On July 2, popular Twitch streamer and professional World of Warcraft player Byron “Reckful” Bernstein committed suicide. The World of Warcraft community was devastated, with thousands coming together across all of the game’s servers to mourn Reckful’s passing. Now it appears World of Warcraft developer Blizzard will be immortalizing Reckful in the game that he spent so much time playing by adding him as an NPC.
The Reckful NPC is a Rogue Trainer that players can find in the Cathedral of Light in the upcoming Shadowlands expansion. Reckful was best known for playing a Rogue character, so it’s fitting that this NPC is a Rogue Trainer. Those with access to the Shadowlands beta can interact with the Reckful NPC to experience some unique dialogue that includes some references to Reckful’s past exploits in the game.
It should be noted that this is actually the second NPC in World of Warcraft based on Reckful. Previously, Blizzard added a character to the game named Byron Burnside. Burnside was first added to World of Warcraft in 2018, and can be found at the Bridgeport location in Tiragarde Sound. It’s rare enough for someone to be made into one NPC in World of Warcraft, so the fact that Reckful is featured in the game twice is a true testament to the impact he has had on the WoW community.
While he was mostly known for his Twitch streams in recent years, Reckful was once the top World of Warcraft PvP player in the world. In 2010, Reckful won a Major League Gaming World of Warcraft tournament, and he also managed to finish in the top PvP rank for six seasons in a row - an incredibly impressive feat, to say the least.
Blizzard has a history of paying tribute to fallen players in its games. This has included celebrities like Robin Williams, as well as players like 12 year old Ezra Chatterton, who died from brain cancer. In the case of Chatterton, Blizzard even allowed him to design his own quest in World of Warcraft, and the phoenix mount has also come to be associated with his memory.
In the meantime, PC gamers can visit the new Reckful NPC at the Cathedral of Light once the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion releases later this year. There were rumors that a World of Warcraft Xbox Series X port was in the works as well, but Blizzard has since shot those down, so the WoW experience, and all its in-game memorials, will remain exclusive to PC gamers for the foreseeable future.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.
World of Warcraft is out now, exclusively for PC.
