Blizzard is looking to introduce more horizontal progression into Diablo 4, along with new ways for players to level and gear their alts. In a recent interview with Raxxanterax, developers Colin and Zaven briefly mentioned that the team wants to make alting and build experimentation more rewarding, something Diablo 4 desperately needs.
Diablo 4 needs more Horizontal Progression
So, what does “horizontal progression” actually mean for Diablo 4?
Right now, nearly every system in the game focuses on vertical progression — stacking power through better gear, Paragon points, or other stat boosts. What’s missing is meaningful horizontal progression: systems that make it easier to experiment with builds, or to take some of the grind out of leveling alts.
There’s no single magic fix here, but there are definitely changes Blizzard could make to make both build swapping and alt progression feel far more rewarding.
Better Build Swapping
Over time, Diablo 4 has received solid quality-of-life updates, things like the Armory and the removal of aspect hoarding from your stash. But swapping builds is still a chore, and it shouldn’t be.
One of the biggest improvements Blizzard could make is letting players copy Paragon and skill setups directly from community builds. Rebuilding your entire Paragon board every time you want to test a new setup — especially in endgame — is just painful. Streamlining that process would massively encourage build experimentation instead of punishing it.
The same goes for aspects. Automatically swapping aspects tied to your gear would save players a huge amount of downtime. Less menu management, more time slaying demons.
Alt Progression
Managing multiple characters in Diablo 4 can feel tedious, especially after ten seasons. Leveling alts isn’t difficult, but it’s repetitive, and getting them geared up, even at a basic legendary level, takes time unless you’ve prepped a stash just for them.
It might be time for Blizzard to add some form of catch-up system. If a player already has one character at max level with tempered or masterworked gear, maybe their alts should benefit. Even a small XP boost or scaling buff would go a long way toward making alt leveling less of a grind.
Less time spent on repetitive leveling means more time spent on the fun stuff — theorycrafting, farming, and experimenting. Horizontal progression systems like these would not only smooth out the player experience but also keep Diablo 4 feeling fresh season after season.
