Diablo 4 Will Include A Fan-Favorite Reward System
Diablo 4 is one of the most anticipated game sequels in years and its reward system just got a whole lot better.
This article is more than 2 years old
On June 2, Activision Blizzard (ABK) released a long-awaited Diablo Immortal, a mobile version of one of their most-successful gaming franchises. And like all mobile releases, the recently released Diablo had paywall implementations that pushed gamers towards purchasing loot boxes in hopes of speeding up their progression — requiring up to $100,000 to top off a character. However, following the controversies regarding their monetization tactics, ABK announced that their upcoming games, like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, won’t feature the controversial loot boxes.
According to IGN, ABK has stated that the upcoming Diablo 4 won’t feature loot boxes, a feature recently removed from the original Overwatch. Instead, the upcoming and highly anticipated Diablo will be released as a full-price game instead of a free-to-play release, and while players can spend money in the game, if they so desire, they won’t be able to “pay for power.” As per ABK’s latest development update, the game’s content will be structured around Seasons and Battle Passes that will rotate every couple of months, introducing new content and collectibles into the game.
Diablo 4 will also feature the same Season Journey model featured in the current Diablo installment (Diablo III), which allows gamers to complete a set of tasks and objectives, thus earning gears and gold at the start of the season. It grants the player a guaranteed full set of seasonal gear, followed by visual upgrades through additional questing. Season Journey is one of the fastest ways for Diablo players to progress through the season, at least in Diablo III, and it’s great that ABK is implementing the same progression system into their upcoming game.
Besides the aforementioned Season Journey, ABK announced that they’d provide a more traditional seasonal battle pass too, branded as the Season Pass — despite the company adamantly calling it a “battle pass-style progression,” for whatever reason. This progression system will allow players to earn additional cosmetics and premium currency with different tiers available to players, most likely categorized into free and premium types. Unfortunately, details about this are still scarce, as ABK hasn’t shared any pricing for Season Pass or the number of tiers available.
Instead of offering random-number-generated items needed for character progression, Diablo 4’s in-game shop will offer a variety of customization items. However, the developer and publisher also stated that the best-looking cosmetics wouldn’t be exclusive to the in-game shop and would still be available as in-game loot obtained from opponents. Presumably, those items are likely to have a lower-drop change to justify the existence of said items in the shop, but still, it’s a step in the right direction towards leveling the playing field among paying and non-paying gamers.
This means that some of Diablo 4’s shiniest armors and best weapons will be item drops earned through in-game content instead of just buying them in the in-game store — though they are likely to be offered there too. Despite that being the case, ABK has stressed that items bought in the in-game store won’t offer any type of gameplay advantage over those won in Diablo 4. The game currently has no solid release date; it was originally scheduled for a 2022 release, but it was postponed to 2023.
