All New Difficulty Changes Coming in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Throughout the time that Diablo 4 has been around, there haven’t been too many notable changes in the way that difficulty tiers work. However, with Vessel of Hatred coming out soon, Blizzard has released some notes on the changes that will be happening to the difficulty scaling, and I must say, I’m pretty impressed. Not only will the World Tier mechanic be going away, but we’ll also finally get some Torment difficulty that can be used along with whatever Standard difficulty you’ve chosen. Let’s take a look at the new difficulty changes and how to unlock them in Diablo 4.

Standard Difficulty Changes

For the longest time in Diablo 4, we’ve gotten used to varying World Tiers to describe the difficulty of the world we’re playing in, but when Vessel of Hatred releases, some changes will be coming that will give us a better chance to control our difficulty and pacing when it comes to leveling. Due to this, we’ll no longer have World Tiers. Instead, we’ll have 4 Standard Difficulties, Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent. Each difficulty will determine the pace at while you grow your character to Level 60, which will now be the new level cap.

• Normal is a slower-paced mode suited for those looking for a lighter challenge. Unlocked by default.
• Hard and Expert offer an increased challenge for those looking to test their mettle and play at a faster pace. Unlocked by completing the Prologue.
• Penitent isn’t for the faint of heart. Those looking to pave a path to the new Torment Difficulties will face off against heightened danger. Unlocked by reaching Level 50.

Torment Difficulty Changes

When it comes to Torment difficulties, the endgame of Diablo 4 will look a bit different than what we’ve previously seen. Rather than having the Torment difficulties as additionally more challenging difficulties after you pass us the first few like in Diablo 3, Torment difficulties will be able to be applied on top of the Standard difficulty we’ve chosen to use. As always, higher Torment difficulties will reward better item drops, experience, and gold.

• Torment 1: -250 Armor and -25% All Resist, unlocked by reaching Level 60 and beating the Put Tier 20.
• Torment 2: -500 Armor and -50% All Resist, unlocked by beating Pit Tier 35.
• Torment 3: -750 Armor and -75% All Resist, unlocked by beating Pit Tier 50.
• Torment 4: -1000 Armor and -100% All Resist, unlocked by beating Pit Tier 65.

Diablo 4 is now available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.