What Happens to Hearts in Diablo 4? A Comprehensive Guide
At the end of a Diablo 4 Season, specifically Season 1, which introduced the Malignant Hearts mechanic, all Caged Hearts disappear. These unique, powerful items, obtained by defeating Malignant Monsters, are a seasonal feature designed to provide temporary, impactful bonuses to your character. Once the season concludes, your Caged Hearts are removed from their sockets, evaporate, and do not carry over to the Eternal Realm. This is a deliberate design choice by Blizzard to allow for experimentation with new mechanics and powers each season, ensuring a fresh and balanced experience. Think of them as potent, temporary power-ups that add unique dimensions to your gameplay within the seasonal timeframe.
The Nature of Malignant Hearts
Malignant Hearts are a core mechanic of Diablo 4 Season 1, Season of the Malignant. They are essentially corrupted, powerful hearts dropped by special Malignant Monsters. These hearts, after being captured using the Cage of Binding, are transformed into Caged Hearts. These Caged Hearts can then be socketed into specially designed slots, known as Infested Sockets, on your Jewelry (Rings and Amulets). Each heart belongs to one of four categories: Vicious, Brutal, Devious, and Wrathful, and can be placed in a matching Infested Socket on your gear.
How to Obtain Caged Hearts
To get your hands on these potent power-ups, you’ll need to:
- Defeat Malignant Monsters: These are special, corrupted versions of regular enemies that appear across Sanctuary during the season. They are easily identified by their unique corrupted visual appearance.
- Use the Cage of Binding: After defeating a Malignant Monster, a heart will drop that you can’t simply pick up. You need to use the Cage of Binding to capture it. This converts the heart into a Caged Heart that can be socketed.
- Craft Hearts at Cormond’s Wagon: Alternatively, you can craft Uncertain Hearts at Cormond’s Wagon, increasing your chances of obtaining the heart types you desire.
Infested Sockets and Socketing
Caged Hearts are exclusively socketed into Infested Sockets on Jewelry (Rings and Amulets). These sockets have a color that corresponds to the heart categories (Vicious, Brutal, Devious, and Wrathful). This means, you must use a Vicious Heart in a Vicious socket, a Brutal Heart in a Brutal socket, etc. If your piece of jewelry doesn’t have an Infested Socket, you can add one at a jeweler in a major town. Adding a socket this way, however, gives you a random Malignant Socket color that cannot be changed.
Once a heart is socketed, it cannot be removed. You can only replace it with a different heart or salvage the jewelry piece, so choose wisely when socketing your hearts. Also note that you can only have one of the same category of hearts equipped, meaning you cannot equip two Vicious, two Brutal, etc. hearts simultaneously.
What Makes Malignant Hearts Special?
Malignant Hearts provide powerful and unique bonuses to your character’s build, making them a crucial aspect of Season 1 gameplay. They range in their benefits from increased damage, to stat bonuses, to even completely changing a skill’s functionality. For instance, the Tempting Fate heart provides a large critical damage bonus, while the Trickery heart is perfect for Rogues, as it creates a Shadow Decoy Trap.
Some of the most impactful Malignant Hearts, often referred to as Wrathful Hearts, possess incredible, build-defining capabilities, like the Barber Heart, which absorbs damage before releasing it as a burst. These hearts allow players to experiment with different builds and playstyles, adding a dynamic element to the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Will My Caged Hearts Carry Over After the Season Ends?
No, Malignant or Caged Hearts do not carry over when your character moves to the Eternal Realm at the end of the season. They are a seasonal mechanic only, designed to be used within the confines of the current season.
2. What Happens to the Hearts Socketed into my Jewelry?
At the end of the season, all socketed Caged Hearts are removed from their jewelry pieces and are evaporated. The items they were socketed into remain, but without the heart.
3. Can I Remove a Caged Heart Once I Socket it?
No, once a Caged Heart is socketed into a piece of jewelry, it cannot be removed. The only way to change it is to replace it with another heart or salvage the item.
4. How Do I Get Wrathful Hearts?
You can get Wrathful Hearts by:
- Crafting an Uncertain Heart at Cormond’s Wagon
- Defeating Wrathful Elites after using a Wrathful Invoker.
- Defeating random Elite Malignant enemies.
- Defeating Varshan the Consumed boss.
5. Can I Farm Malignant Hearts?
Yes, you can farm Malignant Hearts by repeatedly completing Malignant Tunnels or any areas populated with Malignant Monsters. You can also try crafting at Cormond’s Wagon
6. How Many Different Malignant Hearts Exist?
There are 32 unique Malignant Hearts in Diablo 4, each with different effects for the various classes.
7. Can I Have Multiple of the Same Type of Heart Equipped?
No, you cannot have multiple hearts of the same category (Vicious, Brutal, Devious, or Wrathful) socketed at the same time.
8. What is the Best Heart for a Rogue?
The Trickery (Brutal) heart is considered one of the best for Rogues, providing a Shadow Decoy Trap when using a Subterfuge Skill.
9. What is Considered the Best Heart Overall?
The Tempting Fate (Vicious) heart is considered S-Tier for many builds, providing a large critical strike damage bonus at the cost of non-critical hit damage reduction.
10. Can I Change the Color of a Malignant Socket?
No, the Malignant Socket color cannot be changed. When you add a socket to an item, you get a random socket color.
11. What Happens to My Character After the Season Ends?
After a season ends, your seasonal character and all of their gear and items, including stash, get transferred to the Eternal Realm. You can then continue playing with that character there, but without the seasonal specific hearts.
12. Can I Repeat Dungeons to Farm Malignant Hearts?
Yes, you can repeat dungeons in Diablo 4. After completing a dungeon, exit, wait approximately 15 minutes, and it will reset.
13. Why Can’t I Pick Up a Malignant Heart?
You cannot pick up a heart directly. You need to first defeat a Malignant Monster, then you must use the Cage of Binding to capture it.
14. What is the Barber Heart?
The Barber Heart is a Wrathful Heart, which absorbs Critical Strikes and subsequent damage for a few seconds, then releases it as a single burst.
15. Why Do Malignant Hearts Disappear at the End of the Season?
Malignant Hearts are a seasonal feature to allow Blizzard and the player base to experiment with new mechanics without disrupting the overall game balance. It’s a way of introducing new and powerful systems that are temporary, ensuring each season feels fresh and unique. They also help Blizzard evaluate the strengths of certain skills, builds and character classes to ensure all gameplay aspects are viable and balanced moving into the next season.
By understanding how Malignant Hearts work and what happens to them after a season concludes, you can make the most of these powerful items during your gameplay. Remember to experiment, build strategically, and enjoy the unique experience each season brings to Diablo 4.