Diablo 4 Leveling Changes & Realm-Wide Paragon Levels Explained

With the release of Diablo 4's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, Blizzard is making some monumental changes to the ARPG, including a leveling squish where the max level has changed for all characters and a new realm-wide Paragon level system, akin to something you will find in Diablo 3 and Diablo Immortal.

These huge system changes are included in Diablo 4 update 2.0, which was released on 8 October 2024 with the Vessel of Hatred expansion. Let's dive in and explain how the "level squish" and Paragon levels will work!

Diablo 4 Character Level Squish in Vessel of Hatred

The maximum character level in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred is 60 instead of 100. Players will earn an extra 10 Skill Points in their leveling process from 1 to 60. At level 60, players will begin to earn Paragon levels to unlock Paragon Nodes.

Old characters on the Eternal Realm that are above level 50 will have their XP-based Paragon Points converted to Paragon level once Diablo 4 patch 2.0 releases, regardless if you've purchased the expansion or not. Blizzard gives an example:

If your character is Level 100 currently, once these changes go into effect, your character level will be reduced to 50, and all 200 Paragon Points your character has earned with be converted to Realm-wide Paragon Levels. If your character is Level 50 and below, nothing will change for them.

According to the developers, these changes to the leveling system will help players get to endgame activities and gear faster and make it easier to create powerful alts, which is where Realm-wide Paragon levels come into play.

Realm Wide-Paragon Levels in Diablo 4

In Diablo 4 patch 2.0, the way the Paragon Points function has been adjusted. Paragon Points are now tied to Realm (Eternal or Seasonal) instead of character level. The most straightforward explanation is that all Paragon levels players earn will be shared across all characters on the same Realm.  

It is important to note that these changes will also affect players who have not purchased the expansion.

While you wait for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred to release, you can learn more about the new region, mercenaries, and much more in the video below.

Are these great changes, or was the level 100 cap better? We will have to wait and see, but it is clear that this type of Paragon system has worked in the past, so we'll give it a shot!

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.