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Blizzard asks Diablo Immortal players to be nice, but takes no action

Blizzard asks Diablo Immortal players nicely to play the game and not go AFK during multiplayer events in the RPG game such as PvP Battlegrounds and Elder Rifts

Diablo Immortal players going AFK - a monk sitting cross-legged on the ground on a circle of stone slabs

Blizzard has gently reminded Diablo Immortal players to actually play its RPG game while in multiplayer modes, rather than going AFK to nab some free rewards. Many members of the fantasy game’s community have reported regular instances of players being AFK (away from keyboard) and not actually playing in the likes of Diablo Immortal PvP Battlegrounds matches and the game’s Elder Rifts used to earn Diablo Immortal legendary gems.

In a post on the game’s official Twitter account, Blizzard says, “PSA: Don’t go AFK.” A welcome reminder, certainly – but, as players in the responses point out, the issue of inactive players in multiplayer events is something that the game’s developer could take direct action against, should it wish to.

As just one example, a quick browse of the Diablo Immortal subreddit shows plenty of posts stretching back to launch showing players frustrated about other users being AFK in their matches. While some players have employed methods such as ‘spooning’ (quite literally using a spoon to hold down your attack buttons and farm monsters while AFK) to achieve in-game tasks with minimal effort, others are simply joining Battlegrounds and not playing, just to get their daily rewards for participating.

In a more recent thread stating that a player had encountered multiple AFK players in multiple consecutive matches, all of whom were high-level players above the paragon server level, users discuss the inherent incentives to do such things. “It’s a game that disincentivises PvP with its whale-based system,” one player explains – Diablo Immortal ‘whales’ being players who have spent large amounts of real money to enhance their characters.

The user continues, saying that Diablo Immortal “creates blatant incentives to join BG and go AFK to receive PvE rewards no matter what,” stating that it’s hard to be upset at players who are doing things that the game seems to reward them for. Users responding to Blizzard’s plea for players not to go AFK seem to agree – some ask, “Why not?” Others point out that “If no action is taken, they’ll continue” and add that there’s little incentive to report players for being AFK if nothing is being done about them.

Players also report similar issues in Elder Rifts, saying that “lots of people join rifts and stand AFK just to leech embers and expect other party members to do the job.” They acknowledge that Elder Rifts aren’t the most exciting activity, but note that it’s just making life harder for the other players.

Our best Diablo Immortal builds should help you become a top player in the latest Diablo Immortal Forgotten Nightmares update. Meanwhile, the upcoming Diablo Immortal server transfers have been reportedly detailed by a data miner. If you’re just getting started, our Diablo Immortal tier list should help you decide which class to play – just be nice to your fellow adventurers out there, please.