Malignant and Caged Hearts are a new, essential gameplay element in Diablo 4 season one. Between Malignant Hearts, Malignant Ichor, and Caged Hearts it can be difficult to understand exactly how to use these new items to power up your character.
Malignant Hearts are new items that drop from Malignant enemies, found across the season’s new campaign and events such as Malignant Tunnels. By turning these into Caged Hearts, you can socket these extremely powerful items into your gear like any other gem in Diablo 4.
While there are 32 different Malignant Hearts and various methods of collecting them, all must be turned into Caged Hearts to become useful to your build.
Caged Hearts in Diablo 4 season one, explained
Caged Hearts are gems in Diablo 4 season one that can be slotted into gear with available slots, which will massively power up your character. The best way to collect Caged Hearts is by venturing into Malignant Tunnels. These are dungeon-like events that can spawn throughout Sanctuary, though I have found most around the Fractured Peaks and Dry Steppes.
Related: Diablo 4 season one: Season of the Malignant quest list
Once in a Malignant Tunnel, you will face off against plenty of powered-up Malignant enemies. These enemies have a chance of dropping Malignant Hearts. Once you acquire a Malignant Heart, you can defeat an Elite version of the Malignant enemy to gain a Caged Heart which can then be equipped.
You can also craft Malignant Hearts at Cormond’s Wagon outside of Velkhova. In this method, you will need tons of Malignant Ichor, similarly obtained by slaying Malignant enemies, but ultimately you will need to complete the same ritual process to turn this heart into a Caged Heart.
How to use Caged Hearts in Diablo 4
Once you have your Caged Heart, there are a few things you should know before attempting to slot it into your gear. Most importantly, you will need to make sure the color of your Caged Heart matches the color of your open slot. There are four total types of hearts: Wrathful, Vicious, Brutal, and Devious.
Each Heart is represented by a color and will need to match the corresponding color of your socket in order to be equipped. For example, if you have a ring with a red socket, only a Brutal Caged Heart can be equipped.
Every Heart category also contains specific buffs that you will need to check before you craft or equip the item. Whereas Vicious Hearts are typically offensively focused, Wrathful Hearts contain more unique powers. Be sure that the Caged Heart you are equipping fits with your character’s build.
