Level scaling in Diablo IV refers to how strong enemies are in certain zones, which reflect a player's character in dungeons, world events, or even in co-op multiplayer. This balancing allows players to play all the content of the game in whatever order they wish. Whether in a group or solo, level scaling helps players tackle whatever challenge they want without worrying about a tedious grind for any of their characters.
For most of Diablo 4, players who travel through Sanctuary solo are met with enemies of the same level as their character. However, some areas have enemies that cannot be below a certain level, reflecting the higher difficulty of later story Acts. For example, if players travel to Kehjistan or Hawezar, enemies will always be Level 35 until players reach that same level to begin proper scaling like everywhere else.
Combining classes in Diablo 4's co-op multiplayer does not affect the level scaling of enemies since the creatures of Hell adjust their level based on individual characters. If two players join up with one character at level 50 and another at level 25, enemies will scale to an even ground between both. This way, the higher-level player will still find unique items and gear, and the lower-level player won't feel useless in fights.
Multiplayer scaling becomes the most relevant against bosses, whose attacks deal damage respective to the player they target. The level scaling seen more clearly from bosses or Elite enemies applies to every foe a party of players will come across. The chaos of combat makes this difficult to see, especially in large hordes from events or dungeons, whose scaling acts a bit differently than those seen traveling along the map.
World Events like Strongholds or Helltides in Diablo 4 will always have enemies two levels above a player's character to create a greater challenge. Both of these events change the landscape of the map, creating enemies designed to scale higher than the player at all times. Strongholds are limited to small areas, while Helltides cover a large section of the map for a short time.
Nightmare Dungeons and Capstone Dungeons also feature enemies scaled above the player, with the former having foes with two levels over characters like the world events. Capstone Dungeons for World Tier 3 in Diablo 4 have enemies set at scale at level 50 and beyond, while the World Tier 4 capstone has enemies set to scale at level 70. This acts as a way to inform players what level their character should be at before taking on these difficult gateways into higher-difficulty World Tiers.
Players can access World Tier Capstone Dungeons at the Shrine of Inarius in Kyovashad, which unlocks higher difficulty map settings for any of their characters.
The level scaling of Diablo IV always makes sure that a player works with interesting opponents in multiplayer, world events, or dungeons that never feel too challenging or easy as they continue to adventure and improve their character.
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