Diablo 5 Will Handle Level-Scaling Differently, and It Sounds a Lot Like Diablo 2

Blizzard is already signaling that Diablo 5 won't simply copy the way Diablo 4 handles enemy difficulty. The studio says the in-development action-RPG will take "a somewhat different approach" to level-scaling, a system that has been a sore point for many fans of the current game.

Level-scaling, where the world's monsters adjust to keep pace with the player's level, was a defining choice in Diablo 4. It let players roam an open world in almost any order, but critics argued it flattened the sense of progression. Outgrowing an area and returning to stomp it is a big part of the genre's appeal, and scaling tends to blunt that feeling.

The comments suggest Blizzard is looking back to Diablo 2 for answers. That game used fixed monster levels tied to zones and difficulty tiers, so players knew where they stood and could feel themselves getting stronger. Blizzard hasn't spelled out exactly what Diablo 5's version will look like, and the wording "somewhat different" leaves plenty of room. It could mean a full return to fixed levels or a hybrid that keeps some flexibility.

This is also not the first time the team has hinted at Diablo 2 influence on the next mainline entry. Taken together, the remarks point to a sequel that wants to reclaim some of the older game's core mechanics rather than build further on Diablo 4's open-world framework.

There is no release window for Diablo 5, and the project is still early in development, so details may shift. For now, players who missed the tangible power growth of the classic era have a reason to be cautiously optimistic. Expect more specifics as Blizzard gets closer to showing the game properly.