Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play game that’s packed with microtransactions to keep players coming back for more. But while dipping into the title’s in-game purchases for minor upgrades may seem like a harmless idea, it appears getting too involved could have extremely harmful consequences. According to analysis from Bellular News (via GameRant), it would cost players a total of US $110,000 (AU $153,000) to fully upgrade a single character in Diablo Immortal, thanks to the highest tier Legendary Gem currency only being available in loot boxes.
The US $110,000 amount is based in probability, but also down to the game’s lopsided in-game currency system. While players can spend real-world money in the game, the highest tiered upgrades and items can only be found in loot boxes – known in-game as ‘Legendary Crests’.
To obtain enough unique in-game currency to completely max out the stats and power levels of a single character, players will need be ready to massively invest in the game. According to Reddit user daymeeuhn (via VGC), the final total could be even more than US $110,000, thanks to single stats that reportedly costs around US $50,000 (AU $69,000) to max.
As daymeeuhn explained in a Reddit post penned during the game’s beta, in order to ‘fully max out six 5-star gems to Rank 10’, around US $40,000 – $50,000 is needed, due to each gem having a 5% drop rate.
‘You need 100 of each, plus the corresponding Gem Power. If there’s 8 different that’s 800 gems (assuming you’d loot an average of 100 each), and if there’s 10 at launch that’s 1000 gems. 1000 would be 20,000 crests which is around US $45,000,’ daymeeuhn wrote.
It doesn’t appear these statistics have changed since the beta, meaning even at the best odds, players could be in for more than US $110,000 to increase their overall power levels.
Read: Diablo Immortal Review Snapshot
This is part of the danger of free-to-play games, particularly titles with aggressive monetisation. While small investments in better armour, equipment or loot boxes can help in the short term, it’s incredibly easy for these investments to stack up.
While it’s not necessary for players to travel through the game with the most ‘maxed out’ character, the temptation is certainly there for players currently devoting hours of their time to the game. The natural impetus in video games is to constantly level up, and it appears there’s a point in Diablo Immortal where the reward is far outweighed by the monetary cost of the achievement.
Should you choose to dive into the game in future, keep an eye on your spending. While you can certainly play the game without spending a cent, if you do choose to invest, it’s best to exercise caution.
