Diablo 4 Of Pests and Pestilence Quest Guide

The world of Diablo IV is full of side quests, hidden stories, and frustrating bugs, but few quests have confused players as much as Of Pests and Pestilence. At first glance, it looks like a simple extermination quest in Scosglen. Kill some bugs, return to the NPC, collect rewards, and move on.

Except that is not what actually happens.

For a long time, Diablo 4 players have struggled with this quest because the required enemies either refuse to spawn correctly or simply do not count toward progression. Many players thought the mission was completely broken. Others abandoned it entirely after spending an hour riding around the quest zone with zero progress.

The good news is that the community eventually figured out a reliable workaround.

This Diablo 4 Of Pests and Pestilence quest guide will explain exactly how to unlock the quest, why it is bugged, and the fastest way to complete it without wasting time.

What Is Of Pests and Pestilence in Diablo 4

Of Pests and Pestilence is a side quest located in the Scosglen region.

The quest is given by Meav in Tirmair within the Shrouded Moors area. Your objective sounds simple enough:

Exterminate 75 Stinging Swarms in the surrounding quest zone.

Normally, quests like this take only a few minutes. Unfortunately, this one became infamous in the Diablo 4 community because the required enemies often fail to appear properly.

Even worse, some Stinging Swarms spawn naturally in the area but do not actually count toward your quest objective.

That is where the frustration begins.

How To Unlock Of Pests and Pestilence

Unlocking the quest itself is very easy.

Quest Location

You can find Meav in:

• Tirmair
• The Shrouded Moors
• Scosglen

The fastest way to reach the quest giver is by using the Tirmair Waypoint.

Once you arrive, simply speak with Meav to begin the side quest.

Quest Objectives

The Of Pests and Pestilence quest has three simple objectives.

Step 1 Talk To Meav

Speak with Meav in Tirmair to accept the quest.

Step 2 Exterminate Stinging Swarms

This is the problematic part of the quest.

Players must defeat 75 Stinging Swarms inside the highlighted orange quest area.

Unfortunately, many players quickly realize the swarms either:

• Barely spawn
• Spawn too slowly
• Do not count toward progress
• Randomly stop giving credit

This is why the quest gained such a bad reputation.

Step 3 Return To Meav

Once you finally reach 75 kills, head back to Meav and complete the quest for rewards.

Why The Quest Is Bugged

The issue comes from the specific enemy version tied to the quest objective.

Not all Stinging Swarms count.

Some enemies in the area look identical but are technically different spawn types internally. Only certain event-spawned versions correctly advance the kill counter.

This means players can spend a huge amount of time killing bugs with no actual progress.

Honestly, it feels like one of those classic Diablo bugs Blizzard forgot about for several patches.

The Best Workaround For Of Pests and Pestilence

Thankfully, the Diablo 4 community discovered a reliable fix.

The solution involves forcing a specific World Event to appear near Tirmair.

Once you know the trick, the quest becomes much easier.

Step By Step Workaround Guide

Step 1 Search Nearby Event Locations

Around Tirmair, there are several World Event spawn points marked by orange circles.

Ride between the active event areas surrounding the town.

You are searching for one specific event.

Step 2 Find The Settling The Score Event

The event you need is called:

Settling the Score

During this event, the mercenary Varyana challenges players to a hunting competition to gather meat from enemies.

This is the important part.

The early enemy waves spawned during this event contain the correct Stinging Swarms needed for quest progression.

Why This Event Works

Unlike normal overworld enemies, the bugs inside this event properly count toward the Of Pests and Pestilence objective.

That means every kill finally advances your counter normally.

Once players discovered this workaround, the quest became dramatically easier to finish.

Step 3 Farm The Event Waves

Once the event begins:

• Kill every swarm enemy quickly
• Focus heavily on the early waves
• Watch your quest counter increase properly

Most players can finish the full 75 kills after several event rotations.

Depending on spawn luck, this may still take some time, but it is far more reliable than wandering randomly through the swamp.

What If The Wrong Event Appears

Sometimes the event area will spawn a completely different activity.

If that happens, you have several options.

Complete The Current Event

Finishing the active event clears the area and allows a new event type to rotate in afterward.

Leave And Return

Teleport to another waypoint or town, then return later to refresh the zone instance.

Swap World Instances

Changing difficulty or grouping with another player can sometimes reset event spawns faster.

Veteran Diablo players have been using these tricks for years whenever bugged quest events appear.

Tips To Complete The Quest Faster

After testing the quest multiple times, here are the best ways to speed things up.

Use A Fast Mobility Build

Movement speed matters a lot because you spend time rotating between event locations.

Classes with strong mobility perform much better here, including:

• Rogue
• Sorcerer
• Spiritborn
• Barbarian with Leap

The faster you rotate events, the faster you finish the quest.

Lower The Difficulty If Needed

You do not need high Torment levels for this quest.

Lower difficulties allow faster clearing and less downtime.

Since the rewards are not major endgame loot, speed matters more than challenge.

Focus Only On Quest Enemies

Ignore unrelated enemies whenever possible.

Only the specific swarm spawns tied to the event matter for progression.

Group Play Helps

If multiple players are farming the event, enemy density increases and kills happen faster.

The quest feels far less annoying in a group.

Is Of Pests and Pestilence Worth Doing

Honestly, this depends on your goals.

From a pure efficiency standpoint, the rewards are not game-changing.

You mainly receive:

• Experience
• Gold
• Renown progress
• Elixir Cache rewards

For completionists, though, this quest still matters.

Scosglen Renown progression remains valuable, especially for newer seasonal characters.

Many players also simply want every side quest completed for satisfaction.

And once you know the workaround, the quest becomes much less painful.

Common Player Frustrations

This quest became infamous for several reasons.

Poor Enemy Spawns

The natural swarm spawns are inconsistent and unreliable.

Lack Of Clear Information

The game never explains why kills sometimes do not count.

Event Dependency

Requiring one specific World Event feels unintuitive for a basic side quest.

Old Bug Reports

Players have reported this issue across multiple Diablo 4 seasons, making it one of the more persistent quest bugs in the game.

Diablo 4 Side Quests Still Have Some Rough Edges

Despite all the improvements Blizzard has made to Diablo 4 over time, certain side quests still show signs of older technical problems.

Of Pests and Pestilence is one of the clearest examples.

The good news is that modern Diablo 4 has improved massively overall, especially with endgame systems like War Plans and activity progression.

Most players spend far more time farming Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, and Diablo 4 items than worrying about side quest bugs these days.

Some players also use trading communities like PvPBank during seasonal progression, but thankfully this particular quest only requires patience and the correct event spawn.

Final Thoughts On Of Pests and Pestilence

Of Pests and Pestilence is easily one of the most annoying side quests in Diablo 4 if you try completing it normally.

The bugged Stinging Swarm spawns have frustrated players for a long time, and the game itself does a poor job explaining what is happening.

Thankfully, the Settling the Score World Event workaround makes the quest fully manageable.

Once you know how the event system works, you can finish the quest without endlessly wandering around the Shrouded Moors wondering why your kills are not counting.

It is still a clunky quest.

But at least now you know the trick.

FAQ

Where do you start Of Pests and Pestilence in Diablo 4

The quest begins by speaking with Meav in Tirmair within the Shrouded Moors region of Scosglen.

Why are my Stinging Swarm kills not counting

Many normal overworld Stinging Swarms are bugged and do not properly count toward the quest objective.

What is the best way to complete Of Pests and Pestilence

The best workaround is farming the Settling the Score World Event near Tirmair because its enemy waves correctly count toward progression.

What event do I need for the quest

You need the Settling the Score event involving Varyana and the hunting competition.

Can I reset the event if it does not appear

Yes. You can complete other active events, leave and return to the area, or swap world instances to refresh event spawns.

Is Of Pests and Pestilence still bugged

Yes. Many players still report inconsistent enemy spawns and progression issues, but the World Event workaround remains reliable.

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