Although Diablo 4 was the big star at BlizzCon 2019, franchise colleague Diablo Immortal is also thriving. Fans were able to play another demo in Anaheim and discovered a surprising feature.
After the big outcry for Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard has garnered more approval from fans this year with the reveal of Diablo 4.
However, Diablo Immortal does not need to hide. In an interview with VentureBeat, lead game designer Wyatt Cheng and lead game producer Caleb Arseneaux explain that Diablo Immortal is developing well and that they are working closely with the team from Diablo 4.
However, there are significant differences between the mobile version Immortal and the gameplay of Diablo 4.
Charges and Ultimates instead of Mana
This is how skills work in Diablo Immortal: In Diablo Immortal, action-packed gameplay is in the foreground. The developers have done away with a component of Diablo that has been important for many classes since Diablo 1: mana.
Instead of using mana, many classes receive charges for their skills. They receive one of up to three “charges” every few seconds and can use a skill as often as they want, or they fill a bar over time that depletes when used. According to Cheng, this has several advantages:
- It saves space, which is already limited on smaller screens
- The classes feel a bit more “skill-heavy” and action-oriented
- It opens up new possibilities such as charges or entirely new mechanics
These are Ultimates: One of these new mechanics are the “ultimates”. According to Cheng, they can be thought of like in Overwatch:
While you use basic attacks, a power meter fills around your ultimate bar […] and when it is full, you get a new button […] When you press this button, your character becomes super powerful for about 12 seconds.
Wyatt Cheng via VentureBeat.
Each class is supposed to get two different ultimates, depending on the two different basic attacks. Each attack builds a different ultimate. First images of this, such as the huge hammers of the barbarian, can already be seen at the end of the trailer in the latest update:
Diablo Immortal is received very well
This is what fans say about Diablo Immortal: At BlizzCon 2019, Diablo Immortal could also be tested on iPhone and iPad. The players were apparently very enthusiastic about the game, and even the colleagues from VentureBeat said in the interview article that Diablo Immortal is really good.
Fans asked when it would finally be released and even got Cheng and Arseneaux to sign posters for two hours. So, it does not need to hide behind Diablo 4.
The decision to publish the update for Immortal “secretly” during BlizzCon had completely different reasons. They simply did not want to steal the show from Diablo 4:
