How to craft and use a Malignant Invoker in Diablo 4

How to use a Diablo 4 Malignant Invoker — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Knowing how to craft a Diablo 4 Malignant Invoker is essential if you're grinding your way through Diablo 4 Season 1, as it will increase both the quantity and quality of Malignant Hearts you can gather as you clear out the new Malignant Tunnels – which are appearing instead of regular dungeons in certain locations. If you're trying to complete the A Plague of Hatred quest then you may be facing some difficulties, as the game isn't great at explaining how the various parts of this new system works and how to use Invokers in Season 1.

So, if you're looking to wrap your head around Malignant Invokers, need help crafting a Brutal Malignant Invoker, or are simply trying to find a Brutal Outgrowth in Diablo 4, you should find everything you need right here.

What are Invokers in Diablo 4 Season 1?

Diablo 4 battle pass — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Invokers in Diablo 4 are a new key item which you'll need to craft to progress throughout the Season Journey storyline. If you head into any of the Malignant Tunnels – new dungeons found all across the Diablo 4 map, signaled by a green leaf icon – and fight through the waves of Malignant monsters within, you'll find a Malignant Outgrowth waiting for you at the end. By stabbing the outgrowth with one of the four Malignant Invoker types you'll have the opportunity to fight a powerful Malignant Elite and earn one of the Diablo 4 Malignant Hearts of a specific color type as a reward.

Article continues below

You have to craft the Invokers in Diablo 4 yourself, and that's going to require some new seasonal materials. What you'll need to do is first farm Malignant Hearts from Malignant Monsters, and then take any you don't want to use yourself to Cormond's Workbenches (typically found close to any waypoint) – there you can salvage the heart to generate the resources you need. With those mats you'll be able to craft an Invoker in Season 1 of Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 Malignant Invoker types

Diablo 4 Malignant Hearts colors — (Image credit: Blizzard)

There are four types of Invoker in Diablo 4 Season 1 – Brutal, Vicious, Devious, and Wrathful. You can craft the first three of these directly at one of Cormond's Workbenches, so long as you have the correct materials, but to get a Diablo 4 Wrathful Invoker you need to craft an Uncertain Invoker and then rely on luck to get it. Each of the Malignant Invokers corresponds to a certain color of Malignant Heart – except for Wrathful, which is agnostic, and can be used in any colored socket. So for example, if you use a Brutal Malignant Invoker on a Malignant Overgrowth it'll generate an indigo Malignant Pustule and invoke a Brutal Malignant elite – when defeated, you'll earn a blue Malignant Heart as a reward which can then be slotted into gear to earn bonus powers.

Brutal Malignant Invoker (Blue) – Invokes a powerful Brutal Malignant foe from the indigo Malignant Pustules found within Tunnels.

Devious Malignant Invoker (Purple) – Invokes a powerful Devious Malignant foe from the amaranth Malignant Pustules found within Tunnels.

Vicious Malignant Invoker (Red) – Invokes a powerful Vicious Malignant foe from the xanthous Malignant Pustules found within Tunnels.

Wrathful Malignant Invoker (Any color) – Invokes a powerful Wrathful Malignant foe from the most powerful Malignant Pustules found within Tunnels.

How to craft the Brutal Malignant Invoker in Diablo 4

Diablo 4 Malignant Hearts — (Image credit: Blizzard)

To complete the 'A Plague of Hatred' quest in Diablo 4 Season 1, you'll need to use a Brutal Malignant Invoker on a Brutal Overgrowth. You'll be given the necessary resources that you need to craft one once you defeat the Ravening Pit Malignant at the end of the Dindai Hollow Malignant Tunnel dungeon.

However, for future reference, you can also craft them with Ichor that you obtain from salvaging unwanted Malignant Hearts. Either way, back to one of Cormond's Workbenches to salvage the item. Once you've done that, you'll find that you are able to craft a Brutal Malignant Invoker with the following materials:

20 Vicious Malignant Ichor
20 Devious Malignant Ichor
50 Brutal Malignant Ichor
1,000 Gold

Where to find a Brutal Outgrowth in Diablo 4

Diablo 4 defeat the malignant — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Now that you have your Brutal Malignant Invoker, it's time to take it for a spin. As part of the 'A Plague of Hatred' questline you'll be tasked with using that newly crafted Invoker on a Brutal Outgrowth in Diablo 4. You'll want to head back to the Dindai Hollow, marked on your map, and head into the tunnel. Fight through the enemies and once they've all been defeated a passageway will open up.

It's here where you'll find a Brutal Outgrowth in Diablo 4 – stab it with your Brutal Malignant Invoker and a Brutal Malignant elite will be spawned from the indigo Malignant Pustule you created. Defeat this enemy and you'll be rewarded with a Brutal Malignant Heart which can be slotted into Infested Sockets on certain types of Season 1 gear to earn powerful new bonus abilities.

Once you've done this, you'll be well on your way to completing chapter 1 of the Season Journey in Diablo 4. If you're anything like me, you might get stuck on the quest that follows, so be sure to use our guide on how to complete Holding Back the Flood in Diablo 4 if you need it! We also have details on how to craft the Diablo 4 Invoker of Varshan once you complete the Season 1 storyline.

Josh West is Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 18 years of experience in both online and print journalism, and was awarded a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Josh has contributed to world-leading gaming, entertainment, tech, music, and comics brands, including games™, Edge, Retro Gamer, SFX, 3D Artist, Metal Hammer, and Newsarama. In addition, Josh has edited and written books for Hachette and Scholastic, and worked across the Future Games Show as an Assistant Producer. He specializes in video games and entertainment coverage, and has provided expert comment for outlets like the BBC and ITV. In his spare time, Josh likes to play FPS games and RPGs, practice the bass guitar, and reminisce about the film and TV sets he worked on as a child actor.