The technical alpha of Diablo Immortal has ended and thousands of players were able to get a first impression of the mobile ARPG. Many of the testers are enthusiastic and praise the game’s mechanics.
What kind of alpha is this? In December 2020, the first technical alpha of Diablo Immortal began, which the testers were allowed to discuss in detail. There, players tested many of the contents of the upcoming mobile ARPG.
Some thousand players were allowed to participate and see systems like the new Paragon system, dungeons, and the classes of Diablo Immortal. On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the alpha eventually ended again.
Now fans and testers are discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Diablo Immortal and what they particularly liked about the alpha. We summarize the sentiment in the community for you.
A detailed test of the alpha of Diablo Immortal can be found with the colleagues at GameStar.
Much praise, a little criticism
This is what testers say about the alpha: Most feedback on the alpha of Diablo Immortal is positive. The testers seem to be thrilled by the upcoming ARPG for Android and iOS. In a smaller thread in the still relatively young subreddit for Diablo Immortal, user necroticon praises:
Honestly, I was surprised at how much I liked it. Not shabby at all. I’m still a bit concerned about how bad the monetization could be, but aside from that – the gameplay was really solid. It felt like Diablo 3.5. I’m cautiously optimistic.
Other testers agree with him, some even mentioning that they find it a pity to have to stop already and now lose their progress after the alpha. User RazJUK is even a bit envious that he couldn’t participate: “But I know that if I had played, losing my character and progress would be frustrating.”
Paragon system impresses players
This was well received in the alpha: The new Paragon system of Diablo Immortal is often praised. It works quite differently than in Diablo 3. Instead of just collecting points and putting them into passive stats, there are various trees in Immortal.
These trees enhance a specific play style and grant certain bonuses for it. Thus, different Paragon specializations can be chosen according to the content players are currently engaging in, such as farming, PvP, or leveling.
This makes the Paragon grind no longer feel as boring but actually feels like a significant progression. However, the new system is not the only thing that has been well received.
Players also praise: On the Discord server for Diablo Immortal and other social channels, players have actively exchanged their experiences. The YouTuber Bluddshed, one of the biggest content creators for Diablo overall, has also listed five things that he particularly liked in one of his videos. These include:
- the aforementioned Paragon system
- combat – this is extremely fluid and the controls are better than he expected as a PC gamer in a mobile game: “They really nailed the Blizzard polish.”
- the Free2Play model – he finds the battle pass with a paid and a free path very fair
- the progression that is slower and steadier in Diablo Immortal with less intense peaks than in Diablo 3. This ensures longer gaming enjoyment
- endgame activities
In terms of activities, Bluddshed mentions dungeons, rifts, and bounties, all of which feel important. Everything he does in Immortal somehow advances him. Even the PvP reminiscent of World of Warcraft is a good source for items. We have embedded his video here for you:
Too much grind in Diablo?
This is being criticized: Despite the good progression system, the grind seems not to be well received at least in some areas. Some players criticize certain “dead zones”.
While playing, it can happen that there are no activities for several levels and one can only mindlessly grind on enemies. Fr0d0b0ls0n on Discord, for example, says: “Newer MMOs usually do it better; you don’t have to grind something in the middle of leveling.”
Another point of criticism is the monetization, which was explained in detail in a long video. Players are especially uncertain about how strong purchased content will truly be. There are concerns about pay-to-win, but so far they can’t say anything concrete about it.
Will this be improved? The technical alpha was the first test on a larger scale, and player feedback is slowly being implemented to test again. What will change and how significantly remains to be seen.
What happens next?
After the test has now concluded, player feedback will be processed to prepare for further tests. However, we do not yet know when this will happen. There is no official announcement yet.
On February 19 and 20, 2021, BlizzConline 2021 will take place. This is the replacement for the cancelled 2020 BlizzCon, which could not take place due to the corona pandemic. New details about Diablo Immortal and the upcoming tests will certainly be revealed at the online event; possibly even a release date will be presented.
If you want to watch the free event, you can find our speculations here, what you can expect at BlizzConline 21.
