In the hardcore mode of Diablo 4, you permanently lose your player character if they die. This happened to a player – but not due to a nasty boss or a silly mistake.
This is hardcore mode:
- In Diablo 4, there is the hardcore mode, where player characters can die permanently – so you only have one life.
- Some players lose their heroes, because they are too naive and confront the toughest boss in the game.
- Other heroes die because they encounter an opponent that brings fear and terror. Some are quite surprised, because he has become a laughingstock for them.
How did the player lose their hero? In a post on Reddit, daemon-au reported on February 26, 2025, that their player character was killed by their mercenary Subo. The new mercenaries were introduced with the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, and are supposed to assist you in combat. In this case, however, Subo took on the role of the opponent.
“You can’t trust your mercenary anymore”
How can this happen? The player suspects that this is related to a bugged witch power. The witch powers are the new mechanic in Season 7. One of them, Twilight Warding, creates a barrier that absorbs damage – and from rank 12, it reflects enemy projectiles.
As early as late January, there was speculation in another Reddit thread that this very ability might be bugged. zuulbe commented: “Yes, I believe that Twilight Warding is completely bugged at higher dungeon levels. I think the reflected damage kills us.”
Blizzard confirmed the bug on February 14, 2025, in the patch notes and announced a fix: “A problem was resolved where Twilight Warding could cause players to harm themselves. This power will be reactivated once the update goes live.” Patch 2.1.2 went live on February 18.
Whether the bug still exists or daemon-au lost their hero in hardcore mode for another reason remains unclear. The screenshot in the post clearly shows: “Daejavu was slain by a Subo.”
Many in the comments agree: Bugs like this are the reason they prefer to avoid hardcore mode. There are simply too many bugs and connection issues that can send your character to the beyond. Kellerhefe jokes: “You can’t trust your mercenary these days. RIP.”
If the mercenaries aren’t adding damage due to bugs, they are a useful addition in Diablo 4. Subo reveals enemies and resources on your minimap. On top of that, the mercenaries bring their own merchant with whom you can get important mats. You can learn more about this here: If you are missing important mats in Diablo 4, you shouldn’t overlook a merchant
