Taking down hordes of demons is always a rush, but when you’re mowing them down just 20 minutes after kicking things off in a loot-driven action RPG, it feels a bit much. You really want to savor that journey, feeling yourself grow stronger with every step. Otherwise, why bother chasing that next piece of better gear? This is where many fans are hitting a snag with Diablo 4’s latest season, describing it as being a breeze.
Blizzard seems to be on the same page and is taking measures with season 8 to ramp up the difficulty without taking away the joy of becoming an unstoppable demon slayer. During a live stream today, the developers behind Diablo 4 laid out their plans to slow down the race from level 1 to 60, making each milestone feel worthwhile, and they’re also looking to beef up the complexity of endgame progression.
The introduction of Diablo 4’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, was accompanied by a significant overhaul in gameplay progression, but as design director Colin Finer mentioned, much of that has been lost as players chew through the content at lightning speed. In this current season, reaching max level is taking less than half the time compared to the last. To preserve some of the early game’s charm, Blizzard intends to stretch out the first 25 levels, making players work a little more for that progress.
Moreover, Legendary items, the cream of the crop in loot, are going to be a bit scarcer on the path to level 60. In their place, typically overlooked lower-tier items are getting a power boost to help bridge the gap. The team is hopeful that this will enhance the game’s sense of reward and satisfaction as you advance through these early stages.
Now, let’s talk endgame. This is where you fine-tune your character and climb the Torment difficulty ladder for those juicy rewards. These difficulties are about to get much tougher. Currently, 50% of players have hit the highest Torment level in half the time it took previously. “From a philosophical standpoint, we really want the top-tier difficulty — Torment 4 — to be something aspirational,” Finer explained, noting that ideally, only about 10% of players should reach it. In the upcoming season, expect a significantly more dramatic challenge as you escalate through difficulty tiers.
Furthermore, endgame bosses are set to become harsher adversaries. Rather than being quickly farmed for loot, they’ve been redesigned to present a real test for finely-tuned characters. Adding to the excitement, three new bosses are entering the arena, and those summoning items cluttering your inventory? Gone. Instead, each boss fight will be free and upon beating them, you’ll receive a chest that requires a key for unlocking, with a chance that the fearsome boss, Belial, might drop in unexpectedly.
Blizzard is opening the doors for Battle.net PC players to experience these changes firsthand during the season 8 PTR, scheduled from March 11 to March 18, so players can jump in and give feedback before the full season launch on April 29.
