Diablo 4's scariest boss has caused 2% of all player deaths

News
By published

Nobody is safe from him.

Diablo 4
(Image credit: Blizzard)
Survive Sanctuary with these Diablo 4 guides

Diablo 4's Lilith

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Activision Blizzard)

Diablo 4 guide: Everything you need
Diablo 4 mount: Race across the map
Diablo 4 waypoints: How to fast travel
Diablo 4 level unlocks: New vendors

Raise your hand if the Butcher slaughtered you in Diablo 4. Me too, and, according to a recent infographic from Blizzard, there are millions of us.

In the first week after Diablo 4's launch (including early access), 5.8 million players have been ripped apart by one of Diablo's most iconic bosses. The Butcher will show up at any time in any dungeon and chase you down until you (or someone in your party) dies. And because enemy difficulty scales to your level, the big guy is always a threat.

Out of the total player deaths in Diablo 4 (minus PvP deaths), The Butcher is responsible for 1.8% of them. He's no Uber Lilith, but he's a close second in the tier list of threatening boss fights in Diablo 4.

Blizzard's stats don't have enough information to figure out if he's the most deadly boss in the game, but I wouldn't be surprised if he carried that title. The Butcher doesn't care what level you are or how prepared you are; he will show up whenever he wants to. If he's not the deadliest boss, he's surely the scariest one.

The Butcher has been farming players since Diablo 1 in 1997. You can hear him growl "fresh meat!" in every main Diablo game except Diablo 2. He hasn't changed much in those 26 years since his debut. In Diablo 4, he can send out a chain hook and pull you close to him and he can charge into you for massive damage. He's particularly adept at crushing ranged classes like Sorcerers, which Blizzard's stats also reveal is the most popular class in the game.

Hardcore players, who take on the risk of losing their character permanently on death, can earn a special achievement for defeating him. If I were playing on hardcore, I would simply get him stuck on a chest or a pillar because the last thing I want is to have a fair fight with this jerk. 

Tyler Colp

Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.