Skill slots (or Ability slots, as the game calls them) are really important in Diablo 4. There are a lot of skills and abilities in Diablo 4, and it can sometimes feel like you don’t have enough skill slots, especially early in the game.
Thankfully, there are ways to unlock more, but only in the early stages of the leveling experience. If you’re expecting to have a wide-ranging hotbar with countless ability slots, you’re likely going to be out of luck.
How to get more skill slots in Diablo 4
At the start of the game, you have just one skill slot unlocked. You won’t have any abilities unlocked at the start, so your one skill slot is assigned to your basic attack. However, at level two, you get your first skill point, which you can spend on an ability, and that ability will automatically be assigned to your one and only skill slot.
At level three, you’ll get another skill point, but you won’t yet get another skill slot. So, if you unlock a second ability at level three, you won’t have a slot to assign it to. I had no problem with this when I was playing as a Barbarian, but I immediately noticed it playing as a Rogue. I wanted to be able to use both melee and ranged attacks, but I couldn’t. Not yet.
| Skill slots | Level requirement |
|---|---|
| One | Level 2 (first Skill Point) |
| Two | Level 4 |
| Three, Four, Five, and Six | Level 8 |
At level four, you’ll unlock one more skill slot, so you can then assign two different abilities to your action bar. Then, you won’t unlock any more skill slots until level eight, when you’ll unlock all of the remaining four, bringing your total number of skill slots to six.
Can you get more than six skill slots in Diablo 4?
Six is the maximum number of skill slots in Diablo 4. There is no way to get more than that (unless you count the Sorcerer’s Enchantment Slots). This might seem like it’s not enough skill slots when you consider the huge number of skills you can actually learn, but there is a good reason for limiting the number of skill slots.
If you’ve played Diablo 2, then you’ll remember that you can have way more skill slots in that game, but if you actually assign a skill to each of them, not only is it too complicated to actually play, but you also find that your skill points get spread too thin. You end up with a wide range of abilities that are too weak to be effective.
Best skill slot setup Diablo 4 2024
You can edit your skill slots by opening up your Skill Tree and selecting Skill Assignment. Here, you can put your chosen skills in the slots you wish to use them in, customizing what button does what skill to help maximize your gameplay comfortability and fun.
Customizing these skills and slots will come down to what build you’re using and your muscle memory while playing. For example, I like to use my main attack on left click, a movement skill on right click, a defensive skill on Q, my ultimate on R, and so on. But it’s important to make sure you have the skills you want to use and in the slots you’re comfortable using them in.
Also keep in mind how each class generates Resources in Diablo 4, and get in the habit of using your Resource-spending abilities before using your Resource-generating ones, if applicable, to keep yourself in the fight at all times.
We recommend not selecting more than six active abilities in your build at any given time. Since there are only six available slots for abilities in a single build, you’ll want to have only the necessary six active abilities in your loadout to be accompanied by passives that enhance your durability and damage throughput. If you need a new active ability—or if a spell catches your eye while leveling—you should make an effort to unlearn another spell so you don’t overload your kit with spells you’re not using.
Limiting your skill slots to four in Diablo 4 encourages you to specialize your character and ensures your abilities will always be powerful enough, even late in the game.
