Hardcore Mode: Press "ESC" to Be Immortal

Playing in hardcore mode is definitely a different experience in games of this genre, and the debate about ways to cheat death isn’t new, as they’ve been used since forever.

With the implementation of the ESC key to pause the game in PoE2 and even return to the waypoint after pause, this type of cheating has become even easier, which makes it valid, in my view, to bring this discussion back.

The goal of this topic is not to demonize the use of the ESC key or the pause functionality in hardcore mode, but to suggest a solution to prevent this type of cheating altogether.

Why is solving this problem important?

There is a hardcore ranking system where players who survive to higher levels are at the top of the leaderboard. Having a way to escape death in this case is make the challenge extremely unfair for honest players

Why not just play without using the ESC key or other ways to exit the game?
Again, once there is a ranking system, the game becomes unfair to those who avoid such exploits.

All the inherent characteristics of hardcore mode are mitigated by using this kind of trick. Seeing a high-level hardcore player is no longer a big deal because it’s highly likely they cheated. Inflation and prices in the market are also affected.

But if it’s possible to leave the game in other ways, what’s the definitive solution?

The way to resolve this cheating and make the game equally challenging is to keep the player in the exact instance point where they logged out for longer.

This functionality already exists in PoE2, but the difference is that the player returns to the waypoint instead of where they logged out. Putting the player back in the problematic situation they were in before quickly exiting the game would address this issue.

For example, if a player is surrounded by mobs and is about to die, they can press ESC, pause, or use ALT+F4 to quickly exit the game. But upon logging back in, they would be placed where they were on the map, in the same situation they were in.

How long the instance should remain open in hardcore mode will depend on the implementation and the developers’ choice, but this functionality already exists in the game today.

Anyone here playing hardcore? What do you think of this solution?

I play HC and I love that this game has a pause. I don’t see a problem with it, it’s much better than altf4.

Not sure why you’re calling it an exploit and that others don’t use it because they don’t want to exploit…it’s literally part of the game…

The fact there is a pause makes this game much more accessible for me. I have a family and lots of random stuff going on like “it’s dinner time”, “can you open this for me”, and “I can’t find my backpack.”

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LEECONOMIX#9607 wrote:

I play HC and I love that this game has a pause. I don’t see a problem with it, it’s much better than altf4.

Not sure why you’re calling it an exploit and that others don’t use it because they don’t want to exploit…it’s literally part of the game…

The fact there is a pause makes this game much more accessible for me. I have a family and lots of random stuff going on like “it’s dinner time”, “can you open this for me”, and “I can’t find my backpack.”

The main goal of the thread is not to remove the pause feature from the game but to ensure that the player returns to where they were, as mentioned above.

"The goal of this topic is not to demonize the use of the ESC key or the pause functionality in hardcore mode"

Perhaps it wasn't clear.

The pause can remain; it's not the problem as long as it doesn't allow players to avoid dying in situations where they normally would. The intention is not to remove the pause but to stop it from letting you cheat death in a game mode where the objective is precisely to avoid dying.

I don't play HC but I wouldn't call it cheating to use the pause feature as designed and given to the player. I get your meaning with the ladders and advantage, but if everyone has it, no one is advantaged.

Does it violate the spirit of HC play, I think that depends on who you ask. Personally, i die far (far!) faster in this game that I could ever foresee and escape. I almost never even know what killed me instantly.

This is a game of one shot them or they one shot you. Gotta respect the HC players' will to do it.

The fact that instant logout, return to waypoint etc is against the spirit of hardcore should be common sense (apparently not though). Using the UI to escape the problems the game throws at you instead of flasks, charms, blinks, rolls, freezes/stuns etc is just dumb.

Using your character's toolkit to escape deadly situations is what the game should be designed around, not pushing a button on the main menu.

I agree with Benjow.
Also this makes very easy to use a script to cheat like "press ESC when health drops below X%"

Long time Path HC player here.

I agree, the ESC/pause function needs to be rethought. it undermines the spirit of hardcore.

In addition, it also pushes players to solo more than group. When grouped, ESC/pause is disabled. The problem with this is you are safer solo and again this impacts balance of the overall game.

For these reasons this functionality should be rethought.

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Also this makes very easy to use a script to cheat like "press ESC when health drops below X%

That's a very valid point I hadn't considered.

After all, one of the positive appeals of hardcore mode is that it doesn't encourage the use of bots, since characters die permanently.

Again, the purpose is not to remove the ability to pause the game, But preventing the use of tricks that allow players to cheat death in a mode where survival is the main objective is essential.

Having the player log back into the same instance and at the exact point on the map where they logged out would drastically reduce this issue.

And honestly, we've never been so close to solving this problem in the genre, especially since this mechanic of maintaining a persistent instance already exists in PoE2.

Pausing the game is fair, but something should really be done about the exploit.
Also, people should read before posting. Too many posts about removing the pause functionality when this is neither mentioned or the intention of the op.

funny part, iirc, that s exactly what they said. we would be able to pause but would come back at the exact same situation. maybe it s technically not possible for now ?