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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Butcher's profile portrait.

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 Act One Boss.

Blizzard attempted to obfuscate the Butcher's identity in the game files during the Diablo III beta by assigning him a "code name", being "Withers", which like all of the Diablo III internal code names, was equestrian in nature. A "withers" is an anatomical term for a portion of a horse's shoulder area.

The Butcher's Return

Note: This article, while based upon information within the game's files, is still speculation. Even if it is correct at the present time, it is subject to change at release of the game in part or whole.

Many fans may wonder how a dead Demon can come back to life to plague the town of Tristram once again, but Diablo and the Skeleton King seem to have no issue doing so. The return of the Butcher, within the realm of the game world, is a deliberate action by Magda and her Coven, through the use of her Cultists, to sacrifice the flesh and blood of living beings to resurrect this beast.

The Butcher's goal is to prevent the hero from moving on towards Caldeum with Leah and Tyrael. Magda acts as an extension of Belial's will, and his will is to control the destiny of Tyrael. Magda is searching for his shattered blade in Act I, and she summons the Butcher to assist her in more physical means.

Beneath Leoric's Manor lies the Halls of Agony, home of the Butcher, where the Coven has been actively taking people they've abducted from New Tristram and Wortham to be sacrificed in chambers like the one pictured below.

Summoning chamber. The meat must be fresh.

The Butcher In-Game

Not much is known about the Butcher within the actual game, outside of some snippets of dialogue and a few abilities he has. There's lore entries leading up to his appearance as the final boss of Act I, as the player makes their way through the Halls of Agony, and Myriam will also warn players about the taste of rotten demon blood.

From notes by a Triune torturer:

I need more bodies! You think my summoners can just conjure up a demon whenever it pleases them? We must have blood—fresh blood, mind you—and human flesh to bolster our magic. I will be expecting a reply from you shortly.

Second part:

Of all the abominable stalling! In case it was not clear, I need the sacrifices now. I have heard enough of your idle complaints that the villagers have fled from the Highlands, leaving no one left to sacrifice. You'd best come up with something or it's your hide we'll be flaying.

Gossip option from Myriam the Mystic, titled An Unnatural Beast:

Boss Fight Abilities

The Butcher's weaponary

He's been upgraded in his downtime since Diablo I, although it does appear as if it will be a simple and straight-forward fight, similar to the Duriel fight in Diablo II with some twists. 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.

This is not a complete list of his abilities. The complete list won't be known until the game is released.

• Melee Attack: The Butcher attacks with his equipped weapon.
• Butcher's Sickle: The Butcher has an ability similar to the Barbarian's Ancient Spear where he can throw a sickle at a player and "reel them in" to melee range.
• Floor fire: The Butcher (or the player) can activate a panel which will send up billowing flames from the floor, perhaps ironically throwing a firewall at the player as this was a common strategy to defeat the Butcher in D1, or it will continue to be a strategy to defeat him in Diablo III, depending on who is hitting the panel to activate the fire.

The Butcher's Road to Return

The Butcher in Deckard Cain's Journal

Although he wasn't particularly difficult to kill if you were the right character level 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 the player 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

There is a legendary item that bears his name, The Butcher's Carver. Blizzard maintain that the stats of Legendary items are subject to change but putting the statistics of the item aside, the graphic matches the other two images so it's likely that as his weapon and the weapon available to players are identical in look this could be one of your rewards for killing him. It would be disjointed to come by his weapon in some other manner.

The Butcher has two items associated with him in Diablo III, being the Butcher's Carver, and the Butcher's Sickle.

The Butcher in Previous Games

The Butcher appeared in Diablo as the first quest boss. He was found in a small square room somewhere on level 2 of the dungeon. Even before you open his door, a gruesome selection of bloody corpses can be seen hanging within, and most players make a thorough, wincing inspection of his room after the battle.

He did not appear in Diablo 2 giving him time to rest, recuperate and ready himself for Diablo 3.

Butcher Gallery

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  Blizzcon 2009 T Shirt.

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  Comic Con 2011 T Shirt.

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  The Butcher in Deckard Cain's Diary.

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  Boss Kill portrait.

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  The Butcher's carver in his boss encounter image.

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  Close up of his weapons.

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  The Butcher in Diablo I.

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  Fan art by ctmoney.

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  Fan art by Gildeneye.

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  Fan art by Brittain Scott.

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  Barbarian loosely holding the Butcher's Carver item.