With Season 6, the developers of Diablo 4 are changing how progress occurs in the ARPG. Diablo head Rod Fergusson compares the extent of these changes to those in Season 4 regarding the loot system.
Season 6 starts on October 8 and changes the progress system in Diablo 4, including the difficulty levels. Previously, there was often criticism from the community regarding the world tiers, leading Blizzard to completely overhaul them. But the level system also undergoes fundamental changes.
What is Blizzard changing about progress? Due to changes in the difficulty levels, leveling will generally happen differently. You no longer move from world tier to world tier, but unlock the next difficulty levels in the pit.
The following aspects of the level system in Diablo 4 will specifically change:
- the maximum level changes from level 100 to level 60.
- the Paragon levels will then be separate from the character levels; Paragon points will be shared among all your characters on a realm.
- there will be a “Stats Squish.” This means that there will no longer be huge, confusing numbers when it comes to damage. Generally, this is intended to provide better clarity and a more enjoyable leveling experience.
The values in the character overview were also much smaller on the PTR than players currently know from Diablo 4. A pop-up window also revealed that the armor cap will then only be at 1,000. Currently, the cap for armor is reached at 9,230.
We spoke with the developers about the future of Diablo 4 at gamescom 2024:
Why does Fergusson compare this to Season 4? In Season 4, there were massive changes to the loot system. The goal was to reduce the number of item drops while increasing their quality. Since then, there has been a smaller pool of affixes, but they are more fitting and stronger.
In addition, the aspects were moved to the Codex of Power, no longer clogging your chests. Additionally, two new crafting systems were introduced: Hardening and Completion. This is intended to give players a sense of progress. Overall, the changes were so extensive that players felt: Diablo 4 feels like a new game.
In Season 6, Blizzard essentially overhauls the entire system of how leveling and difficulty levels function in Diablo 4 – and thus the core mechanics of the ARPG.
Rod Fergusson, head of Diablo, states in the interview with VGC:
What we like to say is: What Season 4 did for the loot system, Season 6 does for progress. Players will see many truly interesting changes in how we handle the Paragon system, difficulty, and leveling. We are very excited for players to experience all these innovations in Season 6.
The developers are planning a livestream in which they will explain what Season 6 specifically brings to the game. The season will be available to all players, whether they own the “Vessel of Hatred” expansion or not, emphasizes Rod Fergusson in the interview.
The test of Season 6 on the PTR was well received by players and experts. The strongholds were particularly praised as a ‘new’ option for leveling, as were the changes to the pit. However, there was also criticism. Two experts find that the new difficulty levels in Diablo 4 are too easy. Especially the torment levels were announced as being harsher than they appeared on the PTR. Whether Blizzard will make changes in this regard remains to be seen.
