Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Prime Day deals live
  • GTA 6 pre-orders live this week
  • GTA 6 cover art revealed
  • Summer Preview
  • Best gaming tech
  • New Games 2026
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. Diablo 4

Diablo 4's most terrifying boss actually almost never shows up

News
By Jordan Gerblick published 3 July 2023

If you've encountered The Butcher, consider yourself lucky

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Diablo 4
(Image credit: Blizzard)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Pretty much everyone who's played Diablo 4 for any length of time has heard terrifying stories of The Butcher randomly showing up and wreaking havoc on players, but you might be surprised to find out just how rare it is that you encounter this boss.

There's still no official spawn rate for The Butcher, but a player experiment involved running through a whopping 1,270 Cellars across three days and documenting the frequency of loot and certain encounters. In that time, the player was interrupted by The Butcher just three times.

Of course, there's no real way to gauge The Butcher's spawn rate using this statistic, as it could be affected by any number of factors only Blizzard's privy to. That said, according to Maxroll's math, The Butcher's spawn rate in Cellars is around 1 in 200, while your chances of being butchered in Dungeons is reportedly somewhere around 1 in 50 - significantly more likely but still quite rare.

Latest Videos From
Watch full video here:

Again, we still don't know exactly how often The Butcher is supposed to show up, but these stats are nonetheless striking when you consider that, around launch, it was revealed that about 2% of all player deaths were due to this exact boss. He doesn't show up often, but when he does it's typically a bloodbath - unless you're this player who managed to cheese him using a door frame.

Personally, I've played for around 40 hours and have only encountered The Butcher once, in a dungeon, while my friends who've played for about the same amount of time claim to have run into him a few times. Whatever the math is, it seems you're most likely safe from The Butcher... until you aren't.

You may like
  • Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred First Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred patch nerfs the Butcher, makes charms easier to find, and plenty more
  • Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred player finds hack to spawn "theoretically infinite" treasure goblins
  • Diablo warlock in the Warlock Class Cinematic Trailer. Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred stats reveal ARPG players prefer Warlocks to Paladins by almost 2 to 1

Elsewhere in Sanctuary, Diablo 4 players are following rats around dungeons in hopes of finding the game's rarest loot.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred
Diablo First Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred patch nerfs the Butcher, makes charms easier to find, and plenty more
 
 
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred
Diablo Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred player finds hack to spawn "theoretically infinite" treasure goblins
 
 
Diablo warlock in the Warlock Class Cinematic Trailer.
Diablo Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred stats reveal ARPG players prefer Warlocks to Paladins by almost 2 to 1
 
 
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred opening cinematic screenshot shows an elderly man with long hair.
Diablo Diablo 4's secret cow level finally uncovered, but fans say it's "boring" compared to Diablo 2 and 3's
 
 
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred demon in lava
Diablo Diablo 4 streamer pulverizes new Lord of Hatred expansion's difficulty tier in 17 hours, complains
 
 
Diablo warlock in the Warlock Class Cinematic Trailer.
Diablo Blizzard made a Diablo 4 bug worse in latest patch, letting the Warlock one-shot its hardest foes
 
 
Latest in RPGs
Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls On The Elder Scrolls 6, Todd Howard says "we know we need to get it right and it's been a long time"
 
 
Green petals fly around a green flower
RPGs Deltarune Chapter 5 features a song Toby Fox wrote 10 years ago, to his mother's disappointment
 
 
Kingdom Hearts Collection
Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts Collection cover art quietly changes following accusations of AI generation
 
 
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition
RPGs RPG veteran Josh Sawyer says sometimes game designers "go overboard in removing friction"
 
 
Cyberpunk 2077
The Witcher The Witcher 4 co-CEO says fully AI-generated games are coming, but he has "some doubts"
 
 
Fallout 76 Screenshot
Fallout Fallout 76 interview: Bethesda talks Infestations and the impact of the Fallout TV show on its shared-world RPG
 
 
Latest in News
Destiny 2
Destiny Destiny 2 devs repeatedly pitched a dating sim, Bungie vets say, "but leadership was very Hard No"
 
 
Image of a series of Switch 2 accessories on a pink GamesRadar+ background.
Nintendo Switch 2 The best Nintendo Switch Prime Day deals live: I'm tracking down all the greatest Bowser-sized Switch 2 savings as they happen
 
 
Daniel Craig
Action Movies Not content with Star Wars and Marvel, Disney reportedly considered buying James Bond before Amazon
 
 
GamesRadar+ Prime Day deals badge next to Atari 2600+ and Godzilla figure holding tiny Atari on right.
Retro Prime Day retro gaming deals live
 
 
OD screenshot which shows the Unreal Engine 5 sceen test for actor Sophia Lillis
Horror Games Hideo Kojima says his pitch for OD sounded "crazy" to every publisher except Xbox
 
 
Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 3
Fantasy Shows House of the Dragon season 3 showrunner explains why Rhaena replaces Nettles in the George R.R. Martin adaptation
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. MSI gaming monitor on a purple background
    1
    Prime Day monitor deals are beginning today, and a new screen could spruce up your gaming setup
  2. 2
    Not content with Star Wars and Marvel, Disney reportedly considered buying James Bond before Amazon
  3. 3
    Star Wars: Galactic Racer proves that roguelikes and racing are "a match made in heaven"
  4. 4
    Despite memory price hikes, Samsung sells a Switch 2 SD card for just $40
  5. 5
    Hideo Kojima says his pitch for OD sounded "crazy" to every publisher except Xbox

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...