Diablo III Boss Overviews: The Butcher

Despite having been faced far earlier than King Leoric in the original Diablo game, the Butcher was far more terrifying- his kitchen was half-hidden, and the only warning you ever got was a sudden cry of ‘Fresh Meat!’ before -something- charged you from out of a wall and sent you flying.  The original Butcher wasn’t that much larger than your character, but his high speed, stun effect, and hefty knockback made him terrifying for anyone without a knockback bow to shoot him with.  His damage was also ridiculous for the second level of the dungeon, which was where he would be found... sometimes.  Sometimes he just wasn’t there.

For Diablo III, the Butcher has been revived with a vengeance.  While he’s not as quick as he used to be, he’s much larger, much more dangerous- enough to justify his being the end boss for Act I- and he comes with a special arena that requires a lot more attention paid to your surroundings.

The first thing to know about fighting the Butcher is that the floor is not your friend.  The floor on which you face the Butcher is five sections of metal grating separated by thin bands of solid iron- and each of these sections can flare into flame at any time, burning your feet and causing you prolonged damage as a punishment for standing still.  This happens regardless of where the Butcher is, at random intervals- which means that it could be more of a threat to a melee artist at one point, and at another it could suddenly fry all your ranged backup.

Fortunately, like the rest of the fiery floor grates in the Halls of Agony, each section of grating glows and flares for a brief time before venting flame.  While the usual warning sound is lost in the clash of battle, a decent eye will keep you alerted- provided the Butcher isn’t stealing all your attention.

While the Butcher is bigger and slower than he used to be, his danger level has only increased.  He wields three special attacks, and his basic melee swipes cover large areas of ground.

The Butcher’s first ability will likely quickly become familiar to Barbarians- as they get access to it during the teen levels.  This ability is Ancient Spear, and the Butcher uses it with the rune that turns it into a set of three spread spears- and he uses it to deadly effect.  Melee combatants don’t need to worry about it, but the combination of damage and being dragged right into the place they least want to be stands as a bane to any ranged fighter.  Those who attack from a distance need to keep alert, and be ready to move to one side at any moment, lest they be impaled and hauled into melee range.

The Butcher’s other two special attacks are usually chained together in a devastating one-two.  The first of these is a heavy stunning blow, which he can unleash at a moment’s notice.  Don’t try to anticipate it- there is no warning.  While this strike is powerful, it doesn’t always stun- and when it doesn’t, be prepared to move.  For his final special attack is a headlong charge, which he almost always commits to after unleashing his stun.  This charge not only does massive damage and knockback, it covers a straight line as wide as the corpulent fiend himself, running him straight into the far wall.

Those who can evade the strike, though, can take massive advantage- once he slams into the wall, he stuns himself for several seconds, giving everyone in your party (even a party of one) a chance to lash out at him unimpeded.... except by the frequently burning floor.

There is a little help to be had- both of the North walls of the Butcher’s chamber host Health Wells, so if you find yourself taking too much damage and unable to handle it with potions and your innate abilities, you can run for one of these- just be wary you’re not crossing a burning floor to reach it or you could wind up negating the benefit- or worse, killing yourself in the process.

While the Butcher is a painful fight, he’s likely to be a fairly quick one- the stuns he inflicts on himself give you plenty of time to wale away at his hide, and while his offense is devastating, particularly combined with his burning arena, his only defenses are having tons of health and beating you into the floor.  This fight is much more of a threat to a ranged character, of course, because of the Ancient Spear effect and the burning floors that tend to punish standing still and throwing attacks.  Keep light on your toes and don’t rely on prolonged ‘rays’ (Ray of Frost, Disintegrate, Rapid Fire), though, and you’ll do fine.