Diablo V Game Director Joe Shely, in a recent interview, said that the team is already thinking about the fundamental mechanics of the upcoming game.
One such mechanic is enemy level scaling. In Diablo II, each area had a specific level range, allowing the player to encounter both relatively weak and significantly stronger enemies. In Diablo III and Diablo IV, Blizzard used a different approach: monster strength automatically adjusts to the character's level.
This system helps maintain a relevant level of difficulty, but it has a significant drawback — it can weaken the sense of progression. In the series' games, the player gradually transforms from an ordinary hero into an almost invincible demon slayer, so it is especially pleasant to find powerful items or gain a new level and then literally destroy enemies that recently posed a serious threat.
Shely admitted that automatic scaling can hinder this feeling.
Diablo is a game largely about your character getting stronger. When monsters get stronger at the same time, especially outside of your control, it can hinder the sense of progression.
According to him, the moment after leveling up or obtaining a powerful item is especially important. The player should feel the result of their achievement — for example, by destroying an entire group of enemies with one powerful attack. At the same time, automatic scaling soon returns the confrontation to roughly the same level of difficulty.
Blizzard has not yet revealed how exactly the new system will work. Moreover, Shely noted that the team has not yet made a final decision regarding level scaling in Diablo V.