Blizzard, please make level scaling not-a-thing on release. It really kills the risk/reward and character progression aspects that I love about ARPGs. D4 is otherwise a great atmospheric game with cool combat and good mechanics, but this scaling thing is a dealbreaker for me.
We’re supposed to be scared to wander into a new area or side dungeon, not comforted by the certainty of scaling.
This is Diablo, not Skyrim.
You are more than welcome to wander into a zone above your level.
I don’t understand. Are you having trouble killing the trash mobs? Or do you just want that feeling of being able to bully low level hostile?
Hhahahahha, you are scared of lv scaling? Do you know why in D2 people dont go back to normal mode and farm? BECAUSE IT’S GARBAGE, a waste of time. Without level scaling most low lv zones WOULD ALSO BE GARBAGE and a waste of time.
There are indeed some risk/reward type areas in D4. They are just a bit more sparse. For example, there’s a level 25+ area you can get to at just about any level, but the mobs in there are always at least level 25. Go there at level 22 or 23, it’ll up the difficulty a bit for you.
D2 made content replayable by tiering it up with NM and Hell. For hardcore play, this was really important as it gave the player the agency of having to make the strategic call over when to progress and when to stay put and level.
Do you know why in D2 people dont go back to normal mode and farm? BECAUSE IT’S GARBAGE, a waste of time.
Pretty sure LLDs would disagree. Just saying…
Yeah, that exists in D4 as well. There are different difficulty levels we can’t get to in beta.
Not really. In D2 you could easily die just by wandering over to the stony field at too low a level. Here you just walk around willy nilly and the game’s got your back. The world of Diablo is supposed to be hard and unforgiving.
Wrong.
I walked into a zone today two levels below what it showed on the map and they were the level shown on the map.
I did the keep thing at level 20 and the mobs were still level 25.
When the act transition from NM to hell, that’s the biggest leap in difficulty for D2. Other than that, it was near useless to play on lower lv map, bad drops, bad exp, and so on.
Level scaling actually populate the areas with players, give more choices, and make every zones relevant as you progress. Instead of a one and done type of thing.
Surely lower-level zones could be kept relevant by giving players a reason to go back? Level scaling in this case is just a lazy replacement for actual game design.
Scaling > not-scaling for a game like this. Then everything is relevant.
I hated scaling in D3. It is better in D4 . I still hate it, but I get that it’s not going to go away. It lets “end game” be anywhere, and lets you explore sanctuary in whatever order you want… the items are going to necessarily be upgraded CONSTANTLY. It won’t be like d2 where you can use that sword you love for 5-10 levels, everything is garbage until endgame. you need to upgrade every level, or be aware you’ll be hacking an ancient oak with a paring knife sooner rather than later. while I disagree with the design decision, that one was made long ago and I don’t see devs going back. The D3 fans think doing D2 mechanics is a step backwards. From their perspective I get it, but my 2¢ is I don’t want it. I want to decide when I’m geared well enough to progress rather than progress before I feel prepared… but “you can’t always get what you want!”
You could also argue that if everything is relevant, nothing truly is.
Wait, I thought they only scale if you surpass their level. As in, if you’re level 30 and they’re normally level 20 they will be level 30.
If you’re level 30 and they’re normally level 35 I think they’re still level 35?
So, OP I think you need not worry
As for risk-reward … well the risk is you die fighting something levels above you. The reward is items drop that you cannot use. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
You can stretch the difficulty further by not equipping gear too. Go crazy with it!
What is your concern? You like to one shot worthless monsters to feels better or something?
Don’t these zones only scale up to L25? How will they be relevant in end game?
Scaling is essential for many reasons, like making all content viable all the time and for multiplayer. It’s implemented well.