How To Change Difficulty Level in Diablo 4

Diablo 4 is gearing up to be a challenging game for all players on all skill levels, but that doesn't mean you can't use the difficulty settings to ramp it up if you need a bigger challenge to overcome or scale it down for a more casual experience similar to previous Diablo titles. Diablo 4's difficulty or "World tier" difficulty system works slightly differently than it did in Diablo 3, and if you need some insight into how it works then we have you covered. 

Below we'll explain how the difficulty system works in Diablo 4 as well as how to change the difficulty in the game to either lower or raise it, depending on what you want. So let's dive right in. 

Update on 19 July 2023: We've updated this article with the latest info on changing World Tier difficulty levels in Diablo 4.

How To Change Difficulty Level in Diablo 4

Unlike Diablo 3, where players would need to use the menu to change the difficulty of their session, Diablo 4 employs an in-game method of changing difficulty. After completing the Prologue chapter, you will arrive at Kyovashad, after which you can travel north to find what is known as the statue of Inarius, also called the World Tier Statue.

Once you click on the statue, you'll be able to see the various levels of World Tier difficulties available in Diablo 4 and choose the one you want to play on. The game's difficulty can then be changed without needing to start a brand-new session; however, the higher difficulties do have some prerequisites that must be accomplished to access them. 

Completing certain Dungeons connected to Story Quests on a particular difficulty is included in this. By default, the game will become harder as you increase the difficulty, but players will receive higher prizes, including gear drops with a higher rarity, more experience gains, and other priceless goods.

This ultimately means that you can change the difficulty to give yourself more of a challenge or if you're looking to farm for more valuable or rare items. Naturally, you can also change the difficulty for your party, allowing everyone to join in on the looting, or to just save you when an enemy hits harder than you expected. 

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are partying with other players and want to change the difficulty; for it to work for everyone in your party, all of you must be in the city where the World Tier Statue is located. Also, any portals you may have opened to return to town will close if you adjust the game's level. Meaning if you've used a portal to travel somewhere like a dungeon and head back to change the difficulty, the portal will be closed when you return. 

For more Diablo 4, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Our section keeps growing, so check for new guides daily! Don't forget to pick up one of the Diablo 4 Editions and join the fight to save Sanctuary soon.