Since the release of Diablo 4, the Butcher has caused fear and dread, but also a morbid fascination. This iconic enemy has more players on his conscience than heroes have died in PvP. Now, with Season 3, he has a worthy opponent.
What is the deal with the Butcher?
- The Butcher, originally from Diablo 1, is known as the “Schlächter” in German. He first gave players a horror moment when they entered his bloody chamber and were greeted with the famous: “Fresh Meat!” (original: “Fresh Meat!”).
- Since then, the Butcher has made several appearances, including in Diablo 3 and Heroes of the Storm. In Diablo 4, players can also find the demon, where he wreaks havoc in random dungeons.
- In Diablo 4, the Butcher is one of the toughest enemies ever, largely because he appears out of nowhere and disappears again after he has killed you. He prefers to greet you when you have no cooldowns and potions left.
This is why players wanted more of this: The Butcher made Diablo 4 regain a horror element that has been missing from the series for a while. Many fans found Diablo 3 just too colorful.
Now there is once again an enemy that appears out of nowhere, screams in your face, chases you down faster than you can run, and rearranges your organs with meat hooks and a cleaver. They say: it feels like being in a horror movie.
The Butcher is such a tough and dangerous enemy that shortly after release, he was responsible for more deaths than all players in PvP – he collected over 5 million kills alone on the first weekend.
Some players are so fascinated by the Butcher that they desperately want more situations like this. More bosses that suddenly appear, smash a steel chair in your face, and then leave again. That’s exactly what we now have.
The Son of Malphas is the new Butcher, but even more vicious
In Season 3, there is a new dungeon type called the Vaults, which primarily serves to upgrade your Henchman. Only there can you obtain the important guiding stones that allow the companion to learn new abilities.
The actual challenge of the Vaults is that traps lurk everywhere. If you want to snag the most loot at the end, you need a special buff and must not be hit by traps.
Additionally, the miniboss “Son of Malphas” can randomly appear in the dungeons. The idea behind him is the same as with the Butcher: the demon shows up, smacks you down, and leaves again.
However, players are already saying that the Son of Malphas is more like a Butcher on steroids. From my own experience, I can say: he cannot be kited around pillars or boxes like the Butcher, but jumps down on you from the sky every few seconds.
Moreover, he hits much harder. One hit can easily take away your entire health bar – or more. There probably just aren’t enough data yet to have a solid strategy against this beast, but… well, such an enemy is exactly what many wanted. Even if some will surely consider him a fairy tale, only to be surprised later.
