Secret Cow Level – Whimsyshire
After creating the Staff of Herding, leave the game. Click the Change Quest button located at the character screen.
Make sure to the Normal Difficulty is set at the bottom-left. Otherwise use the dropdown menu.
Choose Act I chapter 3: A Shattered Crown. Select Begin Quest (beneath A Shattered Crown).
Start the game. Your character spawns at the New Tristram. Go to the waypoint and teleport to Old Tristram.
Remember that big hole on the ground with a weird illumination flaring up in beta? — it’s located between Old Tristram and New Tristram. Not too far from Old Tristram. That’s where you must go.
Near the big hole you will find the bones of a cow. With the Staff of Herding in your inventory, when you approach these bones — the Ghost of the Cow King will automatically spawn and hover above the bones with a yellow exclamation mark to start a quest.
- Ghost of the Cow King: We see you have brought the item. That is good. We are udderly pleased.
Character: I studied all of the holy texts for years. There was nothing about cows with speech. Yet you … are a cow.
Ghost of the Cow King: And you are a stinking bag of flesh with no fur. Haha, touche! This is no time to be silly. The level of sparkling happiness and rainbows awaits you!
Character: You mean the cow level?
Ghost of the Cow King: No. There is no cow level. Now, moo—oh, uh, excuse me. Move along!
Afterwards, the big hole on the ground will flash rainbow beams. Hover your mouse cursor over the hole and it will display the name: Whimsyshire.
Enter the dungeon.
Prepare to be overwhelmed by Chubby Pink Unicorns, Twinkleroot (flowers) and … Pink Carebears — err, I mean — Cuddle Bears.
After clearing the dungeon and selling all the items dropped in Whimsyshire — I counted 13,500 gold in revenue (Normal difficulty).
Tip: The player gains a special buff in Whimsyshire. Seems the buff stacks up to 5 times. I’d kill all the mobs, and later loot all the Happy Clouds, Mushrooms, Diablo Piñata, and Pot O’Gold — just in case.
- Nephalem Valor: Defeating an Elite pack has increased your Magic Find and Gold Find. This effect ends if you change skills. 30 minutes left.
Tip: The Staff of Herding cannot be sold. It’s not consumed. Thus, you can leave the game, start a new game and do Whimsyshire all over again as many times as you wish.
Tip: In a random Whimsyshire level you might find a Diablo piñata hanging off a tree. It will drop items of different qualities, gold and gems. Hmm, gems.
Tip: Click the Happy Clouds. They drop a lot of loot. You might also find Pot O’gold which drop lots of loot too.
Achievements
Entering Whimsyshire will automatically trigger an achievement: In the Land of Killer Unicorns.
This is the Banner Pattern Reward unlocked by this achievement:
This is the new sigil unlocked by this achievement:
Upgrading the Staff of Herding
After you beat the Whimsyshire (Normal Difficulty), leave the game.
Change the Quest. Choose the Nightmare difficulty. Then, under Act IV — select The Prime Evil: Enter the Crystal Arch option.
Your character spawns at the Bastion’s Keep Stronghold. Walk to the southeastern corner of the room. You will find Gorell the Quartermaster next to the Followers (the Templar, Enchantress and Scoundrel).
Gorell the Quartermaster should have a new item for sale: Plan: Nightmarish Staff of Herding (Note: You must have defeated Diablo (Nightmare difficulty) previously to unlock this item at the quartermaster). The item only costs 1 gold.
Go to Blacksmith Haedrig Eamon. Choose craft. Click the Plan: Nightmarish Staff of Herding in your inventory. The Blacksmith will learn the recipe. You can find it under the Weapons tab, under Staves. You require the Staff of Herding and 200,000 gold to upgrade it into Nightmarish Staff of Herding.
Leave the game. Create a new game in ACT 1: The Shattered Crown. Use the waypoint to teleport to Old Tristram and approach the Ghost of the Cow King to enter Whimsyshire (Nightmare difficulty) and defeat the secret level.
Rinse and repeat for Hell and Inferno difficulty.
Update: Once you reach the ACT IV: Prime Evil chapter (Inferno) go to the Bastion’s Keep Stronghold. You don’t need to kill Diablo (Inferno) to get access to the Plans: Infernal Staff of Herding recipe. Talk to the Quartermaster Gorell. He will have the Plans: Staff of Herding recipe. You need the Hellish Staff of Herding and 1 million gold to craft the Infernal Staff of Herding at Eamon Haedrig (Blacksmith). Get ready to get spanked in Whimsyshire (Inferno) and to earn some good gold running people who wants to farm it with your aid.
It’s spelled Whimsyshire.
Thanks for the guide, I’ve been looking for this! 🙂
I have a video guide I am almost finished with I’ll be posting this weekend… MD just beat me to the punch.
That’s great man. I’ve only found fragmented information out there, and this is a tiny bit more complicated than just keeping Wirt’s leg and opening a portal to the secret cow level.
Another cool thing is that now we know what that frakking red glow was. 🙂
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I have “rinsed” and “repeat”ed fucking 6 times and still can’t find the mushroom…
Got liquid rainbow first try!
QUICK TIP: After finding starting the quest as they describe above, FIND the “Forgotten Ruins” entrance. It is sometimes almost right north of the “penninsula” they describe, and sometimes just west of it. Makes getting there a WHOLE let easier, cutting down each trip’s time.
“Be careful where you place your weapons in case you accidentally sell or –worse case scenario — disenchant.”
Yet: “The Staff of Herding cannot be sold.”
Otherwise, thanks for the guide!
A friend told me that you can loot this in “Normal” mode, and he was right. I found it from first try !
I’be been trying for 5 hours… -.-‘
I’be been trying for 5 hours… -.-‘, and that is only when i’m trying to find the rainbow s**t..