If you wanted more evidence that each of Blizzard's games are slowly approaching a singularity, World of Warcraft now has its own secret cow level. Yup, what was once a fabled part of Sanctuary, the world of Diablo, has found its way into World of Warcraft as part of the former's 20th anniversary. If you're like me and you desperately miss that bygone era of killing a relentless horde of halberd-wielding cows, you might find a little solace in World of Warcraft.
Until January 11, Treasure Goblins are spawning all across Azeroth that, when killed, open a portal to bovine butchering bliss. Stepping through one takes you to an instanced farmer's field full of the moonsters (heh). While it's not a wholesale recreation of the Diablo 2 version, World of Warcraft's take on the cow level is pretty damn amusing and you can grab some Diablo-inspired loot for your troubles. Community site WoWHead has a video showing the madness which you can watch below.
Getting into the level, however, won't be easy. The Treasure Goblins spawning all across the Broken Isles, the new zone introduced in Legion, as well as any of its dungeons and in the sewers beneath the city of Dalaran have quite a bit of health. If you find one, bring a party to help take them down. Just like in Diablo 3, they'll begin casting a portal to escape the moment you attack.
Once the goblin is dead, a portal spawns that will take you to the cow level. Inside, dozens of cows and Tauren roam the fields to bloody your weapons, but the real prize is the ultra-tough Cow King. Slaying him earns you a chance at a Twelve-Stringed Guitar—a toy that can be used to play New Tristram's dour theme song. You can also receive a polearm to use as a skin in place of your artifact weapon's appearance as well as some other Diablo-themed goodies. You'll only have an opportunity to earn these items once per day, so it might take a few attempts if you're unlucky.
Just be careful, dying in the cow level will punt you back out into the Azeroth where you'll need to kill another Treasure Goblin to get back in. The good news is that the event appears to scale to whatever level you may be, so you can still participate even if you're not level 110. For more information, be sure to check out WoWHead's comprehensive guide on the event.
World of Warcraft isn't the only game celebrating 20 years of Diablo. Of course, Diablo 3 returns to its roots by letting players explore the 16-floored dungeon of the original game. Hearthstone's weekly Tavern Brawl has a mysterious stranger possessing dark secrets, and the rest of their games have some themed goodies to collect as well. I'll be jumping into Warcraft later to try and nab the guitar, what are your plans during the 20th anniversary?
