Diablo 5 Ditching Diablo 4’s Level Scaling in Favor of Diablo 2 Approach

Blizzard plans to move away from the automatic level scaling used in Diablo 3 and Diablo 4, according to Diablo 5 game director Joe Shely. Speaking at BlizzCon, Shely said the studio is taking a “somewhat different approach” to scaling in Diablo 5, one that leans closer to how Diablo 2 handled progression.

What level scaling is and why it matters

Automatic level scaling keeps enemies at roughly the same level as your character. It means players can explore areas in any order without them becoming trivial, but it also means you rarely outgrow a zone or return to an early area and feel dramatically stronger. The system has been debated since it was introduced, because it cuts against a core fantasy of action RPGs: watching your character become far more powerful than the world around it.

Shely acknowledged that tension directly. “Diablo is a game that, in many ways, is about your character getting stronger,” he said at BlizzCon. “When the monsters get stronger at the same time, especially outside of your control… automatic scaling can get in the way of that feeling, which is so core to it.”

In Diablo 2, released in 2000, areas and enemies had fixed levels tied to acts and difficulty tiers, so players could clearly feel themselves outpacing earlier zones. Diablo 4, released in 2023, uses scaling so that most of its open world matches the player’s level.

What we know about Diablo 5

Diablo 5 was announced at the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony with a spring 2029 release window. It is set around a century after Diablo 4, in a fallen version of Sanctuary where Diablo has triumphed and its heroes have been defeated. The reveal teased the return of Diablo himself, the series’ Lord of Terror.

Blizzard has not announced platforms, pricing or classes. It has also not said whether characters or progress will carry over from Diablo 4. Shely indicated that itemization and inventory management are also drawing inspiration from Diablo 2, which suggests a focus on earning power and making loadout decisions matter.

What is still unknown

Shely did not describe what the new scaling system will look like, and he said the team “hasn’t fully discussed level-scaling yet.” This is early design direction, not a finished feature, and details could change over the next few years of development.

Meanwhile, Blizzard continues to support Diablo 4, with plans including an Amazon class pack in 2027 and a Nintendo Switch 2 collection.

Why it matters

For long-time fans, the comments are a clear signal of direction. Many players who preferred Diablo 2’s slower, more demanding progression have criticized Diablo 4’s scaling, and rivals such as Path of Exile have built their identity around that kind of depth.

For Diablo 4 players, nothing changes now, and spring 2029 is still a long way off. The key point is that Blizzard is listening to one of the most common complaints about modern Diablo, and fans should watch future Diablo 5 updates for how the new system actually works.