MeinMMO author Maik Schneider ran jubilantly through the Hell Gate at level 60 in Diablo Immortal. He is a Free2Play player and appreciates the free action RPG. But after looking at the endgame mechanics, the jubilation has passed.
Diablo Immortal brought me back to the Diablo series after a long time. I think back to my time in Diablo 3 with a grin on my face. Split screen for four with two televisions, until one of the co-op partners automatically follows because the guy on the controller is already asleep.
Instead of the monk, in Diablo Immortal I rely on the necromancer and instead of a sleeping fellow player, I have a world full of players open to me with whom I can do many activities at any time.
So I’ve been diligently playing the story since release and now finally got to the endgame – level 60, start of the Paragon experience.
Level up fast in Diablo Immortal – Guide to max level 60
So far I haven’t spent a penny and I’m happy with the experience that Diablo Immortal is giving me. I then wanted to go straight to the grind for the right set items for my build and had to realize that I can’t collect them all yet.
Because Diablo Immortal sets clear boundaries when it comes to endgame grind. And I think the current system is more of a problem after level 60 than Pay2Win and Legendary Gems.
Because the biggest fans of the action RPG will be limited in their enthusiasm. The people who grind through the game from release and also always defend it against the constant Pay2Win accusations – these are the very people who are restricted by the artificial borders.
You can find out more about the controversial legendary gems in our video:
Diablo Immortal: What are Legendary Gems? Facts and locations in 3 minutes
The endgame has 3 big problems
After I fully understood how all the Pay2Win mechanics work, I was briefly demotivated.
However, I made it clear to myself that I don’t want to be one of the best PvP players on the server anyway. I just want a quick grind with friends sometimes – always with a strong build in mind. And there are also enough legendary gems that I can get without using real money.
When I delved deeper into the Paragon and Endgame systems, it became clear to me that this is exactly where the problems for frequent players lie and not with the Pay2Win approach.
Overall, I would like to list three mechanics that limit the endgame or limit the ability of frequent players to search Diablo Immortal all day:
Paragon Barrier – Progress is slow
Diablo Immortal wants to give latecomers a chance to catch up with the hard-working Paragon grinders. In addition, the maximum Paragon level has a strict “soft cap”.
On my server, El’Druin, the Paragon server level is 26 at the time of writing. Everyone below this level gets a decent boost in experience points. If I’m over it, there are fewer experience points. The XP bar at the bottom of the image even turns red.
That wouldn’t be a problem if the Paragon level only affected the Paragon system. But it also depends on the equipment.
I can only grind out the two rings of all item sets on the “Hell IV” difficulty level. But Hell IV is only recommended from Paragon level 150 and equipment of this difficulty can only be equipped from 150.
So even if I struggle through the instance with a squad and get the coveted set item, I need Paragon 150 to equip it. It will currently take 62 days for the server level to reach this level. That would not be until mid-August.
Something similar applies to the Armorsmith. No matter how many materials I offer the blacksmith, at some point I need a higher Paragon level, otherwise there are no more upgrades. For equipment level 8 I already need Paragon level 30.
In addition, all equipment is worth less once the next Paragon threshold is reached. Because on the new Paragon level, the important Legendary for my build is back in a better version – so grind again.
Diablo Immortal: Necromancer build dish out brutal damage – Abilities, Attributes, Gear
Loot limits – grind expressly not desired!
A team of frequent players discovered that many activities have loot caps. So I can play a maximum of five cursed chests a day or do five side quests. After that, there will be no more glorious chest as a reward.
Two limits really hold up: Legendarys and Normal Gems. As soon as I collect six of each in a day, the chances of getting more items of the type go down rapidly.
So if I’m patiently waiting for the new Paragon cusp, I can’t even start grinding to bring my Legendaries up to speed. If you find six, the next Legendary is a long time coming.
You can find out more about the loot limits in the game here:
Expert with 1,200 hours shows loot limits in Diablo Immortal – Here’s how to avoid them
Character Coupling – Second character may pay twice
Last but not least, the shop policy slows things down. If you buy something with real money, then these packages are character-bound. So you can’t just start a second character and then go full throttle with purchased benefits.
Only the character on which the items were actively purchased benefits from all that stuff. This applies to the Battle Pass as well as to cosmetics and other packages.
Sure, you can tackle a second character without all that stuff. But especially when it comes to cosmetics, I can’t stop shaking my head. Parts of the community see it similarly.
Conclusion: I don’t care about legendary gems, but let me grind!
Diablo Immortal creates waves in me. At first I was hyped and had a lot of fun. Then I understood the Legendary Gems number and was crushed.
Then I understood that I can make great builds even without a 5/5 star gem. Currently, however, the number with the loot and equipment limits is pulling me down again.
My problem is that I would like to engage with it more, play it more. That I’m actually holding a full-fledged Diablo in my hands here, but you’re always faced with artificial hurdles that sometimes don’t have to be. This also includes the XP walls between the areas.
That’s why I’m standing here today and saying: Pay2Win isn’t Diablo Immortal’s biggest problem. It’s the progression hurdles set up in the endgame that keep the action RPG’s biggest fans from enjoying the game without limits.
Please leave me a comment on the topic. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.
If you’re more interested in Diablo 4, you’ll find good news here: Diablo 4: Beta registration started – How to register for the test