Diablo 4 players want buffs to once-mighty boss devs forgot about

Diablo 4 players long for the days when facing off against The Butcher felt like a difficult challenge to overcome.

Having previously appeared in Diablo 1 and 3, The Butcher returned in D4 to wreak havoc across Sanctuary. Early in the game’s life cycle, he’d spawn randomly in dungeons, scream out “Fresh meat,” then launch into an often unbeatable assault with the firece swing of his blades.

The Butcher proved so formidable that even higher-level players would lose hours of progress when facing him in Hardcore runs. Diablo 4 developers upped the ante in Season 5 by introducing the Burning Butcher.

But players believe he’s nothing more than a shell of his former self now, considering how easy he is to take down nearly two years post-launch.

Diablo 4 players lament the “sad state” of The Butcher

In the D4 subreddit, one fan recalled the thrill that players used to experience when hearing that “Fresh meat” phrase while exploring a dungeon.

No matter the outcome of the battle, the encounter always proved exciting since The Butcher counted among the game’s toughest bosses. “Now, if he even bothers to show up, it’s just a nothing burger with the majority of builds,” the Redditor said.

They argue that buffing the character and making him appear more often would liven up the experience with more “oh, crap!” moments. “Cruising through the open world, there should be a chance for an ambush. Not just in dungeons.”

Other Diablo 4 players chimed in to say that they, too, miss the days when The Butcher presented more of a challenge.

One person offered a solution: “Make the Butcher spawn with an equal amount of health and stats to the highest pit tier you have cleared!”

Others agreed that ambushes in the open world would be an interesting way to drum up excitement for the character again.

Either way, the hope is that the rewards would match the challenge if Blizzard were to buff him. “Having a bunch of rares and/or a single crappy legendary drop is not going to cut it,” added one user in the thread.

Elsewhere, fans wondered why they don’t see The Butcher as often anymore, though it’s worth noting that he’s more likely to spawn in Nightmare Dungeons and Hordes nowadays.

Why he’s been left out to dry isn’t known, but the development team still unleashes deadly foes every now and again. Diablo 4 Season 8, for instance, will bring back the demon lord Belial. Perhaps The Butcher is just biding his time, too.