Blizzard says Diablo 5 will take a different approach to automatic monster scaling, with Diablo 2 comparisons pointing to a stronger sense of progression than Diablo 4 delivered at launch.
Image: IGDB
Blizzard is already questioning Diablo 4’s scaling treadmill
Blizzard has said Diablo 5 will take “a somewhat different approach” to monster level scaling, a notable early signal for a sequel that is still years away. In a BlizzCon roundtable interview reported by PC Gamer and cited by Eurogamer and GameSpot, game director Joe Shely acknowledged that automatic scaling can interfere with one of Diablo’s oldest promises: the feeling that a character has become meaningfully stronger, not simply numerically higher.
Shely framed the issue around the moment-to-moment feel of leveling. “Diablo is a game that, in many ways, is about your character getting stronger and when the monsters get stronger at the same time, especially outside of your control,” he said, according to PC Gamer. “You’ve filled the experience bar, you get stronger, you should feel awesome now, a wave of light pulses out from you, a bunch of monsters die.” He added that automatic scaling “can get in the way of that feeling,” which is why Blizzard is looking at a different direction for Diablo 5.
The important caveat is that Blizzard has not described the replacement system. Eurogamer reports that Shely said the Diablo 5 team has not fully discussed level scaling yet. That makes this a design intention rather than a locked feature. Still, it is a meaningful one, because Diablo 5 level scaling sits at the center of a bigger Blizzard question: how much of Diablo 4’s open-world convenience can remain if the sequel wants progression to feel closer to Diablo 2.
The Diablo 4 criticism was about sensation as much as balance
Automatic level scaling is simple in concept. As Eurogamer explains, enemies keep pace with the player’s level, reducing the chance that a character wanders into an area far above their power, while also reducing the chance that returning to an early zone feels dramatically easier. Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 both used that broad approach, while Diablo 2 is identified in the source material as the older contrast point.
GameSpot notes that Diablo 4 was criticized for an aggressive layer of enemy level scaling. The outlet describes a launch environment where, because of open-world scaling, there was effectively no safe area where players could farm gear before taking on tougher zones. GameSpot also points to friction created by diminishing returns on Paragon points and fewer gear upgrades, which contributed to a sense of bottlenecking even for players who had optimized skills and loadouts.
That distinction matters for Diablo 5 progression. Players were not only reacting to enemy health bars getting larger. The complaint was that the world often rose at the same pace as the character, so a level gain could feel like permission to stay even rather than a breakthrough. Blizzard later adjusted Diablo 4’s system, according to GameSpot, but the sequel discussion suggests the studio sees a deeper philosophical issue rather than a single launch tuning problem.
Diablo 2 comparisons point to territory, memory, and danger
The Diablo 2 comparison matters because it changes how players read the world. As described in the PC Gamer-sourced reporting reposted by 7MMO, Diablo 2 used area level ranges that determined how tough enemies would be compared with the player. Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 moved away from that model toward enemies scaling with the character. The practical difference is not nostalgia alone. Fixed or semi-fixed area expectations let a player remember danger, outgrow it, and return later with a clearer sense of mastery.
That structure gives progression a spatial texture. A low-level area becomes a place the character has conquered. A dangerous route becomes a goal. A farm route is not simply the most efficient loop on a map, but the result of a character becoming capable enough to survive there. For a loot-driven RPG, that relationship between build, zone, and memory is one of the ways power becomes legible without opening the character sheet.
Eurogamer also reports that Diablo 5’s itemization and loot, including more complex inventory management, have been described as inspired by Diablo 2. PC Gamer’s reporting, as carried in the source material, also says Diablo 5 will return to procedurally generated areas so dungeons or open-world zones look different on repeat visits. Taken together, these are not proof that Diablo 5 will copy Diablo 2’s exact area-level structure. They do show Blizzard repeatedly reaching toward older Diablo principles when talking about Diablo 5 Blizzard systems: friction, unpredictability, loot identity, and progression that leaves a mark.
Power fantasy needs visible gaps, not endless parity
Shely’s quote is useful because it focuses on feel instead of spreadsheet output. A level-up in Diablo has always had multiple jobs. It grants skill points, opens build paths, improves survivability, and tells the player that the character’s relationship to the world has shifted. If every nearby monster quietly shifts upward at the same time, that ceremony loses part of its charge.
That does not mean automatic scaling has no design value. Scaling helps preserve challenge across broad maps, supports flexible routing, and can make it easier for players of different levels to occupy shared spaces. Those benefits became especially relevant for Diablo 4’s open-world structure. The cost is that character growth can become harder to feel between major gear spikes, especially before endgame items begin doing the heavy lifting.
This is where Diablo 5 power fantasy and Diablo 5 level scaling collide. A game can show higher damage numbers while still making the player feel stationary if monster durability and threat climb in lockstep. The stronger alternative is not necessarily a world full of trivial enemies. It is a world with enough unevenness that investment becomes visible: some places should remain threatening, some should become efficient farms, and some should turn into reminders of how far a build has come.
Blizzard has signaled direction, not the finished rules
The confirmed facts are narrower than the conversation around them. Blizzard has acknowledged the problem, Shely has said Diablo 5 will take a different approach, and reporting from Eurogamer says the team has not fully discussed level scaling yet. No exact formula has been announced. There is no confirmed statement in the provided source material explaining whether Diablo 5 will use fixed area levels, level bands, world tiers, optional scaling caps, campaign-only scaling, endgame-only scaling, or a hybrid model.
Release timing is also still distant. Eurogamer reports that Diablo 5 is due in spring 2029, while GameSpot says the game will not be out until 2029 and its story page lists a first release date of June 30, 2029. The provided reports do not include a price, PC system requirements, upgrade path, or a full platform strategy. GameSpot’s page lists PC in its featured game box, while Eurogamer’s page metadata references platforms including PC and PS6, but the source material here does not provide a clear official platform announcement from Blizzard.
For players, that means the sensible position is cautious interest. The Diablo 5 Diablo 4 changes being discussed are consequential, but they remain early design signals. GameSpot says more Diablo 5 updates are expected next year, and those future details will matter more than broad statements of intent. Level scaling is a system where small implementation choices can change everything.
The real test will be build progression after the campaign
The hardest part for Blizzard will be preserving the feeling Shely described beyond the first few dozen levels. Early campaign progression can make characters feel stronger through new abilities, better gear, and easier backtracking. Endgame progression is less forgiving. If the sequel leans too far from scaling, farming can become rote and whole regions can lose purpose. If it leans too far toward scaling, Diablo 5 risks repeating the Diablo 4 complaint that every gain is answered immediately by the world.
Other reported Diablo 5 systems will feed into that tension. GameSpot says the return of set items should support the power fantasy, while Eurogamer reports Diablo 2-inspired loot and inventory choices. Those systems can create major build-defining moments, but only if the surrounding monster math gives players room to feel them. A set bonus, a rare weapon, or a carefully planned build path needs enemies that react in a noticeable way.
For players who felt Diablo 4 progression leaned too heavily on bigger numbers, the Diablo 2 references are encouraging because they suggest Blizzard is looking at structure, not cosmetic escalation. The unanswered question is whether Diablo 5 can combine modern routing flexibility with older-school thresholds of danger and dominance. Until Blizzard shows gameplay or explains the rules, the promise is clear but incomplete: Diablo 5 wants leveling to feel like power gained, not simply difficulty recalculated.