Epic Diablo 4 Hardcore run brutally ended by the Butcher at level 99

One Diablo 4 player’s incredible hardcore run was brought to a swift and savage end once they fell foul of the series’ most notorious boss – the Butcher.

The Butcher is greatly feared by Diablo 4 players, as there’s nothing more panic-inducing than hearing his catchphrase “Fresh meat” while you’re running through a dungeon. For characters playing on the highest World Tiers, the Butcher’s appearances are rare, but a constant risk.

Many players choose to run from the hulking beast or jump through a portal to safety, but some brave souls choose to fight him for the rewards. However, this can go horribly wrong, as it did for Reddit user Primary-Confusion-89, whose hardcore run was ended by several brutal blows from the Butcher.

Hardcore characters in Diablo 4 keep going until they die and once they do, the run is over and the character ceases to exist. For some, they can avoid death and keep their run going indefinitely, but most are cut down eventually, as the game gets harder and harder.

Primary-Confusion-89’s run lasted for 23 hours and 49 minutes until the Butcher appeared and introduced the player to his meat cleaver. The player was also level 99, so close to reaching 100 when the fateful last blow was struck.

What makes this story so rough is that once characters reach level 99, even on the hardest settings, they tend to dominate in PVE and only very bad luck or poor decisions end their playthroughs.

Other players commiserated with Primary-Confusion-89 with one saying: “How does that happen at level 99?! That’s really unlucky, damn.” With another saying: “Maaaan. This is rough. Have you hit level 100 hardcore with a different character yet or would this be your first?”

Some shared their own experiences, saying: “I’m sorry. I was right there with you last night. From 1-99 I didn’t see a single Butcher. Literally, as soon as I dinged 100 in a level 64 NMD he appeared. It didn’t even register that this was the Butcher until he was almost finished off.”

Another player considered just how terrifying encountering the Butcher can be, they wrote: “The lightning strike of adrenaline I get upon hearing “fresh meat” just… good lord… Lol”.

The Butcher was the very first boss of Diablo 1 and returned as the first major boss in Diablo 3. In Diablo 4, he’s a random encounter that spawns in high-level dungeons and has essentially become the boogeyman for those playing in Hardcore mode, where just one death means the end of their run.