Hardcore and why you should play / try it

Hi everyone. I will try to explain why I play Hardcore. What makes Hardcore special and try to make it tasty. I looked through the forum but most things about Hardcore are just SC & HC flaming each other. If there is one up I did not search good enough and I am sry.

The Economy:

The economy is much fresher because everyone is dying and making new characters all the time. Items are leaving the economy and not staying in for ever like in Softcore. So there is always a demand for mid-level gear. This makes it easy to get currency as a fresh Player and it makes it also easy for fresh Players to get some cheap great items for their level progress. And People need gear to progress. You cant just skip through content or pass shitty parts. That little extra resist can allow you to safely start pushing a new act, difficulty or try a boss.

Progression & Accomplishment

It is harder for new Players. It's so damn easy to die to some stupid mistakes. The basic Idea is that you get one chance at every pack, every bosspack, every boss. There are no do overs. You either kill it or start all over at level 1! While this turns a lot of people away from HC it is also what gives it it's own sense of accomplishment. There is a thrill to almost dying to a a Mob and then finally killing it. It also keeps you on your toes always trying to improve.

Walking into a bossfight knowing that it is you or him, even if you know this boss is easy, it kinda makes you a bit edgy unless you outgear him. That first normal Vaal or Piety kill, the first Cruel Vaal kill or Piety kill...it makes your stomach tingle!

There are people running high level maps, but the number is much lower than in Softcore. You can't just run into merciless with level 60, random picked up yellows and almost no resists in HC, because you will die. You have to farm or craft until you are ready. Progression is being made slowly but it will be more meaningful. The way hardcore and its progression plays out in endgame maps is the way GGG intended the game to play I believe.

Character attachment

You have to care what happens to your character and his gear. You will do everything to assure his survival and optimization. It actually helps you progress and survive vs the "i just got 10 more dps, BAM" in sofcore. The thought of all that going down the drain when you are close to dying, you are already deciding what class to play, how to level? do you have currency to craft or buy new gear? And then... you live! By some miracle you are alive, luck, skill or sheer divine intervention but you are alive. Yo want an example? Well here it is.(And its not me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDEqxRIumQY


Have you ever gotten that sensation playing Softcore? That adrenaline rushing through your veins making you shake for minutes afterwards? I don't think so!

The community and your journey

This one is hard to understand until you've really played hardcore, but you come to appreciate the game and the people around you much more by playing hardcore, rather than your gear and the number of currency you have. I regularly see hardcore players donating each other currency and items found in their farming runs when they know this will help out their friends, so you just have to enjoy sharing the game experience with everyone around you. If I find a great Bow, my first thought is no longer "$$$$ I'm so rich now!", it's "maybe my buddy could use this!" Coming from Softcore you might have a much bigger attachment to your own stuff, but if you let that go, you'll just have a much more relaxed communal experience.

Death
You will die so you better just accept it. Dying can be funny, sad and can make you angry. Hate at the game, at yourself or at your class. From my experience with friends all died at least once in Normal, so did I too. You just have to deal with it. Death is a big part of the game. Death matters and has a consequence!

If I die I go with my lovely Hero to Softcore and donate everything he has to people and then delete him. Its a ritual for me and it helps a lot. You should figure out your own way handling it. Maybe you buy some chocolate and if you die you take a piece. Or you have a special Song to cheer yourself up?

A fresh experience

You play from start of the open Beta? Maybe in Closed Beta and you eventually wonder why you're still playing and what else there is to accomplish. HC can be a new challenge, a chance to try a new class, a new build, and make new friends. This alone was enough to get me to try HC back in my days and I just stayed with it.


To finish this all:


HC isn't for everyone. You will die, even with godly gear, tons of HP and resist you will end up in a situation that just kills you. This is a fact you must accept. It is a challenge that requires patience and attention. But it feels a lot more rewarding and satisfying.

Just some things to keep in mind.

Do not get power leveled at your first progression through the game. Don't do it! You need to try zones/packs/bosses first to understand what is required to kill it save.

Get much more defense then you are used to have. Just go and "over defense" yourself. You want to survive in first place and not killing shit fast. And you will not kill as fast as in Softcore. And this has a simple reason: Your game plan does not include dying as an option, as I like to say. Softcore players are used to skip defenses. Don't you do this!

Always open a TP when you pull something you are not sure to kill. A save way out is important. And play with the TP mechanic. A boss fight gets much easier if you can go back to Base and replenish your potions.


Playing in a Group is much safer. You can watch each other, help each other, progress safer with each other and most important you need each other. And ofc it is more fun playing with each other. The social aspect is much bigger in Hardcore. You will find friends really fast and you will need them as they need you. One dies and others can help him to catch up. A friend asked me to look for a 1 hand with high physical dps around Level 30. I found one awesome weapon that would easy sell for a high amount but instead I gave it to him. Knowing that once I die he will do the same for me. We also share our drops, he knows that I am looking for Items he could need as I know he is looking for Items I could need. I hope you get the point.

If PoE starts to get boring just try Hardcore. It is so much more rewarding to get gear and pulling something off. The game makes a lot more sense and has a lot more meaning on hardcore. So maybe I will see you on Hardcore?

Excellent post OP.

Thx

No hc for me until desync go back to pre-open beta lvl

This is a very good argument for why people should play more hardcore.

I think they should remove all the incentives for playing hardcore, i know people who liked the game but stopped playing because they died at hardcore.

This is not about hyping HC its more about explaing it. So that people can understand the difference between both. Its also not about forcing to HC more about understanding that HC is there and people complaining in SC about things that are just not a problem at all. But this is really just the end end end Hope.

Ps: the TItle can be missleading but I took it that people that usually would just go in to flame because its HC will read it and maybe get a new mindset.

I prefer not to lose weeks of time and effort when I die to something beyond my control. Thanks though.

There's nothing "Hardcore" about erasing invested time. Hardcore League = Reroll League. No thanks.

Couldnt have said it better my self. 10/10 post! would read again!

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Alure wrote:

I prefer not to lose weeks of time and effort when I die to something beyond my control. Thanks though.

There's nothing "Hardcore" about erasing invested time. Hardcore League = Reroll League. No thanks.

So you are also not going into a relationship because if you break up with your partner you loose time and effort. And stop loving each other is something beyond your control too...sry this is just a stupid argument that can be easily turned around. Maybe think again about it?