Blizzard will put 300 Diablo II players on a real statue — here’s why that matters

Blizzard will literally immortalize the first 300 Hardcore Warlocks – and that’s the point

This caught my attention because it’s rare that a seasonal ladder milestone crosses from pixels into the real world. Blizzard announced that the first 300 players to reach level 99 on Hardcore as a Warlock in Diablo II: Resurrected’s Ladder Season 13 will have their BattleTag engraved on a statue at Blizzard’s Irvine campus. The promotion launched the moment Season 13 and the Reign of the Warlock DLC went live on Feb. 20 at 5pm PST.

• What Blizzard is doing: enshrine the first 300 verified Level 99 Hardcore Warlocks on a campus statue called the “Grimoire of the Unfallen.”
• Why it matters: it ties competitive seasonal performance to permanent, physical recognition – a rare move in modern live-service marketing.
• Context: the stunt rides the momentum (and controversy) of the Warlock DLC, which has upended the game’s meta.
• What to watch: verification details, leaderboards, and whether Blizzard will patch Warlock balance during the race.

Breaking down the promotion – not just another patch note

Blizzard announced the statue contest via a blog-like post on X: contestants must be on Hardcore Ladder Season 13, play a Warlock, hit level 99 first, and then submit their BattleTag and a screenshot for verification. If you’re one of the first 300 verified winners, your BattleTag gets engraved. This mirrors a similar Diablo 4 2023 promotion (where 1,000 top Hardcore players were honored on a Lilith statue at the same campus) but is far more exclusive.

That exclusivity is deliberate. Tying the honor to the Warlock — the marquee addition in Reign of the Warlock, Blizzard’s first paid expansion for D2R in 25 years — both celebrates the new class and creates a time-limited sprint. With only 300 slots, the promotion becomes a short, intense ladder race as soon as the season opens.

Why the community is… loud about this

The statue contest lands into a polarized moment. The Warlock has rapidly become the most dominant class since launch, thanks to builds like Echoing Strike that let players “shotgun” through endgame encounters, and pet synergies that accelerate clear speed. PC Gamer and other outlets documented how Warlocks surged to the top of the meta almost immediately, and forums lit up with calls for nerfs and balance adjustments.

On the other hand, some developers — notably Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson — argued that putting major changes behind a paid expansion makes sense. Wilson framed it as preserving the original base game as a “museum” while letting those who buy the DLC play a new era. That argument shows up across industry chatter and frames this statue as both celebration and sales-driver.

How risky is this for participants?

It’s deliberately risky. Hardcore laddering means one mistake ends a run, and Season 13’s condensed window makes speed essential. Some community posts and coverage noted that reaching level 99 on Hardcore is “no easy task,” especially when everyone’s chasing the same narrow target. That risk is part of the appeal: the statue isn’t for casuals — it’s for people willing to grind and gamble for permanent recognition.

What the sources agree on — and where things remain fuzzy

Across reporting (GameRant/Steam group headlines, PC Gamer, Massively Overpowered, and Spanish outlet 3DJuegos), the core facts match: Season 13 launched Feb. 20, Reign of the Warlock arrived, and Blizzard promised the first 300 Hardcore Warlocks who hit level 99 would be enshrined after verification. Sources also agree that Warlock builds have dominated early meta discussions. Where coverage diverges: the tone — some see this as a neat community celebration, others as an explicit marketing loop tied to paid DLC. There’s also no public, detailed Blizzard forum post (as of Feb. 22) explaining verification mechanics or the statue timeline beyond the initial announcement, so a few logistical questions remain.

What to watch next

• First verified submissions and whether trackers/leaderboards begin listing the early 99s.
• Any Blizzard follow-up clarifying verification, engraving timing, and whether nameplates will be removable at player request.
• Balance changes to Warlocks mid-season — a nerf could change who gets immortalized.

TL;DR: Blizzard turned a ladder race into a tangible honor. It’s a clever reunion of legacy, community spectacle, and DLC-driven momentum — and if you care about etching your BattleTag into company lore, you now have a very clear (and very risky) target.