Holding Back the Flood is a season quest in Diablo 4 which requires you to complete the first two chapters of the Season Journey. Diablo 4's first season sees Sanctuary's monsters become stronger and even more corrupted, and their hearts become powerful items that can be slotted into jewelry for powerful bonuses. There are also new unique items and aspects to discover.
After you've completed the initial Season questline in Diablo 4 which introduces you to Malignant Hearts and the NPC Cormund, the next step isn't obvious, especially if you don't know where to look for the list of objectives. If you're ready to jump in, here's how to complete the Diablo 4 Holding Back the Flood season quest.
How to complete Holding Back the Flood
Once you've unlocked Cormund's workbench and the ability to craft Malignant Hearts, you'll find yourself with a quest that doesn't give you much explanation if you're not familiar with Diablo's Season Journey: basically, it's a list of objectives to complete as you play, broken down into different chapters.
In the case of the Holding Back the Flood quest, you need to complete the first two chapters of the Season Journey, and you can find the list of objectives for each by opening the map, then pressing U to bring up the Season screen. Look for the Season Journey button on the left, and click that to bring up the chapters. Many of the activities listed are things you'll do naturally as you play, but if you want to fast-track the process so you can complete Holding Back the Flood, I've listed the objectives for the first two Season Journey chapters below.
Here are the Season Journey Chapter One objectives (you only need seven out of nine to complete the chapter):
- Collect 15 Gallowvine
- Collect a Malignant Heart
- Complete any dungeon found on your map
- Complete a world event
- Complete three dungeons in Fractured Peaks
- Complete a cellar
- Complete five priority or side quests
- Collect a Whispering Key
- Salvage normal items at the blacksmith
Here are the Season Journey Chapter Two objectives (you only need nine out of 11 to complete the chapter):
- Complete 10 cellars
- Collect three Malignant Hearts
- Conquer a stronghold
- Craft any Chipped gem at the jeweler
- Complete five Malignant Tunnels
- Reach level 25
- Collect 15 Demon Hearts
- Change your appearance in the Wardrobe five times
- Interact with 10 Waypoints
- Upgrade two items at the blacksmith or jeweler
- Upgrade your potion to Minor at the alchemist
Once you've completed a chapter from the Season Journey, a green tick will appear next to it and you can claim the rewards and complete the Holding Back the Flood quest.
