I assume not many of us are not going to be going into D3 Hardcore without prior experience of playing D2 HC... although Permadeath play is gaining quite some popularity even outside Diablo franchise. To those brave hearts coming into D3 HC having never played D2, I have to say: I salute you. And pity you a litle. You don't know what you're getting into!
But for the rest of us, who spent countless hours crying over yet another dead character in D2 and D2X, I propose with start a preliminary exchange of ideas: what is the mindset of Diablo Hardcore player? We're going to be entering unknown territory: new mobs, new bosses, new quests... but do we have an edge over newbies? Of course we do! So let's share.
What do you remember as your first death or near-death experience in D2 which made you go: "ok, holy crap, I gotta be careful with these things from now on"?
Also, what is a general tactic you've learned in D2 HC which you believe will help you survive in D3 HC?
For me, the exploding bosses are a big one. Fire and Cold enchanted bosses are particularly nasty against melee characters. Often, it's not even the killing blow itself, but the shock of health dropping fast, and then some stupid Fallen champions finishing you.
As I'm going to be playing a (fem)Barb in D3, as my first HC character (I will do normal non-HC prerequisite with my eyes closed as a Sorc ), my tactic around ALL bosses will be to melee them down to 10%ish, then run off a bit, and finish them with a Weapon Throw. Cowardly, but safe!
All input appreciated, let's share some: any class-specific tactics, and more general things as well.
At first I didn't really feel much at danger with my barb in pre-lod. I had decent gear and got some freebies from friend who had started HC erlier.
First bad experience was in lvl 27 at City of Damned. I went thru river to damned and had a huge lag spike. My computer only had 64Mb of RAM and loading new areas really was nightmare (this was year 2000).
Next times I don't really remember, when you got 30 with barb and got Whirlwind all things was very very easy before you hit Hell and started to face some nasty bosses (MSLE).
General tactic.. in early levels at least.. lots of survival skills. In D2 it was vitality basically. If you started a game with "New game here"- theme where there was about 8 people starting new chars. By the time you reached Act2 about 3/8 people had gotten killed
The longer you get the more powerful skills and stats you get. Then you can repeat easier areas for exp if you think the next area is too difficult. At very beginning there is not much to do but to push forward.
I remember when my first HC character died(past lvl 10 at least). I was so upset both with myself and the game. I thought why would anyone do this, and decided to go back and play softcore. Dammit, the game had lost all of it's challenge, and back to Hardcore I went.
A) Flying through content isn't that important - Of course we all play Diablo to acquire sick loots and pimp out our characters, but it can't hurt to slow yourself down and grind a bit. I remember that Act 1 never really required any staying behind to level up, but once I would get to Act II, I would do multiple sewers runs to get my character to higher levels. Hardcore is about beating the game, and doing it without dying...once. This is much easier as your character levels up gaining important stats and Skills.
Health is a valuable stat - I remember pumping all my stats into vitality(apart from those to equip gear). The more health I have, the less chance I have of dying.
C) Iron Maiden is bad - Never play Zealadins.
D) Rakanishu should be an end of act boss - This little jerk has killed more of my HC characters than anyone/thing else. His lightning enchant, would hurt you at the start of each difficulty due to the different resist levels.
If there is one thing I learned from D2 hardcore it was this: lightning resist or gtfo. Fire, frost and poison can be handled, but lightning is a challenge in it's own right.
For sure. I will be stacking resists like crazy before going into Hell and Inferno. I'm curious if Hell is going to be -100% penalty, and Inferno... -200%? Ouch.
I remember not to play with friends that you have made angry. I was playing with a friend that i guess i pissed off at some point in the game and we were moving a long smootly then all of a sudden he says brb and i thought he went to camp but no he went a differnt way and pulled 20 + mobs and brought them to me... You can only guess what happened then... Needless to say i never found that to be funny.
One of the most important things about hardcore in my opinion is that you need to take time to study your class/skills and monsters, especially rare monster abilities, knowledge is one of the most important aspects of hardcore.
Hardcore turns a mindless (for the most part) hack n slash game to a tactical slower paced action RPG, playing unfocused or un concentratedcan and will result in tears
When it comes to alcohol and playing hardcore i have mixed results he he
Another one I've thought of is: the biggest differences between D2 HC and D3 HC, survival wise are:
1. Can't TP to town at will
2. Can't spam potions
With that in mind, a nice way to practice for D3 would be to play D2 HC from start to finish without
1. Ever using TPs in combat
2. Not using purple potions and pretend like red ones are the health orbs.
I suppose instead of my enemies dying of shock when they see their comrades dying in battle ill have to rune my weapon throw with the gold runestone so this time they'll die with the help of their comrades!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Bashiok - Blizzard Representative - 08/01/2011 -"So how many skill combinations are there now? Well taking into account 6 active skills, all the rune combinations, and 3 passives we currently expect each class to have roughly 2,285,814,795,264 different build combinations."
"Hey, I thought you'd like the witty irony of grub-on-glowie violence!"
I was an avid D2 player, I had all classes over lvl 90(in softcore). One day a friend told me about how his cousin also plays d2. Excited about having a new friend to play with I told my friend to get him in one of our games and my friend said "We cant, he only plays hardcore."
From this day on I made it my goal to level up a HC character. My first couple attempts were fruitless, Die'ing carelessly at low levels. Finally I got my zeal Paladin into nightmare(I know.. Zeal.. really? haha). Fresh into act 2, Me and my friend were fighting through the deserts when his cousin joins our game to lend a hand with a rush in hopes of leveling us up faster. The fast pace rush made me rather careless again, and Sprint ahead into duriels lair, BIG MISTAKE, I was almost instantly dead.
This isn't all my hardcore experience. I went on to level a few more HC characters, some died, but a couple made it into hell mode. The level of strategy, teamwork, and sense of pride to have made it that far without die'ing once is a whole new experience when compared to softcore. Your have to gear your character to be able to survive while still having damage output. Skill choices were key. But most importantly the people you choose to play with. I learned alot in my short time playing hardcore right at the end of my D2 career(not a career but you know :Thumbs Up: ) When D3 is finally released I look forward to the community and challenges I will experience in my lust for a death'less experience in the world of Sanctuary.
Well, Counting on life leech to heal you no matter what is a bad thing, it took a while for me to remember that life leech doesn't work on the Specters in Arcane Sanctuary.
I think that was the hardest area for me as a barb in the start of my Hardcore "career".
Is there even a life leech affix in diablo 3?
Lightening is a killer along with those blow up dolls from act 3
1. Don't play intoxicated. I remember a colleague and I went out for some drinks on a business trip and stopped by an gaming cafe on our way back to the hotel and logged our Hardcore characters for a quick tour in the sanctuary. Bad idea.
2. Don't forget to mule often....this shouldn't be a problem with a shared stash now though.
3. If you see your friend die to mobs ....just run away..its not worth it. Unless you have to loot the poor sucker.
4. There is no shame in letting someone else lead the group. Let those who feel the need to run to the front of the pack and get the first swing on mobs go ahead and do that. Live to tell another tale. Nobody remembers you when your gone.
5. Game bugs are in the developers way of saying "Life isn't fair".
6. Starting a new character again can still be fun.
Ok..but in terms of actually surviving Hardcore. Killing slowly and having lots of life are more important than killing quickly and dying even faster. I'm expecting attributes that boost life and defense will be key to surviving in inferno.
Rakanishu should be an end of act boss - This little jerk has killed more of my HC characters than anyone/thing else. His lightning enchant, would hurt you at the start of each difficulty due to the different resist levels.
That bleedin lightning enhanced on well pretty much anything in act 1 nightmare or hell used to be death for me, fire and cold i could avoid by running away... but lightning argh
What i learned from Diablo 2 Hardcore was " Do not ever, under any circumstance trust strangers "
That has got to be one on the most truthful words i have seen spoken here. There used to be a lot of people going around who simply tried to get other HC characters killed simply for loot, or maybe they just always came after me.
But on the other side i found the best thing in my case was just to go slow and know when I reached brick walls (I almost never had decent gear on any character )
Im thinking a way to go in D3 is to play through the game a bit in softcore to at least work out how nightmare/hell/inferno will go before i try to step foot into hardcore this time around
I would say the biggest lesson I learned was not to go to Nightmare till you were lvl 40 and wearing decent gear and not going into Hell till you were 75+ and wore elite sets and uniques.
"Do not trust strangers": so very true, especially valuable considering this is more of a "social" tactic, rather than combat tactic.
To expand on this, PKing is gone from D3 HC, but there are still ways to get griefed, D2 style. Here are a few I've thought of:
1.Waypoint train. You went to town to restock consumables and sell some trash from your bag. The "friend" you've been partied with has in the meantime trained a crowd of Arcane-enchanted Fallen over the waypoint which you will no doubt take in order to return to the next quest/farming area...
Way to counter this, when you are stuck partying with strangers: Keep yourself educated as to how close your party member(s) are to a waypoint. Were there any scary bosses near WP last time you passed it? Clear all the near packs from every WP you approach, and don't leave any hanging around when you travel further.
2. Bailing from the heat. You are fighting a tough boss pack (or several of them). Your party members suddenly bail: they run off or teleport out, leaving you surrounded by some Fanatatic Dolls.
Solution: be ready for this. Pick skills which would give you some time to collect yourself out of the fray and into a safe zone.
Oh, and don't be a hero, if you value survival. In a 2-3-4 player game, the monsters are proportionally stronger. If your "friends" bailed, get the hell out.
For hardcore Def>Off every time. Well, at least for me that is. So when I play my monk, I will have an arsenal of abilities available to prevent death such as healz, dodge, more resistance etc... Well.. I could always lag and get killed :/ Oh well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Most People Are Completely Ignorant To The Microscopic World Around Them -Me
Surviving in HC is probably the biggest rush of excitement and on the flip side disappointment... you know when you swear of diablo cause your lvl 88 sorc died that had a "TARN HELM" remember when that was the mf helm of choice. The closet near death experience would have to be valley of the snakes when i first started that always got me... man the mini boss down there hit hard! can't wait to see which bosses/mini bosses make us quiver in fear like diablo of old!
The only thing i can think of asides from playing it safe is not trusting new people unfortunately. Aside from exploding fetishes the only thing that got my killed was people. Dirty portals or hostiles.
I'm going to have to keep an eye on this topic. My plan is to play largely hardcore (might have a softcore character, if I'm dying too much in HC to see the end of the game :P) from the get-go. Since I never played HC in D2, I'm going to need all the tips I can get, I reckon.
1. Packs of cows can be extremely dangerous on an unstable connection. I've hardwired all my computers again to eliminated the possibility of Wifi related issues and payed for better internet so even on "bad" days I've got the connection I need. On that note - make sure no one else in the house is downloading a movie :| ..... because running across the house going "Are you on the internet right now?!?!..." doesn't get your level 97 Javazon back.
2. Test new zones on softcore first. Can't even count the number of times I'd wished I'd done that. Playing a melee class (Barbarian on D2) you got pretty dependant on life-leach when WW'ing through a big pack of mobs. Finding out they can't be leached from..... priceless.
3. Don't trust strangers.... POP... that's all I can say. Private games are the way to go after you've grinded through the early levels.
4. Hunter Tactics FTW. Kite outlying mobs away from large packs where possible. Fighting a pack of 6 is a lot easier than a pack of 12, you just have to pick away at 'em.
5. Any mob that is Extra Fast, Spectral, Lightning Enchanted, known to knock-back, or any combination thereof is dangerous.... very dangerous. Not to mention their lackies who share in the fun.
6. The best offense is a good defense. If it's harder for you to die, then obviously it's easier for you to live. Vitality, heavy leaching, pots, mercs, anything that helps lay down a buffer will get you far.
7. The best defense is a good offense? I know it's the opposite of what I already said, but sometimes being able to take a mob down fast is better than not being able to kill it at all - in which case you'll never see the end of the game.
8. Esc key is your friend, your best friend.
9. A dead hardcore character can't harvest Inferno difficulty gear for you anymore - no RMAH for you good sir.
I'm sure there's a ton of those "tricks of the trade" missing from this little list that won't come back to me until it's too late.... here's to remembering them in time!
Cheers!
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But for the rest of us, who spent countless hours crying over yet another dead character in D2 and D2X, I propose with start a preliminary exchange of ideas: what is the mindset of Diablo Hardcore player? We're going to be entering unknown territory: new mobs, new bosses, new quests... but do we have an edge over newbies? Of course we do! So let's share.
What do you remember as your first death or near-death experience in D2 which made you go: "ok, holy crap, I gotta be careful with these things from now on"?
Also, what is a general tactic you've learned in D2 HC which you believe will help you survive in D3 HC?
For me, the exploding bosses are a big one. Fire and Cold enchanted bosses are particularly nasty against melee characters. Often, it's not even the killing blow itself, but the shock of health dropping fast, and then some stupid Fallen champions finishing you.
As I'm going to be playing a (fem)Barb in D3, as my first HC character (I will do normal non-HC prerequisite with my eyes closed as a Sorc
All input appreciated, let's share some: any class-specific tactics, and more general things as well.
First bad experience was in lvl 27 at City of Damned. I went thru river to damned and had a huge lag spike. My computer only had 64Mb of RAM and loading new areas really was nightmare (this was year 2000).
Next times I don't really remember, when you got 30 with barb and got Whirlwind all things was very very easy before you hit Hell and started to face some nasty bosses (MSLE).
General tactic.. in early levels at least.. lots of survival skills. In D2 it was vitality basically. If you started a game with "New game here"- theme where there was about 8 people starting new chars. By the time you reached Act2 about 3/8 people had gotten killed
The longer you get the more powerful skills and stats you get. Then you can repeat easier areas for exp if you think the next area is too difficult. At very beginning there is not much to do but to push forward.
RIP: Demon Hunter: lvl 50 | Barb: lvl 60 (plvl 5) | Monk: lvl12 & lvl70 (plvl 200)
A) Flying through content isn't that important - Of course we all play Diablo to acquire sick loots and pimp out our characters, but it can't hurt to slow yourself down and grind a bit. I remember that Act 1 never really required any staying behind to level up, but once I would get to Act II, I would do multiple sewers runs to get my character to higher levels. Hardcore is about beating the game, and doing it without dying...once. This is much easier as your character levels up gaining important stats and Skills.
C) Iron Maiden is bad - Never play Zealadins.
D) Rakanishu should be an end of act boss - This little jerk has killed more of my HC characters than anyone/thing else. His lightning enchant, would hurt you at the start of each difficulty due to the different resist levels.
For sure. I will be stacking resists like crazy before going into Hell and Inferno. I'm curious if Hell is going to be -100% penalty, and Inferno... -200%? Ouch.
Hardcore turns a mindless (for the most part) hack n slash game to a tactical slower paced action RPG, playing unfocused or un concentratedcan and will result in tears
When it comes to alcohol and playing hardcore i have mixed results he he
Another one I've thought of is: the biggest differences between D2 HC and D3 HC, survival wise are:
1. Can't TP to town at will
2. Can't spam potions
With that in mind, a nice way to practice for D3 would be to play D2 HC from start to finish without
1. Ever using TPs in combat
2. Not using purple potions and pretend like red ones are the health orbs.
I'm going to start today!
Bashiok - Blizzard Representative - 08/01/2011 -"So how many skill combinations are there now? Well taking into account 6 active skills, all the rune combinations, and 3 passives we currently expect each class to have roughly 2,285,814,795,264 different build combinations."
"Hey, I thought you'd like the witty irony of grub-on-glowie violence!"
From this day on I made it my goal to level up a HC character. My first couple attempts were fruitless, Die'ing carelessly at low levels. Finally I got my zeal Paladin into nightmare(I know.. Zeal.. really? haha). Fresh into act 2, Me and my friend were fighting through the deserts when his cousin joins our game to lend a hand with a rush in hopes of leveling us up faster. The fast pace rush made me rather careless again, and Sprint ahead into duriels lair, BIG MISTAKE, I was almost instantly dead.
This isn't all my hardcore experience. I went on to level a few more HC characters, some died, but a couple made it into hell mode. The level of strategy, teamwork, and sense of pride to have made it that far without die'ing once is a whole new experience when compared to softcore. Your have to gear your character to be able to survive while still having damage output. Skill choices were key. But most importantly the people you choose to play with. I learned alot in my short time playing hardcore right at the end of my D2 career(not a career but you know :Thumbs Up: ) When D3 is finally released I look forward to the community and challenges I will experience in my lust for a death'less experience in the world of Sanctuary.
I think that was the hardest area for me as a barb in the start of my Hardcore "career".
Is there even a life leech affix in diablo 3?
Lightening is a killer along with those blow up dolls from act 3
1. Don't play intoxicated. I remember a colleague and I went out for some drinks on a business trip and stopped by an gaming cafe on our way back to the hotel and logged our Hardcore characters for a quick tour in the sanctuary. Bad idea.
2. Don't forget to mule often....this shouldn't be a problem with a shared stash now though.
3. If you see your friend die to mobs ....just run away..its not worth it. Unless you have to loot the poor sucker.
4. There is no shame in letting someone else lead the group. Let those who feel the need to run to the front of the pack and get the first swing on mobs go ahead and do that. Live to tell another tale. Nobody remembers you when your gone.
5. Game bugs are in the developers way of saying "Life isn't fair".
6. Starting a new character again can still be fun.
Ok..but in terms of actually surviving Hardcore. Killing slowly and having lots of life are more important than killing quickly and dying even faster. I'm expecting attributes that boost life and defense will be key to surviving in inferno.
That has got to be one on the most truthful words i have seen spoken here. There used to be a lot of people going around who simply tried to get other HC characters killed simply for loot, or maybe they just always came after me.
But on the other side i found the best thing in my case was just to go slow and know when I reached brick walls (I almost never had decent gear on any character
Im thinking a way to go in D3 is to play through the game a bit in softcore to at least work out how nightmare/hell/inferno will go before i try to step foot into hardcore this time around
To expand on this, PKing is gone from D3 HC, but there are still ways to get griefed, D2 style. Here are a few I've thought of:
1.Waypoint train. You went to town to restock consumables and sell some trash from your bag. The "friend" you've been partied with has in the meantime trained a crowd of Arcane-enchanted Fallen over the waypoint which you will no doubt take in order to return to the next quest/farming area...
Way to counter this, when you are stuck partying with strangers: Keep yourself educated as to how close your party member(s) are to a waypoint. Were there any scary bosses near WP last time you passed it? Clear all the near packs from every WP you approach, and don't leave any hanging around when you travel further.
2. Bailing from the heat. You are fighting a tough boss pack (or several of them). Your party members suddenly bail: they run off or teleport out, leaving you surrounded by some Fanatatic Dolls.
Solution: be ready for this. Pick skills which would give you some time to collect yourself out of the fray and into a safe zone.
Oh, and don't be a hero, if you value survival. In a 2-3-4 player game, the monsters are proportionally stronger. If your "friends" bailed, get the hell out.
-Me
1. Packs of cows can be extremely dangerous on an unstable connection. I've hardwired all my computers again to eliminated the possibility of Wifi related issues and payed for better internet so even on "bad" days I've got the connection I need. On that note - make sure no one else in the house is downloading a movie :| ..... because running across the house going "Are you on the internet right now?!?!..." doesn't get your level 97 Javazon back.
2. Test new zones on softcore first. Can't even count the number of times I'd wished I'd done that. Playing a melee class (Barbarian on D2) you got pretty dependant on life-leach when WW'ing through a big pack of mobs. Finding out they can't be leached from..... priceless.
3. Don't trust strangers.... POP... that's all I can say. Private games are the way to go after you've grinded through the early levels.
4. Hunter Tactics FTW. Kite outlying mobs away from large packs where possible. Fighting a pack of 6 is a lot easier than a pack of 12, you just have to pick away at 'em.
5. Any mob that is Extra Fast, Spectral, Lightning Enchanted, known to knock-back, or any combination thereof is dangerous.... very dangerous. Not to mention their lackies who share in the fun.
6. The best offense is a good defense. If it's harder for you to die, then obviously it's easier for you to live. Vitality, heavy leaching, pots, mercs, anything that helps lay down a buffer will get you far.
7. The best defense is a good offense? I know it's the opposite of what I already said, but sometimes being able to take a mob down fast is better than not being able to kill it at all - in which case you'll never see the end of the game.
8. Esc key is your friend, your best friend.
9. A dead hardcore character can't harvest Inferno difficulty gear for you anymore - no RMAH for you good sir.
I'm sure there's a ton of those "tricks of the trade" missing from this little list that won't come back to me until it's too late.... here's to remembering them in time!
Cheers!
16GB G Skill Ram ~ 2x Mushkin 120GB SSD's ~ MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozer ~ Asus P8P67 Deluxe