WithDiablo Immortalprimarily being a mobile game, it understandably has to work a little harder to show that it is still a trueDiablotitle and an action RPG to be taken seriously. After spending some time trying out its 8th and latest class, the Tempest, that work seems to have paid off. Not only is the Tempest arguably one of the most fun and stylishDiablo Immortalclasses, but it’s also a class concept that stands out in the broader ARPG genre. With a highly diverse build variety from melee to ranged to summoning-focused kits, a lightning-fast suite of mobility skills, and a visceral air-and-water elemental aesthetic, the Tempest will likely be an instant favorite for manyDiablo Immortalplayers.
Game Rant spent some time trying out the Tempest class in various scenarios, from successfully soloing a giant crab Heliquary boss tospeedrunning challenge Riftsand bounties. We also played through the Tempest’s lore-heavy introductory quest line, took a stab at its Trial Dungeon, and plowed through floor after floor of the roguelike Fractured Planes. The Tempest class makes its way intoDiablo Immortalon May 23, and there will be a three-week window of unlimited class changes so that players have ample opportunity to check it out.
The Tempest Comes With a Cinematic Quest and Deep Lore
As withDiablo Immortal’s previous roster addition,the Blood Knight, the team went all-out on coming up with a full lore backing for the Tempest complete with cutscenes depicting ancient empires and a fully voiced quest line. Tempests hail from the island empire of Pelghain, a mostly peaceful, noble, and virtuous people that contrast heavily with the dark, brutal, bloody Blood Knight storyline.
The quest kicks off with the player as a small child witnessing a citizen of Pelghain being exiled, then fast-forwards some years to the present day. The island village is under attack by a horde of Maarozhi creatures, and defending the village serves as a gentle tutorial on some of the Tempest’s fundamentals.
Eventually, we’re forced to flee the village by boat, but not before taking on a gigantic Maarozhi Leviathan boss. It’s a relatively straightforward encounter with some telegraphed moves, but it shows off how the Tempest’s mobility makes it an exceptional boss-dodger. Finally, the quest ends with a brief minigame involving sailing the ship through obstacles in the storm toward the mainland. Although brief, this quest is a great jumping-off point for new Tempest players, and it introduces somenewDiabloloredeserving of expansion.
The Tempest also arrives with its own Trial Dungeon which shows off three potential Tempest builds in a quick dungeon crawl that caps off with a showdown with the iconic Skeleton King. While the introductory quest is a great first step for Tempest players, the Trial Dungeon is a helpful way to demonstrate some of the many approaches players can take with a Tempest build, including apremade PVP build. Of course, we’ll have to see if these builds ultimately line up with meta builds onceDiablo Immortalexperts begin crunching numbers.
Diablo Immortal’s Tempest Skills and Playstyles
In terms of playstyle, the Tempest can vary substantially depending on which skills are equipped and the legendary items that modify them. In general, the Tempest can lean toward either melee or ranged combat, or it can focus on taking advantage of its Mist-Touched passive. That said, there is a ton of variance between these approaches.
We didn’t have time to theorycraft our way into the perfect build for every situation, but even our haphazard experimenting resulted in a workable kit that suited our playstyle. Animations for the Tempest’s abilities are impactful and fun to watch, and the mixture of air and wind-themed abilities also helps visually distinguish various kits. It feels a bit likeAang fromAvatar: The Last Airbenderwith some trademarkDiabloviolent tendencies.
All Tempests have the Mist-Touched passive which causes attacks to periodically summon a Zephyr clone that mimics the Tempest’s skills before dissipating into a Mist-Touched Orb. Collecting these orbs shortens the cooldown between future Zephyr summons, but interestingly, allied players can also collect them to summon their own Zephyr clones. UnlikeDiablo Immortal’s Necromancer summons, these Zephyrs are relatively short-lived with their upkeep instead tied to the orb mechanic.
A substantial portion of the Tempest’s skills and even basic attacks either increase its movement speed, teleport it to the target, or cause the Tempest to dash. It’s an incredibly fast-paced class, and we found ourselves popping all of our cooldowns in Westmarch just to go from one vendor to another more quickly. Abilities like Rolling Surf puts the player into a surfing-on-water animation with a 35% boost to movement speed, and this also transforms the primary melee attack into a ranged attack for the duration. Our Flying Torus legendary affix modified this further by transforming these ranged attacks into sweeping waves with a wider impact, and this also applied to our Zephyr summons making for some nasty horde-clearing.
The Tempest excels at mobility, sustained damage, and control. Riptide pulls in nearby enemies and stun them, while Fog Step makes the Tempest untargetable for several seconds and can be enhanced with an affix that causes Fog Step to also clear movement impairing effects. There’s certainly a lot of PVP potential throughout the Tempest’s toolkit, and skilled Tempest players will likely be an incredible nuisance in the Battleground.
Diablo Immortal’s Much-Needed Paragon Rework
Finally, we also had a chance to play around with the newly reworked Paragon System, which has been drastically simplified to be more approachable. Rather than 15 different five-skill Paragon trees to worry about, the system has been streamlined into five trees with clear themes for each of them.
The Frenzy of Battle tree is all about PVE with bonuses to kill streaks and damage increases against NPCs. The Wind Movement tree enhances dash skills, improves traversal, and introduces some buffs, and the Grind Expedition tree is where party-based Paragon skills have been consolidated. Similarly, the Soul of Conquest tree is where every PVP-oriented Paragon Skill can now be located. This new system makes it incredibly easy for players to target their preferred playstyle andinvest Paragon pointsaccordingly, and it feels like a real step up from before.
Overall, this update feels likeDiablo Immortalis at the top of its game in delivering one of the most memorableDiabloclasses in the franchise. The Tempest stands on its own merits and doesn’t feel like a simple rework of something Blizzard has already done, and it’ll be interesting to see which play styles from the class become favorites amongDiablo Immortalplayers.
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to Sanctuary! A dark world where angels and demons clash in a ferocious war over the mortal realm. Join forces with other players on an epic quest to save mankind!For the first time ever, the legendary series Diablo comes to mobile. Experience the highest quality AAA gaming in the palm of your hand. Jump into an immersive gothic fantasy with just a push of a button. If you want to play for 3 minutes or 3 hours, there is a fun experience for you in Diablo Immortal.Adventure on your own or team up with friends to take down massive bosses!Face down hordes of demons or enter grand player-vs- player battles and prove your might!Explore a new and exciting world!With new updates every two weeks, Diablo Immortal has endless content for however you want to play!
