World Of Warcraft Honors Late Player Reckful In Shadowlands Expansion

Following the untimely passing of Byron "Reckful" Bernstein, Blizzard Entertainment has updated World of Warcraft's Shadowlands expansion to include a tribute to the former top player.

Players who travel to the Cathedral of Light will come across a new NPC stationed in the same spot where an in-game memorial service was held for Reckful in July. This NPC, a Rogue Trainer named Reckful, has a line of dialogue that pays tribute to Bernstein's storied WoW career. According to the World of Warcraft website Wowhead, Reckful's dialogue--"I don't train assassination rogues"--is a reference to his PvP skills in Wrath of the Lich King, the second WoW expansion that dropped in 2008.

Bernstein rose to prominence in 2009 for being a top WoW player, where he claimed the highest-ranked spot in PvP for six consecutive seasons. After putting the game down and picking up competitive Hearthstone for a while, he moved on to join the gaming mouse company Feenix in 2012. He was also working on the social MMO Everland, which has been in development since 2018. Bernstein died by suicide on July 2. Following his death, many WoW players flocked to multiple game servers to honor the late pro player.

If you or anyone you know are in a crisis or need someone to talk to, please reach out and call the Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.