The Cold Hard Truth - Diablo 4 Guide - IGN (2025)

The Cold Hard Truth is the eighth quest in the Season of the Malignant storyline. This walkthrough guide will see you through every part of the Season of the Malignant questline, from quest objectives to boss encounters. As a reminder, you must have previously finished the game to make a Seasonal character. Characters on the Eternal realm will not be able to partake in Seasonal content.

Ruins of the Faith

You'll find Cormond in the Fractured Peaks, at his workbench directly northeast of Kyovashad. The easiest way to reach him is to teleport to the Bear Tribe Refuge Waypoint and head west.

Meet Cormond outside of Velkhova

Speak to Cormond at his camp. He's not happy about any of this, but he's convinced he can get through it with your help and lay Varshan to rest. Once you're done with this conversation, it's time to clear out the Malignant around Velkhova so you can reach the undercroft to prepare the ritual.

Clear the Malignant from Velkhova

Head right from Cormond's camp and then follow the path north towards the green circles marked on your map. You'll run into several Malignant, some spots of Malignant Corruption, and an Elite enemy named Druslav. Druslav has the Devious, Summoner, and Terrifying aspects, so try not to get hit and lose your class resource or stand in anything he summons to avoid Terrify. If he does summon anything, kill it quickly. Once you take out this group, continue forward.

The next group also mixes several Malignant, Malignant Corruption, and an Elite enemy. This time, the Elite is Jaben, who has the Viscious, Terrifying, and Suppressor aspects. Avoid getting him to deal with Viscious and Terrify, and stay inside Jaben's shield to damage him. Once this group is also taken care of, head back to Cormond and inform him that the path is clear.

Enter the Velkhova Church Undercroft with Cormond

Head east from Cormond's camp, following the marker on your map until you come to the Velkhova Church Undercroft, and then head inside.

Find the Ritual Site with Cormond

You won't find many enemies early on in the Velkhova Church Undercroft, so follow the path until you come to a ladder, and then head down. From there, continue forward until you run into some enemies. There's a wide enemy variety in this dungeon: you'll see Moon Clan, skeletons, frostwings, bears, Spider Hosts, and a few other things, too. There are also a few Elites running around with various aspects. As usual, keep an eye on what aspects they have (you'll see Vicious, Brutal, Devious, and various enhancements) and play around them accordingly. They'll drop Malignant Hearts when they die, so pick them up and fight the Elites you come across again to vanquish them for good.

You'll know you're getting to the end of the dungeon when you come across a Healing Well. Make sure to refill your potions, and then continue deeper into the dungeon. After walking through a long tunnel, you'll come to a large, circular cavern filled with Malignant Corruption. Speak to Cormond, who will ask you to prepare the ritual. He'll handle the rest.

Prepare the Ritual

Start off by destroying the Malignant Corruption around this room.

Once the Malignant Corruption is taken care of, you'll have to place the ritual incense in the three braziers scattered throughout the room.

When everything's ready, speak to Cormond to begin the ritual. You'll have to defend him from three small waves of enemies. When they're defeated, you'll have to deal with Varshan once and for all.

Boss Fight: Varshan the Consumed

This fight against Varshan is similar to the one in Answers in the Ashes. He has a lot of health, but his attacks don't hit too hard and are quite telegraphed, and he only has a few of them. Your best bet is to dodge them and then hit him while he recovers.

Varhsan's first attack is a lunge. He'll sweep one arm out in from of him before lunging forward and hitting you with the other. Evaded to either side when this happens, but preferably in the direction of the first arm. If he starts with the right arm, go right. If it's the left, go left. He can use either, so be prepared.

Varshan will also sweep his tentacles in front of him to try and hit you. This attack only ever happens one way - he always uses his right arm, and sweeps to his left - so dodge backward or to your right.

Varshan's third attack is a projectile. He'll form a glob of black gunk in his hand before winding up a few times and tossing it at you in a straight line. Avoid it by dodging to the left or right.

Varshan will also shoot tentacles out from the center of his body. Dodge to the left or right to avoid them.

Varshan will also root himself to the center of the arena and place several large, triangle-shaped malignant areas on the ground. Avoid standing on them, as they will eventually explode. Afterward, more triangles or circles may appear in similar areas. Don't stand in them.

Varshan has another, similar attack where he places several lines of malignant ooze along the ground in an asterisk shape. Once again, don't stand in them, as they will explode after a short time.

Varshan will also summon additional minions. You should kill them as soon as he summons them, but the ones you really want to watch out for are Devious Triune Admonishers, which can channel a shield around Varshan, making him invincible. Take them out quickly so you can damage him again.

Once you do enough damage, Varshan will go down for good. Collect your loot, and then interact with his Malignant Heart to seal it away.

Speak to Cormond afterward. He'll ask you to meet him back at the wagon. This will complete The Cold Hard Truth and reward you with gold and experience scaled to your level. You'll also receive A Merciful Fate, the next and final quest in this questline.