Butcher

SPOILER ALERT - All the information below has not been released by Blizzard but rather has been datamined from files within the Diablo 3 Beta and therefore should be considered as a Spoiler. Scroll down if you're sure.

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The Butcher makes a return in Diablo 3. The Butcher appeared in Diablo as the first quest boss. It's apparent, through datamining of Diablo 3 Beta files, that the Butcher will play a more important role in Diablo 3 as the final Boss of Act One.

The Butcher's Road to Return

The Butcher in Deckard Cain's Journal

Although he wasn't particularly difficult to kill he has become part of Diablo's popular culture with his "Ahh, fresh meat!" war cry he issues on bursting through the door. Such was his iconic status Blizzard released one special Butcher t-shirt during Blizzcon 2009 and revealed another during a panel at San Diego Comic Con 2011.

In the second t-shirt, the Butcher appeared updated with huge horns and there was an entry in Deckard Cain's Journal with the same design of beast and these were enough to suggest that he will be making a return.

Once the Diablo 3 Beta went public and the files were datamined in earnest the image below was unnearthed. The image shows the portraits that your character earns after killing the four act bosses. The names were not displayed underneath but as the monsters are recognisable they were added for clarity.

In the premier league now - The Butcher - Belial - Azmodan - Diablo

This video of a conversation between a Demon Hunter and Myriam the Mystic was also extracted from the beta files.

The Butcher in Diablo 3

The Butcher's weaponary

Other than the image above and the small snippet of conversation with the Mystic nothing is known how he will be encountered. He's obviously grown in strength and will have an army of minions under his command but the quest route to him and how he has progressed from a minor boss early in the game to an entity with far greater powers and stature is still unknown.

In Diablo 1 his weapon was a massive butcher's cleave and he had some resistance to magic but no immunities. As an Act Boss expect him to be packing a far greater punch. The image from Cain's Journal shows a him wielding a massive beast-made battle-axe and sabre-like weapon with a couple of swords strapped to his back. It's not known if his attack will inflict physical damage only or have some other magical property to it. A good guess is an additional nasty knock-back and/or stun effect.

Butcher Gallery

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  Blizzcon 2009 T Shirt

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  Comic Con 2011 T Shirt

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  Cain's Journal Image

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  Boss Kill portrait

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  'Event complete' portraits shows his massive battle axe

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  Close up of his weapons