Diablo 4 The Cold Hard Truth quest guide – how to farm Wrathful Hearts

Looking to clear The Cold Hard Truth in Diablo 4? The world of Sanctuary is currently inviting players back with Season 1, complete with new content and a battle pass to work on. As you clear the hordes of Lilith, here’s a quest that you might have had trouble clearing.

An exploit makes this quest even more valuable. Check out our Diablo 4 Season of the Malignant guide to get up to speed with Diablo 4 Season 1. If you’re looking for some powerful buffs, take a look at Diablo 4 Malignant Hearts.

The Cold Hard Truth quest walkthrough in Diablo 4 Season 1

The Cold Hard Truth quest in Diablo 4 Season 1 tasks you with defeating Velkhova Malignant enemies to face Varshan the Consumed. You can begin this quest right after the Ruins of the Faith Season Quest. The NPC Cormond will execute a ritual to bring out this feared Diablo 4 boss. If you want to get his Caged Heart, complete the quest in World Tier 1 or 2 difficulty. Here’s a step-by-step guide on clearing The Cold Hard Truth in Diablo 4 Season 1:

• Meet Cormond outside Velkhova. You can find him outside Kyovashad and the marked area will lead you to him.
• Speak with him and then clear the Malignant from Velkhova. This involves killing Druslava, an Elite Malignant Velkhovan, destroying the Malignant Corruption, and defeating enemies in the area. These tasks are located in the marked areas on the map.
• Clear these tasks and then return to Cormond. You will then head to the Velkhova Church Undercroft.
• Enter it and head to the ritual site by fighting more Malignant enemies. Then talk to Cormond.
• He will ask you to prepare for the ritual by destroying the Malignant Corruption in the area and lighting each Ritual Incense. Speak to Cormond to start the summoning.
• As the ritual happens, you’ll need to protect Cormond from the Malignant enemies. They spawn at each Ritual Incense.
• Once they have been killed, Varshan will appear. You can fight him with Cormond by evading his powerful attacks. Get enough Diablo 4 renown to have extra healing potion charges.
• Once Varshan is defeated, capture Varshan’s heart. Speak with Cormond to complete the quest.

Clearing The Cold Hard Truth rewards you with Gold and XP. It also helps you progress in the Seasonal storyline. You can pursue A Merciful Fate, the next quest, once you’re done with this quest. While these rewards are great, players have discovered an exploit to make this an even better use of your time than endgame content like Diablo 4 Helltides. Here’s what it involves.

How to farm Wrathful Hearts in Diablo 4 Season 1

Note that players who’ve completed The Cold Hard Truth won’t be able to use this method. To farm Wrathful Hearts in Diablo 4 Season 1, don’t speak to Cormond after defeating Varshan and picking up Varshan’s Heart. You meet this boss after clearing the Caves of Velkhova dungeon and beating the Wrathful Arctic Bear in front of the boss door. This enemy also has a chance of dropping a Wrathful Heart. This is important because they are rare items that can only be found from Wrathful Malignant monsters or crafted at Cormond’s Wagon.

Instead of talking to Cormond, leave the dungeon and reset it in the menu or by exiting the game. Logging in again will let you repeat the steps again. Head into the dungeon, beat the boss, and get Varshan’s Heart. As Wrathful Malignant Hearts are very hard to get, this is an incredible way to efficiently farm them. They can also be converted to Malignant Ichor at Cormond’s Workbench. Players can then use Ichor to craft new Malignant Hearts to improve existing builds in the Seasonal Realm. This will also give them a headstart in the Diablo 4 Season Journey as they perfect their weapons, gems, and armour.

That covers everything about The Cold Hard Truth in Diablo 4. If you’re looking for more challenges after this questline, check out Diablo 4 Whispers of the Dead. And here’s the Diablo 4 Invoker of Varshan recipe if you want a rematch against the Echo of Varshan by using the Foul Invoker of Varshan or the Tormented Invoker of Varshan.