Now Diablo 4 Is Out in the Wild, the True Horror of Its Costly Microtransactions Has Revealed Itself

admin June 7, 2023

0 2 minutes read

Diablo 4 was officially released yesterday, June 6th, and now all players understand just how expensive its microtransactions can be.

Blizzard’s $70 action role-playing game relies heavily on in-game monetization, with various battle passes planned for post-launch.

However, the in-game shop, which has been a source of controversy among fans, is now available.

The Diablo 4 shop only sells cosmetics. No gameplay-affecting items are sold. While that’s very good and in line with the promises Blizzard made prior to launch, the prices for some of these cosmetics are frowned upon.

For example, consider the Triune Apostate armor set. It weighs 2,500 platinum. Platinum is Diablo 4’s premium in-game currency, and itself must be purchased with real-world money. For 2,500 Platinum it’s £20.99 / $24.99 (2,500 plus 300 Platinum is “free”).

If you have a fancy hobby, you need money to buy it.

The Cryptic Hunter mount is priced at £6.39. It is a direct payment with real world money. I don’t need platinum.

Some horses in Diablo 4 are very expensive.

And, of course, there is horse armor for the new mounts. The Three-Fold Nightmare Prestige mount and armor cost 1,500 platinum, or just under £13.

If you wanted to buy all the cosmetics currently on the market, you would be spending hundreds of dollars or even hundreds of pounds. Some redditor solved itcame up with $357 to get everything in the most cost effective way possible.

As you can imagine, the Diablo community has It pointed out How expensive these decorations are, and the fact that the armor set is only available for one class, reduces the value of the purchase somewhat.

But these days, some point out that up to $25 for a bundle that includes a skin and a few minor cosmetics is pretty standard. For example, anyone who’s played Activision’s recent Call of Duty game will be familiar with this kind of pricing.

Of course, the real test of Diablo 4’s monetization will be whether its Battle Pass launches and Blizzard paywalls the best-looking armor sets in the game, or whether the base game itself retains its own features. It will be when you know if a flashy fit is included.

Overall, Diablo 4 went well and I enjoyed the smooth launch. This is also a big hit. Blizzard has announced that Diablo 4 is the fastest-selling game of all time. Two extensions are currently in development.

Wesley is IGN’s UK news editor. Find @wyp100 on Twitter. Send your news tips to wesley_yinpoole@ign.com.