Diablo 5 to pull back from Diablo 4 monster scaling so levelling feels powerful
Monsters will not keep pace with you in quite the same way in Diablo 5.
Director Joe Shely said the next game will take a somewhat different approach to Diablo 4's monster level scaling, so your character feels noticeably stronger as you progress. He spoke in a group interview with PC Gamer published on 22 September 2026.
Level scaling is a simple idea. Enemies automatically grow tougher as your hero levels up. It keeps every fight competitive. It also means a level 20 skeleton can feel much like a level 5 skeleton, only with bigger numbers.
Diablo has handled that balance in different ways. In Diablo 2, enemy toughness was set by level ranges assigned to each area. You could wander somewhere too dangerous. You could also return somewhere older and feel very strong.
Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 went the other way. Both use a system where monster difficulty rises with the player character. You are rarely too weak for a zone. You are also rarely overpowered for it.
Shely said that automatic approach can get in the way. In his view, it dulls the core Diablo feeling of becoming powerful after you level up. You put in the work. You expect to feel it.
He did not lay out a full replacement system. His comment points to direction, not detail. Less lockstep between you and the monsters. More room for that moment when a build clicks and a room falls fast.
For players, this means the fantasy of levelling may count for more. Return to an old haunt. Notice the difference. Feel the hours you put into skills and loot pay off in a visible way.
What makes this stand out is how basic it sounds. Power. Progress. Reward. Diablo is a fantasy action series built around killing monsters, gaining levels and chasing better gear. If enemies always match you, that loop can feel flat, even when the combat is sharp.
Shely's remarks suggest the team has recognised that tension. A small shift in scaling can change how progression feels from hour to hour, without changing the moment-to-moment fighting at all.
