Holding Back the Flood is the latest seasonal quest in Diablo 4 and we'll break down for you everything you need to know about it with this guide. In this Season of the Malignant in Diablo 4, the game has quite a lot in store for players to accomplish. While the amount of tasks you'll have to complete is quite a lot, these are fairly easy to do.
Season of the Malignant consists of a lot of new content to enjoy for players. It takes place after the main campaign of Diablo 4. With the Sanctuary being overrun by a plague of the malignant variety, players are tasked to defeat Malignant enemies and take down a new major boss, Varshan the Consumed.
How to complete Diablo 4's Holding Back the Flood quest
First off, the Holding Back the Flood quest requires you to complete the first two chapters of the Season Journey in Diablo 4. Sanctuary monsters have become corrupted and they're now physically stronger. Alongside that, there are powerful items that you can obtain for bonuses. It's definitely worth finishing for the season's rewards.
The seasonal quest unlocks after you gain access to Cormund's workbench and you gain the ability to craft Malignant Hearts. The quest will then appear with a list of objectives to complete.
By pressing U, you'll be able to access the Season screen. You'll see the Season Journey button and then you'll be able to click that to see all this season's chapters. We've listed below all the objectives you can complete for Diablo 4 Season 1's Chapters 1 and 2 and guides on completing them.
Chapter 1 Objectives
There are nine objectives you can complete for Chapter 1 to complete half of this quest. But you only need to complete at least seven of these objectives to gain access to the Chapter 2 objectives.
Objective Name | Task | Guide |
|---|---|---|
Den of Evil | Complete any Dungeon you find in your map. | Head to your map and you'll find dungeons signified by the gate icon. You can also go to your Map then hit Collection and finally click Codex of Power to mark the Dungeons on the map. |
Heart of Corruption | Collect a Malignant Heart once you accomplish the game's Campaign. | You can skip the campaign when you're creating your seasonal character so you can challenge Malignant Enemies to gain Malignant Hearts. |
Into the Frozen Dark | Complete three Dungeons in Fractured Peaks. | Similar to the first objective, check your map and head back to Fractured Peaks to complete some dungeons. |
Keeper of the Keys | Find a Whispering Key which is sold at the Purveyor of Curiosities. | Participate in Events as these can reap you Murmuring Obols to spend at the Purveyor of Curiosities. |
Kind Stranger | Complete five priority or side quests. | Some priority quests consist of upgrading healing potions and some seasonal quests. While for side quests, these are indicated by a blue exclamation mark on the map. |
The Hangman's Garden | Collect 15 Gallowvine. | You can pick up some Gallowvine around the Sanctuary and when exploring the map. |
Trouble in the Wilds | Complete a World Event which is found on your map. | On your map, World Events are indicated by orange circles. |
Waste Not | Salvage 10 normal items at the Blacksmith's. | You'll know gear is Normal gear when it doesn't have any background colors in your inventory and they lack special affixes. |
What Lurks Below | Complete one cellar. | Marked by a basement icon, cellars can be found across your map. |
Chapter 2 Objectives
For Chapter 2, there are 11 objectives you can complete for the season. However, you only need to accomplish nine to unlock the next chapter and finish the quest.
Objective Name | Task | Guide |
|---|---|---|
A Torch in the Depths | Complete five Malignant Tunnels once you complete or by skipping the Campaign. | Marked by green seasonal icons you can find the tunnels on your map. |
A Warrior of Taste | Change your gear's appearance five times in your Wardrobe. | You can access wardrobes from towns and cities. |
Baptized in Blood | You must reach level 25. | This requires you to level up quickly in the game. |
Finer Clarity | You must upgrade your potion to Minor at the Alchemist. | You must be level 20 and have the ingredients of 15 Gallowvine, 5 Biteberry, and 400 Gold to upgrade a healing potion. |
Gem Cutter | Your goal is to craft a chipped gem at the Jeweler. | Similarly, you unlock the Jeweler after reaching level 20 and then you can craft your chipped gem. |
Lighting the Way | You must interact with 10 waypoints for faster travel. | All waypoints are unlocked by first completing the main story. They're indicated by a symbol of a triangle inside a circle. |
Ruins Reclaimed | Conquer a stronghold that you find. | Strongholds are signified by a red skull players come across and a notification across their screen that a stronghold is nearby. |
Spit and Polish | You must upgrade two items at the Blacksmith or Jeweler. | You can find Blacksmiths and Jewelers in most of the cities you go to. |
Stopping the Spread | You must obtain three Malignant Hearts which are obtained if you complete or skip the campaign. | You can garner Malignant Hearts by defeating a corrupted enemy, interacting with its caged heart, and defeating its Malignant version before being reborn. |
Undertaker | You must complete 10 cellars. | Cellars are indicated by the basement icon on your map. |
Vivisector | You must collect 15 Demon Hearts. | Rare monsters will drop Demon Hearts, so take some time to find and defeat them. |
Once you've completed each chapter of the Season journey, a green tick will appear. Here you'll be able to claim the rewards and accomplish the Holding Back the Flood quest in Diablo 4.
With that, you're certainly equipped and ready to take on this season's quest in the game. If you'd like to see more Diablo 4 guides, stick around as we have pieces on the Diablo 4 Blood and Sweat quest guide and Feral's Den quest guide. You'll surely get through the game with the help of these walkthroughs.