Diablo 4: Caged Hearts Explained

Bye bye gems.

In the Season of the Malignant, the Caged Hearts are at the core of the gameplay loop for every Diablo 4 class, and that means players need to know exactly how they work in Season 1. To give you a headstart on the new system, I will outline how the hearts work and where you can find some on your own.

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Caged Hearts are the Season 1 version of Gems that can be slotted into your equipment. Compared to gems, the Malignant Hearts in Diablo 4 are far more powerful and essentially offer up new Aspects on top of your standard gear. Most of your gameplay will revolve around getting these hearts and ensuring they fit your Season 1 build.

There is a lot more to the Caged Hearts than simply calling them Gems though, and they are even separated into color categories that dictated which armor slots can hold them. Most of the grind in Diablo 4 will come from the color distinction in the Season of the Malignant.

To use a Caged Heart, you have to make sure that the color of the heart matches the color of the socket on your equipment. For example, a ring with a blue socket can only hold a Brutal Heart. An amulet with a red socket can only hold a Vicious heart. There are four colors or categories for a total of 32 Malignant Hearts within Diablo 4 Season 1.

Related: How to Activate the Premium Battle Pass in Diablo 4 Season 1

When you get a heart by crafting or completing Malignant Tunnels, simply slot the Caged Heart like you would a gem if the socket matches. The first heart I slotted on my Druid was the Vicious Heart to summon a wild companion. With a quick slot, I had a passive that gave me another minion with minimal effort.

Caged Hearts are most often found in Malignant Tunnels, such as the Dindai Hollow in the southern section of the Dry Steppes. Malignant Tunnels are the seasonal version of dungeons that pit you against Malignant enemies. Tougher enemies can spawn the Malignant Hearts, and upon their defeat, you get a Caged Heart. Tunnels can easily be found by looking for gates with a green leaf on the map.

You can also craft Caged Hearts by using the table next to Corman, the main character in the Season of the Malignant Story. Like Nightmare Sigils, these will require some extra resources to craft. Most of what you need includes Malignant Ichor.

To start collecting some of those resources, check out our guide on how to get Malignant Ichor in Diablo 4 Season 1.

Dan has been writing gaming guides and news as a staff writer and freelancer since he graduated from Westfield State University in 2020. You can find him covering the FPS and Battle Royale space at Prima Games.