After three years of digging through Diablo IV for a secret cow level, players finally got one – and the reaction was mostly a shrug. Blizzard Entertainment’s Lord of Hatred expansion unlocked the long-rumored area, but the joke reward turned out to be less treasure cave, more neatly packaged punchline.
The discovery also gave Diablo IV a fresh burst of attention on Steam, where the expansion helped push the game to a new peak concurrent player count. That is a useful reminder that old-school game secrets still work as marketing bait, even when the payoff is deliberately goofy.
How Diablo IV’s secret cow level is unlocked
The route to the hidden area is not a quick gag tucked behind a barn door. According to the report, players must complete a long chain of tasks in the new Scosglen region, including killing 666 cows and collecting a set of non-obvious items. Finish the ritual, and a portal opens to the secret cow level.
Inside, the game swaps demons for hostile bovines and ends with a fight against the Cow King. Beat him and you receive the Crown of the Cow King, complete with tongue-in-cheek flavour text and affixes. Blizzard may have denied the existence of such a level for years, but the studio still leaned into the series’ oldest joke rather than burying it in a dusty corner.
Why Diablo IV players complained about the reveal
Some fans expected a bigger payoff after such a long hunt. Instead, early reactions called the area bland and the reward underwhelming, which is awkward for a secret that had already achieved myth status. The problem is familiar: the more famous the Easter egg becomes, the harder it is to satisfy people without either overdoing it or ruining the joke.
That said, the disappointment is part of the tradition. Diablo has lived for years on teasing hidden content, fan obsession, and the occasional absurd drop of loot, and this one fits that mould perfectly – even if the crown is more souvenir than prize.
Lord of Hatred on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox
Lord of Hatred launched on 28 April for PC via Steam and Battle.net, plus PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S. Alongside the new story campaign and the cow level, it also brought in the 13th season, ”Season of Reckoning”.
The real question now is whether Blizzard leaves the gag as a one-off or keeps building on it. Given how quickly players tore through the mystery, a bigger secret feels inevitable – and this time the studio will have to decide whether to make the joke richer or just louder.