Caged Hearts are a new mechanic in Diablo 4 and are part of the Season of the Malignant story. These Caged Hearts can bestow powerful effects on each character, but they are confusing to start with. In this guide, I’ll explain all Caged Hearts and Effects and how to find, craft, and equip them in Diablo 4 Season 1. If the in-game description has left you scratching your head, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
All Caged Hearts and Effects | How to find, craft, and equip in Diablo 4 Season 1
One significant change to Diablo 4 in Season 1 is how sockets in Rings and Amulets work. Jewelry sockets used to work the same way as regular gear, and the most common application was to add Skulls for extra armor. Now, these sockets are colored, determining what Caged Hearts can be equipped. It’s as simple as matching the colors. If you’ve got an orange socket, you can only use orange Caged Hearts. Black Caged Hearts are unique, as they can go in any slot. These colors have names in Season 1:
- Orange – Vicious (Offensive)
- Blue – Brutal (Defensive)
- Devious – Utility (Pink)
- Wrathful – Super (Black)
It’s important to remember that once a Caged Heart is socketed into a piece of Jewelry, it cannot be removed. You can replace the Caged Heart with another, but the original will be permanently lost.
As for obtaining Caged Hearts, one of the best sources is Malignant Tunnels. When you defeat specific, powerful enemies, a Malignant Heart will appear above their corpse. Interacting with that will resurrect the enemy, and killing them once more will grant you a random Caged Heart.
Can I craft Caged Hearts?
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You can make Caged Hearts by salvaging your existing ones at Cormond’s Wagon. Doing this will give you ‘Ichor’ of the matching color. This Ichor is used to create Caged Hearts with the color of your choice. If you want to spin the wheel and try for a Wrathful (Black) Heart, You can craft an Uncertain Heart instead.
If you’re looking for the Deathless Visage in Diablo 4, check out our guide.
All Caged Hearts and Effects Explained
Many Caged Hearts are class-specific, but there are general ones, too, so let’s start there. The damage numbers for each Caged Heart scale with player level. The figures below are based on a level 20 character, so you can expect much higher numbers by the endgame. Some Caged Hearts will only drop beyond certain World Tiers, and I’ve listed those restrictions.
General Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of the Picana – Vicious (Orange)
Critical strikes electrically charge enemies from 0.75 – 2.5 seconds, causing Lightning to arc between them, dealing 68-136 Lightning damage.
Caged Heart of the Lionheart – Brutal (Blue)
You gain 10% Barrier Generation. You Heal 3-7 Life per second while you have an active Barrier.
Caged Heart of Determination – Utility (Pink)
Resource-draining effects are 40-50% less effective. Gain 3.0-8.0% increased Resource Generation.
Caged Heart of the Malignant Pact – Wrathful (Black)
Cycle through the following effects every 20 seconds:
- Gain 20% Attack Speed
- Â Core and Basic Skills have a 15% chance to fully restore your Primary Resource.
- Every 21 seconds, gain a Barrier absorbing 85-102 damage.
Caged Heart of Creeping Death – Wrathful (Black)
Your DoT effects are increased by 30-40% for each different Crowd Control effect on the target. Unstoppable monsters and Staggered bosses instead take 110-130% increased damage from your DoT effects.
Caged Heart of the Dark Dance – Vicious (Orange) – World Tier 3
Every 5 seconds, while above 60% Life, Core Skills cost 68-51 Life instead of your Resource. Skills cast this way deal an extra 10-20% damage.
World Tier limited Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of Tempting Fate – Vicious (Orange) – World Tier 3
You gain 40-60% Critical Strike Damage, but regular strikes deal 15-20% less damage.
Caged Heart of Revenge – Brutal (Blue) – World Tier 3
10-20% of incoming damage is suppressed. When you use a Defensive, Subterfuge, or a Macabre skill, all suppressed damage is amplified by 250% and explodes. The explosion deals up to 1360-2040 Fire damage to nearby enemies.
Caged Heart of the Prudent Heart – Brutal (Blue) – World Tier 3
You become Immune for 2.0-4.0 seconds after you lose more than 20% Life in a single hit. This effect has a cooldown of 110 seconds.
Caged Heart of Retaliation – Utility (Pink) – World Tier 3
Deal 510-680 Fire damage to surrounding enemies whenever a Crowd Control effect is removed from the player.
Caged Heart of the Calculated – Utility (Pink) – World Tier 3
After spending 150-200 of your Primary Resource, your next attack Stuns enemies hit for 2 seconds.
Caged Heart of The Barber – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 3
Your target absorbs Critical Strikes and all subsequent damage within 2.0-4.0 seconds. Then, the absorbed damage erupts onto surrounding enemies. Stored damage is increased by 10% per second.
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Barbarian Exclusive Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of Focused Rage – Vicious (Orange)
After spending 100-60 Fury within 2 seconds, your next Non-Basic Skill’s Critical Chance is increased by 20-30%.
Caged Heart of Resurgent Life – Brutal (Blue)
While below 40-60% Life, you receive 50-60% additional Healing from all sources.
Caged Heart of Punishing Speed – Devious (Pink)
Your Skills have a 20-30% chance to Knock Down enemies for 1.25 seconds when that Skill’s Attack Speed is higher than 35-20%.
Caged Heart of Ignoring Pain – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 4
Incoming damage has a 5-15% chance of being ignored. Ignored damage heals you for 17-68 instead.
Druid Exclusive Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of the Moonrage – Vicious (Orange)
Kills have a 5% chance to summon a Wolf Companion for 20-30 seconds. In addition, gain +3 to Wolves.
Caged Heart of the Agitated Winds – Brutal (Blue)
When there are 8-13 enemies nearby, automatically cast Cyclone Armor. This effect has a 10-20 second cooldown.
Caged Heart of Inexorable Force – Devious (Pink)
Up to 30-50 Distant enemies are pulled toward you while you have an Ultimate Skill active.
Caged Heart of the Unconstrained Beast – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 4
When you are Stunned, Knocked Down, or Frozen, there is a 40-60% chance to activate Grizzly Rage for 3 seconds automatically.
Necromancer Exclusive Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of the Sacrilegious – Vicious (Orange)
Walking near a Corpse automatically activates an equipped Corpse Skill every second, dealing 40-30% reduced damage.
Caged Heart of the Decrepit Aura – Brutal (Blue)
When at least five enemies are nearby, gain an aura that curses surrounding enemies with Decrepify for 5-15 seconds.
Caged Heart of Frozen Terror – Devious (Pink)
Up to a 10-20% chance of inflicting Fear for 2.5 seconds on Lucky Hit. Feared enemies are Chilled for 20% every second.
Caged Heart of the Great Feast – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 4
Each Minion drains 1.0-2.0 Essence per second but deals 50-75% increased damage. This bonus applies to you if you have no minions and drains 5 Essence per second.
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Rogue Exclusive Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of Cluster Munitions – Vicious (Orange)
You have up to a 20% chance to launch 3 Stun Grenades on Lucky Hit. Grenades deal 26-32 Physical damage and Stun enemies for 0.50 seconds.
Caged Heart of Trickery – Brutal (Blue)
When you use a Subterfuge Skill, leave behind an unstable Shadow Decoy Trap that Taunts enemies. The Shadow Decoy Trap explodes after 6.0 seconds dealing 680-1020 Shadow damage. This effect can only occur once every 5 seconds.
Caged Heart of the Clipshot – Devious (Pink)
The following effects can trigger on Lucky Hit:
- Up to a 20-40% chance for your Cutthroat Skills to Slow by 40% for 3 seconds.
- Marksman Skills Knock Back enemies.
Caged Heart of the Vile Apothecary – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 4
Attacks have a 5-15% chance to apply all Imbuement effects at 40-50% of normal potency.
Sorcerer Exclusive Caged Hearts
Caged Heart of Tal’Rasha – Vicious (Orange)
For each unique element you deal damage with, you deal 7-12% increased damage for 3-10 seconds.
Caged Heart of Spellbreaking – Brutal (Blue)
After taking Elemental damage, gain 20-40% Resistance to that element for 5 seconds.
Caged Heart of Spite – Devious (Pink)
When afflicted with a Crowd Control effect, there is a 20-40% chance that enemies around you are also afflicted with the same effect for 3 seconds.
Caged Heart of Omnipower – Wrathful (Black) – World Tier 4
Core Skills that launch a projectile consume all of your Mana. You cast an additional projectile for every 45-35 extra Mana consumed. The projectile has a 3.0-5.0% damage increase.
And there you have it, Wanderer, that’s all 32 Caged Hearts in Diablo 4 and what they do. Some are only useful to very specific builds, whereas others have very broad applications. There really is no wrong way to use Caged Hearts, as long as they work with your skills. Many of the best Caged Hearts are locked behind World Tiers so don’t worry about wasting a few early ones while you get a feel for the mechanic.
