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

Diablo 4 launched proper yesterday, June 6, and now all players can see just how pricey its microtransactions are.

Blizzard’s $70 action role-playing game leans heavily on in-game monetisation, with plans for various battle passes post-launch.

Available now, however, is the in-game shop, which has become a bone of contention among fans.

Diablo 4’s shop sells cosmetics only. There are no gameplay-affecting items up for sale. While that is very much a good thing, and in keeping with promises Blizzard made before launch, the pricing of some of these cosmetics has raised eyebrows.

Take the Triune Apostate armour set, for example. It weighs in at 2,500 Platinum. Platinum is Diablo 4’s premium in-game currency, and must itself be bought with real-world money. 2,500 Platinum will set you back £20.99 / $24.99 (2,500 plus 300 Platinum “free”).

The Cryptic Hunter mount costs £6.39. That’s a direct payment with real-world money. No need for Platinum.

And of course there’s horse armour for new mounts. The Three-Fold Nightmare Prestige mount and armour costs 1,500 Platinum, or just shy of £13.

If you want to buy all the cosmetics currently available in the shop, you’re looking at spending hundreds of dollars or pounds. One redditor worked it out, and came up with $357 to get everything in the most cost-effective way possible.

As you’d expect, the Diablo community has pointed out just how expensive these cosmetics are, and the fact armour sets are available for just one class only devalues your purchase somewhat.

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

Of course, the true test of Diablo 4’s monetisation will come when its battle passes launch and we get a sense of whether Blizzard is paywalling the game’s best-looking armour sets, or if the base game itself includes fancy fits that hold their own.

Generally speaking, Diablo 4 has gone down well and enjoyed a smooth launch. It’s also a smash hit. Blizzard announced Diablo 4 is its fastest-selling game of all time. Two expansions are currently in development.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Send news tips to [email protected].