Diablo Immortal for iOS: Everything you need to know

Diablo. That name has long-heralded a series of dungeon-crawling, loot-grabbing, demon-slaying games. The Diablo franchise has greatly expanded over the years, jumping from PC and onto consoles. Now, it's headed to mobile platforms.

Developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment is taking a big leap with Diablo Immortal, which was originally announced just for mobile but is also coming to PC on June 2, 2022. Whether you're a longtime series veteran or someone with a newfound curiosity in the franchise, we've got you covered.

What is Diablo Immortal?

Diablo Immortal is the first Diablo game developed by Blizzard Entertainment for mobile devices, first announced at BlizzCon 2018. While it's still an isometric hack-and-slash title, it's being built specifically for mobile platforms on iOS and Android. Later on, Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that Diablo Immortal was also coming to PC, though this isn't changing the structure of how the game is designed.

Diablo Immortal is set five years after the events of Diablo 2, well before Diablo 3. The plot follows the somewhat-recent destruction of the Worldstone, causing the realm of Sanctuary to face a new demonic threat. With the Archangel Tyrael missing, humanity is forced to fend for itself.

Blizzard Entertainment is working on Diablo Immortal while also developing Diablo 4, the latter of which is meant to be the next mainline entry in the franchise. This way, there's a game for both hardcore players on consoles and PC, as well as a new game meant to be more accessible to players on mobile devices. However, we don't know when Diablo 4 is expected to release just yet.

Diablo Immortal trailers

You can check out the cinematic reveal trailer from BlizzCon 2018 below:

The developers also shared an early gameplay trailer, giving a taste of what players could expect:

In April 2022, Blizzard Entertainment shared this release date trailer:

Diablo Immortal gameplay and features

Diablo Immortal is a Diablo title, meaning it's a hack-and-slash role-playing game. Players build up their characters by fighting through hordes of demons and other monstrous foes. As players level up, they collect new loot and unlock new abilities, taking on bigger and bigger threats.

Being designed for mobile devices, the UI is meant to be easily readable and scale properly across a range of devices, so it should work well regardless of whether you're playing on an older iPhone or one of the best iPads. Despite being primarily built and intended as a mobile game, Diablo Immortal is coming to PC in open beta form as well. It'll support full cross-play and cross-progression, meaning that players can venture out together regardless of where they're playing.

Diablo Immortal doesn't have stringent requirements on iOS, but you will need to be running iOS 11.0/iPadOS 11.0 or later on your device. You'll also need to have at least 3.1 GB of free space to download the game.

As a mobile game, Diablo Immortal also supports touch controls. Instead of using a controller or mouse and keyboard, the UI of the game has been designed so players can easily tap different abilities on the screen in order to use them. Casting a spell or swinging a sword is done with the light tap of a finger instead of a button press.

Blizzard Entertainment notes that at launch, Diablo Immortal will the largest Diablo game ever built with eight zones, although the developers intend to add more content in the months post-launch.

Does Diablo Immortal support PvP?

Diablo Immortal does support PvP (player-vs-player) combat, though it's in specific situations. You can't just attack a player you see on the road. Instead, there are dedicated PvP locations and modes.

The first major PvP mode is Battleground. This is pretty simple, as two teams of eight players face off in combat. Battleground is located in the Immortal Overlook of Westmarch.

The second big PvP mode is an endgame system referred to as the Cycle of Strife. It involves two factions, the Immortals and the Shadows. Immortals store treasures in Vaults, which the Shadows will attempt to break into. The Shadows also form teams called Dark Houses which fight against each other for the right to become the ultimate Dark House. This house will send 30 Shadows against one empowered Immortal. Any Shadows that win the battle are transformed into new Immortals.

Is Diablo Immortal free-to-play?

Being designed as a mobile game first, Diablo Immortal is completely free to play. While there are microtransactions for players to purchase, like in other free-to-play games, you don't have to spend a single dollar if you don't want to. Blizzard has made it clear pre-release that Diablo Immortal will not include any "pay-to-win" mechanics, meaning players can't spend money on microtransactions in order to gain an advantage over other players.

There are three types of currency in Diablo Immortal:

• Gold: Standard in-game currency. Found in treasure chests, or gained by killing monsters. Like in mainline Diablo games, it's used to purchase new items or upgrade gear with NPC merchants. Can't be purchased.
• Platinum: A special in-game currency. It can be gained by playing daily activities, or players can purchase it with real money. It's used to craft special Charms.
• Eternal Orbs: A special currency. Used to purchase Platinum, Battle Passes, Specialized Reforged Stones, Crests, and other cosmetics. Can only be purchased.

The Battle Pass in Diablo Immortal, like in other games, consists of a free and paid track. There are 40 free ranks and 40 paid ranks, both of which require the player to complete specific activities in order to unlock Battle Points. If you choose to buy the Battle Pass, there's two options. The $5 option simply unlocks the Battle Pass, while the $15 option automatically unlocks 14 ranks.

Like other mobile games, Diablo Immortal will also receive post-launch support in the form of new content. These content drops can include new regions, enemies, bosses, and more.

Diablo Immortal classes

Diablo Immortal is set to include six different classes at launch. Like in past Diablo games, classes are very different from each other, providing vastly different playstyles from each other. Here's the six classes we know about so far:

• Barbarian: A savage wanderer. Survivors of the disaster that struck Mount Arreat, Barbarians use brutal attacks to crush any opposition.
• Crusader: A wrathful zealot. Armed with their faith, Crusaders vanquish evil wherever they go, dominating the battlefield through sheer purpose.
• Demon Hunter: A vengeful stalker. Relentless vigilantes that assault from afar, Demon Hunters strike undeterred until their prey is at their mercy.
• Monk: A master of martial arts. Lightning-fast strikes that pummel enemies with a dizzying array of blows and mobility are the Monk's specialty.
• Necromancer: A manipulator of life and death. The priests of Rathma use their powers over life and death to preserve balance in Sanctuary.
• Wizard: A living conduit of arcane power. Wizards manipulate arcane forces to strike from a distance, disintegrating their enemies to oblivion.

Classes have unique looks and gear, though each class can earn cosmetics. These special sets can alter the look of a player's character while adjusting for the size and shape of a class. A male Barbarian character will be much larger than a female Wizard, but both can dress for a particular theme and style using the same cosmetic set.

Players will also be able to change their class if they want to invest in a different build, granting Paragon Levels so player progress is kept, even despite changing classes. The developers note that it's meant to be done as a significant choice. This feature is currently scheduled to arrive sometime shortly after the game's launch.

When is Diablo Immortal's release date?

Diablo Immortal is slated to launch on June 2, 2022. This follows the game being in closed beta testing for a long period of time. Initially, Diablo Immortal was slated to launch in 2021, but the game was delayed in order to allow for further polish.