Diablo 4 – Whispers of the Dead and Grim Favors Explained

One of the more approachable endgame activities in Diablo 4 is the Whispers of the Dead. This point-based system allows players to work towards earning rewards by taking part in the game’s varied content, and do so without hassle or issue.

This activity can be an excellent option for casual players and those who want to get more specific gear drops, making it a great choice when you first get into the endgame.

This guide will explain the Whispers of the Dead endgame activity, including the quest to unlock it, how it works, and what rewards players can expect.

Related: Diablo 4 Complete Strategy Guide – Quests, Crafting & Locations

What is the Whispers of the Dead in Diablo 4?

Whispers of the Dead is an endgame priority quest and activity that unlocks once you are in World Tier 3, which is done once you beat the campaign, reach level 50, and complete the Capstone Dungeon. To unlock the full version of the activity, you first need to do a quest that acts as a tutorial for this endgame activity. You’ll need to head to the Tree of Whispers, which you will meet during the campaign, to begin the quest and get your first taste of what this activity involves.

To complete the quest, and the activity going forward, you need to collect 10 Grim Favors from completing different tasks across Sanctuary. However, for the first one during the quest, this will be restricted to Caldeum.

What Are Grim Favors and How Do You Earn Them?

Grim Favors are best described as points that you earn from completing various tasks in Diablo 4, and these include all types of content in Diablo 4. This includes Dungeons, Cellars, defeating enemies, Elites, participating in events, etc. Depending on the task, these tasks will reward you with various amounts of Grim Favor, which will work towards your total.

You can see your total Grim Favors on the map by hovering over the Tree of Whispers icon, which looks like a red tree with a skull on its top. These activities will refresh every 90 minutes, and a new batch will become available for you to complete.

The points you earn for each activity vary, ranging from one for smaller tasks like clearing a cellar, killing specific Elite, or completing an event. Three for more significant tasks like extraction Seeds of Hatred in PvP and killing enemies in a set area. Lastly, some will earn you five, like clearing a dungeon and killing a World Boss.

A couple of things to consider: when you hit ten Grim Favors, you cannot earn any more until you turn in your current ten. However, if you have excess points you gained, these will carry over to your next lot. Additionally, as you climb the World Tiers, your likelihood of Legendaries and better gear will increase too.

Whispers of the Dead Rewards

Once you have earned ten Grim Favors, you can return to the Tree of Whispers, and he will present you with three reward caches. Take your pick, and then the quest and activity will be done. Once you have done this for the first time, you will unlock the full version of the Whispers of the Dead endgame activity, which expands to the entire map and can be done repeatedly.

Each reward cache will be explicitly named to denote what gear you can expect from the cache. For example, a Collection of One-Handed Weapons Cache will favor dropping one-handed weapons. You also can get a Greater Cache, which will guarantee a Legendary drop.

We recommend this activity as one to focus on since it’s straightforward to complete and can be done alongside other activities making it one that you can passively complete.