Diablo 4 players are hunting for a non-existent secret cow level
Moo-ther!
Diablo 4 players are adamant there's a secret cow level in the game, even though Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson has denied its existence.
In an interview with Kinda Funny from May, Fergusson said people should not spend time looking for a secret level that wasn't there. "We really wanted to ground [Diablo 4] as much as possible," he said.
"We've had some fun, but we wanted to make sure it felt authentic to the gothic, dark themes we had. And because of that, there's no secret level in Diablo 4 that people might be looking for, as per previous games."
Of course, players still been on the hunt for a secret cow level in Diablo 4 since the game's release, based on minor evidence throughout.
Why a secret cow level? It began as an amusing hoax in the original 1997 Diablo, but was then acknowledged by Blizzard and included the Moo Moo Farm secret level added to the postgame for Diablo 2. Subsequent Blizzard games have included similar levels, including Diablo 3 and World of Warcraft.
As of yet, there's no sign of one in Diablo 4 - despite some light references to cows throughout the game.
As PC Gamer has reported, a fan reddit thread includes some interesting evidence which fans say may be a hint at one existing after all.
Sure, there's a reference to 'Oxen Gods' in Ked Bardu and one YouTube video claims the map looks like a cow, which is a bit of a stretch.
But other evidence is more compelling. Both a Bloody Wooden Shard item with a W carved on the side and a Musty Tome can be found in the game, likely referencing Wirt's wooden leg and a Tome of Town Portal which were required to access Moo Moo Farm in Diablo 2.
One player has set up a Discord server called D4 - Not Finding a Cow Level as a hub for fans to share evidence. Meanwhile a 'cow-level-hunt' channel has been created on the Sanctuary Discord server, an official Blizzard partnered community.
There's quite the fervour in the community, then, but is this all just a wild moo chase?
Have you spotted any cow references in the game? Or do you think Fergusson was telling the truth?