Diablo 4 store, cosmetics, and Season Pass investment explained

in a new way Developers BlogBlizzard has taken great pains to repeat something she has He said it before: Diablo 4It will not involve monetization in any way to purchase power or gaming benefits.

In very precise and critical language from Product Manager Kegan Clark, the blog explains how to do it Diablo 4 It will be monetized (after future expansion packs are sold). The in-game store will only sell one thing: cosmetic improvements for your character.

There will also be a Battle Pass-style Season Pass, which updates along with the seasons of the game. Seasonal cards will have a free tier and a paid tier, but again, the paid tier will only give cosmetic items, or a premium currency that can be used to buy more cosmetics from the store. The sale of anything affecting gameplay has been expressly and repeatedly disqualified by Clarke.

These intentional messages are definitely the result of The controversy that swept Immortal Diablo. The mobile game, co-developed with NetEase and released earlier this year, did well but sparked panic among the public. The exploitative and misleading depths to monetize it, which effectively lowers the prices of the most powerful items in the game, and makes the cost of maxing out a character prohibitive. The blizzard is clearly eager to try to avoid it Diablo 4 It is smeared with the same brush.

But, although the language of this blog is likely in response to Immortal DiabloIt is unlikely that the same will apply to the design of monetization in the game. A similar controversy over the real money auction house has been included in Diablo 3 Blizzard knew at launch that its players would not accept any monetization of Diablo’s Precious Items game in a major major release. Immortal Diablo It is an exception developed with different markets in mind: mobile platforms, and Asian countries, where players’ expectations vary. It wouldn’t have occurred to Blizzard that they could get away with the same thing in a $60 PC and console version aimed at hardcore fans.

however, Diablo 4The Season Pass Store and Pass are important departures for Diablo’s main line, and the community will likely be on the alert for any details of their operations.

Perhaps most surprising is the free tier of the season pass will Advance gameplay enhancements. These are defined as “things that make the journey to level up a new seasonal character simpler” – for example, a boost that increases the rate at which experience points are gained.

“We want to be clear that players cannot unlock Season Boosts faster through purchases — there is no way to unlock more boosts, or boosts at a faster pace, by spending money,” Clark said. This is worth knocking home, because will It is possible to speed up your progress with the Season Pass by purchasing the next level in the traditional way now. But character level gameplay boosts will be restricted, so there will be no shortcut way to access them. And since it is awarded exclusively through free levels, it will be awarded to all players equally.

All other Season Pass rewards, free or paid, will be cosmetic. Some will be exclusive to the season and reflect its theme. It will be possible to speed up your progress through the Season Pass by focusing on the Season Journey, a series of achievement style objectives that will be familiar to Diablo 3 players.

As for the cosmetics sold in the store, these will be ways to modify the appearance of your character that does not have in-game stats or any other influence on the gameplay. It will be possible to closely examine how all the items look on your character before purchasing. They will mostly be specific to individual character classes (whereas season pass cosmetics may look the same across all classes). You will be able to use it on any character of the appropriate category in your account. They can be mixed and matched with transmitters from in-game items.

Photo: Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard is keen to stress that the cosmetics may look different than the in-game armor pieces, but not necessarily better. Clark says: “There are incredible pieces – items of unique and legendary quality – that players can find without ever going to the store.

As clearly and clearly defined, Diablo 4The monetization design may still be of concern to the community. The Season Pass undoubtedly carries the flavor of free-to-play games, while the competitive Diablo community will surely experience the assurance that seasonal gameplay boosts are fair, and unusable, within an inch of its life.

Selling cosmetics is a common practice in long-running live games, and there doesn’t seem to be anything controversial about how they’re sold. Diablo 4. However, for some in the community, the awesome appearance of the character should be a sign of the effort and skill that went into getting those armor pieces. For these players, offering a stunning look for sale will reduce this value.

But Blizzard needs to do something to fund upkeep Diablo 4Ambitious live service sounding for the long term. This cosmetics and season ticket fueling it is what she settled on. Time will tell if players find it more acceptable than Immortal DiabloRace to the bottom Pay to win.