Diablo 4 Cow Level Guide

The Secret Cow Level started as a joke in the original Diablo, where players spread rumors about a hidden level full of cows.

When Diablo II was released, Blizzard decided to make the rumor real and created a secret level filled with hostile, weapon-carrying cows. References to this level have also appeared in later expansions, including Diablo III. Since then, it has become a fun Easter egg that players eagerly search for in each new game release.

Now (starting with D4 Season 2) it seems Diablo IV has finally brought the Cow Level back!

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this secret level. From its history to key locations and cryptic hints to gathering important relics, we’ll make sure you’re prepared to unlock this mysterious area and claim the rewards (thus this D4 secret is not fully explored yet). Let’s get started!

Old Sanctuary Secrets: Diablo 2 Cow Level

The Secret Cow Level in Diablo II was one of the most memorable and beloved Easter eggs in the game. Originally a joke based on rumors from the first Diablo game, the developers decided to make the myth a reality in Diablo II.

To access the Secret Cow Level in D2, you needed to combine two specific items: Wirt’s Leg, a special item found in Tristram, and a Tome of Town Portal. These items must be placed in the Horadric Cube while standing in the Rogue Encampment, and you must have defeated the final boss on your current difficulty (Diablo in the base game or Baal if the Lord of Destruction expansion is installed). Once these conditions are met, a red portal opens, leading directly to the Secret Cow Level.

Inside the Cow Level, players find an unusual sight: large numbers of Hell Bovines—bipedal cows armed with polearms. The level is small but packed with these cows, making it both challenging and highly rewarding in terms of experience and loot. However, there is a twist. If any player in the game kills the Cow King, a special unique enemy in the Cow Level, all players will lose the ability to open a portal to the level again on that difficulty. This can make repeated runs impossible unless another player who hasn’t killed the Cow King opens the portal.

In earlier versions of the game, particularly during Patch 1.09, the Secret Cow Level became a popular spot for leveling up. The cows were slow-moving, clumped together, and easy to defeat, making it an efficient place to farm experience and items. However, Blizzard eventually nerfed the level in Patch 1.10, reducing its effectiveness as a farming spot and returning it to its intended role as a fun and quirky hidden area rather than a place to gain significant advantages.

D4 Cow Level: How it All Started

The discovery of the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 started in Ked Bardu, where players noticed a fountain surrounded by four statues.

One of these statues, the Oxen God of the East, was different from the others—it was interactable. When clicked, it provided a cryptic message hinting that players needed to make an offering in the fountain’s waters to receive the gods’ blessing. This was the first clue that something deeper was hidden in the game.

Near the Oxen God statue, players also found The Old Tablet, which added more mystery. Upon interacting with the tablet, it revealed a broken message: “…spill their blood to be deemed worthy…” Though the message was incomplete, it gave players the idea that something had to be sacrificed—most likely cows, considering the level’s infamous history.

The final piece of the puzzle was discovered through The Three Relics, which were revealed through datamining efforts. These relics, referencing Diablo 2’s Secret Cow Level, consisted of the Bloody Wooden Shard (reminiscent of Wirt’s Leg), the Intricate Metallic Fragment (a piece of the Horadric Cube), and the Musty Tome (a nod to the Town Portal). These relics were key to unlocking the hidden quest and gaining access to the Secret Cow Level. Each relic required specific steps to be found and cleansed before players could finally enter the mysterious level.

Through community efforts and some clever digging, players pieced together these clues and brought the long-rumored Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 to life.

Unlocking Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4

Unlocking Diablo 4 Secret Cow Level was a multi-step process that was discovered by the community through in-game hints and datamining. The journey involves finding specific relics, cleansing them, and finally entering the mysterious Forlorn Hovel.

The first step to unlock the Secret Cow Level is to find 3 relics, which drop from cows after you defeat 666 of them. This hidden “Cow Counter” tracks your progress, and once you’ve reached the magic number, one of three relics will drop: the Bloody Wooden Shard, Intricate Metallic Fragment, or Musty Tome.

The drop location depends on the region you’re in when you defeat the 666th cow. You can farm the majority of cows in one area and then move to the region where you want the relic to drop. However, after the first relic, further drops become random (RNG), with a very low drop rate, so some players might need to kill thousands of cows before getting all three relics.

Once you have collected all 3 relics, the next step is to cleanse them. To do this, head to the fountain in Ked Bardu, where you will drop the relics into the pool of water briefly. After each relic is cleansed, you offer it to one of the Oxen Gods statues surrounding the fountain (North, West, and South). Upon offering the third relic, you will receive the Strange Key, a key item that unlocks the final part of the puzzle.

The Strange Key doesn’t give any immediate hints about its purpose. However, it is your key to unlocking the Forlorn Hovel, a hidden cellar located at the eastern tip of Scosglen. This area, shaped like a cow’s head on the map, is where you’ll need to use the key. Be careful—if you lose the Strange Key before unlocking the Hovel, you’ll have to start the entire process over. Once the Hovel is unlocked, it stays open permanently, allowing you to return whenever you like.

Upon entering the Forlorn Hovel, you’ll encounter a group of strange cows. These cows are non-hostile and appear to have killed villagers in the cellar. However, once you defeat them, the final cow will drop the Stamina Potion, a reward that links back to Diablo 2’s Secret Cow Level, where the Cow King dropped similar potions. This potion serves as a consumable item, granting a 5% movement speed boost for approximately five minutes.

The Stamina Potion that you get is a consumable (not a quest item), meaning it can be traded and used. It doesn’t seem to offer any substantial benefit beyond the speed boost. After unlocking the Forlorn Hovel, you can continue farming these potions by resetting dungeons.

Unlocking the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 might not end with the Stamina Potion. Although this is the furthest players have gotten so far, the community continues to speculate about more hidden secrets or potential updates to reveal a “proper” Secret Cow Level, perhaps featuring the Cow King. Keep an eye out for more updates, as future discoveries could add new layers to this beloved Easter egg.

Where To Farm Diablo 4 Cows

Farming the required 666 cows to unlock the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 can be a grind, but the community has developed effective methods to speed up the process. Several key farming routes, combined with a creative reset trick, can significantly reduce the time needed to reach the cow count.

Below is an overview of the most popular methods:

Shmiga Reset Method

One of the most efficient ways to farm cows is the Shmiga Reset Method, named after the player who first shared it on Discord. This trick involves resetting the game’s World Tiers to continuously respawn cows.

Here’s how it works:

1. Head to your chosen cow farming route.
2. Clear all cows in the area.
3. Log out of the game using the instant logout option (make sure you are not in combat).
4. Swap to a different World Tier.
5. Log back in and repeat the route, but in reverse order.

Each logout and login switches the World Tier, increasing the chances of finding more cows. This method is especially helpful for alt characters, as it quickly powers them through the 666 required kills. However, make sure the areas you’re farming aren’t contested, as that could slow down your progress.

Farobru Route

The Farobru Route in the Dry Steppes is one of the quickest ways to farm cows. Start by exiting Farobru through the south gate, and follow these steps:

1. Head directly south to the first small farm (1-3 cows).
2. Continue south to another small farm (1-3 cows).
3. Move northwest to a larger farm (1-3 cows).
4. Travel north to the final farm (1-3 cows).
5. Optional: Find 2 additional cows fenced near the town.

This route can net up to 14 cows per run and is fast to reset, taking less than 30 seconds. Rogues benefit the most from this route due to their mobility and skills like Rain of Arrows, which can quickly clear the fenced-in cows.

Cerrigar Route

The Cerrigar Route takes you through various farms in Scosglen and includes a teleport to shorten the travel time:

1. Exit Cerrigar through the southeast gate.
2. Head north to a small farm (2-6 cows).
3. Teleport back to Cerrigar.
4. Exit through the southwest gate and head west to another set of small farms (2-6 cows).
5. Continue northeast to a large farm (1-3 cows).
6. Finally, head southwest to a narrow passage with 1-3 cows.

This route is a bit longer than Farobru but can net up to 18 cows per run, with slightly more variance. It usually takes 1-2 minutes to complete but doesn’t require frequent logouts, making it more efficient for some players.

Jirandai Route

The Jirandai Route works best with the Shmiga Reset Method due to the time it takes to travel between farms. However, it can still be effective on its own:

1. Leave Jirandai and head to the southernmost farm (1-3 cows).
2. Move east to the next farm (1-3 cows).
3. Continue north to the final farm (1-3 cows).

This route takes about a minute if resetting normally, or less than 30 seconds with the Shmiga Reset Method, netting up to 9 cows per rotation. It works particularly well for Necromancers using Bone Storm, as they can quickly clear the farms without worrying about missing any cows.

Zarbinzet Route

The Zarbinzet Route has two variations and works well with or without the Shmiga Reset Method. Here’s the first version:

1. Exit Zarbinzet through the southeast gate.
2. Clear the nearest farm (1-3 cows).
3. Head west to clear the next farm (1-3 cows).
4. Continue west to the final farm (1-3 cows).
5. Return to Zarbinzet to reset.

This route can net up to 9 cows and takes around a minute to complete, or 30 seconds with the reset trick. The second version adds more cows by expanding the route:

1. After completing the first route, run it in reverse, leaving through the southwest gate (3-9 cows).
2. Head east through the World Boss area to another farm (1-3 cows).
3. Clear the northern farm (1-3 cows).
4. Return to Zarbinzet or the starting farm to reset.

This way you can net up to 18 cows in about 2 minutes, or less than 1 minute with the reset trick.

Reddit Community Thoughts

The Diablo 4 community on Reddit has had mixed reactions to the discovery of the Secret Cow Level. Many players have expressed excitement and intrigue as they pieced together the clues, but others are frustrated with the slow rollout of the Easter egg and the complexity of the steps involved.

• Some players are genuinely impressed by the process required to unlock the level. The need to kill 666 cows and collect relics, combined with hints like the Oxen God statues and relic cleansing, has captivated a portion of the community who appreciate the puzzle-like nature of the hunt. As one Redditor noted, these types of secrets often take months to solve, adding to the allure of uncovering a hidden part of the game.
• However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. A significant number of Reddit users feel that the secret has been too drawn out, with some even speculating that the final steps haven’t been released yet. Comments like, “Putting out a ‘mystery’ that is missing important pieces making it unsolvable is not a mystery at all, it’s just unfinished,” reflect the sentiment of players who feel that Blizzard may be intentionally withholding content to build hype. Others agree that while the discovery process has been fun, the lack of immediate rewards and clear direction is frustrating.
• In addition, nobody knows what final reward to expect, and many guys are worried that it will be “one more horse armor”.

Despite the complaints, there are still hopeful players who see this as a long-term game feature that Blizzard is slowly revealing. Some users speculate that Blizzard is holding back the final pieces for future expansions, similar to how they’ve handled content in other games like World of Warcraft. As one player suggested, “They will give it to us when there is nothing left to offer to us to keep playing the game.”

In summary, while the Reddit community is divided, the Secret Cow Level has undoubtedly sparked excitement, debate, and anticipation. Whether players are thrilled by the mystery or annoyed by its complexity, it’s clear that this Easter egg has captured the attention of the Diablo 4 fanbase.