How to join the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction

Everything you need to know about the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction, including how to join and the various stages of the Cycle of Strife

Diablo Immortal Shadows: Immortals and Shadows fight an eternal struggle for dominence

So you want to know about the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction? This is one of two groups in the new RPG game’s endgame PvP, known as the Cycle of Strife. The Immortals, whose numbers on any one server are limited, are the guardians of Sanctuary, but there is an infinite legion of Shadows ready to test the Immortals’ worth and resolve.

In real-talk, this means that Diablo Immortal’s PvP involves Shadows clans constantly competing against the Immortals (and each other) to become the next Immortals at the end of the Cycle of Strife. The single goal of any Dark clan (the Shadows version of regular clans) is to essentially make life difficult for Immortals players, but to partake you first need to become a member of the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction.

How to join the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction

There are three ways you can join the Shadows in Diablo Immortal:

  • Win the Shadow Lottery
  • Be invited by an existing member of the Shadows
  • Wait for the Reckoning phase

In order to be eligible to join the Shadows, you need to be at least level 43, and you must complete all of the Bilefen quests and retrieve the Timeworn Scroll. This unlocks a quest line in Westmarch that introduces you to both the Shadows and Immortals factions.

It’s possible to get into the Shadows without completing these quests if you receive an invite from a current Shadows player. You will still need to complete the Bilefen and Westmarch quests at some point, and you still need to be at least level 43.

If you don’t get invited in, and you’re not having any luck with the Lottery, there is a third option. If the Shadows faction fails to beat the Immortals during the first attempt, the server enters the Reckoning phase and the faction becomes open to everyone, no invites or lotteries required.

Diablo Immortal Shadow lottery

Taking part in the shadow lottery is simple – first, check your UI to see if the lottery is running or not, and if so, visit the Mysterious Patron in the Wolf Tavern to enter. If you have been accepted you will find out via in-game mail, and you will get another in-game mail telling you if you won the lottery or not.

If you win the lottery, you must then pick up the Shadow Mettle quest line from the bartender in the Wolf Tavern. Once completed, you get two Akeba’s Signets and are officially a Shadow.

Diablo Immortal Shadows: A group of warriors are gathered around a table, looking at the camera

Diablo Immortal Shadows activities

As a member of the Shadows, there are plenty of activities you can do:

  • Assembly
  • Path of Blood
  • Daily and challenge quests
  • Weekly contracts
  • Shadow Wars
  • Raid the Vault

You can read a more in-depth description of each of these on Wowhead.

Diablo Immortal Shadows stages

The Shadows faction progresses through three stages during any single Cycle of Strife, with an extra fourth phase depending on the outcome of the third.

The first stage is Planning, which is simply about recruiting at least 200 members to the Shadows faction. At the start of a cycle this will most likely be through the lottery, but the more time passes the more members can be recruited by other Shadows players.

The next phase is Gathering, where Shadows players keep recruiting, but also gather into Dark Clans. This consists of the various activities mentioned above, as well as competing in Shadow Wars to determine who the top ten Dark Clans are for the Rite of Exile. This stage ends when the Shadows as a faction have accumulated 23,000 Marks.

The third phase is called Showdown, and involves the top ten Dark Clans facing off against the Immortals in a series of battles as part of the Rite of Exile. It’s a surprisingly complex series of PvP matches, including one where 30 players get to face off against the Immortal – the best player on the server – so make sure you’re bringing your best Diablo Immortal build. The Immortals will either win and remain the Immortals, or they will lose and a new group of Immortals will rise to take their place.

If the Shadows are not successful during the initial Showdown phase, the faction enters the Reckoning phase. This phase is multi-tiered, and the Shadows will keep growing in power until they eventually (and inevitably) beat the sitting Immortals.

Once the Immortals are beaten, the Cycle of Strife ends and a new one begins.

Diablo Immortal Shadows: A group of warriors stand triumphant over a pile of demon corpses

Diablo Immortal Shadows ranks

There are 32 Shadow ranks in total, and each rank gives you a flat 1% increase to your attack and defence stats, for a total +32% buff if you manage to get to the top rank. Some Shadows content is gated to specific ranks during the first few levels, and the way you level up is to collect Marks, which you get from almost all of the Shadows activities listed above:

  • Initiate I – 1%
  • Initiate II – 2% – unlocks Contracts
  • Initiate III – 3% – unlocks Raid the Vault
  • Initiate IV – 4% – unlocks Right of Exile
  • Apprentice I – 5%
  • Apprentice II – 6%
  • Apprentice III – 7%
  • Apprentice IV – 8%
  • Watcher I – 9%
  • Watcher II – 10%
  • Watcher III – 11%
  • Watcher IV – 12%
  • Hunter I – 13%
  • Hunter II – 14%
  • Hunter III – 15%
  • Hunter IV – 16%
  • Blade I – 17%
  • Blade II – 18%
  • Blade III – 19%
  • Blade IV – 20%
  • Phantom I – 21%
  • Phantom II – 22%
  • Phantom III – 23%
  • Phantom IV – 24%
  • Unseen I – 25%
  • Unseen II – 26%
  • Unseen III – 27%
  • Unseen IV – 28%
  • Whisper I – 29%
  • Whisper II – 30%
  • Whisper III – 31%
  • Whisper IV – 32%

How to leave the Diablo Immortal Shadows faction

It is not possible to leave the Shadows faction during a Cycle of Strife. Once the cycle comes to an end and a new Immortals group is determined, everyone else who is a Shadow reverts to being an Adventurer, the basic faction that’s not involved in the Cycle of Strife or PvP.

You can always then choose to not join the Shadows in the first place, but once you’re in, you’re in. You can always leave or refuse to join a Dark Clan, although if you’re clanless you’ll never be able to take part in the Rite of Exile.

That’s everything (phew!) you could possibly want to know about Diablo Immortal’s Shadows faction. For more Diablo Immortal tips, we’ve got a guide to all of the Diablo Immortal Hidden Lair locations, as well as a complete guide to Diablo Immortal gems and their uses.