Blizzard and Diablo IV GoldNetEase have not been so crass as to sell directly through a luot bag or gacha feature however what they've created can be seen as, in an way which is more concerning. Legendary gems are only available from those bosses found in the randomly generated Elder Rift dungeons, and it is only possible to guarantee the legendary gem's drop by applying a legendary crest modifier to the dungeon before you start the dungeon. If not, the drop rates for gems with legendary status are extremely low.

While you do not have to pay any money for the game, you'll only get one legendary crest every month. Even purchasing one of the battle passes will give you only one or two other legendary crests per month. If you want to get more, you'll need to buy them directly. Legendary crests range in price from around $2 to $3 each. The large number of gems required for your character's best equipment and abilities, particularly when you consider the extremely low drop rates of five-star gems. This is the reason why the cost of maxing your character's abilities on Diablo Immortal has been estimated at between $50,000 and $100,000 -- potentially even more, in the event that you go deep into the system of gem resonance. (Rock Paper Shotgun offers an exhaustive breakdown of costs which is on the more prudent end of the spectrum.)

Diablo Immortal has been given an extremely rough ride due to the business model it is based on Perhaps disproportionately in light of the fact that free-to-play games like Genshin Impact and Lost Ark aren't immune to similar gacha-based mechanics that attract big-spending "whale" gamers. Diablo's renown and popularity with its core PC gaming audience, which has been built over the course of more than a quarter century, is definitely a factor. But it's also true that this particular system is extremely problematic, and the very nature of Diablo games has some connection to that.

When you buy legendary crests you're not buying the dice like you do when purchasing the FIFA Ultimate Team card pack or a FIFA Ultimate Team card pack, for example. You are purchasing the chance to load dice to get into the game engine to alter the drop rate (slightly) to your advantage. Gaming mechanics are addicting and are not separated from the addictive gameplay mechanics, but instead are tied directly to the combat system and loot drops within the game. Diablo 4 Gold is extremely well-positioned do this; as my friend Maddy Myers pointed out, these games heavily focused on loot always been characterized as slot machines and this is what Diablo Immortal's business strategy makes real.