With Diablo 4 now firmly in its 11th season, the game is arguably in the best state it has ever been. Diablo 4 has had quite a roller coaster of a life so far, with some very high-highs and some equally low-lows. However, looking back at the launch state of Diablo 4 compared to its state at the start of Season 11 makes it clear that the two are completely different games, and players who bounced off of Diablo 4 soon after its release may find they click better with the game now.
The seasonal content model for Diablo 4, mixed with permanent content updates and expansions, has allowed the game to take on a different appearance in the years since its initial 2023 launch. Each season of Diablo 4 changes the game's identity, if only temporarily, and offers a unique experience to varying degrees. While some popular mechanics like Chaos Armor have come and gone throughout Diablo 4's life, it's the permanent changes that have molded the game into what it is today, and Diablo 4 looks nearly unrecognizable from the game that launched in 2023.
What is a Ship of Theseus, and How Does it Apply to Diablo 4?
The Ship of Theseus is an Ancient Greek thought experiment that asks one to consider whether a ship that has had all its parts replaced over time is still the same ship it started as. The question is intended to spark debate about the nature of identity as it relates to change over time. A live-service game like Diablo 4 is inherently going to be ever-changing as new updates are rolled out and expansions released, making it the perfect candidate for becoming a Ship of Theseus.
How Diablo 4 Has Changed Since Launch in 2023
Difficulty Changes in Diablo 4
|
Difficulties in 2023 |
Difficulties in 2025 |
|---|---|
|
World Tier 1 (Adventurer) |
Normal |
|
Hard |
|
|
World Tier 2 (Veteran) |
Expert |
|
Penitent |
|
|
World Tier 3 (Nightmare) |
Torment 1 |
|
Torment 2 |
|
|
World Tier 4 (Torment) |
Torment 3 |
|
Torment 4 |
One of the most apparent changes Diablo 4 has undergone in the years since launch is the game's approach to gameplay difficulty. Originally, Diablo 4 featured four different World Tiers that acted as difficulty levels, with each one gated off by a Capstone Dungeon that players needed to complete to progress to the next Tier. With the release of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, this difficulty system was reworked to include eight total difficulties, with the first four freely available for players to switch between at any time. The four Torment difficulty tiers are only available after players clear certain levels of the Pit of the Artificer: 20, 35, 50, and 65, respectively.
Endgame Progression in Diablo 4
Diablo 4's endgame progression has also undergone some massive changes since launch. Originally, the level cap for Diablo 4 was 100, wherein players would unlock access to the Paragon Board after reaching it. Since the release of Vessel of Hatred and the 2.0 update, the level cap has been reduced to level 60, with the Paragon Board becoming available afterward. This lower level cap makes reaching the endgame less of a slog and makes building a meta character more accessible each season.
To aid in the endgame progression, the addition of Tempering and Masterworking in Diablo 4 Season 4 created a new layer of buildcrafting that allows players to fine-tune their gear to match their build's needs. Although the randomized nature of Tempering and Mastworking was somewhat frustrating for players, the recent changes in Diablo 4 Season 11 have largely fixed these complaints. The Codex of Power was also added in Diablo 4 Season 4, allowing players to permanently unlock Legendary Aspects by salvaging items, no longer having to store one-time use Aspects in their inventory.
The Season Rank system and renown rework of Diablo 4 Season 11 are also very different from the seasonal progression of the first few Diablo 4 seasons. Capstone Dungeons may have been removed with the changes to difficulty tiers, but have returned as gates for seasonal ranks in the Season of Divine Intervention. The Altars of Lilith, which players spent time scouring Sanctuary in the early days of Diablo 4 for their permanent stat upgrades, no longer offer these bonuses and instead grant small amounts of XP, and resources like Gold, Gems, and Obols.
Diablo 4's endgame boss loop has also evolved over time, going from a disparate ladder to a more focused system in the Lair Boss mechanic added in Season 8. Now, Diablo 4 players can summon Lair Bosses without the need for specific materials like at launch, but still require certain materials to access the boss's reward chests after defeating them. Defeating Initiate-tier bosses grants materials needed to access the chests of Greater Lair Bosses, making the feature more of a ladder than before. Additional bosses were added at this time as well, giving Vessel of Hatred owners access to Urivar and Harbinger of Hatred, and all players access to the pinnacle boss Belial.
Other Content Added Since Diablo 4 First Launched
- Infernal Hordes
- 6 new Treasure Goblin types
- Vessel of Hatred Campaign
- Mercenaries
- Runes
- Kurast Undercity
- Dark Citadel
- Spiritborn Class
- Paladin Class
- Escalating Nightmares
- Bartuc, Lord of Chaos Infernal Hordes Boss
- Azmodan World Boss
While the largest amount of new content has come from the Vessel of Hatred expansion, each Diablo 4 season has left its mark on the game in some way. Early seasons may have only added new bosses like Varshan in Season 1 and Lord Zir in Season 2, but subsequent seasons have completely overhauled or added certain mechanics, like Season 5 and the addition of Infernal Hordes as a new endgame activity, or Season 9 and the addition of Escalating Nightmares as a variation of Nightmare Dungeons. The new Spiritborn and Paladin classes have perhaps changed gameplay the most, offering Diablo 4 players completely new types of builds from what was available at launch.
The Gauntlet and Leaderboards were briefly available between Diablo 4 Season 3 and Season 6, before being removed and replaced by the Tower coming in early 2026.
Diablo 4 is Likely Not Done with Changes Yet
Diablo 4 already looks like a completely different game from two years ago, and it is set to change even more in 2026. The Lord of Hatred expansion could see as dramatic a change to Diablo 4 as Vessel of Hatred did last year. In addition to the new map of Skovos, Lord of Hatred is overhauling Skill Trees, bringing back the Horadric Cube from Diablo 2 for a new crafting experience, along with an expanded endgame with War Plans and Echoing Hatred. While the finer details of these changes are still unclear, they go to show that Diablo 4 is an ever-evolving game that can't be judged by its initial launch.
Diablo 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
