Diablo 4 Quest Guide: The One That Got Away Explained

Diablo 4’s seasonal content keeps adding new quests and objectives, and “The One That Got Away” is one mission that’s confusing some players as they navigate the game’s increasingly complex endgame. This quest is part of the larger seasonal framework Blizzard has created since Diablo 4 launched in June 2023. The game holds a 90 Metacritic score, but it has a more mixed 67% positive rating from 22,848 Steam reviews.

“The One That Got Away” acts as a pursuit quest where players must track down a specific target in Sanctuary. To do this, players follow a series of clues across different zones, engaging enemies and completing minor tasks to find their target. This quest won’t trigger automatically; you need to progress far enough through the seasonal story content for it to show up in your journal.

Once it’s active, the quest points players to certain locations marked on the map. The combat encounters throughout the quest match the player’s World Tier. So, if you’re playing on Torment difficulty, you’ll face much tougher enemies than those on lower settings. Completing the final encounter rewards players with Ancestral-tier loot and seasonal currency, which you can use in crafting and upgrade systems like the Horadric Cube.

This quest fits into a larger seasonal framework that now features War Plans, Lair Bosses, and the ultra-rare Echoing Hatred event. Blizzard designed this event to challenge even the strongest builds in the game. “The One That Got Away” contributes to this ecosystem by providing materials that help players progress through these tougher endgame layers. If you skip it, you miss out on valuable loot that helps speed up the seasonal grind.

For those using custom loot filters — which are now a standard part of Diablo 4’s interface — the rewards from this quest drop items worth flagging. The Ancestral gear available at Torment difficulty has better base affixes compared to regular legendary drops. That makes this quest a top priority for players diving into higher-tier content this season.

By The Numbers

Metacritic Score	90
Steam Review Score	67% positive
Steam Reviews Total	22,848
Current Steam Players	28,586
Current Price (Steam)	$49.99

Community sentiment around Diablo 4’s seasonal quests is mixed. While players generally appreciate the variety, the pricing model causes some friction. Many Steam reviewers voiced their frustrations plainly: “Bend over for the Blizzard pricing model” — a common complaint that highlights the tension between the base game’s $49.99 price and the extra costs of seasonal passes and cosmetic content.

What To Watch

• Whether Blizzard will adjust the spawn conditions or difficulty scaling for “The One That Got Away” based on player feedback regarding the quest’s pacing relative to seasonal progression speed.
• How the quest’s loot table interacts with the Lair Boss Boss Trophy farming loop, which Blizzard revamped to make endgame bossing easier this season.
• Diablo 4’s concurrent player count on Steam, which currently sits at 28,586 — a number worth monitoring as seasonal content either retains or loses active players heading into mid-season.