What is the Tree of Whispers?
In Diablo 4, a system similar to the Bounty System in Diablo 3 was introduced: the Tree of Whispers.
After unlocking the Tree of Whispers, you will embark on a journey through the vast world of Sanctuary, where you can engage in a variety of objectives based on the presence of Whispers on the map.
Referred to as “Whispers”, these objectives encompass a wide range of activities such as Dungeons, Open World Events, encounters with World Bosses, explorations of Cellars, and even engaging in thrilling PvP activities.
Here are the types of Whispers that currently exist:
- Assassination
- Dungeon
- Harvest Anima
- Local Events
- PvP
- World Events
- Culling
Each Whisper will grant Experience, Gold, and Grim Favors. Completing enough Whispers (as we will see below) will eventually lead to a greater reward.
One of the possible objectives to undertake asks players to locate a specific “body” to interact with, which will then trigger the appearance of the targeted enemy that requires elimination. By simply clicking on the corresponding icon on the map, you can uncover the precise area where the body can potentially spawn.
Unlocking the Tree of Whispers
In the final act of the campaign, you will unlock the Tree of Whispers, a giant tree from which many severed heads are hanging, in the swamp region of Hawezar, Sanctuary. The event itself is only available after completing the entire campaign, as part of Diablo 4’s endgame content.
After unlocking the Tree of Whispers, you will find a dedicated Waypoint to easily access and engage with the tree, as it is a core part of the endgame journey.
At the Tree, you can complete Whispers of the Dead, which offers rewards when enough Whispers have been completed around the world.
Completing Whispers of the Dead
Upon successfully completing a Whisper objective in the world, you will be rewarded with valuable Grim Favors.
The number of Grim Favors received is influenced by the difficulty and time invested in accomplishing the objective, with more challenging or time consuming tasks yielding a greater amount of Grim Favors. These rewards are visually distinguished on the world map, as more rewarding objectives are prominently displayed in a deep red color, while less rewarding ones appear in pastel red or pink hues.
It is important to note that each new Helltide generates enough Whispers to earn 10 Grim Favors. This makes Helltide an excellent place to farm gear and gold.
To keep you informed of your progress and the current state of Grim Favors, the world map features a dedicated gauge located at the bottom of the screen. This gauge serves as a visual representation of your collection of Grim Favors.
As you accumulate Grim Favors by completing objectives, the gauge gradually fills up. Once the Grim Favors gauge reaches its maximum capacity, which occurs after collecting 10 Grim Favors, you must return to the Tree of Whispers. The area in which the Tree of Whispers is located is indicated by a skull with red branches icon on the map, in the northeastern part of Hawezar.
Rewards
Once you have earned a total of 10 Grim Favors, you will be able to head back to the tree to collect a reward. This reward includes valuable elements such as XP that helps character progression, Gold, Forgotten Soul, Temper Manuals, and a choice of one out of 3 caches.
The Tree can reward you with the following choices for caches: 1-Handed Weapons, 2-Handed Weapons, Amulets, Boots, Chaos, Chest Armors, Gloves, Helms, Leg Armors, and Rings. Whisper Caches will always only reward items of the specified equipment slot instead of having a chance to include a random item of any equipment slot.
Additionally, Gem Fragments drop more frequently from Whisper Caches than from regular sources.
These caches have great potential as there is a high chance of receiving Legendary items, as well as a chance for Uniques, Mythic Uniques or even Nightmare Sigils. Especially in regards to the latter, the Tree of Whispers seems to be a great source of acquiring them, and the tier for Nightmare Sigils rewarded from Whisper Caches will always be within 5 Levels of the highest-level Nightmare Dungeon the player has completed. Check out our related Nightmare Dungeon Guide to learn more about Sigils.
Nightmare DungeonsIn addition to these sought-after items, the cache may also include various crafting materials such as herbs, ore, and other valuable resources.
Difficulty
Whispers of the Dead are intentionally designed to be rather easy, but fun, with a low difficulty level. This provides a relaxed and flexible gameplay experience, allowing you to choose objectives based on your preferences.
Additionally, the different kinds of objectives let you do things that match your playstyle, making the event enjoyable, and personalized.
Challenges and Achievements
In addition to getting valuable rewards and experience, you can accomplish several achievements at the Tree of Whispers. These achievements will reward you with Titles.
Here are some examples of Titles that may be rewarded for handing in grim favors:
Achievement | Description | Player Titles Rewards |
---|---|---|
Whisper Novice | Complete a Whisper | Apprentice, Traveler |
Whisper Expert | Complete a Whisper of each type (Assassination, Dungeon, Harvest Anima, Local Events, PvP, World Events, Culling) | Bewitching, Reaper |
Tree of Whispers Supplicant | Complete a Silent Offering for the Tree of Whispers | Bitter, Mercy |
Tree of Whispers Aspirant | Complete 25 Silent Offerings for the Tree of Whispers | Committed, Aspirant |
Tree of Whispers Devotee | Complete 100 Silent Offerings for the Tree of Whispers | Dedicated, Devotee |
Just Reward | Receive each type of cache from the Tree of Whispers (1 Handed Weapons, 2 Handed Weapons, Amulets, Boots, Chaos, Chest Armors, Gloves, Helms, Leg Armors, Rings) | Bejeweled, Bounty |