Diablo Immortal will be getting its eighth class in 24 hours, a battle mage called the Tempest. If you're still playing this game or coming back from a long hiatus, or if you're new to it and just diving into it, then Tempest is a class you'll want to pay attention to. Tempest feels fast, liberating and sometimes a bit hectic. But it's this balance between chaos and control that makes the Tempest such a strong class to play. Not to mention fun.
Earlier this month, Blizzard gave me the chance to test out the Tempest class firsthand at Blizzard HQ ahead of its launch in the game on May 23rd. And I have to say: I'm hyped. After taking a long break, I feel like getting back into it for the first time in a while. I'm a big Diablo fan. I once took five days of paid leave at the launch of Diablo III at my then job. Just so I could play the game with friends for a week. Naturally, I was excited about the launch of Diablo Immortal. After testing the game through the alpha and several betas, I was hooked.
I wanted more. Finally, there was a real Diablo game for mobile that wasn't an “inspired by” title or simply a complete rip-off. It was Diablo, for mobile, from Blizzard. Although I took some time away from the game due to lost interest and other games taking up more of my time, Tempest makes me eager to jump back in. And I think it will excite other players too. Even those who may have left.
The Tempest brings something unique to Diablo Immortal
The biggest part of Tempest that stood out is its unique approach to gameplay. It is the only class in the game that allows the player to combine two very different types of combat into one class. And to top it all off, you can mix and match these skills to find the perfect balance. The Tempest is a master of wind and water. As Tempest, your attacks are like waves during a heavy storm crashing into your enemies. There is power behind these attacks and you only get a little range. Your main basic attacks are these water whip-like attacks as you kill enemies with your dagger.
The other side of Tempest's battle is based on the wind. While strong, the wind-based attacks lend themselves to a more agile playstyle that makes it easier to jump around the map. Both combat styles blend together to create a unique combat experience for the player who really doesn't fancy anything else Blizzard has offered so far in Diablo Immortal.
This is a class you'll want to play
From a purely creative perspective, the Tempest draws you in with its unique makeup skills and flashy visuals. It is also a complex lesson that will definitely take some getting used to. Having two different element-based attack sets certainly makes the Tempest a powerful option when choosing how to approach your time in Sanctuary.
However, both the water and wind aspects also have their disadvantages. For example, using mostly or entirely wind-based attacks means you need to get up close and personal. This means you can take more damage. But you can easily supplement this with the speed of all movement options. Or by combining some of the water skills to create something powerful and fast. In short, whether you've played all of Diablo Immortal's classes so far, or none, I recommend you give Tempest a try. I think this is the most fun class in the game yet, and definitely worth spending your time on. Try it the old college, as they say.
You can check out some of mine admittedly amateurish Tempest gameplay here. That is, if you're curious to see how it plays before launch.
Creating the Tempest for Diablo Immortal: the origins of the class and how it came to be
Whatever you think is involved in the process of creating a new class for a game like Diablo Immortal, I can almost certainly promise you that it is different or much more complex than you might think. As part of Tempest's hands-on test preview, I got to sit down with Lead Systems Designer John Yoo and Lead Artist Emil Salim, two of the developers on the Diablo Immortal team, to ask some questions about the Tempest class. It was quite an interesting look at what went into the creation of the game's newest hero.
Building the Tempest from an art perspective
Interestingly enough, it all started with the idea that the lesson should have a theme around water and wind. Emil Salim says the art team started with this detail to flesh out the art side of the character's origins. So this water and wind theme has deep roots in the character's entire backstory. Down to the location where the Tempest originates, the Cold Isles, an icy and desolate zone surrounded by constant storms that is “not exactly the kind of place you want to go on vacation,” says Salim.
From there, the art team continued with the visuals, with the color palette being one of the first things they tried to finalize. For example, they chose teal and white as the two-tone color set for the classroom. Salim also says that both teal and white as a color combination are very different from the colors you typically see in a Diablo game. Further strengthening the Tempest as a class that not only offers unique gameplay, but also a unique theme overall.
In addition to the colors, the art team also looked at many patterns throughout history, such as Celtic patterns and Art Nouveau, to get an idea of how to start designing the Tempest's look. “We looked at a lot of patterns with fluid movements and a lot of curvature in their visual design, to further play into the fluidity of these class movements; they are very movement-based,” says Salim. Due to this idea of fast movement and combat, the team wanted the Tempest to have armor that was very lightweight as it helped promote the agility the team was going for.
These images served as the backbone that allowed the team to create the backstory for the Tempest. Salim says that after “the look of the class was designed to a certain point, the look itself kind of dictated what we wanted to do for the Tempest's backstory.” This is how the team came up with the idea that the Tempest comes from a very ancient region. It was previously ruled by two empresses, who eventually went to war with each other and caused the destruction that led to what the Cold Islands look like today.
You'll of course get the full backstory for Tempest in the origin mission series for it. Once the class goes live in the game on May 23rd. We don't want to reveal that here. So we'll leave that as a surprise.
Mapping the niches that aren't being filled: shaping the concept of Tempest on the gameplay side
Art plays a huge role in creating a new class, just like any character in any game. As interesting as the art side of this creation process is, it's just as interesting to hear about the gameplay side of things. Speaking to John Yoo, he says the process starts with thinking about what the players are looking for. In this case it was more of a novelty. Yoo says they thought players would love to see another new class that they've never seen before in Diablo. The first was the Blood Knight which launched in July last year.
From there, Yoo says that on the gameplay side, they're trying to think about what niches aren't being reached. Specific areas where it feels like there is a hole. “Before this, we felt like the concept of a fast-moving killer-like character is something we're really not exploring in our game. Especially one that can specialize in melee range,” Yoo said. This is how the concept of the “battle mage” Tempest class came to be. Yoo also states that there was a lot of brainstorming and thinking. Revolving around every little detail, like what kind of builds would work with this style of class.
Yoo says they eventually came up with the concept of using subpoenas. But then they had to think outside the box. I'm trying to think about how summons would work with a class that moves very fast. Otherwise the summons may lag behind. These step-by-step problem-solving scenarios led to what the Tempest is today. And ensured that the team could develop Tempest into a cohesive unit. Overall, it seems like a lot went into the creation of this class. And if you are looking for something new to refresh the same, this is it. You can read more about the Tempest here.
