Diablo 4 gets its first level 100 hardcore character as Path of Exile pro flies past competition

Diablo 4 has its first level 100 hardcore character: a Barbarian helmed by Path of Exile streamer cArn_, who formed a healthy lead over competition including several major Diablo streamers.

cArn has announced his achievement on Twitter, linking to a Twitch clip of the big finale, including the all-important #Diablo4Hardcore tag, and thanking his team for their support. Global Diablo community development director Adam Fletcher has responded to the tweet, seemingly affirming cArn's win.

This team notably includes Nugiyen, Zizaran, and Steelmage, who are respectively ranked second, third, and fourth on the hardcore leaderboard at the time of writing, according to DiabloBuilds. And yes, they immediately got back to grinding after cArn's big moment. At this rate, the odds are good the whole squad will sit at the top of the leaderboard.

This group, and obviously cArn especially, have managed something of an upset in Diablo 4's higher-stakes world-first level 100 race. For days, many Diablo 4 fans expected acclaimed streamer Wudijo to win the race, as he had a hefty lead over the competition around the level 50 mark. However, Wudijo is now ranked sixth, a notch above popular FPS streamer Shroud.

That being said, Wudijo is notably a solo hardcore player, whereas cArn and the gang were able to farm more efficiently playing in a group. In other words, the solo race is still on, and Wudijo is still looking like a favorite.

cArn was previously known for Dota and Starcraft 2 wins, but has more recently topped several Path of Exile races. Unsurprisingly, those action-RPG skills were clearly transferable here, as was the same unhealthy sleep schedule. Hopefully these gamers can get some rest soon.

One hardcore player was devastated to lose their run to a glitch that locked their movement during a boss fight.