After years of teasing players with the running joke that "there is no cow level," Blizzard has finally hidden a real one inside Diablo 4. With the arrival of the Lord of Hatred expansion and the Season 13 release, dataminers, the Cow Level Discord community, and Wowhead contributors pieced together a multi-stage hunt that spans the base game, Vessel of Hatred, and the new expansion. The result is a long, layered treasure hunt that ends with the Cow King himself dropping a mythic helm called the Cow King's Crown.
Below you will find everything currently known about the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred, from confirmation of its existence to the items needed, the quest steps, and the farming routes that get the job done. Let's walk through each part in order.
Is There a Cow Level in Diablo 4?
For decades, the cow level has been one of gaming's most enduring inside jokes. Diablo 2's Moo Moo Farm became legendary, and developers have repeated the famous line "there is no cow level" in every Diablo title since. With Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred, that finally changed.
The Joke Becomes Real
Players testing the press build first noticed a transmog called the Crown of the Cow King, which sparked the search. Streamers like Rob and Sliver of Time documented the early hunt, and a dedicated Discord server organized the community effort. As of the Lord of Hatred launch on Tuesday, players confirmed the portal opens, the Cow King spawns, and the mythic helm drops.
Why It Matters in Season 13
The cow level activity ties directly into Season 13 content. Season members can complete the full chain or take a shortcut, which is described later in this guide. The level itself can only be damaged on Tuesdays, a deliberate nod to the absurd conditional affixes on the Cow King's Crown.
Diablo 4 Cow Level Found in LoH & How to Access the Secret Cow Level
Now that the level has been confirmed, the next question is how to actually get inside. There are two routes: the long, proper path that grants every perk, and a five-minute shortcut for players who just want to fight the Cow King.
The Proper Path (Full Quest Line)
Completing the full chain rewards you with:
A private Cow Island off the coast of Scosglen
The exclusive Moo emote
A dedicated achievement and title
The ability to invite others into the cow level by mooing at them
Personal portal access from the Cow Island basement on Tuesdays
This route requires items from vanilla Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred, and Lord of Hatred. Expect days of progress.
The Five-Minute Shortcut
If a friend has already finished the full chain, you can piggyback off their progress:
Find a player with Cow Island access and have them moo at you using their Moo emote.
Travel to the shrine just outside Kyovashad, the same one used during the campaign opening.
After being mooed at, a new Moo option appears on the shrine. Select it.
A short cutscene plays, then head to the western mountainous area of Scosglen.
On a specific shelf you will find the Outcast's Journal and, more importantly, a golden portal directly to the cow level.
The shortcut grants combat access only. You will not get the Moo emote, the title, or the boat to Cow Island.
Diablo 4 Secret Cow Level Quest & How to Complete
With the access methods covered, let's walk through the full quest chain. The journey unfolds across three games' worth of content and four ritual sins burned at the Kyovashad shrine.
Part 1: Vanilla Diablo 4 (Stamina Potion Setup)
The vanilla portion centers on three white relics that drop from cow farms.
Intricate Metallic Fragment drops when the 666th cow dies in the Dry Steppes.
Bloody Wooden Shard drops when the 666th cow dies in Kehjistan or Hawezar.
Musty Tome drops when the 666th cow dies in the Fractured Peaks or Scosglen.
The 666-cow rule applies once per character, so plan to use three different characters. Once collected, take all three relics to the fountain of four oxen in Ked Bardu, drop them in, pick them back up, then interact with the three previously inert oxen. A Strange Key drops, granting access to the Forlorn Hollow at the eastern tip of Scosglen, where the final cow yields the Stamina Potion.
Part 2: Vessel of Hatred (Rusted Bardiche Setup)
This stage uses three different relics found in Nahantu.
Rusted Old Bell: Visit 12 hidden bird statues in Nahantu in the correct order. Completing the circle drops the bell.
Jabbering Gemstone: Use the Thanks emote in front of three altars in this order — middle, left, right.
Crooked Staff: Kill the elite Lacuni named Blood Lightning using only your basic attack. Strip your skill points and gear, dismiss your mercenary, then deliver the killing blow.
Next, corrupt the relics by gathering three Cordyceptic Zombies at one spawn point in Nahantu. Killing all three together drops mushrooms — toss your relics into them to corrupt the items. Take the corrupted relics to three braziers near a temple entrance to receive the Unusual Key. Use the key inside the Forlorn Burrow to reveal a hidden wall passage, then slay every cow inside. The final kill drops the Rusted Bardiche.
Part 3: Lord of Hatred (Neyrelle's Hand)
This stage involves four sins burned at the Kyovashad gate house shrine, in this order: Pride, Anger, Fear, Greed. Each one ties to a different chapter.
Pride — Father's Chains
After burning Pride, find the Outcast's Journal on Mount Hifosseras. Defeat ballistas in Acarat's Bulwark to obtain an Amazonian Bolt, then enter Idylic Reach cellar. Fire the ballista at the entrance, climb the rope, and defeat the Jailer of Angels. The Father's Chains drops. Burn it at the brazier at Antia's Flame.
Anger — Mother's Rose
Burn Anger, then beat on a training dummy in Teganze until the Amazon Training Helm drops. Equip it. Hunt corrupted Amazons in Acarat's Bulwark, equipping each piece (tunic, pants, gloves, boots) as it drops. Wearing the full set, kill Captain Wassa for the Mother's Rose. Burn it at the brazier inside the Temple of Courage in Athulua.
Fear — Hierophant's Skull
Burn Fear, dismiss your mercenary, and head to the Ruin of Broken Reason on the Isle of Lyhander. Do not attack any enemies in the area. Speak to the crow at the southwestern fountain, then chase it across the map without losing it. The crow eventually returns near its starting point and drops the Hierophant's Skull. Burn it at the Temple of Life brazier. A Hodalric Key drops.
Greed — Neyrelle's Hand
Burn Greed, then sail to a shipwreck off the coast of Hawezar. Stand on the lighter-colored wood at the end of the wreck and fish from that exact spot. A coffin appears, opens with the Hodalric Key, and leads down to Rathma's Temple. At Elias's altar, search around and pick up Neyrelle's Hand.
Part 4: The Horadric Cube and Cow Island
Take Neyrelle's Hand, the Stamina Potion, and the Rusted Bardiche to the Horadric Cube in Teganze. Transmute the unknown recipe to receive the Trophy of the Faithful. Open it for the Moo emote, the There Is No Cow Level achievement, the Moo title, and a Torn Page. The page describes a hidden boat on the eastern shore of Kovas. Sail it for the cutscene that takes you to your private Cow Island.
Epilogue: Opening the Portal
To open the actual cow level portal from your island:
Wait until Tuesday in your region.
Return to the Kyovashad shrine and select the Greed option once more.
Sail back to Cow Island and head to the basement.
Slaughter the 12 cows arranged around the rune in the hecatomb chamber.
The blood explosion opens the golden portal to the secret cow level.
Diablo 4 Secret Cow Level Items & How to Get Them
Several special items appear during the chain, each tied to a particular puzzle. Here is a quick reference for the most-asked ones.
Stamina Potion
This vanilla-game reward drops from the final cow inside the Forlorn Hollow in eastern Scosglen. Place it in your stash to share between alts. You can farm unlimited copies by resetting the hollow. The potion is required for the final Horadric Cube transmutation.
Rusted Bardiche
The Vessel of Hatred reward drops from the last cow inside the secret room of the Forlorn Burrow in Nahantu. It is equippable but has terrible stats and the description notes it makes you reek of manure. Save it for the Horadric Cube recipe.
Neyrelle's Hand
Found by fishing up a coffin off the Hawezar shipwreck and traveling back down to Rathma's Temple. The hand sits near the altar where Elias's finger was found in the campaign.
Torn Page
Awarded directly from the Trophy of the Faithful after completing the cube transmute. It serves as the ticket to the Cow Island boat on the eastern shore of Kovas.
Cow King's Crown
The mythic helm drop from the Cow King himself. Affixes are intentionally absurd, including conditions tied to days of the week, hooves, and parallel positioning to the equator. The helm cannot be salvaged for sparks and cannot be masterworked normally, but it can be sanctified for the indestructible bonus.
Diablo 4 Secret Cow Level Rewards (Drops) & How to Farm Effectively
Now that you know what's inside, here is how to make the most of your runs and what to expect from drops.
What Drops in the Cow Level
Cow King's Crown (mythic helm) — guaranteed from the Cow King boss
Prime Rib consumables
Fresh Milk healing pickups (replacing health pools on Cow Island)
Regal Favor and Perfect Marbling crafting materials
Standard endgame loot scaled to your difficulty (works on Torment 12)
The general loot density is leaner than Diablo 2's classic Moo Moo Farm, so the crown and the meme value are the main draws right now.
Farming the Cow King Efficiently
The Cow King is a random spawn inside the level. To farm him:
Run on Tuesdays for full damage and the day-conditional buffs to function.
Bring an AoE-heavy build. The Spiritborn Quill Volley, Sorcerer Firewall, and Barbarian Whirlwind all work well due to the high cow density at choke points.
Clear toward the back of the map, where the Cow King is most likely to appear.
Reset the instance by leaving and re-entering. Note that some players report a short cooldown on re-entry — try a fresh game if it locks you out.
Tips for Repeating Runs
If you are leading a group, only the player who used the proper boat path can host Cow Island travel. Everyone else should go through the shortcut shrine method. Keep your Moo emote handy because it is the only way to invite friends into the cow level via the shrine route.
Sanctifying the Cow King's Crown
Once you have the crown, add sockets and sanctify it. The most popular roll is Indestructible, which fits the meme theme of the helm. Other options include reduced cooldown chance and conditional damage on Tuesdays. The helm cannot be salvaged for raw sparks, only raw hide, so do not destroy it expecting a quick mythic spark.
The Diablo 4 cow level is more of a community treasure hunt than a serious farming target. Loot is intentionally light, the conditions are absurd, and the whole experience is built as a love letter to longtime fans. Whether you grind the full chain for the Moo title and your own private island, or you take the five-minute shortcut, the cow level finally exists in Diablo 4. Strap on your bardiche, pour your stamina potion, and go meet the Cow King — just remember to come on a Tuesday.