetics that can be earned through play will also be available in the in-game Shop.

Each item in the game has its own unique visual progress to show off how far you've progressed in the game, with the Legendary Gems having their own visual reference for how powerful they are becoming.

When it comes to class changing, players will be able to change their character to a new class and have a new look. When you do this, players will receive a new set of items that will match their class, and they will retain their progress on the levels. You will be able to transfer all of your item progress and gems to that new class, and your progress on things like the Helliquary will also stay the same as it was.

What classes are there in Diablo Immortal?

There are a lot of classes to choose from in the game. The Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, and Demon Hunter were the only four classes that were available in the Technical Alpha.

When the game officially launches, check out your future options for a look at the six classes.

• Barbarian: The likeliest first class for many players, Barbarians will likely be a strength-based class, and use brutal and powerful weapons to take down foes. Attacks like the Hammer of the Ancients and Ancient Spear will help clear enemies quickly and efficiently.
• Monk: Monks will focus on precision in Diablo Immortal, using lightning-fast attacks that focus heavily on mobility and swiftness.
• Wizard: Wizards are all about magic, and will have a wide-range of arcane abilities, including a meteor attack, a lightning blast, and the power to teleport on the battlefield.
• Demon Hunter: The Demon Hunter is another class that will take advantage of long-range attacks, utilizing a crossbow to take down enemies. Players can expect to learn a ton of crossbow-based attacks, including abilities that can stun and knock back enemies.
• Crusader: This class seems like the closest thing to a Paladin that might exist in the game. Crusaders are clad in armor and look to take down whatever evil might exist. Blizzard hasn't revealed exactly what types of attacks to expect for this class just yet.
• Necromancer: This class acts similarly to the classic character from the original Diablo games. It can summon forth an army of undead warriors to attack on the player's behalf.

Each class has four different abilities. The classes will be able to use Ultimate Abilities, which will enhance the powers that the characters already have. According to the company, the current plan is for each class to get 12 unlockable skills, with players allowed to use five at the same time while they play.

Is Diablo Immortal free-to-play?

Yes. How it will operate as a game is one of the biggest questions surrounding it. This will be a free-to-play title, but will include optional in-app purchases, which is great news for fans of the game.

While some might hear about in-app purchases, and worry that the game will feature tons of microtransactions, it seems that Blizzard is very dedicated to making sure that the game has no pay-to-win aspects. According to the company, their plan is to support the game with a constant flow of free content, which includes new gear, features, classes, stories, and areas to explore. The core experience of the game will always be free, and should be something that players can enjoy regardless of how much they spend.

Does Diablo Immortal have a Battle Pass?

Yes. The Battle Pass is similar to the online component of most modern games. Similar to other battle passes in games, this will allow players to earn rewards by completing various seasonal tasks.

The Battle Pass will have both a free and paid track, allowing players to earn rewards regardless of whether or not they pay for it.

Is there a market in Diablo Immortal?

There will be a market for Diablo Immortal, but it won't be like the real-money auction house of the previous game. There will be no ability to cash-out in the market.

Similar to other games, there will be a limit on what can and cannot be put on the market, but it will still serve as a great place to find certain materials, supplementary items, and Legendary Gems. Free-to-play players will be able to use the market to exchange items they find for other in-game currency, making it a great way to boost their in-game money without having to spend anything.

What does the UI look like in Diablo Immortal?

Fans had a lot of questions about how the game would fit into a tinier screen. During ChinaJoy, China's biggest video game convention, a brand new trailer for the game was released, giving us a look at how some of this is going to be presented.

There is a brief glimpse of the game during the short video. Thankfully, it looks like there is a way to get all of the information onto the screen, with players health, buffs, and abilities all showing up neatly onto the screen. For anyone who has played other games on their phone, this should be the same, with abilities popping up on the right side of the screen and right within reach of your thumb.

Are there microtransactions in Diablo Immortal?

Microtransactions will exist in the game. The in-app purchases found in the game will complement the game, but will not feature any pay-to-win mechanics.

What is the control system like in Diablo Immortal?

There are on-screen buttons for the control scheme of the game. If you are using a smaller phone, they are not too obtrusive, which is nice, although they may get in the way of the action. The right thumbstick almost disappears completely when not in use, which is a nice touch, but it is all the attack icons that take up the most space.

Hopefully, the company will add controller and on-screen buttons. The game experience on most phones is better if you can see more of the game than the icons.

Information about the release date delay has been added.