How the Awakening System of Diablo Immortal is an awful practice and makes the game even more pay-to-win

One may think that the negative reception of Diablo Immortal stems from the mechanism of legendary gems and the gacha associated with it. However, that's not all, as the game has a few more red flags. Awakening is a mechanism that isn't discussed much, yet it's one of the worst a player can find in video games.

At its core, Diablo Immortal has many positive features that offer players a great insight into the iconic universe. Unfortunately, it has been let down by some truly horrendous decisions from Blizzard.

One prominent example is the way legendary gems are locked behind an expensive gacha system that requires a lot of real-life money to unlock. The awakening system is another area that is less discussed by fans but is equally problematic.

---

Diablo Immortal's Awakening System is truly pay-to-win

Players would be wrong to think that nothing could be worse than legendary gems. The awakening system unlocks when one reaches rank 10 on any particular legendary gem. The advantage of legendary gems is that they can be upgraded further, but there's a big problem.

After reaching rank 10, the gem can be awakened using eternal orbs, and this currency can't be earned in the game. Unlike Platinum, handed out in the battle pass, eternal orbs are premium in nature and can only be acquired with real-life money.

Each awakening costs $10 only if players opt for the $100 bundle. This makes it a problem for two major reasons. At the moment, a free-to-player can never obtain eternal orbs in Diablo Immortal.

So one section of players will always be limited and even investing great amounts of time won't solve the issue. This feels unfair when considering the second reason.

Had Awakening not been that big a difference-maker, one might have made a concession. This isn't the case as awakening a legendary gear provides a major advantage.

Awakening allows a player to put a 10% boost on the ability of the legendary gem. This usually applies in the form of a reduced cooldown or increased damage, which can have a huge impact.

There's PVP in Diablo Immortal, and better results give better rewards. Unfortunately, those who spend will have the advantage, allowing them to earn better rewards and get stronger. Essentially, the awakening system traps free-to-play users in a system that will never allow them to progress as much as they want to.

Hence, Blizzard's nefarious tactics don't end with the gacha associated with the legendary gems. This makes the entire process of obtaining a single 5-star gem extremely cost-intensive.

On top of that, the awakening system allows spending players to gain an advantage through the power of their wallets. Such reasons are why Diablo Immortal has become one of the worst-rated games on Metacritic.

---