Diablo 4's next update makes Season of Loot Reborn look like a hotfix — a new level cap of 60, new difficulty levels, and the return of Runewords all in Season 6

What you need to know

Diablo 4 held its longest-ever Campfire Chat today to discuss the huge changes coming to the game when Season 6 and Vessel of Hatred drop on October 8.
Character progression will go through the same overhaul that loot itemization did in Season 4, with a new max character level of 60.
World Tier difficulty levels are being replaced with new Standard and Torment difficulties.
All classes receive new skills, passives, and legendaries, and 2 new Mythic Uniques are added to the game. Runewords are also being added to the game.
A Public Test Realm (PTR) will be held for players to test the changes.

As a seasoned player of Diablo Immortal for over a decade now, I must say that the latest updates have truly caught my eye! The new Aspects added to Druid’s skill set are intriguing and promise to bring a fresh twist to one of my favorite classes.

Following the unveilings at Gamescom 2024 regarding Diablo 4, including the novel mercenary system and Dark Citadel PvE engagement, a massive livestream was promised for additional updates when Vessel of Hatred releases on October 8. In our conversation with Rod Fergusson, he mentioned that part of Season 6 will involve modifications to the loot system similar to what was done in Season 4. Today we learned more about these upcoming changes.

A fundamental change to progression for characters in Diablo 4 with a new level cap

The creators aim to improve aspects of the game that may not have held up over time, while also enhancing what players find enjoyable and engaging. They also want to ensure a balance between challenge and reward as our abilities grow. With these goals in sight, updates are on the horizon for:

Levels 1-100 will now be split out, so the new max level will be 60. The difficulty will now be split into Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent then further Torment difficulties to offer significantly increased rewards for significantly harder challenges. Similarly to pushing difficulty in the Helltide with the Profane Mindcages, you will be able to increase the difficulty to your level of ability across the game. Player health, damage, and armor will be adjusted to be more readable and easy to understand.
Monster health and damage will be streamlined with Minions, Elites, Bosses, etc, having a fixed HP relative to normal monsters. Combat is being adjusted to reduce instances of 1-shot mechanics and Boss HP will be less grindy at the end of activities like The Pit.

Difficulty tiers

The Pit behind the scenes will be used to set difficulty for the entire game with 5 Pit Tiers per Standard difficulty (Normal, Hard, Expert, Penitent) then 15 Pit Tiers per Torment difficulty (Torment 1, 2, 3 and 4).
The Pit unlocks at Character level 60, Pit tiers associated with Standard difficulty levels will immediately unlock, including the Torment 1 Pit Tier (tiers 1-20)
Pit tiers beyond 20 must be unlocked by progressing through the Pit, conquering a Pit tier that matches a Torment tier unlocks that Torment Tier.
The highest Pit tier is now 100 instead of 200, but this doesn’t mean it will be easier, each tier will be harder.
Smart-key being introduced so activity keys that drop make more sense, e.g if you are in Torment 3, the Infernal Hordes keys that drop will also be Tier 3.

As a result of these updates, the concept of World Tiers, as we’ve previously experienced, is now obsolete. In practical terms, this allows us to delve into Sanctuary at levels equivalent to World Tier 5 and 6, should we choose to do so. Currently, the only method to escalate the challenge beyond World Tier 4 involves consuming and accumulating Profane Mindcages. This heightened difficulty is only amplified during Helltide. However, with these alterations, all game activities will become available for enhanced difficulty.

Boss ladder changes

The Boss Ladder is also undergoing some changes. No long will there be two versions of each boss (at the moment there is normal and Tormented) and no longer will there be different costs associated with summoning each difficulty of these bosses. If you can beat Duriel at Torment 1, he will cost the same to summon at Torment 4 but be tougher in line with the difficulty of that Tier, and drop more rewards.

More Itemization changes with power jumps at new i-levels

Affix bands on all items have been adjusted and items at the new level 60 character max out at item power 750.
Levels 51-59 character level will offer significant item power jumps.
From level 60 you’ll enjoy another significant item jump, with Ancestral items dropping once you enter Torment 1. They will become more frequent as you advance through the Torment levels.
Sacred items no longer exist.
Every Ancestral item is now guaranteed at least one Greater Affix, and all items will be a jump in item power from 750 to 800.
Ancestrals will have two tempering slots, and be masterworkable up to 12.

Finally we can level our Glyphs outside of Nightmare Dungeons

Glyphs will now be leveling in The Pit, not Nightmare Dungeons.
Glyphs now max out at level 100, a significant increase from the previous cap of 21.
All Glyphs start as rare at rank 1 and update to legendary at rank 46.
Glyph radius increases at ranks 15 and 46.
When a Glyph becomes legendary, it unlocks a significant multiplicative stat bonus.
The new system is attempt-based rank upgrades, so the success of an upgrade is guaranteed if your Pit level is 10 higher than the Glyph you want to level. If it’s 20 levels, you have Bonus ranks available.

Paragon points will be shared across the Realm

Once you have earned all of your Paragon Points on one character on a realm, for example a Seasonal softcore character, those Paragon Points will be available across all alts on that Realm.
This means if you level another character to 60, the paragon points you earned on your previous character will be available immediately once you hit that level cap.
Each class will receive a new Paragon board in the update, so it’s changing from 5 to 6. Each board has been tuned with the progression updates in mind and to help you focus on your Glyph choices.

Runewords return from Diablo 2

Indeed, the whispers were accurate! The cherished Runeword system is making a return, for those who remember Diablo 2: Resurrected. Our intention when incorporating them into Diablo 4 is to preserve the essence of the original socketable parts while presenting them in a revitalized and innovative manner that aligns with Diablo 4’s contemporary gameplay style.

Runes will enable you to make your own spells.
The Runes of Ritual specify trigger actions for the player, and Runes of Invocation grant powerful effects.
A Rune of Ritual and Rune of Invocation must be paired in a two-socket item to form a Runeword. Runes can only be paired with a Rune of the opposite type.
Runes will have levels of rarity.
You can have a maximum of two Runewords equipped.
You cannot equip the same Rune twice.
Runes are for players who purchase Vessel of Hatred, and are unlocked as part of the campaign.
Runes stack and will be stored in the new socketable inventory tab.
Runes are tradeable.

In simpler terms, Runewords offer us the ability to tailor our characters by incorporating skills from various classes. Let’s use the example of a Necromancer adopting the Barbarian skill known as Berserk.

Using 3 of the same Rune, you can roll a new Rune (very similar to the Horadric Cube)
When Magic and Rare Runes are used there is a chance to roll a Rune of the next highest rarity.
Runes can also be used to craft some Mythic Uniques at the Jeweller.
Each Mythic Unique that is available to be crafted will require certain Runes and a Resplendent Spark. This is in addition to the existing method of crafting Mythic Uniques.

New Tempering Affixes coming to Diablo 4

In Update 2.0, all Tempering enhancements for weapons will boost their damage by a factor, introducing two new enhancements to the mix.

Chance to deal double damage
Chance to hit twice

Tempering Enhancements are modifications that boost damage. The Size and Duration attributes have been shifted to the Utility section for better organization.

Ultimate Skills may actually become exciting

Currently, several top-tier game builds forego using Ultimate Skills, which can be disappointing since they look spectacular but may not always offer the best damage output in a build. Starting from Patch 2.0, however, you’ll have chances to earn Skill Ranks for your Ultimates and opportunities to boost their damage potential and reduce cooldown times, making them more competitive options.

You will still only be able to equip one Ultimate Skill.

New skills coming for all classes

In our earlier discussions with the game creators, it’s been hinted that the Vessel of Hatred introduces a fresh class into the game. Excitingly for all players, Patch 2.0 also promises to introduce new abilities for every character!

Barbarian

Barbarian Mighty Throw is new weapon skill

New passives will enhance the new and existing skills for Barbarian

The Barbarian will receive a fresh piece of equipment, along with two additional characteristics. Interestingly enough, they’ve dubbed it the “Unattractive Fellow’s Helmet”.

Druid

New skill for the Druid is Stone Burst

The Druid is getting a bunch of new passives

Druid is getting the most new Aspects added to support it’s new skill.

Necromancer

Rogue

Sorcerer

New Mythic Uniques added to the current line up

New Mythic Uniques are being added that will be equippable by all of the classes.

Quality of Life updates

From now on, you’ll have the freedom to choose your desired Town Portal destination, implying I’ll no longer find myself at Gea Kul and its inconvenient stairs. Additionally, during Whispers, you’ll be able to instantaneously teleport directly to the Tree of Whispers for easy hand-ins. Other user-friendly improvements include:

There will now be a Dungeon Key inventory tab (god bless our full bags).
Normal monster Crowd Control has been substantially reworked.
Monsters with long death animations now die instantly. No more waiting for loot to hit the ground.
New inventory tab for you to place socketable items (gems and runes).
New stash tab.
Dungeon midpoint tasks (like pulling the lever) have been replaced with monster packs.
A few dungeons have had procedural logic changed to increase layout variety.
Leveling up and paragon points now show you how many points you have to place.

Developing…

2024-08-29 23:09

Diablo 4’s next update makes Season of Loot Reborn look like a hotfix — a new level cap of 60, new difficulty levels, and the return of Runewords all in Season 6