If you've come across the Butcher in Diablo 4, then chances are you didn't survive to tell the tale. He's a familiar face if you've played the earlier Diablo games, and while he's not a main boss in this one, he can show up at pretty much any time to give you the timely reminder that running is also a viable tactic. He moves fast, hits hard, and is not afraid of mopping the floor with you, but If you still want to find the Diablo 4 Butcher and try to take him down, here are some pointers.
Diablo 4 Butcher: How to find him
The Butcher doesn't appear in any set location in Diablo 4. Instead, he's a unique boss who shows up randomly as you're exploring any of the dungeons strewn across Sanctuary. I've only personally encountered him once while I was leveling, though our other Guides Writer, Sean, ran into him twice while farming the short dungeon, Anica's Claim. PC Gamer Global EIC Evan Lahti encountered him in his first four hours of Diablo 4 co-op and couldn't bring him down with a team of three.
It seems that the Butcher won't appear in the open world, so your best bet if you want to run into him—or for him to run into you, axe first—is to spend as much time as you can inside dungeons. Of course, you still need to rely on RNG for him to show up, but you'll have more of a chance of that happening, as opposed to someone that spends most of their time in the open world.
How to beat the Butcher
There's no getting around the fact that the Butcher is one of the toughest threats we've found in Diablo 4. If you meet him while leveling, it's highly unlikely that you're going to survive the encounter unless you have a particularly tanky class like barbarian or druid. If you play a sorcerer like me, you'll want to get yourself out of there as fast as your teleport and/or evade will allow.
In my case, I was dead by the time I realised he was there so that basically removed any real need to learn any of his attacks. If you do want to be prepared for when, or if, he pays you a surprise visit, here are the moves you'll need to react to:
- Basic attack: The Butcher will swing his cleaver and sickle in a sweeping melee attack. This is the only attack that doesn't stun you.
- Hook: If you try to make some space between you, the Butcher will attempt to pull you back to his location with his hook. This also briefly stuns you so you'll be unlikely to dodge any follow-up attack.
- Roar: This AoE attack can also stun you, so get out of the way as quickly as you can.
- Headbutt: Another attack and stun combo to avoid. He lifts his left leg right before he does it but it's fast so be careful.
- Charge: The Butcher will charge you down if you try to get away, inflicting massive damage and stunning you.
If you're determined to stand your ground, your best bet is to try to stay behind him, that way, aside from the roar, most of his attacks should miss. That said, he has a pretty impressive attack speed, so you'll need quick reactions to get out of the way of some of his quicker attacks. If you need to escape for any reason, look out for his charge and hook, both of which can spell death for you if you're not ready to dodge out of the way. If you do manage to kill him, you'll have the chance to get The Butcher's Cleaver unique weapon, which has the chance to fear and slow enemies on hit. Though much like his spawn rate, this drop is down to luck.
If the Butcher kills you, he'll despawn, and you'll need to pray to the RNG gods if you want another chance to fight him. Likewise, if you take too long to kill him, there's also a chance he'll disappear—clearly, the Butcher is picky about his opponents.
