Hardcore Diablo 4 player gets themselves killed just 8 levels from the cap

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Beware the stun-lock

Diablo 4
(Image credit: Blizzard)

A Diablo 4 streamer died just eight levels away from hitting the level cap with a Hardcore character.

The last few days have seen a blistering race for the level 100 Hardcore crown, to see which Diablo 4 player could hit the max level cap the quickest. The title has since been claimed by one dedicated streamer, but there were some real standout moments from other players during the race, including one streamer coming within eight levels of the milestone, only to perish.

Streamer Maximum is playing with their level 92 character in the clip just above, trucking through a dungeon on Hardcore difficulty. Things go from perilous to outright sad when their character becomes stun-locked, meaning they're trapped in place long enough for the demonic hordes of hell to rip them to pieces and send them to an early grave.

The reaction from the streamer is surprisingly chill. The clip is basically them realizing what's about to happen, gasping as their fate comes into view, and then 10 seconds of them with their head in their hands, muttering "no no no no no." I think that's about all the reaction I could muster if my level 92 character was cut down like that, to be honest.

Blizzard president Mike Ybarra even reacted to the clip via his personal Twitter account, giving Maximum a brief and cutthroat message. Hardcore sure is Hardcore, in Ybarra's defence, and it's not like anyone doesn't know they're signing up for Permadeath when they pick the mode at the beginning of Diablo 4.

It's not just this streamer who's had bad luck though, because the player that won the level 100 race also died mercilessly. Their death was arguably worse though, because they perished to a glitch and they didn't even get to see their character get hacked to death by demons. 

Check out our Diablo 4 Druid build guide for a look at how to maximize your destructive capabilities as the class.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.