Players are close to cracking the code for a major secret in Diablo 4, which just started its second season on October 17. Players have been searching for the Cow Level, a popular urban legend-turned-meme-turned-Diablo level, since the game released back in June. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Diablo IV community, we're closer than ever to learning the location of the Cow Level.
Players have finally figured out how to earn three "Items of Great Significance," which have been hinted at as the relics used to craft a key. This key is needed to access the Forlorn Hovel, a location that's been rumored to be the room in which players can open a portal to the bovine plane and access Diablo 4's Cow Level.
All this news comes courtesy of Wowhead.com, a Blizzard-dedicated site that's been hot on the Diablo 4 Cow Level trail. According to the site's investigation, it appears players need to kill 666 cows in order to obtain one of the three relics. A member of the Cow Level Secret Finding Discord later clarified that players can only earn one of the relics per week, meaning it'll take anyone embarking on a quest to find and slay the Cow King a few weeks unless they work with other players since the items can be traded — at least once Blizzard lifts the ban on trading it imposed earlier today.
A major step in the right direction
The Cow Level has been a staple in the Diablo series for decades. After rumors of a secret cow level in the first Diablo proliferated back in the late '90s, it eventually made an appearance in Diablo 2 as a secret postgame level and has shown up in every Diablo game since then. Players still haven't found Diablo IV's verison of secret level, only references to it within the game's code.
Blizzard, for its part, continues to deny the level's existence.
"We wanted to make sure it felt authentic to the kind of gothic, dark themes we have. We've been really focused on trying to keep it as grounded as possible. And because of that, there's no secret level in Diablo 4 that people might be looking for as per previous games. But that doesn't mean there won't be in the future," director Rod Fergusson told IGN back in July.
Fans have yet to actually open up the portal required to access the Cow Level, but obtaining the items needed to complete the questline is a major step in the right direction.
In the meantime, Blizzard recently launched Diablo IV's second season, which introduces vampires among a host of other updates. Check out our Season of Blood guide for more.
Charlie Wacholz is a freelance writer at IGN.
