Key Takeaways
- Several items in Diablo 4 hint at a Secret Cow Level, being reminiscent of items used to enter Diablo 3’s secret realms.
- Fans have found clues but haven’t discovered the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 yet.
- Diablo 4’s upcoming Vessel of Hatred expansion might contain the missing pieces needed to finally reveal the Secret Cow Level.
Diablo 4 fans have found several new items in the database for the ARPG that are reminiscent of similar objects used to enter the Secret Cow Level and Whimsyshire in Diablo 3. While these items could be little more than Easter eggs or red herrings, some players believe they are clues leading them towards the Diablo 4 version of the Secret Cow Level.
Since its release in June 2023, fans have been scouring Diablo 4 for signs of the Secret Cow Level, a legendary recurring joke throughout the series. Though they have spotted myriad clues pointing towards its existence, players have yet to find the mysterious realm or its Diablo 4 equivalent.
That said, fans might have found a few more pieces to this elaborate puzzle. Wowhead recently shared several new Diablo 4 items discovered by the D4 secret-finding Discord that are reminiscent of Diablo 3 items used to open portals to its own secret realms. The description of the Rusted Bardiche appears to be a callback to the Bovine Bardiche, which opens a gate to Not The Cow Level in Diablo 3 when transmuted in Kanai’s Cube. Additionally, the Rusted Old Bell, Crooked Staff, and Jabbering Gemstone all share the same flavor text, and seem similar to Wirt’s Bell, the Staff of Herding, and the Gibbering Gemstone, the components required to access Whimsyshire, sometimes referred to as the Pony Level of Diablo 3.
The Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4?
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- Rusted Bardiche
- “This badly damaged and decayed weapon reeks of manure. You question your decision to have picked this up.”
- Similar to the Bovine Bardiche used to open the portal to Not The Cow Level in Diablo 3.
- Rusted Old Bell
- “A worn, bloodstained bell. The letter ‘W’ has been crudely carved on one side. Though its purpose is lost to time, this was once an object of great significance.”
- A reference to Wirt’s Bell, used to open the portal to Whimsyshire in Diablo 3.
- Crooked Staff
- “The cracked and splintered remnants of an old staff. It clearly had magical properties once. Though its purpose is lost to time, this was once an object of great significance.”
- A reference to the Staff of Herding, used to open the portal to Whimsyshire in Diablo 3.
- Jabbering Gemstone
- “A cloudy gemstone of unknown origin. Holding it makes you want to talk to someone. Though its purpose is lost to time, this was once an object of great significance.”
- A reference to the Gibbering Gemstone, used to open the portal to Whimsyshire in Diablo 3.
The Secret Cow Level started as a fan-made hoax in the original Diablo. It evolved into an inside joke when Blizzard seeded Easter eggs into both the Diablo: Hellfire expansion and StarCraft, until it finally appeared in-game during Diablo 2 as Moo Moo Farm, and again in World of Warcraft for the Diablo 20th anniversary event. Diablo 3 mixed up the formula with the rainbow-filled Whimsyshire realm, though it added Not The Cow Level for the game’s third anniversary.
The urban legend or its equivalent has not been discovered in Diablo 4 yet, but players have discovered several clues along the way. Some fans found the Forlorn Hovel in Diablo 4 by killing cows which allegedly drop items inspired by the original keys to the Secret Cow Level, while others attempted cleansing rituals at mysterious ox statues, or searched a part of the map that looked like a cow’s head. Diablo 4 has cheekily denied the existence of a Secret Cow Level, but that has only made players more insistent on finding it.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred releases on October 8, bringing the first batch of DLC to the ARPG. If players are lucky, this expansion will contain the missing pieces of the puzzle and finally reveal the way to the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4.
