How Many Times Can You Enter the Secret Cow Level in Diablo 2: Resurrected?
The burning question on many a Diablo 2: Resurrected player’s mind is, “How many times can I venture into the Secret Cow Level?” The simple answer is: as many times as you like, with a critical caveat. The key to unlimited bovine battles lies in how you approach the Cow King, and the mechanics surrounding his demise. So while you can enter the portal repeatedly, you do need to be aware of the conditions.
The Key to Infinite Cow Levels
The crucial element in ensuring you can continuously access the Secret Cow Level revolves around avoiding credit for killing the Cow King. The game grants this credit if you deal the killing blow to the Cow King, or if he dies at the hands of another player who has never killed him before while you are present in the Cow Level.
To understand this, let’s break it down further:
- Your Kill: If you land the final blow on the Cow King, you’ll receive credit for the kill. This character, on that specific difficulty, will be permanently barred from creating new portals to the Cow Level.
- Assisted Kill: If another player, who has never previously killed the Cow King on that difficulty, deals the final blow, and you are in the level, you also get the credit and will be blocked.
- No Credit Kill: if another player, who has previously killed the Cow King on that difficulty, deals the final blow, you are safe. If you didn’t deal the final blow you are always safe and won’t receive credit.
Essentially, the game is designed to give players a one-time “credit” for conquering the Cow King per difficulty setting. This means you can still participate in multiple cow level runs, just be very aware who is killing the king.
How to Avoid Getting Credit for the Cow King Kill
Knowing how the system works is one thing; putting it into practice is another. Here are several strategies to avoid receiving the kill credit:
- Team Play Awareness: When playing in a group, communicate with your fellow adventurers. Identify which players have not yet killed the Cow King. Coordinate to ensure a player who has previously killed him on that difficulty does the final blow.
- Avoid Direct Combat: If you’re unsure of other players’ history with the Cow King, hang back, don’t deal any damage to the King, and let your party take care of him.
- Private Game Safety: If you are in a single player game or private game, as long as you don’t kill the Cow King, you can go to the Cow Level over and over again.
By adopting these strategies, you can maximize your Secret Cow Level farming without the worry of being locked out.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cow Level
To provide even greater clarity, here are 15 frequently asked questions (FAQs) surrounding the Secret Cow Level:
1. Can I re-enter the Cow Level after dying?
Yes. If you die within the Cow Level and have placed a Town Portal, you can re-enter to retrieve your corpse and continue your farming spree.
2. Do I need to kill Baal to access the Cow Level?
Absolutely. The Secret Cow Level only unlocks after you complete the Eve of Destruction quest (Act 5, Quest 6) and have defeated Baal on the difficulty you intend to play.
3. How do I open the Secret Cow Level portal?
To open the portal, you must be in Act 1’s town with a Wirt’s Leg and a Tome of Town Portal in your Horadric Cube. Using the cube will transform these items into a portal to the Moo Moo Farm.
4. Is the Secret Cow Level worth farming?
Yes. It’s a very popular area for treasure hunting. It provides a high density of enemies, which increase the chances for valuable drops, including set items, unique items, runes, jewels, and gems, and most importantly, bases for rune words. It’s often farmed without Magic Find gear because of the high chance of getting runes and socketed normal items.
5. Does killing the Cow King prevent future portals?
No, this is a common misconception. As long as you don’t get the “kill credit” on that specific difficulty, you can open the Cow Level repeatedly.
6. What level should I be to farm the Cow Level?
- Normal: With adequate gear, you can start farming normal cows.
- Nightmare: After completing Baal in Nightmare, aim for level 38-41 and better gear for Nightmare Cow runs.
- Hell: After beating Baal in Hell, levels 64-71 and improved gear will allow you to farm Hell Cows effectively.
7. Can I join normal games after beating Normal Baal?
Yes. You can join normal games, but you have to know the name and password of the game, as these games will not show up in the game list.
8. Why can’t I pick up Wirt’s Leg?
You cannot pick up Wirt’s Leg if you already have one in your inventory, stash, or even the Horadric Cube. Drop the existing one before attempting to pick up another.
9. Is the Cow Level good for rune farming?
Absolutely. The Secret Cow Level is an excellent source of runes across all difficulty levels.
10. Can a Monarch Shield drop in Nightmare Cows?
No, the Monarch shield cannot drop in Nightmare. It will only drop in hell difficulty in various act 1 areas, the best spot being Hell Cow runs.
11. What does it mean when Diablo has invaded Sanctuary?
“Diablo has invaded Sanctuary!” signifies that Diablo Clone will spawn in Hell difficulty. This occurs when a sufficient number of Stone of Jordan (SoJ) rings have been sold.
12. How many Baal runs do I need to reach Level 99?
It takes roughly 5500 Baal runs to go from level 90 to 99.
13. When should I stop doing normal Baal runs?
If you intend on playing through hell, level 70-73 is a good place to stop. Otherwise, if you plan on staying in normal difficulty, level 60 is sufficient.
14. Can the Cow Level be Terrorized?
Yes. The Terrorized state of the Cow level increases the drops, thus increasing the chance of high-level items dropping.
15. How do I get a 4 socket Monarch Shield?
The most efficient method is to find a white, non-socketed Monarch and use the Larzuk quest reward to guarantee 4 sockets.
Conclusion
The Secret Cow Level in Diablo 2: Resurrected is a valuable farming spot that you can access repeatedly by avoiding that key Cow King credit. Understanding this mechanic, alongside the associated requirements and best practices, will unlock its full potential. With the right approach, you’ll find yourself diving into the Moo Moo Farm countless times, reaping the rewards without restriction. Good luck and happy farming!