Hands on with Diablo Immortal's latest shapeshifting class, the Druid

Blizzard's Diablo franchise is very much alive and well, with four games currently receiving updates or seasonal content at a regular clip. From Diablo II: Resurrected to Diablo III, to Diablo IV, and Diablo Immortal, there's a lot of demon slaying action in Sanctuary on offer, with the style and type of action-RPG experience varying from title to title.

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Diablo Immortal is Blizzard's free-to-play mobile on-the-go take on the franchise that debuted back in 2022, where at the time it received its fair share of criticism due to its monetization and how it tied endgame progress to a string of menus and spending pretend currency that you purchased with real-world money. Typical mobile game stuff, but that was then and this is now.

As a massive fan of the franchise, I haven't played much Diablo Immortal since its 2022 debut (my Diablo mains are Diablo 4 and Diablo 2), so I jumped at the chance to check out the game in 2025 while getting to go hands-on with the latest class joining the portable Sanctuary action this week: the Druid.

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Playing on PC (Immortal plays surprisingly great with a controller), it reminded me that Diablo Immortal is still a rock-solid action RPG, and in many ways a successor to Diablo 3's arcade-like take on the franchise. Most of all, there's a lot of game here to enjoy free from having to spend any money, with hours and hours of high-quality story-based action, dungeons to run, new locations to discover, and gear to chase.

The Druid in Diablo Immortal feels familiar and different, and that's great

As a Diablo class and character, Druids tap into nature-based magic, can call on beasts to assist in combat, and even shapeshift. As a class, it dates back to Diablo 2, and more recently, Diablo 4. Diablo Immortal is a game that shares classes with other titles in the franchise; however, its take on the Druid does feel more distinct and original than what you'd find with, say, the Barbarian. At its core, the Druid is a spellcaster, but the first skill you get access to, Ferocious Strike, is all about using your staff to deal up-close damage to multiple enemies.

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As Diablo Immortal is a cooldown-based action-RPG with simple to learn combat designed primarily for touch-based displays and interfaces, the combat flow feels different from other games in the series. One of the earliest shapeshifting skills and abilities you get, outside of being able to transform into a Werewolf, is called Stag Charge. This transforms you into a magical deer-like creature that leaps and knocks back enemies. Another transformation skill turns the Druid into a flock of ravens to teleport into a group of enemies to unleash the power of nature. Seeing new creatures join the Druid's arsenal is fantastic.

This combat flow, which blends shapeshifting, summoning fire tornadoes to draw in enemies, and other abilities, feels intuitive, responsive, and unlike any previous Diablo Druid. One of the things that makes every Diablo game so much fun to play, including Immortal, is how you can feel the impact and see the effect of each skill, spell, or attack. There's a chunkiness to the Druid in Immortal that absolutely rules, because it's fast, fluid, and fun.

The most significant difference comes with access to the Druid's most popular abilities, shapeshifting into a Werewolf or Werebear, which is tied to the new Primal Power system.

Transforming into a Werebear or Werewolf is a blast

Primal Power is a Druid-specific Mana or energy bar that is new to the game, and it dictates how long you can stay in Werewolf or Werebear form. Even though you're not unstoppable, transforming into either form does have that effect as you become larger, faster, and more powerful for a limited time. The Werewolf is, as expected, the speedier of the two. Once you shapeshift, all skills become Werewolf or Werebear-specific abilities covering things like fast-paced strikes, dashing forward, and more.

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And with the arrival of a new class, Diablo Immortal is also receiving 60 new Legendary items for the Druid. As expected, these can transform skills and abilities with new affixes and buffs that can define a build or playstyle. There's one Legendary that engulfs the Werewolf in flame, burning enemies and exploding when you Critically Hit. Another makes the Werebear ability a "gigantic" Werebear ability with increased attack range and life. With or without Legendary items (we had access to high-level Druids to check out some of the high-level skills), playing in Werewolf or Werebear form is a blast, and the faster pace of Immortal did make me enjoy the class more than I did in Diablo 4 (for me its all about the Rogue).

How does Diablo Immortal feel to play in 2025?

As a free-to-play game with seasonal content, Battle Pass tiers, and ways to speed up the grind, Diablo Immortal doesn't play like a game where you feel like you need or would want to spend money until you've spent dozens or more hours playing through the story and firing up Rifts. In fact, outside of the menus that let you see all of the currency stuff and offers, Diablo Immortal's opening hours present you with a fun and engaging action RPG. Suppose you're not interested in all of the leaderboard stuff. In that case, there's a lot of free game here that hearkens back to Diablo 3's cinematic campaign with impressive production values, voice acting, and a story that takes you all over Sanctuary. And with the arrival of the Druid, there's a new Druid Origin Quest to dive into for existing players wanting more lore and story.

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For me, though, I'll probably keep playing and having fun with the Druid until I hit that wall where it feels like you need to pay to make the grind not feel as grindy. But then again, this is how I approach each Diablo title - whenever I get to that 'diminishing returns' point where an additional 2% here or 5% there isn't going to add anything substantial, I stop. For me, it's all about the journey, and on that note, the Druid's journey into the world of Diablo Immortal is well worth checking out.