
“ | Fresh meat!
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The Butcher is a Melee Assassin Hero from the Diablo universe.
A grotesque shape lumbers across the Nexus, a cleaver and a blood-encrusted meat hook in his massive hands. His hunger, insatiable, insistent, drives him ever on to carve up his enemies and consume their fresh meat. Even those fighting alongside him shrink away in fear when he draws near. He is violence incarnate; he is brutality given shape. He is the Butcher.
Background[]
Butchers are a type of demon of the Overlord class. Many of them exist within the Burning Hells, and they were once under Diablo's command. The Butchers are stitched together from the parts of other demons to combine their strengths, then given life through magic. As such, Butcher Demons see all living and unliving things as mere parts. The Butchers that serve Duriel, the Lord of Pain, bolt plates of burning iron to their flesh.
Gameplay Summary[]
The Butcher is a brutal Melee Assassin who specializes in ganking. He fuels his high sustain damage by consuming the remains of his ruined victims. His trait, Fresh Meat, is unique as it is also a quest, that allows him to increase his basic attack damage by collecting meat that drops from minions and enemy Heroes. Once completed, The Butcher will gain a huge bonus to Basic Attack Damage and Attack Speed, providing a massive power spike that can turn the tide of the game. He also has an incredible self-sustain that allows him to even solo Bosses, and two very powerful Heroic Abilities.
Overall, The Butcher is best used in hard engage teams with high damage and crowd control, where he can follow up with his Ruthless Onslaught and eliminate priority targets.
Strengths[]
- Outstanding sustained Basic Attack Damage once the Fresh Meat trait-talent is completed, turning him into one of the strongest duelists and gankers in the game.
- Can continuously increase his damage even after completing the main portion of his quest-trait.
- One of the strongest self-sustains in the game with Butcher's Brand.
- Ruthless Onslaught makes him Unstoppable (meaning only Silence can negate it), being a powerful engaging and ganking tool.
- Excels at taking down priority targets with Lamb to the Slaughter, particularly Supports and fragile Assassins.
- High area of effect burst damage with Furnace Blast, which, when properly timed with other Heroes abilities, can decimate the enemy team.
Weaknesses[]
- Vulnerable to focus fire, burst damage and crowd control.
- Blinds negate the majority of his damage potential and self-sustain.
- Both his Heroic Abilities can be avoided and/or negated easily by some Heroes.
- Requires to be played defensively in the early game, as losing Fresh Meat upon dying will greatly delay his late game power spike.
- Very relying on specific team compositions, which often need to be built around him in order for The Butcher be truly effective.
Abilities[]

Mana: 40
Cooldown: 4 seconds
Deal 115 (+4% per level) damage and slow enemies by 49.92% fading over 2 seconds. Your next Basic Attack will strike immediately.

Mana: 65
Cooldown: 14 seconds
Deal 39 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy and cause your Basic Attacks against them to heal you for 75% of the damage done. Healing is doubled versus Heroes. Lasts 4 seconds. Your Basic Attacks against a branded Hero increase the duration by 0.5 seconds.

Mana: 55
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Charge at an enemy, becoming Unstoppable and gaining Movement Speed. If you reach the target, they are stunned for 1 second and take 124 (+4% per level) damage.
Traits[]

Upon dying, nearby enemy Minions drop 1 Fresh Meat and enemy Heroes drop 20 Fresh Meat. Fresh Meat can be picked up to gain 0.5 Attack Damage per Meat. The Butcher loses 15 Fresh Meat upon dying. Quest: Collect 200 Fresh Meat.
Reward: Gain an additional 25% increased Attack Speed. Heroes continue to drop 10 Fresh Meat, Minions no longer drop Fresh Meat, and Fresh Meat is no longer lost on death.
Heroic Abilities[]

Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 75
Cooldown: 60 seconds
After a 3 second delay, fire explodes around you dealing 500 (+4% per level) damage to enemies. Can be cast while using Ruthless Onslaught.

Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 75
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Throw a hitching post that attaches to the nearest enemy Hero after a 1 second delay. This deals 178 (+4% per level) damage and causes the enemy to be chained to the post and Silenced for 3 seconds.
Talents[]
Tier 1, Hero Level 1[]

Tier 1 (Hero Level 1)
Reduces Hamstring mana cost, and reduces cooldown when used on enemy heroes.
Tier 2, Hero Level 4[]

Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)
Reduces the cooldown of Ruthless Onslaught by 33% upon impact.

Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)
Hamstring does 100% more damage to targets affected by a slow, root, or stun.
Tier 3, Hero Level 7[]

Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)
While facing the branded enemy, The Butcher's Movement Speed is increased by 25%.

Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)
When Ruthless Onslaught impacts an enemy Hero, The Butcher gains 50 Spell Armor for 2.5 seconds, reducing Ability Damage taken by 50%.
Tier 4, Hero Level 10[]

Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 75
Cooldown: 60 seconds
After a 3 second delay, fire explodes around you dealing 500 (+4% per level) damage to enemies. Can be cast while using Ruthless Onslaught.

Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 75
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Throw a hitching post that attaches to the nearest enemy Hero after a 1 second delay. This deals 178 (+4% per level) damage and causes the enemy to be chained to the post and Silenced for 3 seconds.
Tier 5, Hero Level 13[]

Tier 5 (Hero Level 13)
Ruthless Onslaught deals bonus damage to Heroes equal to 10% of their maximum Health.

Tier 5 (Hero Level 13)
After using Hamstring, your next 3 Basic Attacks within 5 seconds deal an additional 15% bonus damage.
Tier 6, Hero Level 16[]

Tier 6 (Hero Level 16)
Hamstring's slow no longer fades out, and the duration is increased by 30%.

Tier 6 (Hero Level 16)
Basic Attacks against enemy heroes increase your Basic Attack and Movement Speed by 5% for 3 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times.
Tier 7, Hero Level 20[]

Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Furnace Blast explodes a second time 3 seconds after the initial explosion.

Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Basic Attacks deal 20% more damage and slow enemy Movement Speed by 20% for 1 second.

Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Cooldown: 70 seconds
Activate to teleport to a nearby location.
Talent Builds[]
- Lamb to the Slaughter Build: focuses on increasing The Butcher's ganking potential, while providing him with utility and survivability. Depending on the opponents and map, Flail Axe can be picked instead of Unrelenting Pursuit to increase the range of Hamstring and secure kills, while Victuals can be picked instead of Meat Shield when playing on maps that focuses on waveclear (such as Tomb of the Spider Queen).
- Hamstring Build: focuses on increasing the utility and damage of Hamstring. A more situational Talent Build that can be useful against teams with high mobility and/or that can easily kite The Butcher.
Tips[]
- In the early game, The Butcher should focus on trying to complete the Fresh Meat quest as soon as possible. Roaming the map is very useful to get meat from all lanes.
- Because of that, avoid direct engaging opponents and remain defensive, to avoid dying prematurely and losing precious stacks. Do not solo lane if the opposing team has Heroes with diving and/or ganking potential.
- While it is important to get stacks of meat when possible, avoid ignoring team fights and map objectives in expense of it.
- Hamstring resets The Butcher Basic Attack animation. So, ideally, try to use immediately after a Basic Attack. Doing so will maximize his damage per second.
- Butcher's Brand should be used only for self-sustain, and not as a source of damage.
- Make sure to be able to stick with the target marked; if it is a Hero with high mobility, it might ending up being a waste.
- Try to use this ability when accompained by a Hero with decent crowd control to make the max of it.
- Make sure to be able to stick with the target marked; if it is a Hero with high mobility, it might ending up being a waste.
- Ruthless Onslaught should be used carefuly, and primarily as a gap-closer. Never engage directly if there will be no follow up from the rest of the team; doing so may put The Butcher at great risk.
- This ability can be cancelled once cast, by pressing the keybind again. This is useful when the player commits to the charge but will be put in a tight situation. However, this will still trigger its cooldown.
- Additionally, use it to fake a charge and make opponents retreat.
- Use Ruthless Onslaught to flee from enemies by targeting distant minions.
- This ability can be cancelled once cast, by pressing the keybind again. This is useful when the player commits to the charge but will be put in a tight situation. However, this will still trigger its cooldown.
- Time well Furnace Blast by casting it early, to ensure it explodes just as The Butcher reaches his target(s), giving the enemy team less time to react.
- Do not use Lamb to the Slaughter when there are Heroes with abilities that can negate the chain (such as Cleanse), or against Heroes with high mobility that can escape before the chain pins them.
Matchups[]
Pairings[]
The Butcher is best paired with Heroes that can complement his playstyle: opening opportunities for ganking, following up his Ruthless Onslaught, helping with waveclear so he can gather meat faster, and add more survivability. As he poses a huge threat to the enemy team, he will often become a priority target and victim of focus fire. For these reasons, having a dedicated healer greatly secures that The Butcher will be able to successfully assault his targets.
Effective against[]
The Butcher is the bane of frail characters with low mobility, such as many Supports and most Ranged Assassins. With his Ruthless Onslaught and Lamb to the Slaughter, he can completely shut down most Heroes.
Effective foes[]
The Butcher will often become a priority target due how dangerous he is if kept alive. Because of this, his diving nature is easily countered by Heroes capable of shutting down his damage and self-sustain. Crowd controls, particularly stuns and blinds, will make The Butcher very vulnerable and easy to take down.
Skins[]
- Flesh Carver (base)
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Flesh Carver | Reptilian | Contaminated | Petrified ![]() |
- Iron Butcher
100
- There are many Butchers within the Burning Hells, but only those who serve Duriel, the Lord of Pain, bolt plates of burning iron to their flesh.
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Iron Butcher | Fel | Savage |
- Executioner
100
- An executioner's hood hides their identity and discourages offended parties from seeking revenge. Of course, that won't be a problem for the Butcher.
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Executioner | Toxic | Dark |
- The Butcherlisk
1600
- Abathur's newest creation was inspired by the tenacity of the hellish abomination he encountered in the Nexus. Its instructions were simple: Acquire fresh essence. Evolve.
- This skin is related to the StarCraft themed-skins. Features themed abilities.
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Butcherlisk | Festering | Enraged | Grendel ![]() |
Patch changes[]
(Patch April 24, 2018) Note: Petrified Butcher added.
(Patch December 20, 2017) Note: Fixed an issue preventing The Butcher from using consumable items such as Healing Pulse or Turrets on Volskaya Foundry.
(Patch September 20, 2017) Note: Basic Attack damage increased from 125 to 130; Health scaling per level increased from 4 to 4.5%; Health Regeneration scaling per level increased from 4 to 4.5%.
(Patch August 23, 2017) Note: Basic Attack damage reduced from 130 to 125.
(Patch August 8, 2017) Note: Basic Attack damage lowered from 140 to 130.; Grendel Butcherlisk skin added.
(Patch September 13, 2016) Note: The Butcher has received updated visual effects to coincide with his Talent rework.; The Butcherlisk skin added.; Basic Attack damage reduced from 169 to 140.
(Patch April 19, 2016) Note: The Butcher’s prices have been reduced to $8.49 USD and 7,000 Gold.
(Patch March 29, 2016) Note: Fixed a bug affecting Stitches and The Butcher that could cause performance issues under certain circumstances.
(Patch August 18, 2015) Note: Received updated facial animations.
(Patch July 21, 2015) Note: Added.