The first level 100 Hardcore Diablo 4 character is dead

Diablo 4 male and female Rogues posing
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Diablo 4's first-ever level 100 Hardcore character is dead, and it happened in the most painful way possible.

Earlier this week, we reported that streamer cAarn_ had taken the crown of becoming the first Diablo 4 player with a level 100 Hardcore character. The streamer, who it turns out is actually a former Path of Exile pro player, flew past their competition to dominate in the race to reach the milestone.

Now though, less than 48 hours later, their level 100 Hardcore character has met their untimely demise. As first reported by PCGamesN, cArn_ was streaming using their powerful character earlier this week, when all of a sudden, the screen cut to black, and panic ensued.

When the streamer booted Diablo 4 back up, he couldn't even get into the game. When he did though, he was met with a heart-wrenching sight: the character creation screen, meaning that while he was absent due to the sudden disconnect, his level 100 Hardcore character had somehow died.

All those 80+ hours later, and cArn_ couldn't even do anything to stop their level 100 Hardcore character dying. Their Diablo 4 max level character was gone, and because dying once on Hardcore difficulty means losing your character forever, the streamer's Barbarian is gone, and they're never seeing the light of day again. Them's the breaks!

This isn't the first time a Hardcore character has been lost to a glitch - earlier this week, a level 46 Hardcore character was lost when they were stuck in place. The glitch only lasted for a few seconds, but that's all it took for them to be torn to shreds and their player's progress in the race to level 100 reset. It's a real tough world out there for Hardcore players.

Check out our Diablo 4 Rogue build guide if you're after some tips and tricks on how to put together the best Rogue possible.

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.