The main storyline of Diablo 4 is compelling on its own, but the wide variety of side quests keeps players coming back. Some of the quests are purely original, while others are references to famous movies, books, or other popular media.
The storyline borrows inspiration from several famous horror stories, Carrie, The Exorcist, and Firestarter, but has some of its own unique twists and turns. The Heretic quest chain is a healthy mix of both, but even if a player doesn't recognize the pop culture references, it's still an exciting blood-curdling quest through some of Diablo 4's most inhospitable zones.
The Heretic Quest Chain
The entire quest starts with a character named Vass, who is waiting in the city of Zarbinzet with a group of like-minded neighbors. There are no prerequisites to begin this quest other than exploring this far south, and it is open to every class.
The city is located on the western side of the zone of Hawezar. The entire quest chain leads to other areas to the east, such as the Forsaken Coast and the seaside town of Blackwater.
Hawezar
The zone of Hawezar is directly south of Fractured Peaks but is only accessible through a narrow passage from the Dobrev Taiga. Players can also travel from the western area of the Scouring Sands, which is in the far eastern part of Kehjistan.
- Zarbinzet. The biggest city in the zone, this is where the player can find a waypoint, a stash, a wardrobe, and a variety of vendors.
- The Umir Plateau. Most of the action takes place in this area, the countryside that surrounds Zarbinzet.
- Gulya's Hovel. Located on the far western border of the Forsaken Coast, the player returns here to complete the last few quests. Gulya is one of the recurring NPCs in the game, so players might already be familiar with this location.
- Forsaken Coast. The player will have to travel further east into this area for later parts of the quest chain. This is where players can find the Rustwash and the Hidden Glade dungeon.
The Heretic
Players can find Vass and talk to him as soon as they reach Zarbinzet. He's standing in the street on the southern side of town, ranting about the latest demon attack, and he wants someone to investigate.
The Abandoned Ruins
- Accept the quest to check out the Abandoned Ruins, the location of the latest demon attack. There are two locations to the immediate east of the city in the Umir Plateau.
- The Abandoned Ruins are filled with ashen husks and demons. As the player goes about killing bad guys, they find a Frightened Young Woman.
- She runs away, and following her leads to the next step in the quest.
- The young woman introduces herself as Aneta, and she wants to help find some special flowers for her mother.
The Flowers
- There are three different flowers to be found, and they are all in the local vicinity, which is choked with demons, bandits, and hostile wildlife.
- Aneta will point out the Withered Plant, Dying Plant, and Singed Plant while exploring the wilderness. They're all slightly northeast of Zarbinzet.
- Return to the city and Aneta's mother. Their house is in the northernmost part of town.
Aneta will show the player where the plants are by going to them, but she won't pick them herself. Take careful note of where she runs to, in case this tranquil woodland scene is disturbed by enemies that cause her to move back to the player and distract from the plant's location.
The Forgotten Cave
- Follow Aneta after she is driven from her house by her mother and the angry townsfolk.
- She's next to a cave just to the southeast of town in the Umir Plateau.
- Enter the cave with Aneta by your side. After killing a wave of demons, the townsfolk appear to confront her as well.
- Aneta explodes in flames, reducing a few of the townspeople to ash, as the player fights another wave of demons.
- It's revealed that Aneta is the cause of recent events, but not because of possession or demon worship, and the cause remains a mystery.
A Price to Pay
This is only part of the way through the quest chain. To continue, return to Aneta's house in Zarbinzet and speak with her mother, Vera. The mean old lady has nothing new or surprising to say, but the player hears a whisper at the door and is drawn outside.
- Suzana was the voice the player hears, and she's sympathetic to Aneta's plight. She asks the player to find an old book of folks' remedies hidden somewhere in the neighborhood.
- The book is called Wejinhani Dispensatory, and it can be found in the same building as the armor and weapon merchants.
- The book directs the player to the Blind Barrows, a dungeon in the Fethis Wetlands, almost due east of the Umir Plateau.
The Blind Barrows
- Aneta is outside, but she's not well. She says she needs spider venom from inside the dungeon.
- The player doesn't have to complete the whole dungeon to get the quest item from the Venom Lurkers.
- Head outside and give the spider venom to Aneta, who boils it and then drinks it. She seems to think that this will rid her of the demonic possession.
- Gulya now appears and announces that Aneta is not possessed, and she knows what the real problem is. Apparently, Aneta has a future as a swamp witch if her powers can be harnessed and controlled.
Poisoned Hearts
The next part of the quest begins when the player returns to the Blind Barrows and find Vera outside. She rants about Aneta and how she knows the player helped her. She drops a necklace, Aneta's Keepsake. Pick it up to start Poisoned Hearts.
- Go to Gulya's Hovel to find Aneta.
- She's outside, just south of the hut. There are three braziers set up and the player puts them out to free her.
- Speak to Aneta and she'll explain that she was actually undergoing a test. Gastly will walk out of the hut, and speaking to her reveals more details of Aneta's "training."
- Gulyas says that the next ritual for Aneta requires four rotten livers. They can be found in dead snakes east of the Hovel.
- Travel through the swamp and defend Aneta as she looks for livers. Aneta picks these up so the player doesn't have to.
Backwater is a town on the east coast that has some basic services, including repairs and a waypoint. It's close to the Hidden Glade and might be a more convenient stop for necessities than traveling all the way back to Zarbinzet.
The Hidden Glade
- Travel through the dungeon to find the altar.
- Kill the enemies within the circle that appears around the altar to fill it with blood. Anything that dies outside of the circle won't count.
- Once the altar is filled, the villagers will appear again and attack Aneta. Protect her from them, then meet her outside.
- Speak to her and she'll depart. Return to Gulya's Hovel.
- Aneta isn't there but she left a letter. Read it and complete the quest chain and the related achievement.
There are two quests that are available once The Heretic is complete. Necrotic Research and its follow-up, Bad Blood, will gain the character Hawezar renown but aren't directly connected to the Heretic questline.
Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.