Cow levels are a proud tradition in the Diablo games. They’ve appeared in one form or another in both Diablo II and Diablo III, and fans have every reason to expect that there’s a version in Diablo 4 as well. But if it exists, it’s well hidden, and Blizzard definitely isn’t confirming one way or another.
Still, we couldn’t help asking Diablo IV producer Joe Piepiora about the famed bovine level in our recent interview in the run-up to the release of Season 1, which is titled Season of the Malignant. Not only did Piepiora refuse to confirm whether the cow level was real, he claimed he didn’t even know what fans were talking about.
“I don't know what a cow level is, so I don't really understand the interest in it. I get asked this a lot when I talk to people and maybe I just don't get the reference,” Piepiora said. “It just seems like there's a lot of stuff going on where the people are always asking about cows and they want to know about the cow level and then I'm like, ‘I don't know. What do you even mean? What is this about?’"
A proud tradition
The reference that Piepiora claims to be confused about dates back to Diablo II, which included a special level featuring loads and loads of cows. Aside from being amusing, it was actually quite useful as the cows provided a healthy amount of experience points while putting up little resistance (eventually the XP gains were nerfed). Its sequel, Diablo III, an area called "Not the Cow Level" was implemented with infernal bovines.
Director Rod Fergusson has claimed that Diablo IV doesn’t have a cow level because it’s at odds with the “grounded” feel of the game.
“We wanted to make sure it felt authentic to the kind of gothic, dark themes we have. We've been really focused on trying to keep it as grounded as possible. And because of that, there's no secret level in Diablo 4 that people might be looking for as per previous games. But that doesn't mean there won't be in the future," Fergusson said.
Sure enough, Diablo IV’s cow level has remained well hidden – assuming it exists at all – and Piepiora refuses to provide any hints one way or another. When we laid out the history of the cow level for him, he only shrugged and said that he doesn’t understand the reference. At Blizzard, the number one rule seems to be, “Don’t talk about the cow level.”
Blizzard faces backlash
In the meantime, Blizzard has plenty of other issues to deal with. Fan backlash over balance changes leading up to Season 1’s release are at a fever pitch, and Sorceress players are particularly unhappy. Elsewhere, Piepiora addressed questions about Unique item drop rates as well as plans to address Hardcore Player disconnects with the Scroll of Escape.
Diablo IV released back in June and quickly became one of the bestselling Blizzard games of all time. In our review we wrote, “Diablo 4 is a stunning sequel with near perfect endgame and progression design that makes it absolutely excruciating to put down.”
For more info, check out our Altar of Lillith guide as well as our map of Diablo IV’s Sanctuary, as well as updates on the Rebirth feature and the Scroll of Escape
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
