Wednesday 7 June 2023

Diablo 4's First Hardcore Level 100 Player Loses Character to Disconnect

 



The world of Diablo 4 has witnessed an unfortunate incident as the first player to reach level 100 in the game's hardcore mode has lost their character due to a sudden disconnect. Souaïb 'cArn' Hanaf, a Diablo 4 Twitch streamer, became the first player to achieve this feat but was met with disappointment not long after hitting the milestone​​.

cArn's achievement was not only a personal one but also a result of collective effort through group play, which allowed him to maximize his experience gains, thereby reaching level 100 ahead of potential rivals. He was preparing to face the ultimate pinnacle boss fight in Diablo 4 with his character, a Barbarian, when the tragic event unfolded. His on-screen character began to act unusually during his exploratory play on the Diablo 4 map, stuttering with weapons in hand, as nearby enemies froze, and then the screen went black​.


Upon re-opening the game, cArn was greeted with a sight no hardcore player wishes to see: the character creation screen. This indicated that he had no active characters available, a consequence of the permanent character loss that occurs upon death in the game's hardcore mode​.

Despite the loss, cArn resumed gameplay, confirming the demise of his Barbarian, which was 82 hours deep and geared close to the maximum. The character is now remembered in the Hall of Fallen Heroes, a place in the game where lost hardcore characters are memorialized forever. The on-screen text indicated that his character was "Slain by vampire bat," a grim reminder of the unfortunate event​1​.

For cArn, the most painful part of this loss was not reaching the 100th level but the gear his character had acquired. The grind to max level was real, but tracking down perfect Diablo 4 unique items and getting perfect rolls was where the actual challenge lay. Losing this accumulated loot was the biggest blow for him​​.

It's important to note that Diablo 4's hardcore mode allows players to use scrolls of escape, a hardcore-only item that can help characters evade deadly situations. However, these scrolls are useless if a player is unable to use them due to, for instance, a disconnect. Blizzard typically does not provide any recourse for players to reclaim a character lost due to internet or server issues, meaning it's likely that cArn's Barbarian is gone for good. Nonetheless, cArn is back on the grind, this time working on a Rogue build​.

The Diablo 4 community has rallied around cArn in support, with many expressing condolences for his loss and admiration for his resilience. As he rebuilds, players around the world will be watching closely, knowing all too well that the hardcore world of Diablo 4 offers no second chances.