The Cow Level has been a part of the Diablo series for over 25 years – originally a joke that became much too big. MeinMMO explains where this level, which doesn’t actually exist, comes from and what makes it so special.
What is the Cow Level?
- The Cow Level, also known as the Not-Cow Level or “place that doesn’t exist”, is a secret level full of cows.
- For the first time, the Cow Level appeared as such in Diablo 2 and was very limited in playability there.
- Blizzard firmly claims that there is no Cow Level, even though players have already visited it. This is based on a joke that the developers have taken and turned into a rumor.
What makes the Cow Level so special? Traditionally, the Cow Level is a popular farming spot. The mob density here is above average, and there are many elite enemies with increased drop chances.
In Diablo 2, for instance, the Cow Level is the best farming spot for the basis of rune words. In Diablo 3, the Not-Cow Level is a place where many legendaries can be found because elite enemies are guaranteed to appear in droves.
The Cow Level gained fame because it originated from a joke and grew larger over time. There are references to the level in almost every Blizzard game and even in other media, and in Diablo 4, a massive treasure hunt for the Cow Level is underway.
No one has yet found a real Cow Level in Diablo 4. Maybe with Vessel of Hatred?
A joke becomes a meme that has accompanied Diablo for over 25 years
The origin of the secret Cow Level dates back to the original Diablo from 1997. There, a few cows stand around in Tristram, and players were firmly convinced: If you click on them often enough, a portal to a secret level opens.
This Cow Level never existed (hence the saying today: “There is no Cow Level”). With the expansion Hellfire, the developers then added a secret quest, with an NPC in a cow costume meant to reference this joke.
Only with Diablo 2 from the year 2000 did players gain access to the secret Cow Level, known there as the “Moo Moo Farm.” To enter this farm, you need two items:
- a Tome of Town Portal
- Wirt’s Leg – the wooden leg of the smuggler who is supposedly the first victim of the cows
If you place these items in the Horadric Cube after you have completed the final quest in Act 5 on your current difficulty, a red portal opens to a level full of cows wielding halberds.
Back then, you could only visit the level once; once the “Cow King” is killed, the portal closes for that difficulty. In Diablo 2: Resurrected, the level is repeatable.
In Diablo 3, the Cow Level made a return, even in two versions. The base game has Whimsyshire as a secret level, a world full of teddy bears, rainbows, and unicorns – the reason why players wished for a “darker” Diablo again. With Reaper of Souls, the “Not-the-Cow-Level” was added, featuring the familiar cows and tons of loot.
The Cow Level in other games
Over the years, the Cow Level has even made its way into other games and media – primarily regarding things from Blizzard. Almost every Blizzard game since 1997 has some reference to the legendary level:
- In Overwatch, there is a sign on the map Blizzard World that says: “There is no Cow Level.”
- For the 20th anniversary in 2017, Blizzard added the Cow Level in World of Warcraft for a short time.
- In Hearthstone, there is the possibility to face off against the Cow King in the “Tavern Brawl.”
- In StarCraft, the cheat code “there is no cow level” provides an instant victory over the mission.
- StarCraft 2 has a secret “Cow Level” chat where a “… moo!” gets appended to every message.
Even in other games, there are references to the Cow Level. In Watch Dogs 2, an NPC compares the difficulty of a mission to the Cow Level. The “Diablo 2” edition of Dungeons & Dragons has official rules for a Cow Level and the cow enemies there. Final Fantasy VII has a secret Cow Level, if only by name (via YouTube).
The eternal search: Is there a Cow Level in Diablo 4?
Even before the release of Diablo 4, fans have been asking whether there is a secret Cow Level in the latest Diablo. The official answer is, of course: No, there is no Cow Level. That would be totally absurd.
However, with each season, the clues about a Cow Level are intensifying – starting with someone slaughtering 2,000 cows to find an initial secret item. However, it actually takes 666 cows, as we now know.
The items can be processed at the Ox Well in Ked Bardu to obtain a key. The key opens a cellar in Scosglen in an area that looks like a cow’s head on the map. Inside the cellar, there are tons of cows. If you kill them all, you receive a stamina potion, the use of which is still unknown. This is where the trail ends for now.
Although Blizzard claims there is no Cow Level, the boss says: You should better keep those items. In the Discord “Not Finding a Cow Level,” hundreds of fans are working to solve the puzzle, but so far without success.
Another mystery in the game is the Wish Well, which also stands in Scosglen. Players suspect that the well and the Cow Level are somehow related. At least with the Wish Well, there is even real, new progress: Players find for the first time a secret item, which is the rarest and worst in the game so far
