Post by Xxsuperheroxx on Nov 10, 2024 23:54:00 GMT -6
Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer online action role-playing video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase. A mobile game in the Diablo series, it is set between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Players control a character of their chosen class: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, Crusader, Blood Knight, or Tempest; they must locate and destroy hidden shards of the Worldstone, to prevent Skarn, the Lord of Damnation, from destroying the world of Sanctuary.
Development of Diablo Immortal began with the aim of creating a Diablo game centered around touch controls for those who predominantly played on mobile, but was later expanded to also support game controllers and PC. The game incorporates a business model which allows players to unlock content through microtransactions, though almost all content can also be obtained through gameplay without paying.
The announcement of Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon in 2018 was met with a largely negative response from Diablo fans, who had anticipated a game designed for PC. It was released on Android and iOS on June 2, 2022, for countries mainly outside of the Asia-Pacific region, with a beta release for Windows on the same date. The game's Asia-Pacific release was delayed several days before its original date, with most releases taking place on July 8, 2022, and its China launch on July 25, 2022.
Immortal received mixed reviews, with praise for its combat, graphics, and the adaption of Diablo to mobile, while criticism targeted the plot, voice acting, and the game's focus on microtransactions. It became the lowest user-rated game on Metacritic in response to microtransactions and the progression system. Immortal had the biggest launch in the franchise's history with over ten-million downloads, reaching 30 million downloads by the end of July 2022.
Gameplay
Core gameplay
Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) action role-playing game (ARPG), designed initially for play on mobile devices. It is an online-only game, requiring an internet connection during play. The game also features cross-save functionality, linking the player's progress to their Battle.net account and allowing them to continue across multiple devices.
The fast-paced, arcade-like Immortal has many gameplay similarities to Diablo III (such as destructible environments);[12][13] however, while it retains the vibrant art style of Diablo III, the game's tone is closer to the more sombre style of Diablo II. It features the isometric graphic style common to games in the series.
Many of the game's activities are designed to be small in size (Blizzard advise that dungeons, though similar to those from the prior games, average 10–15 minutes in length, with shorter activities lasting 1–5 minutes), so they can fit with the shorter play sessions common to mobile gaming; however, unlike many games in the free-to-play mobile space, Immortal does not feature an "energy" system to limit the amount of free play time available.
Players can create one or more characters to use within the game. When creating a character, players select one of the game's six character classes: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, and Crusader,[20] each with 12 unlockable skills (from which the player chooses five to use concurrently). For example, the Barbarian class's skills include slamming a hammer and turning into a whirlwind, whereas the Wizard's skills include a beam of electricity that boomerangs back to its source, dealing damage twice. "Charms" can also be acquired within the game and equipped to further increase skill effectiveness and change how they function.
Unlike previous games in the series, Immortal features a "Class Change" system, by which players can change the class of an existing character and receive a new set of "appropriate" items without having to reset their progress (although focusing on a specific class may ultimately yield advantages, such as a broader range of available gameplay styles). The class change option has no in-game or microtransaction cost; however players are limited to using it once per week for a given character.
The game is designed primarily for touchscreen devices, with virtual controls that overlay the display: a directional thumbstick and skill buttons. Skills feature auto-aim (generally towards the nearest enemy), but the player can manually aim each skill by holding down its corresponding button. Some skills will also "charge" while their button is held, increasing aspects such as damage and area of effect. Alternatively, players can control the game using a connected gamepad: movement and aiming are controlled with the analogue sticks; attacks, potions, and interactions are controlled by the front-facing buttons; and skills are triggered using the top bumpers & triggers (although these bindings can be changed in the game's settings). When played using a mouse and keyboard, Immortal supports movement using the WASD keys (a first for PC games in the series), allowing for movement with one hand alongside combat-based commands using the mouse.
Unlike previous games in the Diablo series, mana and other class-specific resources have been removed from Immortal, in favor of a cooldown-based system for skills (with typical cooldown times ranging from 8–12 seconds). Performing attacks will also fill the character's "Ultimate meter", which, when filled, allows the use of more powerful attacks, amplifying the perks of the character's basic attack, for a limited time period.
Rifts and other activities
Outside of the game's primary storyline missions, other activities include random quests which appear during exploration, "bounties" (such as defeating specific enemies or creating specific items), "challenge rifts" (randomly-generated, time-limited dungeons with ever-increasing levels of difficulty), and "elder rifts". Elder rifts are similar to challenge rifts, but can be modified using "crests" (available on a daily basis) and "legendary crests" for greater reward,[16] the latter of which guarantee a "legendary" (i.e. top-level) gem upon completion.
The "Helliquary" is a feature which unlocks by player level 45. Players gain the ability to hunt, trap, and then defeat "boss demons" (each with a recommended offense and defence rating) as part of 8-player raids. Defeating these enemies earns players trophies, which they can place within their Helliquary, granting permanent character bonuses. The development team intend for the game to introduce a new boss each month.
In the "Legacy of the Horadrim", players are rewarded for completing specific in-game achievements with "vessels". These items can be inserted into a shrine under Westmarch to unlock character bonuses. Located close to the shrine is a daily-refreshing dungeon, which can be cleared to gain resources for enhancing the vessels to gain additional bonuses.
Character progression
Through gameplay, characters earn experience points, which allow them to increase their level. As characters increase in level, they become more powerful, earning new skills and increasing the power of existing skills. Each character class has its own system of progression.
Once a player's character has reached the game's level cap (which is 60 at launch, though Blizzard has announced plans to increase this later), they can achieve additional "paragon levels", which can be invested into distinct categories (each with their own talent tree). Blizzard has stated that it plans to add additional paragon trees to the game following its initial release.
Higher paragon levels can also result in players finding items with higher statistics than the base versions.
Loot system
Defeated enemies and opened treasure chests drop items ("loot"), and NPCs sell similar items in exchange for the in-game currency of gold. Some loot items are also specific to particular enemies. These items can be equipped via a pop-up button or via the game's inventory screen. Such equipment can also be made more powerful by inserting "gems",[14] and via the game's "rank up" system, which uses materials salvaged from other items to make "rare" and "legendary" level items more effective.[17] Such ranks also be transferred from one item to another, ensuring that resources can be invested in progress even prior to acquiring a specific item. Once a legendary-level gem reaches rank 10, it can be used to "awaken" the item it's inserted into, resulting in improved bonuses and a new appearance (such as flames, or swirls of energy). Players can also use any additional legendary gems in their possession to "resonate" with others, increasing both their bonus and cosmetic effect.
Players can also obtain items that belong to a set from specific locations in the game. Item sets in Immortal occupy the six "secondary" slots (hands, feet, neck, waist, and two rings). Equipping two, four, or six items from the same set yields additional bonuses that grant non-class-specific benefits, such as increased healing or extra damage dealt.
In addition to items which change character statistics, the game also offers purely cosmetic items, which can be equipped to change the appearance of a character without altering gameplay. Some cosmetic items are available for specific factions to unlock for free by raising their "Dominance" statistic to specific levels.
The game features a cross-player "marketplace" in which players can buy and sell materials and gems; however, to avoid repeating controversial issues from the "auction house" feature in Diablo III, the marketplace does not allow purchase or trading of equipment items, which must be earned through gameplay.
Multiplayer activities
MMO features
Although all of Immortal's core activities can be completed by a solo player, in the style of other MMO games, players can encounter each other when exploring. They can also form temporary parties of up to four players, or create more permanent "Warbands" of up to 8 players, to play through "dynamic events" together. Warbands can also occupy and explore the "Castle Cyrangar" location together, to earn additional benefits. Some of the high-level in-game dungeons and enemies are designed specifically to be tackled by groups of players cooperatively. These gameplay elements are similar to Blizzard's long-running MMO, World of Warcraft.
The game also provides voice chat features, allowing players to communicate both with other members of their party, and with a broader range of players via "public" channels. Immortal also features clans for bringing together larger groups of players.
Immortal supports cross-platform-play; however, players must be on the same in-game server in order to interact. A player character can be transferred between servers for free on the first occasion, with each subsequent transfer requiring a one-off purchase (and a wait period of 30 days).
Player versus player combat
In addition to cooperative multiplayer elements, the game also features competitive PVP. For example, some areas of the game feature treasure chests which respawn on a timed basis and can only be opened by the last player left alive in the area.[5] Another PVP feature is "Battleground", an 8 vs. 8 mode, with a player ranking system. The "attackers" are charged with—in order—destroying three "Sacred Guardians", escorting at least one of two "Zealous Idols", and destroying the other team's "Ancient Heart", with a separate time limit for each phase. The "defenders" win if they prevent any of those three tasks from being completed or tally enough opponent kills across all three phases.
The "Cycle of Strife"
The "Cycle of Strife" is an optional PVP system open to all players who have reached Immortal's "endgame" phase. Each of the game's servers allows up to 300 players within the "Immortals" faction, but an unlimited number of players to opt in as part of the "Shadows" faction. The feature is entirely optional for players; any players who do not opt in during a specific cycle are simply designated "Adventurers" not affiliated with either group.
Shadows players attempt to displace the current Immortal players by changing their clans to "Dark Clans" and participating in the Shadows' activities. Immortals players also have designated activities, distinct from those of the Shadows. For example, Immortal players can participate in "Kion's Ordeal": a 48-player raid, with four groups of 12 players fighting four bosses simultaneously. Loot earned from elder rifts by Kion's Ordeal players is added to a vault, which gets handed out to Immortals players on a weekly basis. Shadows activities include "Raid the Vault", where 4 players attempt to steal from the Immortals' vault (beginning with PVE gameplay, until the Immortals send players to defend the vault).
The "Wall of Honor", which is located in Westmarch for all players to view, details achievements of all Immortal faction leaders and their four lieutenants.
Once the Shadows reach a sufficient level of progression, this will trigger "Rite of Exile" where the Dark Clans battle against each other. Victors from the Rite of Exile proceed to the "Challenge of the Immortal", whereby the top player from the Immortals is transformed into a boss (with powerful skills exclusive to that form), and must battle against the top 30 Shadow players in a 30 vs. 1 format. If the Immortal player defeats all 30 Shadows, the structure of these factions remains unchanged; however, if the Shadows are victorious, all 30 players are resurrected and must battle against each other in a battle royale to determine which Dark Clan becomes the new Immortals faction (with the victorious player becoming the new top Immortal, all other players being returned to "Adventurer" designation), at which point a new cycle begins.
Cycles in the game are expected to last between one and three months.
Premise
Part of the Diablo series, Immortal takes place in the series' world of Sanctuary and is set 5 years after the events of Diablo II, but prior to Diablo III. Players begin their adventure in the town of Wortham, which is being threatened by cultists and the undead. They learn from recurring Diablo character Deckard Cain that they must locate and destroy shards of the Worldstone across the world of Sanctuary in order to prevent a world-threatening disaster, masterminded by the game's initial antagonist Skarn, the "Lord of Damnation.
This journey continues into areas including the city of Westmarch (which serves as the game's main location for trade and social activities), Ashworld Cemetery, Dark Wood,[16] the Shassar Sea, Mount Zavain (location of the Sanctified Earth Monastery),[30] the Frozen Tundra (populated by Barbarian tribes), and the Stormpoint prison island.[49]
Other aspects of the game's plot focus on conflict between the "Immortals" (a group dedicated to the protection of Sanctuary) and the "Shadows" (a secret group established to test the Immortals) in what is known as the "Cycle of Strife". In the words of the game's principal designer, Scott Shicoff:[30]
"A long time ago, there was a powerful individual called Daedessa the Builder... she wanted to protect Sanctuary from demonic invasion but she wasn't a fighter. She was, however, a master crafter, and she created a powerful artifact called the Eternal Crown. She gave it to her son Kion... and charged him with forming a group whose sole purpose would be the protection of Sanctuary from the Burning Hells. Kion took this powerful artifact and created a guardian group which he called the Immortals.
"Daedessa knew that power, especially that kind of power, can lead to complacency and corruption for even the best or most well-intentioned individuals like her son. So she gave her daughter Akeba a secret heavy burden. It would be Akeba's job to make sure that the Immortals would never falter or waver. That they were always worthy and capable of defending Sanctuary, as they were charged. So working in secret, Akeba found those brave enough to help her constantly test and challenge the Immortals. They would look for cracks and weaknesses and they would do everything they could to make sure the elite defenders of Sanctuary were always up to the task. She called this group the Shadows.
"And should the Shadows ever prove stronger and more capable, they would overthrow the current reign and take up the Eternal Crown as the new Immortals. Which, of course, they eventually did, with Akeba becoming the next Immortal. But Akeba could never get too comfortable because she knew that as she rose up, so too would new Shadows to make sure she was always worthy of her station. And thus the Cycle of Strife was born."
Development of Diablo Immortal began with the aim of creating a Diablo game centered around touch controls for those who predominantly played on mobile, but was later expanded to also support game controllers and PC. The game incorporates a business model which allows players to unlock content through microtransactions, though almost all content can also be obtained through gameplay without paying.
The announcement of Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon in 2018 was met with a largely negative response from Diablo fans, who had anticipated a game designed for PC. It was released on Android and iOS on June 2, 2022, for countries mainly outside of the Asia-Pacific region, with a beta release for Windows on the same date. The game's Asia-Pacific release was delayed several days before its original date, with most releases taking place on July 8, 2022, and its China launch on July 25, 2022.
Immortal received mixed reviews, with praise for its combat, graphics, and the adaption of Diablo to mobile, while criticism targeted the plot, voice acting, and the game's focus on microtransactions. It became the lowest user-rated game on Metacritic in response to microtransactions and the progression system. Immortal had the biggest launch in the franchise's history with over ten-million downloads, reaching 30 million downloads by the end of July 2022.
Gameplay
Core gameplay
Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) action role-playing game (ARPG), designed initially for play on mobile devices. It is an online-only game, requiring an internet connection during play. The game also features cross-save functionality, linking the player's progress to their Battle.net account and allowing them to continue across multiple devices.
The fast-paced, arcade-like Immortal has many gameplay similarities to Diablo III (such as destructible environments);[12][13] however, while it retains the vibrant art style of Diablo III, the game's tone is closer to the more sombre style of Diablo II. It features the isometric graphic style common to games in the series.
Many of the game's activities are designed to be small in size (Blizzard advise that dungeons, though similar to those from the prior games, average 10–15 minutes in length, with shorter activities lasting 1–5 minutes), so they can fit with the shorter play sessions common to mobile gaming; however, unlike many games in the free-to-play mobile space, Immortal does not feature an "energy" system to limit the amount of free play time available.
Players can create one or more characters to use within the game. When creating a character, players select one of the game's six character classes: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, and Crusader,[20] each with 12 unlockable skills (from which the player chooses five to use concurrently). For example, the Barbarian class's skills include slamming a hammer and turning into a whirlwind, whereas the Wizard's skills include a beam of electricity that boomerangs back to its source, dealing damage twice. "Charms" can also be acquired within the game and equipped to further increase skill effectiveness and change how they function.
Unlike previous games in the series, Immortal features a "Class Change" system, by which players can change the class of an existing character and receive a new set of "appropriate" items without having to reset their progress (although focusing on a specific class may ultimately yield advantages, such as a broader range of available gameplay styles). The class change option has no in-game or microtransaction cost; however players are limited to using it once per week for a given character.
The game is designed primarily for touchscreen devices, with virtual controls that overlay the display: a directional thumbstick and skill buttons. Skills feature auto-aim (generally towards the nearest enemy), but the player can manually aim each skill by holding down its corresponding button. Some skills will also "charge" while their button is held, increasing aspects such as damage and area of effect. Alternatively, players can control the game using a connected gamepad: movement and aiming are controlled with the analogue sticks; attacks, potions, and interactions are controlled by the front-facing buttons; and skills are triggered using the top bumpers & triggers (although these bindings can be changed in the game's settings). When played using a mouse and keyboard, Immortal supports movement using the WASD keys (a first for PC games in the series), allowing for movement with one hand alongside combat-based commands using the mouse.
Unlike previous games in the Diablo series, mana and other class-specific resources have been removed from Immortal, in favor of a cooldown-based system for skills (with typical cooldown times ranging from 8–12 seconds). Performing attacks will also fill the character's "Ultimate meter", which, when filled, allows the use of more powerful attacks, amplifying the perks of the character's basic attack, for a limited time period.
Rifts and other activities
Outside of the game's primary storyline missions, other activities include random quests which appear during exploration, "bounties" (such as defeating specific enemies or creating specific items), "challenge rifts" (randomly-generated, time-limited dungeons with ever-increasing levels of difficulty), and "elder rifts". Elder rifts are similar to challenge rifts, but can be modified using "crests" (available on a daily basis) and "legendary crests" for greater reward,[16] the latter of which guarantee a "legendary" (i.e. top-level) gem upon completion.
The "Helliquary" is a feature which unlocks by player level 45. Players gain the ability to hunt, trap, and then defeat "boss demons" (each with a recommended offense and defence rating) as part of 8-player raids. Defeating these enemies earns players trophies, which they can place within their Helliquary, granting permanent character bonuses. The development team intend for the game to introduce a new boss each month.
In the "Legacy of the Horadrim", players are rewarded for completing specific in-game achievements with "vessels". These items can be inserted into a shrine under Westmarch to unlock character bonuses. Located close to the shrine is a daily-refreshing dungeon, which can be cleared to gain resources for enhancing the vessels to gain additional bonuses.
Character progression
Through gameplay, characters earn experience points, which allow them to increase their level. As characters increase in level, they become more powerful, earning new skills and increasing the power of existing skills. Each character class has its own system of progression.
Once a player's character has reached the game's level cap (which is 60 at launch, though Blizzard has announced plans to increase this later), they can achieve additional "paragon levels", which can be invested into distinct categories (each with their own talent tree). Blizzard has stated that it plans to add additional paragon trees to the game following its initial release.
Higher paragon levels can also result in players finding items with higher statistics than the base versions.
Loot system
Defeated enemies and opened treasure chests drop items ("loot"), and NPCs sell similar items in exchange for the in-game currency of gold. Some loot items are also specific to particular enemies. These items can be equipped via a pop-up button or via the game's inventory screen. Such equipment can also be made more powerful by inserting "gems",[14] and via the game's "rank up" system, which uses materials salvaged from other items to make "rare" and "legendary" level items more effective.[17] Such ranks also be transferred from one item to another, ensuring that resources can be invested in progress even prior to acquiring a specific item. Once a legendary-level gem reaches rank 10, it can be used to "awaken" the item it's inserted into, resulting in improved bonuses and a new appearance (such as flames, or swirls of energy). Players can also use any additional legendary gems in their possession to "resonate" with others, increasing both their bonus and cosmetic effect.
Players can also obtain items that belong to a set from specific locations in the game. Item sets in Immortal occupy the six "secondary" slots (hands, feet, neck, waist, and two rings). Equipping two, four, or six items from the same set yields additional bonuses that grant non-class-specific benefits, such as increased healing or extra damage dealt.
In addition to items which change character statistics, the game also offers purely cosmetic items, which can be equipped to change the appearance of a character without altering gameplay. Some cosmetic items are available for specific factions to unlock for free by raising their "Dominance" statistic to specific levels.
The game features a cross-player "marketplace" in which players can buy and sell materials and gems; however, to avoid repeating controversial issues from the "auction house" feature in Diablo III, the marketplace does not allow purchase or trading of equipment items, which must be earned through gameplay.
Multiplayer activities
MMO features
Although all of Immortal's core activities can be completed by a solo player, in the style of other MMO games, players can encounter each other when exploring. They can also form temporary parties of up to four players, or create more permanent "Warbands" of up to 8 players, to play through "dynamic events" together. Warbands can also occupy and explore the "Castle Cyrangar" location together, to earn additional benefits. Some of the high-level in-game dungeons and enemies are designed specifically to be tackled by groups of players cooperatively. These gameplay elements are similar to Blizzard's long-running MMO, World of Warcraft.
The game also provides voice chat features, allowing players to communicate both with other members of their party, and with a broader range of players via "public" channels. Immortal also features clans for bringing together larger groups of players.
Immortal supports cross-platform-play; however, players must be on the same in-game server in order to interact. A player character can be transferred between servers for free on the first occasion, with each subsequent transfer requiring a one-off purchase (and a wait period of 30 days).
Player versus player combat
In addition to cooperative multiplayer elements, the game also features competitive PVP. For example, some areas of the game feature treasure chests which respawn on a timed basis and can only be opened by the last player left alive in the area.[5] Another PVP feature is "Battleground", an 8 vs. 8 mode, with a player ranking system. The "attackers" are charged with—in order—destroying three "Sacred Guardians", escorting at least one of two "Zealous Idols", and destroying the other team's "Ancient Heart", with a separate time limit for each phase. The "defenders" win if they prevent any of those three tasks from being completed or tally enough opponent kills across all three phases.
The "Cycle of Strife"
The "Cycle of Strife" is an optional PVP system open to all players who have reached Immortal's "endgame" phase. Each of the game's servers allows up to 300 players within the "Immortals" faction, but an unlimited number of players to opt in as part of the "Shadows" faction. The feature is entirely optional for players; any players who do not opt in during a specific cycle are simply designated "Adventurers" not affiliated with either group.
Shadows players attempt to displace the current Immortal players by changing their clans to "Dark Clans" and participating in the Shadows' activities. Immortals players also have designated activities, distinct from those of the Shadows. For example, Immortal players can participate in "Kion's Ordeal": a 48-player raid, with four groups of 12 players fighting four bosses simultaneously. Loot earned from elder rifts by Kion's Ordeal players is added to a vault, which gets handed out to Immortals players on a weekly basis. Shadows activities include "Raid the Vault", where 4 players attempt to steal from the Immortals' vault (beginning with PVE gameplay, until the Immortals send players to defend the vault).
The "Wall of Honor", which is located in Westmarch for all players to view, details achievements of all Immortal faction leaders and their four lieutenants.
Once the Shadows reach a sufficient level of progression, this will trigger "Rite of Exile" where the Dark Clans battle against each other. Victors from the Rite of Exile proceed to the "Challenge of the Immortal", whereby the top player from the Immortals is transformed into a boss (with powerful skills exclusive to that form), and must battle against the top 30 Shadow players in a 30 vs. 1 format. If the Immortal player defeats all 30 Shadows, the structure of these factions remains unchanged; however, if the Shadows are victorious, all 30 players are resurrected and must battle against each other in a battle royale to determine which Dark Clan becomes the new Immortals faction (with the victorious player becoming the new top Immortal, all other players being returned to "Adventurer" designation), at which point a new cycle begins.
Cycles in the game are expected to last between one and three months.
Premise
Part of the Diablo series, Immortal takes place in the series' world of Sanctuary and is set 5 years after the events of Diablo II, but prior to Diablo III. Players begin their adventure in the town of Wortham, which is being threatened by cultists and the undead. They learn from recurring Diablo character Deckard Cain that they must locate and destroy shards of the Worldstone across the world of Sanctuary in order to prevent a world-threatening disaster, masterminded by the game's initial antagonist Skarn, the "Lord of Damnation.
This journey continues into areas including the city of Westmarch (which serves as the game's main location for trade and social activities), Ashworld Cemetery, Dark Wood,[16] the Shassar Sea, Mount Zavain (location of the Sanctified Earth Monastery),[30] the Frozen Tundra (populated by Barbarian tribes), and the Stormpoint prison island.[49]
Other aspects of the game's plot focus on conflict between the "Immortals" (a group dedicated to the protection of Sanctuary) and the "Shadows" (a secret group established to test the Immortals) in what is known as the "Cycle of Strife". In the words of the game's principal designer, Scott Shicoff:[30]
"A long time ago, there was a powerful individual called Daedessa the Builder... she wanted to protect Sanctuary from demonic invasion but she wasn't a fighter. She was, however, a master crafter, and she created a powerful artifact called the Eternal Crown. She gave it to her son Kion... and charged him with forming a group whose sole purpose would be the protection of Sanctuary from the Burning Hells. Kion took this powerful artifact and created a guardian group which he called the Immortals.
"Daedessa knew that power, especially that kind of power, can lead to complacency and corruption for even the best or most well-intentioned individuals like her son. So she gave her daughter Akeba a secret heavy burden. It would be Akeba's job to make sure that the Immortals would never falter or waver. That they were always worthy and capable of defending Sanctuary, as they were charged. So working in secret, Akeba found those brave enough to help her constantly test and challenge the Immortals. They would look for cracks and weaknesses and they would do everything they could to make sure the elite defenders of Sanctuary were always up to the task. She called this group the Shadows.
"And should the Shadows ever prove stronger and more capable, they would overthrow the current reign and take up the Eternal Crown as the new Immortals. Which, of course, they eventually did, with Akeba becoming the next Immortal. But Akeba could never get too comfortable because she knew that as she rose up, so too would new Shadows to make sure she was always worthy of her station. And thus the Cycle of Strife was born."