Blizzard Entertainment has revealed that Diablo 4, the highly anticipated sequel in the popular action RPG franchise, will not be designed for endless play. Instead, the game will feature a challenging “pinnacle boss encounter” in its Nightmare dungeons for players who reach level 100, according to associate game director Joe Piepiora. This boss is intended to test the limits of even the best level 100 builds and provide a sense of accomplishment for players.
During a group interview, Piepiora confirmed that Nightmare dungeons will continue to scale in difficulty beyond level 100, but there will be a limit to the game’s progression. At a certain point after level 100, players will have “received the maximum power of gear.” They can then reroll and respec their characters to maximize their builds and attempt to take on the ultimate boss in the Nightmare dungeons. This encounter, Piepiora suggests, will likely take players several tries before they have a chance at success.
“[Diablo 4] is not intended to be played forever. So there are creatures that you will continue to fight at higher and higher difficulties [beyond level 100], but this is content where you’ll be kind of pushing yourself to see how far you can take your build, rather than trying to reach some endless grind of rewards as time goes on beyond level 100.”
Piepiora emphasized that Diablo 4 is not meant to be played forever and that the focus is on pushing players to see how far they can take their build. The pinnacle boss encounter, whose name has not been disclosed, is not designed to provide powerful loot but rather to give players a sense of achievement. The purpose of obtaining the best gear is to prepare for this encounter, and the game offers cosmetic and other rewards for overcoming it.
Despite this, Diablo 4 is a live-service game, which means it will continue to receive content updates for years to come. Players can still look forward to engaging in the Fields of Hatred PvP zones and other activities beyond the challenging Nightmare dungeons.