After profiling the classes in the beta I picked up my fair share of negative comments, some of which I expected. Obviously claiming someone’s favorite class isn’t fun is sure to fan some flames but that isn’t my concern but after seeing comments like:
[quote]
Sooo, judgement calls with an overleveled Barb in the tutorial/easy part of the game. Easy gameplay with improved weapons (without having to rely on drops).
And then you’re repeating quests to “keep yourself alive”? You’re kidding right? Not even my dumbest friend was this bad at the game he had to do it.
I’ll love seeing how you’re possibly going to beat Nightmare/Hell/Inferno with a hc char without getting uber fed by other people.[/quote]
and
[quote]
”After a few deaths last week with the Barbarian…” You lost my interest somewhere here, noob [/quote]
When did dying become taboo?
Hardcore is a game that puts you on the edge and even the best Hardcore players will die. Death is a part of the game, and as a result, something I seek out in order to better understand what can be my undoing. It is the beta after all! What is the loss of a few hours to save many in the future? My beta attitude was just that. How far can I push each character to find their breaking point? How much is too much? What happens when my back is against the wall? All good things to know early on before you get going, and things that later on will come in handy.
If we can go through Hardcore without dying, without facing some challenge, then what is the point? What is even worse is that we should feel the need to hide our mistakes. We learn from our mistakes, and those of others, in order to get better. There should be no shame in dying, that’s why I don’t hide what I do. Is it disappointing? Of course, but each death is a reminder of why this mode is so exciting.
With release approaching, this column will change as well. I won’t need to preview ideas or speculate what will happen. The evidence will be in our hands(or on our Hard drives). So, in moving forward I bring the question to you: What do you want to hear about in Hardcore as the game goes live?
I have a few things lined up but this column will not just be my leveling process as I go through the game.
Deaths of the week: Submit your death, the who, the what and the how for a chance to be published in the column so your deeds can be remembered (plus it’s always nice if someone else does the dying)
Builds that are working: Builds for the classes that people are using and more importantly surviving with. How they work and how to use them.
Problem areas for [wiki]hardcore[/wiki]: Highlighting the areas that are killing the most people and how to get through them.
Bosses: Hardcore boss strategies and ideas for solo and group play.
Boss modifiers: MSLE still strikes fear into my heart. What will it be for D3? How do you bring it down safely?
PVP strategies and builds: Just going to say I’ll write about that, not holding my breath though.
Anything I missed or you want to see feel free to contact me with a PM or Email.
Next week: Hardcore 101: What do people need to know before they wander into hardcore?
One Life to Live covers the Hardcore play and life style in the Diablo community. It is written by Xanth and published weekly. Post your comments below, Follow me on Twitter @HCXanth or contact the author directly.