A day after Rob2628 became the first Diablo 4 player in the world to reach level 100 on Normal difficulty, former StarCraft 2 and Dota pro player cArn_ took the hardcore crown for the first time in the unforgiving permadeath mode.

Usually, death in Diablo 4 is no big deal. Equipment durability drops a bit (which can be repaired at the local blacksmith) and life generally goes on. In hardcore mode, however, life obviously does not continue: if you die, you stay dead and have to start over from square one. So while caution is essential, it may not be enough: as many players have learned (no doubt with great frustration), once you glitch out, you're gone.

As a result, progression to level 100, the maximum level in Diablo 4, is slower than in standard mode. However, it is not that much slower. And there is a surprise winner: within 24 hours, Wudijo, a solo killer in Ashaba, was in first place at level 87, with streamer ben_ in second place at level 85.

But according to Twitch tracker D4race.com, both were dusted by cArn_ and his "team": Zizaran, Steelmage, and Nugiyen are right behind him on the leaderboard.

The victory means that cArn_ will have his name engraved on Blizzard's Lilith statue. As required by the rules, he has already submitted his claim to the official Diablo 4 Twitter account, and Adam Fletcher, Diablo's global community development director, has acknowledged it.

And here's the big moment:

Diablo 4 is new, but cArn__ has valuable experience in the genre. According to his Twitch page, he is currently primarily playing Path of Exile, an action RPG, and is "competing in Gauntlets and other events." This is undeniably an impressive feat, and one that I personally would never think to attempt, as I don't have the patience to pay attention for long periods of time.

If you want to play Diablo 4 in the cArn_ style, he recently shared a video showing his powerful Rend Thorns Barbarian build. It seems to be working pretty well.