Diablo 4's Store, Cosmetics, and Season Pass Earnings Explained

In a new developer blog, Blizzard has gone to great lengths to repeat something it had already said: Diablo 4Monetization does not include any means of purchasing power or gameplay benefits.

In the meticulous and definitive language of product director Kegan Clark, the blog explains how diablo 4 revenue will be generated (outside of sales of future expansion packs). The in-game store only sells one thing: cosmetic improvements for your character.

There will also be a Battle Pass-style Season Pass, which will be renewed alongside the in-game seasons. Season Passes have a free tier and a paid tier, but again, the paid tier only grants cosmetic items, or premium currency that can be used to purchase further cosmetic items in the store. Selling anything that affects gameplay is explicitly and repeatedly banned by Clark.

This deliberate coverage is certainly a result of the controversy that has engulfed Diablo Immortal. Developed in partnership with NetEase and released earlier this year, the mobile game is well-made, but has sparked consternation for its exploitative and deceptive depths of monetization, effectively lowering drop rates for the game’s most powerful items. and the cost of maximizing is prohibitive. Blizzard clearly wants to try to avoid Diablo 4 be shaved with the same brush.

But while the language of this blog is probably a response to Diablo Immortal‘s receipt, the same is unlikely to be true of the monetization design. A similar controversy over the real money auction house in Diablo 3 at launch, Blizzard learned that its players would not be accepting revenue from Diablo’s prized item game in a premium, major version. Diablo Immortal is an exception developed with different markets in mind: mobile platforms and Asian countries, where the expectations of players are different. It wouldn’t have occurred to Blizzard that it could get away with the same in a $60 PC and console release aimed at hardcore fans.

An example of the kind of cosmetic armor sets that will be on sale in Diablo 4‘s shop

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Anyway, Diablo 4‘s store and season pass represent an important departure point for a mainline Diablo, and the community will likely be alert to every detail of their operation that sounds.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is that the free level of the season pass shall provide gameplay boosts. These are defined as “things that make the journey to a new season character more streamlined” – for example, a boost that speeds up the rate at which XP is earned.

“We want to make it clear that players can’t unlock Season Boosts faster through purchases – there’s no way to unlock more boosts or unlock faster by spending money,” said Clark. This is worth hammering home because it shall possible to speed up your progress through a Season Pass by purchasing the next level, the now traditional way. But gameplay boosts are locked at the character level, so there’s no quick way to get there. And since they are awarded exclusively by free levels, they are awarded equally to all players.

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

As for the cosmetics sold in the store, these are ways to change your character’s appearance without in-game stats or any other impact on gameplay. It is possible to closely inspect how all items look like on your own character before purchasing. They are usually specific to individual character classes (while cosmetics exclusive to the Season Pass may look the same in all classes). You can use them on any character of the appropriate class in your account. And they can be mixed and matched with transmogs from items obtained in the game.

A Legendary armor set earned from the game on the left, compared to a paid cosmetic set on the right

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard would like to emphasize that the cosmetics may look different from in-game armor pieces, but not necessarily better. “There are incredible pieces—unique and legendary quality items—that players can find without ever going to the store,” says Clark.

As plain and plain as it is, Diablo 4‘s monetization design can still harass the community. The Season Pass inevitably carries with it the flavor of free-to-play gaming, while the rabidly competitive Diablo community is sure to test the claim that the seasonal gameplay boosts are fair and non-exploitable, down to an inch. of her life.

Selling cosmetics is a common practice in long-running live games, and there doesn’t seem to be anything controversial about how they will be sold in Diablo 4. Nevertheless, for some in the community, a character’s beautiful appearance should be a sign of the effort and skill put into acquiring those armor parts. For those players, offering similarly stunning looks for sale will sap that value.

But Blizzard must do something to maintain Diablo 4‘s ambitious sounding long-term live service. This cosmetic and the season pass incorporated into it are what it was chosen for. Time will tell if players find them tastier than Diablo Immortal‘s race to the pay-to-win bottom.