During a recent Discord Q&A, also known as the Sanctuary Sitdown, the Diablo 4 team confirmed once again that Solo Self-Found (SSF) mode is coming to the game. However, it will not release with the Lord of Hatred expansion.
This is now the second time Blizzard has publicly acknowledged the feature after earlier developer interviews, so SSF is clearly planned, just not ready yet.
If you have never played SSF before or are not sure what exactly Solo-Self-Found means, the idea is simple. Your character can only use items you personally find. No trading, no boosting, no outside help. You will only wear what you earned through playing the game.
Why Players Care So Much About SSF in Diablo 4
The Tower already has leaderboards running in testing, but a lot of players feel rankings are hard to judge when trading and external gear sources exist.
SSF could change that feeling completely.
Every upgrade comes from your own gameplay:
- drops you found yourself
- crafting you invested in
- builds you solved on your own
For some players, that is the real endgame. Not just clearing content, but proving you did it with your own character progression rather than trading items or receiving them from other players (e.g., big streamers or content creators often run in groups or get traded items from other players to help them achieve goals faster).
What This Means for the Future of the Game
Blizzard did not share a release window yet, only that SSF is planned after Lord of Hatred’s release, rather than as part of its launch.
That likely places it closer to future seasonal or endgame updates, potentially around the full Tower rollout. The goal seems to be giving competitive players a separate space where progression feels easier to compare.
So, although it is not arriving with the expansion, the mode is no longer a “maybe”. It is coming! Make sure to keep an eye on upcoming updates if you care about leaderboards or self-found challenges.
And for more on Season 12, Lord of Hatred, and beyond, head to our Diablo 4 news hub.
