Blizzard pays tribute to streamer Reckful with World of Warcraft NPC

Thousands of World of Warcraft players came together in early July to pay their respects to prominent streamer Byron 'Reckful' Bernstein, who died by suicide on July 2 at age 31. Now Blizzard has paid a lasting tribute of its own in the form of a new Rogue Trainer NPC bearing his name that has been added to the Cathedral of Light in the Shadowlands expansion.

This is actually Blizzard's second nod to Bernstein, after Byron Burnside, an NPC in Tiragarde Sound that played on his real name. The Reckful character is more directly connected to his in-game persona, however: As Wowhead explains, the "I don't train Assassination Rogues" line is a reference to the powerful rogue meta in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, which Bernstein rejected in favor of a Subtlety Rogue build, just to prove that he didn't have to rely on the best builds to be successful.

The interaction also includes a touching bit of custom dialog. Players speaking with the Reckful NPC can say, "It was good seeing you again."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US), Crisis Services Canada (CA), Samaritans (UK), or Lifeline (AUS). If you are outside of these regions, check this list for a hotline in your country.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.