I get home and begin one of my typical evening Act 1 MP1 runs on my trusty ol’ support barb. 4 of us are rocking through the run at a brisk pace when the DH of the group goes to town and starts idling. No problem I think to myself, the other 2 players are mowing down monsters left right and center so we don’t even break stride. With the run nearing its end one of the non idle players leaves the game leaving myself and a lawnmower of a witch doctor to face the third hall and the man himself, the Butcher. Approaching the Chamber of suffering we have to deal with the pesky AFK DH and wait for the countdown before we can dance with the meat-head.
Well the chamber of suffering loads and all I see down there is myself… The Lawnmower apologizes for hitting no and wishes me luck on my tango in the fryer before respectfully leaving the game. My first thought is, well this is going to take a while, no problem as Blizzard removed enrage timers. I start slowly chipping away at the butcher all the time wishing the DH would get back so he can leave. A few minutes pass and low and behold ALL the grates on the floor light up….
Well fuck me me….
I’m struck with horror as I realize they only removed enrage timers from champion packs, not act bosses. Now being forced to constantly stand in fire (oh how disappointed my old wow raid leader would be) I see my health slowly drop and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop it.
fuck me….
I start freaking out, my adrenaline starts going, I don’t really see how I can survive this fight now. Thoughts of previous deaths start to surface, only instead of this untimely demise coming unexpectedly, it will be long, drawn out and fully expected. I look at the butcher at 1/3 health, I look at the DH portrait, I begin cursing the DH for going AFK.
fuck me…
Well, if he’s taking me down, he’s taking me down with a fight. Focusing on the battle at hand I try and figure out how I could possibly survive this while full of adrenaline at this point and likely shaking as well. 2 healing wells, I’m sure they respawn, how long does that take? I couldn’t possibly survive their alternating cooldowns can I? Revenge? Charge? There’s a little bit of life leech. Potions? That’s a little more time. Iron Impact to reduce damage? Even more time. Oh look, there's plate not on fire for a few seconds! I try pouring on as much damage as I can while hitting revenge, leap attack and charge every instant they come off cooldown while also trying to dance on cold plates I see. I pop one healing well while frantically trying to sustain my health. Can I do this? I pop the second healing well, no healing wells left. I keep fighting for my life, I was sure I was going to die here, damn this fire! I start getting low on health and start thinking about the re-roll I’m about to do. The first healing well comes off cooldown! Can I do this? The butcher has maybe 1/8th of his health left and I’ve survived the healing well cooldowns. I’m literally fighting for my barbarian’s life now and doing everything I can to save it.
He collapses in a pile of battered flesh…
I stopped and just stared at the screen. I had to get up and pace the room. Yup, I was definitely shaking at that point. From across the room I look at my screen and see that DH portrait in the corner, fuck that guy… It took a few more minutes to calm down and collect myself, the most intense experience I’ve ever had playing Diablo 3 had just come to an end, but I survived it. Sorry Death, but I know you’ll be back some other day…
Your story completely encapsulates the reason I have stopped playing SC and completely moved over to HC. The intensity is pure bliss and with each character I roll, I look forward to the rush of adrenalin when coming up against some devastating champ packs and elites.
If you play defensive barb and you could survive fire for such a long time, you could as well let him headbutt the wall, be ready in the opposite corner and leave. You would most likely survive the 10 seconds cooldown.
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Rencol - Diablo fan since 1996 and walking encyclopedia of Diablo lore.
I recently decided to start fiddling in HC with my DH (this'll be my second one to 60 if he survives (he's currently 56)) so that I could complete some HC achieves while getting my second 60 DH for that achieve as well. Gotta say this is kinda addicting in that everything I do matters. I've had 2 very close calls and both just got my heart pumping. How differently I have to play HC is awesome but its really exciting as well.
And I just lost my DH at 57 because of a flipping power outage...I didn't even get to see my character die. Just lights out...
I recently decided to start fiddling in HC with my DH (this'll be my second one to 60 if he survives (he's currently 56)) so that I could complete some HC achieves while getting my second 60 DH for that achieve as well. Gotta say this is kinda addicting in that everything I do matters. I've had 2 very close calls and both just got my heart pumping. How differently I have to play HC is awesome but its really exciting as well.
And I just lost my DH at 57 because of a flipping power outage...I didn't even get to see my character die. Just lights out...
ouch....that's the X-factor. We're slaves to these uncontrollable factors.
I've only dabbled in HC, but have recently really taken a liking to the adrenaline that is absent in SC play.
I lost my first Inferno HC char about 4 hours ago, para 5 WD. Was owning Act 1 MP1 and got too cocky. I had a chance to make the right decision and re-position myself, but I stood my arrogant ground and was made to pay.
Going from Southern Highlands into the Northern, we have that Khazra barricade gantlet path. As I was first entering the gantlet pathway from south to north, there's that little fenced off area to the left with the dead beast (the small enclosure where if you click the dead beast a few Goatmen will jump out.
Well.....inside (and I've never seen this before) was an Elite pack of Unique Savage Beasts that literally busted out of the enclosure. Instead of turning and running to re-position myself in a more open area (always wise when fighting Savage Beasts) I stood my ground and opened up my Plague Bats on them.
I have no idea what the full set of affixes was, it happened so fast. All I know is that they had Reflect and Knockback. I got caught in a knockback lock that shot my poor WD in the opposite direction that I came from. With all my heals and panic buttons in cooldown (including pots) I was stuck between this horrid pack to my left, and the gantlet of dozens of Goatmen to my right, being encroached on both sides on this narrow pathway.
So......I did the only thing I could do.....I ran like a bitch hoping to clear myself to the north end of the path and hopefully come out the other side. I took fatal damage at about the halfway mark and it triggered my temp invulnerability from Spirit Vessel. No choice now, still I ran on watching my cooldown on Spirit Walk, which was almost ready.
Almost ready, just a few seconds more.......I reached the end where about 12-16 goatmen lay in wait. My Horrify came off cooldown and I popped it, sending them scurrying. This will buy the time I need. Sadly, a few stragglers were missed by my Horrify attempt and ......
spears to the face.........with maybe 1 second to go on my Spirit Walk cooldown (which had Siphon/heal rune). There I fell. I made it to the other side only to be struck down by a smelly goatman's spear.
ouch....that's the X-factor. We're slaves to these uncontrollable factors.
I've only dabbled in HC, but have recently really taken a liking to the adrenaline that is absent in SC play.
I lost my first Inferno HC char about 4 hours ago, para 5 WD. Was owning Act 1 MP1 and got too cocky. I had a chance to make the right decision and re-position myself, but I stood my arrogant ground and was made to pay.
Going from Southern Highlands into the Northern, we have that Khazra barricade gantlet path. As I was first entering the gantlet pathway from south to north, there's that little fenced off area to the left with the dead beast (the small enclosure where if you click the dead beast a few Goatmen will jump out.
Well.....inside (and I've never seen this before) was an Elite pack of Unique Savage Beasts that literally busted out of the enclosure. Instead of turning and running to re-position myself in a more open area (always wise when fighting Savage Beasts) I stood my ground and opened up my Plague Bats on them.
I have no idea what the full set of affixes was, it happened so fast. All I know is that they had Reflect and Knockback. I got caught in a knockback lock that shot my poor WD in the opposite direction that I came from. With all my heals and panic buttons in cooldown (including pots) I was stuck between this horrid pack to my left, and the gantlet of dozens of Goatmen to my right, being encroached on both sides on this narrow pathway.
So......I did the only thing I could do.....I ran like a bitch hoping to clear myself to the north end of the path and hopefully come out the other side. I took fatal damage at about the halfway mark and it triggered my temp invulnerability from Spirit Vessel. No choice now, still I ran on watching my cooldown on Spirit Walk, which was almost ready.
Almost ready, just a few seconds more.......I reached the end where about 12-16 goatmen lay in wait. My Horrify came off cooldown and I popped it, sending them scurrying. This will buy the time I need. Sadly, a few stragglers were missed by my Horrify attempt and ......
spears to the face.........with maybe 1 second to go on my Spirit Walk cooldown (which had Siphon/heal rune). There I fell. I made it to the other side only to be struck down by a smelly goatman's spear.
Glory to the fallen!
Another awesome story
That's what I feel in HC too. The rush when you're about to die, and the countless occasions in which you barely escape, barely manage to get the cooldown on a defensive skill and proceeds to stomp that difficult elite pack.
That plus the item sink + much better economy overall, more balance between offensive and defensive items and prices as if less people used the AH.
the most intense experience I’ve ever had playing Diablo 3 had just come to an end, but I survived it. Sorry Death, but I know you’ll be back some other day…
-This is why I play Hardcore
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if you lived or died, lol.
^ I'm pretty sure he survived.
Also, don't regret the softcore playtime. The experience earned there is invaluable to hardcore. Going into hardcore straight away would certainly lead to a couple dozen dumb deaths
the most intense experience I’ve ever had playing Diablo 3 had just come to an end, but I survived it. Sorry Death, but I know you’ll be back some other day…
-This is why I play Hardcore
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if you lived or died, lol.
^ I'm pretty sure he survived.
Also, don't regret the softcore playtime. The experience earned there is invaluable to hardcore. Going into hardcore straight away would certainly lead to a couple dozen dumb deaths
absolute fact. it also allows you to experiement with builds and gear that you may not even get to see in HC... personally, i played a couple of my SC characters yesterday, and got so bored within minutes, that it's almost painful to play SC. don't get me wrong, i'm gonna get RoS, and when i do, my WD is gonna pwn any and everything in his path. short of checkin out the nephalem trials, and anything else they may put in, i'm gonna make a crusader to test out in SC, and get him maybe... 15-25 paragon levels, and then it's straight back to HC.. maybe with a crusader, maybe with my WD... who knows... but HC is where my home is now...
Well the chamber of suffering loads and all I see down there is myself… The Lawnmower apologizes for hitting no and wishes me luck on my tango in the fryer before respectfully leaving the game. My first thought is, well this is going to take a while, no problem as Blizzard removed enrage timers. I start slowly chipping away at the butcher all the time wishing the DH would get back so he can leave. A few minutes pass and low and behold ALL the grates on the floor light up….
Well fuck me me….
I’m struck with horror as I realize they only removed enrage timers from champion packs, not act bosses. Now being forced to constantly stand in fire (oh how disappointed my old wow raid leader would be) I see my health slowly drop and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop it.
fuck me….
I start freaking out, my adrenaline starts going, I don’t really see how I can survive this fight now. Thoughts of previous deaths start to surface, only instead of this untimely demise coming unexpectedly, it will be long, drawn out and fully expected. I look at the butcher at 1/3 health, I look at the DH portrait, I begin cursing the DH for going AFK.
fuck me…
Well, if he’s taking me down, he’s taking me down with a fight. Focusing on the battle at hand I try and figure out how I could possibly survive this while full of adrenaline at this point and likely shaking as well. 2 healing wells, I’m sure they respawn, how long does that take? I couldn’t possibly survive their alternating cooldowns can I? Revenge? Charge? There’s a little bit of life leech. Potions? That’s a little more time. Iron Impact to reduce damage? Even more time. Oh look, there's plate not on fire for a few seconds! I try pouring on as much damage as I can while hitting revenge, leap attack and charge every instant they come off cooldown while also trying to dance on cold plates I see. I pop one healing well while frantically trying to sustain my health. Can I do this? I pop the second healing well, no healing wells left. I keep fighting for my life, I was sure I was going to die here, damn this fire! I start getting low on health and start thinking about the re-roll I’m about to do. The first healing well comes off cooldown! Can I do this? The butcher has maybe 1/8th of his health left and I’ve survived the healing well cooldowns. I’m literally fighting for my barbarian’s life now and doing everything I can to save it.
He collapses in a pile of battered flesh…
I stopped and just stared at the screen. I had to get up and pace the room. Yup, I was definitely shaking at that point. From across the room I look at my screen and see that DH portrait in the corner, fuck that guy… It took a few more minutes to calm down and collect myself, the most intense experience I’ve ever had playing Diablo 3 had just come to an end, but I survived it. Sorry Death, but I know you’ll be back some other day…
-This is why I play Hardcore
Exactly. Were you doing that on SC you'd probably have just taken the death and quit the game and gone into a new one. BORING! HC is where the fun is.
And may the odds be ever in your favour.
Emmo#2406
And I just lost my DH at 57 because of a flipping power outage...I didn't even get to see my character die. Just lights out...
ouch....that's the X-factor. We're slaves to these uncontrollable factors.
I've only dabbled in HC, but have recently really taken a liking to the adrenaline that is absent in SC play.
I lost my first Inferno HC char about 4 hours ago, para 5 WD. Was owning Act 1 MP1 and got too cocky. I had a chance to make the right decision and re-position myself, but I stood my arrogant ground and was made to pay.
Going from Southern Highlands into the Northern, we have that Khazra barricade gantlet path. As I was first entering the gantlet pathway from south to north, there's that little fenced off area to the left with the dead beast (the small enclosure where if you click the dead beast a few Goatmen will jump out.
Well.....inside (and I've never seen this before) was an Elite pack of Unique Savage Beasts that literally busted out of the enclosure. Instead of turning and running to re-position myself in a more open area (always wise when fighting Savage Beasts) I stood my ground and opened up my Plague Bats on them.
I have no idea what the full set of affixes was, it happened so fast. All I know is that they had Reflect and Knockback. I got caught in a knockback lock that shot my poor WD in the opposite direction that I came from. With all my heals and panic buttons in cooldown (including pots) I was stuck between this horrid pack to my left, and the gantlet of dozens of Goatmen to my right, being encroached on both sides on this narrow pathway.
So......I did the only thing I could do.....I ran like a bitch hoping to clear myself to the north end of the path and hopefully come out the other side. I took fatal damage at about the halfway mark and it triggered my temp invulnerability from Spirit Vessel. No choice now, still I ran on watching my cooldown on Spirit Walk, which was almost ready.
Almost ready, just a few seconds more.......I reached the end where about 12-16 goatmen lay in wait. My Horrify came off cooldown and I popped it, sending them scurrying. This will buy the time I need. Sadly, a few stragglers were missed by my Horrify attempt and ......
spears to the face.........with maybe 1 second to go on my Spirit Walk cooldown (which had Siphon/heal rune). There I fell. I made it to the other side only to be struck down by a smelly goatman's spear.
Glory to the fallen!
BurningRope#1322 (US~HC) Request an invite to the official (NA) <dfans> Clan
That's what I feel in HC too. The rush when you're about to die, and the countless occasions in which you barely escape, barely manage to get the cooldown on a defensive skill and proceeds to stomp that difficult elite pack.
That plus the item sink + much better economy overall, more balance between offensive and defensive items and prices as if less people used the AH.
Also, don't regret the softcore playtime. The experience earned there is invaluable to hardcore. Going into hardcore straight away would certainly lead to a couple dozen dumb deaths
absolute fact. it also allows you to experiement with builds and gear that you may not even get to see in HC... personally, i played a couple of my SC characters yesterday, and got so bored within minutes, that it's almost painful to play SC. don't get me wrong, i'm gonna get RoS, and when i do, my WD is gonna pwn any and everything in his path. short of checkin out the nephalem trials, and anything else they may put in, i'm gonna make a crusader to test out in SC, and get him maybe... 15-25 paragon levels, and then it's straight back to HC.. maybe with a crusader, maybe with my WD... who knows... but HC is where my home is now...