Diablo 4 cow-hunting boffins find some actual cows as part of their latest discovery

GamesStrategyDiablo 4Diablo 4 cow-hunting boffins find some actual cows as part of their latest discoveryWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Anadolu Agency (Getty Images))

Photo of a cow

Ever since Diablo 4’s release one mystery has loomed larger than all others:Where is the cow level? Despite producer Rod Fergusson quicklypouring cold water on the idea, the history here means that a group of dedicated players has devoted themselves to finding a level that officially doesn’t exist, and they’ve certainly found a few breadcrumbs along the way.

To briefly recap that history, there is no cow level in 1997’s Diablo, but rumors of one became so pervasive that Blizzard North would later include a cow level in Diablo 2, one eventually appeared in Diablo 3, and the cows even had a nod in World of Warcraft. Heck, it’s significant enough to have itsown Wikipedia entry.

Every so often the cow hunters, centered around the Not Finding a Cow Level Discord channel, make small breakthroughs or at least think they have. There was great excitement when a player killed 666 cows last November and a previouslyunobtainable Musty Tome dropped.

From here, players have to jump through various hoops involving jabbering gemstones, and defeat the Elite Blood Lightning in The Great Shelf with reference to one of the above scrolls. It says Uacax defeated the monster “untrained in combat”, and so the trick is to reset all of your character’s skills and abilities, dismiss any mercenaries, and then beat the thing with your basic level 1 attack.

After obtaining this relic, the next relates to the scroll linking birdsong with bells: players have to run across the Five Hills subzone, visiting 12 different bird statues, before the bell drops at the last statue.

We’ve already gotten quite into the weeds, but now you need to get into the mushrooms: players have to kill three Cordycepic Zombies north of Ichorfall, in such a manner that they spawn a patch of black mushrooms. Players then drop all three relics in here, corrupting them and giving off a purple smoke animation.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Then it’s off to the Oka’bo Temple to offer up the three corrupted relics to three braziers, rewarding you with an Unusual Key, which can be used in the Forlorn Burrow in Kurast Bazaar. In a cellar there’s a breakable wall, behind which are… cows.

Slaying all of the innocent cows will reward you with the Rusted Bardiche and… well, that’s how far we’ve managed to get. The discovery of actual cows marks this discovery out as one of the more significant made in the search for Moo Moo Farm, and what’s perhaps more exciting is that this is all very carefully worked out: Yes the hoop-jumping is a bit much, but everything players are doing here is trailed in the in-game text, and there’s a definite thread of logic from start to finish.

The Not Finding a Cow Level Discord continues its tireless work. And Blizzard’s ready for them, with associate game directorJoe Piepiora saying last year that"if people have picked up any items from their cow campaigns, they should hang on to them". So keep a hold of that Rusted Bardiche.

More about strategyAlan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has diedCivilization 7 senior historian prays it’ll be a ‘gateway drug’ into textbooks: ‘I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don’t read’LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

More about strategy

Alan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has diedCivilization 7 senior historian prays it’ll be a ‘gateway drug’ into textbooks: ‘I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don’t read’

Alan Emrich holding a Nemo’s War tabletop game box at a 2018 gaming convention

Alan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has died

Cropped Civilization 7 concept art featuring Amina, Queen of Zazzau, pointing a sword menacingly.

Civilization 7 senior historian prays it’ll be a ‘gateway drug’ into textbooks: ‘I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don’t read’

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

See more latest►

Most PopularPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anythingIf you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 offAMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fabI tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bayFinal Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

Most Popular

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

If you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

AMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fab

I tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals