Nobody denies that Diablo Immortal’s Elder Rifts are easy. But did you know that you can complete them without wearing any gear? That’s right–your character can be completely naked and easily smash through an Elder Rift in minutes.
Elder Rifts are replayable dungeons players can complete in just a few minutes—defeat monsters to fill the Rift Progress meter and summon a Rift Guardian. Destroy the Rift Guardian, and you have a chance to get Legendary Gems (if you fill the Elder Rift with Legendary Crests).
For those who have not been following the Diablo Immortal monetization controversy, Elder Rifts are the game’s version of a loot box. Players can purchase Legendary Crests for real money and put up to 10 in an Elder Rift to guarantee one Legendary Gem drop for every Crest. A 10-crest run will cost you about $25.
Belgium and The Netherlands are two European countries that preemptively banned Diablo Immortal after finding it violated local gambling laws prohibiting loot boxes.
So, why does it matter if Elder Rifts are easy? Well, it trivializes the point of getting powerful gear, which is the entire objective of an action RPG. What’s the point in killing monsters when it’s impossible to fail?
Perhaps the thinking is that someone paying for Legendary Crests should be able to get their gems with zero effort. One could argue that Elder Rifts are not about skill or being challenging; that’s why Challenge Rifts exist. Try to progress through Challenge Rifts with no gear, and you won’t make it very far.
Elder Rifts are tied to your character level, even if you’re grouped with other people at different levels. A level 60 player would see monsters with higher health than a level 20 player. You’re basically doing a percentage of damage to the monsters, which is how these Rifts scale equally for all players in a party.
There’s also no way to fail an Elder Rift and lose your Legendary Crests. If you leave the Elder Rift or somehow fail it within the time limit, your Legendary Crests will get mailed back to you. That’s probably a good thing, considering the cost of each Legendary Crest.
