Diablo Immortal will be released on June 2, 2022 and one or the other Blizzard disciple will probably be curious to find out what the mobile Diablo is capable of. For other gamers, it’s already clear that they want to indulge in mobile MMOARPG brawling fun. However: Diablo Immortal will be playable for free. This raises the question for many future action heroes: How Pay2Win is Diablo Immortal – will it be possible to keep up with a player who shoots tons of coal into the game (aka: a whale)?
Youtuber Gregg2G asked himself this question at the beginning of April 2022. He has released a video to highlight the differences between Free2Play and Pay2Win – apparently the Legendary Gems are the main linchpin of this discussion but not on the other side. And that’s because of how these gems work.
Why is the video by Gregg2G and the topic associated with it currently boiling up? Well, because the well-known Streamer Asmongold reacted to Gregg2G’s video – you can watch it on youtube. Back to Gregg2G.
What are legendary gems in Diablo Immortal?
Legendary gems have a tremendous impact on gameplay. A maximum of six of them can be used in the equipment and they fulfill several functions:
- They increase the character’s Offense Rating and Defense Rating aka ORDR when equipped
- They increase the base stats of the item they are used on aka damage and life
- They provide a special effect when used, including a damage aura based on your character’s maximum health, damage reduction, and a buff to the chance of finding magic items
In Diablo Immortal you can earn legendary gems and improve them through a level system. The main source of Legendary Gems are Elder Rifts, which you must upgrade with Legendary or Rare Emblems in order for there to be any chance of a Legendary Gem drop.
Gregg2G calls this a hidden gacha system. Why? You can shop the Legendary Emblems without limit so that Legendary Gems drop with a 100% probability. According to Gregg2G, there is no way to earn these legendary emblems for free. Furthermore, the gems drop with one of five rarity levels (1 to 5 stars). And the rarest tier, legendary 5-star gems, according to Gregg2G, is also really rare: “I’ve played this game for 1,000+ hours and haven’t found a single 5-star gem.”
Legendary 5 Star Gems for F2P? With damn luck
In Gregg2G’s eyes, no Diablo Immortal Free2Play player will ever see a 5-star gem drop. On the one hand, because the drop chance for the free gamblers is negligible and on the other hand, because the rare emblems for the Elder Rifts that can be played for free are also rare. “Rare emblems can be earned for free, three to five a day. But they only have a 10 percent chance of a Legendary Gem dropping.” So you must be very lucky that this drop also has 5 stars.
On top of that, leveling up each legendary gem in the Diablo Immortal beta also consumed so many resources that, according to Gregg2G, it took until the end of the three-month beta to get a 1-star gem to rank 10 . And you actually want to take part in upgrading the gems in order to awaken the items in which the legendary gems are used with the help of other paid items and give them, for example, ability cooldown reductions.
ORDR is catchable – Gem Effects are not
Assuming you’re really exceptionally lucky as a Free2Play player and you drop at least six 5-Star Legendary Gems, you’ll be fine. If you’re not that lucky, you’ll still be able to catch up with a Whale in terms of ORDR if you farm enough Paragon levels in Diablo Immortal; provided the Whale doesn’t play as much as you do.
Because: The higher your Paragon level in Diablo Immortal grows, the higher the attributes that can be found on your drops. But while you might be able to keep up in terms of ORDR, you can’t replace Legendary gem effects. Just the buff to the attributes that a 5-star jewel awards compared to a 1-star jewel alone is huge according to Gregg2G; three times as high. A high Paragon level player with no 5-star Legendary Gem will always be at a disadvantage in this respect compared to a low Paragon level player with six 5-star Legendary Gems. “That and the stat bonuses more than make up for the weaker gear. There are also catch-up mechanics to help you catch up the Paragon levels,” says Gregg2G.
The moral of the story?
Anyone who spends money in Diablo Immortal to equip themselves with legendary gems will outperform a Free2Player in PvP, and most likely just in terms of damage and life. Even if the equipment is adjusted, nothing will change, because such an adjustment would have no effect on the influences of the gems. In PvE, of course, that matters differently…
Incidentally, Whale player Fishkeen, covered by Gregg2G in the video, also chimed in on the comments, saying, “Just to make things clearer. This isn’t even fully f2p. Got 2 one off offers and BP [den Battle Pass] Bought. Actually makes the whole thing worse.” The final question that arises: Gregg2G’s experience is from the beta. Diablo Immortal will be released on June 2nd, 2022. The hope is that the observations made by Gregg2Gs and the complaints from Blizzard players will be heard – and that adjustments will be made. Because the biggest point of criticism may not be that whales could be superior in PvP from Diablo Immortal (depending on the type of player, of course), but that there seem to be endgame mechanics for character power gain, from which Free2Play players are excluded.
The post Can a Free2Play player keep up with a Pay2Win whale? appeared first on Gamingsym.