Taking down hordes of demons in rapid succession might sound like a grand time, yet finding yourself capable of such a feat mere minutes after creating your character can feel a tad over-the-top for a loot-centric action RPG. The thrill should be in witnessing your character grow stronger, but if the loot rush lacks challenge, where’s the fun in pursuing more power? That’s the crux of the issue plaguing Diablo 4’s latest season: it’s simply too easy.
Acknowledging this, Blizzard has been busy crafting Season 8 with a keen focus on amping up the difficulty while preserving that delightful sensation of becoming a demon-slaying powerhouse. During a livestream today, Diablo 4’s developers discussed their strategies for making the progression from level 1 to 60 more deliberate and meaningful, along with plans to spice up the endgame challenges.
When the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, dropped, it came with significant changes to the game’s flow, but as design director Colin Finer pointed out, “a lot of that has sort of gone down the drain in terms of how fast players are chewing through some of the content.” Players have been reaching the maximum level in less than half the time compared to the previous season. To ensure the early game experience retains its charm, Blizzard is making the climb to level 25 more time-consuming.
Adding to the mix, Legendary items — the most coveted loot tier — will become scarcer as you push toward level 60. In their place, more powerful versions of lower-tier items will step up, encouraging players to appreciate every upgrade. Finer expressed hope that these tweaks will bring a “more rewarding and satisfying” journey through the levels.
Once you hit the endgame in Diablo 4, the excitement doesn’t stop. That’s when you begin fine-tuning your character and cranking up the Torment difficulty levels for richer rewards. Unsurprisingly, these challenges will be getting a boost in difficulty. Blizzard observed that 50% of players have reached the pinnacle Torment level this season in just half the time it previously took. Finer elaborated, “Just from a philosophy standpoint, we really want whatever the hardest Torment tier is — in this case Torment 4 — to be aspirational, and to us that means around 10%.” Consequently, expect the difficulty gaps between Torment levels to widen considerably next season.
As for the endgame bosses, brace yourself for a more formidable confrontation. Instead of treating bosses like excessive loot dispensers, they’re now redesigned to truly test players who have honed their builds. A trio of new bosses will join the lineup, and the days of overflowing with summoning items are over. You’ll be able to take on each boss without any summoning cost, with every victory unlocking a chest that requires a key to open. Plus, there’s a chance the new ultimate boss, Belial, might just show up unexpectedly.
For those itching to try these changes firsthand, Blizzard is opening the doors for Battle.net PC players to dive into the season 8 PTR next week, running from March 11 to March 18. The full release of Season 8 is slated for April 29.
