Blizzard Acknowledges Diablo 4’s Low Difficulty, Announces Enhancements for Next Season

Taking down hordes of demons is always a blast, but when you’re mowing them down just 20 minutes after rolling a new character, it starts to feel a bit absurd, especially for a loot-driven action RPG. The thrill comes from gradually growing stronger and savoring every milestone along the way. Otherwise, why even bother chasing after better gear? For numerous Diablo 4 players, this is precisely where the game’s latest season missed the mark; it’s simply too easy.

Blizzard seems to share this sentiment and has set its sights on ramping up the difficulty for season 8, hoping to maintain the joy of reaching that ultimate demon-slayer status. During a live stream today, Diablo 4’s development team laid out their plans to make the road from level 1 to 60 not only longer but more fulfilling, while also cranking up the heat on endgame challenges.

The first expansion, named Vessel of Hatred, introduced significant changes to how players traverse the game. However, as design director Colin Finer pointed out, those efforts seem wasted as players have been breezing through the content at breakneck speed. This season, the time needed to hit max level has been slashed to less than half compared to earlier. To ensure the early game remains meaningful, Blizzard is stretching out the climb through the initial 25 levels.

As players advance towards level 60, don’t expect your bags to overflow with Legendary items, the game’s most prestigious loot, as frequently as before. Instead, some of the less glamorous items have been given a power boost to bridge the gap. Finer believes this adjustment will make players’ progression feel more gratifying and worthwhile.

Let’s not forget about the endgame, the stage where players really start to fine-tune their gear and tackle higher Torment difficulties for bigger rewards. Things are about to get tougher here as well. Blizzard revealed that half the players this season have reached the peak Torment level in record time, compared to previous seasons. Finer explained that they aim for the highest Torment tier, Torment 4 in this case, to be genuinely aspirational—it should be something only about 10% of players can achieve. To realign with this vision, the difficulty spikes between each Torment level are set to become dramatically steeper.

In the upcoming season, endgame bosses are getting a tough makeover too. Instead of treating them like easy sources of loot, these bosses have been reworked to genuinely test players who’ve optimized their character builds. Plus, three fresh bosses are joining the fray, and you won’t be drowning in summoning items anymore. Each boss can now be challenged without a summon, rewarding you with a chest that needs a key to open. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for Belial, the new top-tier boss, who might just crash your party at any moment.

Starting next week, Battle.net PC players can jump into these changes on the season 8 Public Test Realm, running from March 11 to March 18. Get ready, as season 8 is set to fully launch on April 29.