How does level scaling work in Diablo 4?

At its core, Diablo 4 is an action role-playing game like all of its predecessors, but it is a departure in terms of level scaling. Level scaling in RPGs, by and large, fall under one of two categories. The first is the old-school approach of static level scaling. In it, monsters and mobs you encounter worldwide will have persistent static levels tied to their type and location.

Diablo 4, on the other hand, adheres to a newer approach to scaling: dynamic enemy levels. As associate game director Joe Piepiora noted in an interview:

"We don't want a part of the game to ever become utterly trivial, such that there's no reason to return to that place..."

Essentially, for the vast majority of Diablo 4, the level of everything depends on your character's current level. Rather than other popular MMORPGs like Path of Exile, this level scaling aligns more with Bethesda Softworks' design philosophy in Skyrim.

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How the different late-game modifiers affect levels in Diablo 4

For multiplayer sessions, the relative monster level in Diablo 4 presents itself differently to different players. A simplified explanation is that enemies adjust their stats relative to the individual player's instance. Lower level players will both deal and take less damage - akin to the system seen in Borderlands 3.

The dynamic level scaling in Diablo 4 has both advantages and drawbacks. For one, there is less friction in progression compared to past Diablo titles. There are very few points in the game in the critical path where a character suddenly feels a steep ramp in difficulty. To be sure, it can be overall more challenging relative to how powerful your build is in the late game, but this rise in challenge is smoothed out.

On the flip side, the progression in Diablo 4 is rendered less concrete. There is no struggling against the horde in a particular region to later come back and wallop them for a breezy backtrack. Mob variance feels shallower, and the entire progression curve feels homogenized.

There are, however, certain modifiers and nuances that affect the level scaling. The 15 Strongholds strewn throughout various regions in the game always have a level advantage over the player. Moreover, there is also the matter of World Tiers.

Simply put, World Tiers are the switchable difficulty levels of the game. World Tier 1 and 2 are unlocked from the get-go, whereas the later ones are locked behind certain progression thresholds. However, the level scaling between the two remains the same.

The enemies do not scale past level 50 in World Tiers 1 and 2. To continue leveling past this point, i.e., to make progress in the Paragon Board, the player must unlock World Tier 3 through:

• Completing the main campaign
• Clearing the Level 50 Capstone Dungeon (Cathedral of Light, Kyovashad)

This is the de-facto Nightmare Difficulty mode, where enemies continue to level with the player till level cap (100). Moreover, enemies can drop Nightmare Sigils, which can unlock Nightmare Dungeons. These have much higher static levels, as indicated by the tier of the key. The subsequent World Tier 4 and the Torment Sigils therein also function similarly.