Diablo 5 game director Joe Shely says Diablo 5 combat will reward preparation over reflexes. In a post on X, Shely wrote that the next Diablo will lean on planning and character investment, moving it closer to Diablo 2 than to the faster style of Diablo 4.
His full statement reads: “While Diablo 5 will continue to feature some DEX (moment-to-moment execution) mechanics, on balance the game will be an INT/STR game (planning and investment). We are designing to the core tenet of ARPGs that any challenge can be overcome with the right build.”
What the DEX and INT/STR labels mean for Diablo 5 combat
The stat shorthand comes from a recent video by Chris Wilson, the former game director of Path of Exile. Wilson splits action RPG combat into two broad styles. Dexterity games reward quick reactions, dodge rolls and in-the-moment execution. Intelligence and strength games reward the work a player puts into a character before a fight starts.
By that measure, Diablo 4 sits on the dexterity side. Players can often get through tough encounters by dodging well, whatever their build. Diablo 2 sits on the other side, the direction Shely now sets for Diablo 5 combat. There, success depends mostly on how well a player has prepared their character.
Wilson notes that most action RPGs blend both approaches. However, many modern games in the genre skew toward fast action, with soulslikes as the clearest example. He also argues that Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 moved the series away from the heavier RPG systems of Diablo 2. That shift is partly why he assembled the team that made Path of Exile, a game built around the older style.
Shely’s reply to the Path of Exile creator
Shely’s post does not mention Wilson’s video by name. Even so, PC Gamer contributor Tyler Colp reads it as a direct answer to the part of the video where Wilson predicts that Diablo 5 combat will pick up where Diablo 4 left off. Colp calls the response a bigger shift than expected.
The history explains why. Shortly after Diablo 4 launched, Blizzard dropped its stated goal of recreating the feel of Diablo 2. Instead, it sped the game up to match the pace of Diablo 3.
What Blizzard has shown of Diablo 5 so far
Blizzard shared a small number of details about Diablo 5 at BlizzCon. One of them is the return of items that take up multiple inventory slots. The series dropped that system in later games as loot became more uniform.
Blizzard’s recent releases have also leaned on older design. Diablo 2: Resurrected and World of Warcraft: Forever both brought back slower systems, such as quests that send players on long runs across the map instead of flying them straight to the objective.
Meanwhile, Blizzard has said it has no intention of leaving Diablo 4 behind as long as people still play it. Diablo 4 is built around seasons, where players level a new character from scratch every few months. Shely’s post sets a different target for Diablo 5 combat: some execution skill, but build planning first.