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With the launch of Diablo 4, the first mainline release in the series since Diablo 3 in 2012, players will find themselves somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer number of character-build options available for each class, which is why Blizzard included the respec option. With five classes at launch (Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Necromancer, and Rogue) it's not uncommon for fans to wind up disliking a certain playstyle, specific skills, or an entire class build altogether.
When venturing through Sanctuary, slaying demons, and leveling up, it's important to occasionally reset the skill tree and test out a different playstyle. This Diablo 4 guide will focus on how players can refund skill points, the cost involved with doing so, and whether it's worth the effort.
Updated by Shane Black on July 25th, 2023: This guide was updated to provide more details about how to refund the Paragon points that you can invest in your character once you have reached Level 50, and how these differ from refunding the usual Skill Points in your Skill Tree. It also gives context to the benefits of refunding points versus starting a new character.
Refunding Skill Points
Blizzard simplified the process to refund skill points in Diablo 4. When players open the skill tree, a branching pathway full of unique skills that directly affect playstyle greets the eye. It's a little overwhelming, especially for newcomers of the series. Thankfully, you can respec your character and refund skill points, both individual skills and all skills at once.
Refunding A Single Skill Point
Let's say the player accidentally put a skill point into an unwanted ability. Or, even more likely, they don't enjoy the ability they chose. It's commonplace. If either happens, it's entirely possible to refund a single skill in Diablo 4.
- Navigate to the Skill Tree under the Abilities Tab.
- Right-click Skill to refund.
Should players choose to refund a single skill, and it directly affects the next node in the Skill Tree or a child skill associated with the aforementioned ability, the game will require players to refund any affected ability, too.
Refunding All Skills
If adventurers would like to completely alter their playstyle by working with a new build altogether, it's possible to refund all skill points on a character. Thankfully, once again, Blizzard made this process as simple as imaginable.
- Navigate to the Skill Tree under the Abilities Tab.
- At the very bottom of the Skill Tree, below all the available nodes, the Refund All button awaits. It's bright and hard to miss.
- Once selected, the Refund All option will bring up a prompt confirming a total reset of all skills. The popup will also list the associated cost to respec the character.
By refunding all skills, players are taking the nuclear option. It's important to note this fact. While the total cost associated with refunding skills isn't enough to break the bank, it can have an impact. Players should choose wisely before a total respec. At the very least, have a plan in mind and consider exploring a build guide for a favorite class beforehand.
Cost Of Refunding Skill Points
Speaking of costs, when refunding skill points in Diablo 4, it will cost gold for every skill point refunded. And unfortunately, it's not a single base price. As the player levels up, the gold cost to respec skills will increase with every level. Once players hit the end game, as shown off in a preview build from Blizzard, it can cost upwards of 100,000 gold to refund all skills. It's important to note that the gold price to refund each skill may change as time goes on. Blizzard is sure to release balance patches and alter how the in-game economy functions, including the cost to respec a character fully.
As players begin their journey, the cost to respec skills is completely free. At least, that's the case until around level 7. At that point, it will cost approximately one gold per skill point. Upon reaching level 10, the cost rises and continues to do so with each level gained. For example, at level 25, it will cost players about 110 gold per skill point refunded. As players progress, so does the cost. It's unclear how much it will cost to refund all skills at level 100, the max level, though it's surely an eye-opener.
Refunding Paragon Points
Once you reach Level 50 with your character, you will unlock the Paragon Board, which replaces the Skill Tree as how you can add buffs to your character. While the Skill Tree gave you new abilities and ways to change those abilities, the Paragon Board is more about beefing up your stats like Strength and Willpower. While this may not seem like drastic changes to your character, the Paragon Board is an integral part of fine-tuning your character to be just how you want.
And just like the Skill Tree, you won't have to worry about sticking with your choices should you change your mind down the road, and the process of doing so is the same as before.
In order to refund your Paragon Points, simply hover over the node that you are wanting to take back, and follow the button prompt it gives you to refund that point. And just like with Skill Points, there is a monetary cost that comes with refunding a point, and they're not cheap.
The cost of a refund will vary depending on your level and how many Paragon Boards you have activated. So, refunding a Paragon Point at Level 50 on your first Paragon Board is the cheapest option.
The one thing that is different from the Skill Tree is that there is not an option to refund all Paragon Points at once, given the meticulous nature of the Board. You will have to go through each Node and refund it if you are wanting to start over completely, and that will be a very expensive endeavor.
Respeccing Vs. Starting New Character
Now comes the issue of whether you want to respect your character through refunding points, or just start a new character completely. Either way is a valid strategy, and it comes down to what your strategy or plan is with the game, and how often you are planning to change things up.
For example, if you are looking to have two different builds for PvE and PvP that you can switch between often, then it is a better idea to start a new character to have both builds ready to go whenever you want. If you try to do this by respeccing your character every time, over and over, this will not only be an incredibly time-consuming process, but also an expensive one.
It makes more sense to take the time to create both builds separately, and have them both available to switch between whenever you need or want to.
Now for the other side, if you are planning to run with just one build for the whole game, whether it be focused on PvE or PvP, and are just planning to tweak some things here and there, then respeccing is the best option. There is no need to create an entirely new character just to have these minimal changes, and the infrequency with which you will be refunding won't be very expensive.
This strategy will allow you to focus your efforts on what is important to your character, and do so in a timely manner. After adding a Skill Point or a Paragon Point, you will quickly learn if it was the right move and can decide to refund if you choose to do so.