Diablo 4 Is Getting a Level Cap Increase in Lord of Hatred

Diablo 4 players are finally noticing that the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion will introduce a level cap increase. Hidden away in the announcement of Diablo 4‘s Lord of Hatred expansion is the fact that the level cap is going up when it launches next year, and the conversation is now turning towards the potential changes it could bring to the game.

As it stands, Diablo 4‘s level cap is 60, and players can grind through 300 Paragon Levels to put the final touches on their characters beyond that. This was changed upon the launch of the Vessel of Hatred expansion last year, with a reduction from Level 100 down to 60. Overall, it seems that players have been pretty happy with that initial level cap change, and, while some players of course would rapidly speed through the levels each season, the new cap felt pretty balanced for the average gamer. However, things can’t be expected to stay the same forever, and with no changes to the level cap in a while, that could be about to change.

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Diablo 4 Players Are Finally Taking Notice of Lord of Hatred’s Level Cap Increase

However, it was noticed in Blizzard’s initial Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred announcement that, although it was only a few easy-to-miss words, the developer confirmed that the expansion is going to bring a level cap increase to all classes, as well as major Skill Tree reworks across the board. Given how little attention it has gotten since the announcement, this is a massive change that has the potential to have some serious implications on the seasonal Diablo 4 grind, for better or for worse.

The main and most obvious implication is that it will now take players longer to reach Diablo 4‘s endgame. For the average player, this might not seem like such a big deal, as the grind to the endgame takes up a lot of the seasonal gameplay time. But for those who play season after season and just want to reach the endgame as quickly as possible, this change might not prove to be as popular, depending on how the leveling is scaled by Blizzard. And with extra levels, comes extra skill points, too. This should increase the build diversity in Diablo 4, giving players more options to experiment with their characters. Again, though, the effectiveness of this will depend on how Blizzard’s Skill Tree reworks play out. The goal here is that, while progression may feel slower in the early game, it eventually feels more rewarding in the long run.

In the wake of Lord of Hatred‘s announcement, not every player was impressed with the level cap increase. User Lottus21 described it as “a yikes,” pointing out that “they [Blizzard] reworked level scaling like 2 times already.” Another gamer was equally frustrated, claiming the developer “took away 100 levels they had since the beginning and now they introduced it as a feature.” However, players were ultimately back and forth over the upcoming level cap increase, and there was no one overriding sentiment about it.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is set to launch on April 28, 2026. When it arrives, it will be the most significant content drop for the game since Vessel of Hatred in 2024, the game’s previous expansion. One surprise from the expansion is Diablo 4‘s Paladin class, which is already available to players who have pre-ordered the upcoming DLC. However, there will also be a second class coming in Lord of Hatred, which Blizzard has yet to reveal. Players should stay tuned in the coming months for more information about Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred as its release date draws closer.

Released

June 5, 2023

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact