Blizzard has recently announced that Diablo 4's Season 8, titled Belial's Return, will introduce nerfs to some of the game's most dominant builds. The development team is striving to strike the perfect balance between allowing powerful builds and maintaining the game's challenge. This season, adjustments will be made sooner rather than later to ensure a fair and engaging experience for all players.

Originally launched in 2023, Diablo 4 is gearing up for Season 8, which begins on April 29. Ahead of the season's start, Blizzard has shared insights into the upcoming changes, including a developer update livestream scheduled for April 24. This stream will delve deeper into the specifics of Belial's Return and the adjustments players can expect.

Now, Gamesradar has reported that Diablo 4’s lead live game designer, Colin Finer, has provided more details about how Season 8 will balance characters. "We absolutely want powerful builds, but I think it's about finding that sweet spot. We believe the Blood Wave fell into a category that was too powerful," Finer explained during a roundtable interview, referencing the overpowered Necromancer build in Diablo 4. He emphasized that the team doesn’t want the game to become trivialized by a single Unique item, so Season 8 will see a shift in balancing philosophy. One of the key reasons for this approach is that waiting until mid-season to nerf overpowered builds is a "big disrespect to the players’ time." To address this, the developers will implement nerfs as early as "the first week or so."

This isn’t the first time the Diablo 4 team has hinted that the game might be too easy. Back in March, Blizzard noted that players were reaching the maximum level too quickly in Season 7 and indicated that Season 8 would focus on increasing the game's difficulty.

According to Blizzard's Diablo 4 roadmap for 2025, Season 8 will run from April to July, with two additional seasons planned for later in the year. The season will introduce permanent additions like new Lair bosses—Belial, Urivar, and Harbinger—alongside unique seasonal content, including boss powers, a new feline pet, and a collaboration with Berserk. While the nerfs may shake up the meta, Blizzard aims to keep Diablo 4 engaging and popular throughout the year.