Legendary gems only drop from the bosses of the randomly generated Elder Rift dungeons, and it is only possible to guarantee an epic gem drop by applying the legendary crest modifier to the dungeon in advance of starting it. The drop rates for gems with Diablo IV Gold legendary status are extremely low.
Without spending any money on the game, you'll only get one legendary crest per month. Even purchasing Battle Passes will only provide you with one or two more legendary crests each month. Then, you'll have to purchase them in person. Legendary crests range in price from around $2 to $3 per piece. The huge number of gems you will need to make the most of your character's equipment especially when you consider the low drop rates of gems with five stars, is the reason why the cost of maxing your character's abilities on Diablo Immortal has been estimated at approximately $50,000-$100,000in some cases, even more if you get deep into the gem resonance system. (Rock Paper Shotgun is a very thorough cost breakdown which is on the more sensible end of this spectrum.)
Diablo Immortal has been given an extremely rough ride in the business model it is based on and perhaps in a way, considering popular free-to-play rivals such as Genshin Impact and Lost Ark are hardly free of similar gacha mechanisms to draw in huge-spending "whale" gamers. Diablo's popularity and reputation among an established PC gaming community, built up over the span of nearly a quarter century, is surely one of the reasons. It's also the case that this system is uniquely problematic and the nature of Diablo games may have something to do with that.
If you buy legendary crests you're not purchasing a roll of the dice as you purchase the FIFA Ultimate Team card pack such as. You are buying a chance to fill the dice with dice, to enter the game engine to alter the drop rates (slightly) in your favor. Its addictive gameplay mechanics are not isolated from the addictive gameplay mechanics. They are instead tied directly to combat and loot drops that are part of the game. Diablo is perfectly positioned to do this; as my coworker Maddy Myers pointed out, these games with a lot of loot focus have always had a slot-machine quality, which Diablo Immortal's business strategy makes sense.
Blizzard has taken pains to emphasize that Immortal's monetization can safely be ignored until the game's end that is the case, and claims that the majority gamers enjoy the game without spending any money, which is quite plausible. However, it's not true that the greatest enjoyment in Diablo games is in the experience of engaging in the story instead of maxing out your character. It would be just as insincere to say the fact that these games have been designed to instill desire to reach the power cap for the players. For people who are inclined toward addiction to gambling, toward the addictive qualities of cheap Diablo IV Gold game itemor, worse or both, the legendary crest system could be highly exploitative and may be damaging.
