Blizzard Gives Players a Hardcore Contest to Reach 100 With a PrizeWorth Fighting For

Diablo 4‘s release is nearly upon us. The next game in Blizzard’s long-running action RPG series launches on June 6, though you can get it in a few days if you pre-order the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about jumping in early, Blizzard has announced a new contest for Diablo 4 that has some real stakes. The first one thousand players to reach level 100 as a hardcore character would get their name engraved on a real-life Lillith statue. It’s a reward worth the incredibly difficult task.

Hardcore Mode in Diablo 4 is a much tougher experience than you might be used to in a Diablo game. Essentially, the way it works is that your character will permanently be deleted if you die. If you have an unlucky moment and die to a random enemy, you’ll have to start completely over. It’s extra punishing, but the trade-off is that you’ll earn exclusive titles and other rewards for progressing through the mode. Then, of course, you have this new contest that gives the first thousand players to hit level 100 in Hardcore Mode the chance to have their names permanently etched into history. It’s going to be a tough road to get there and you’ll likely want to work with a team, but it’ll definitely be a fun way to kick the game off for Hardcore players.

If you don’t want to hop into the Hardcore race, there will still be plenty to do. After all, Diablo 4 is, for the first time in franchise history, a fully open-world game. If the early reports from the Server Slam are any indication, that means the lands of Sanctuary are chock full of even more side content to complete on your journey to stop Lillith and save the world. There’s also going to be tons of content to work your way through once the season passes start to drop. 

Regardless of how you decide to play Diablo 4, it’s shaping up to be one of the better game releases of the year. The contest is most likely going to be dominated by streamers, but it doesn’t hurt to try either way Blizzard will have plenty to do no matter your plans. Now, we just have to hope the launch is smoother than what we saw back when Diablo 3 had its bumpy launch.