WoW Classic Learns From Diablo 4; Hardcore Server Testing Begins
Fans of dying in Blizzard games don't have to limit themselves to Diablo 4. Soon World of Warcraft Classic will also enable the players to play with permadeath.
Not just Diablo IV players can now risk everything (read: a character with all virtual possessions). Official Hardcore servers are heading to World of Warcraft Classic and now the developers have discussed all the changes associated with it.
You can read the details on WoW's official website, but we have briefly discussed the most important information below. In addition, the developer has released an infographic with a brief description of the changes you can expect from Hardcore servers in WoW Classic.
Hardcore mode in WoW Classic at a glance.Source: Blizzard Entertainment / Twitter.
The most obvious difference between regular Realms and their "hardcore" variants is the system of permanent character death. It doesn't matter whether it occurs at the hands of a mob, an NPC or another player - death means the definitive end of the game and even resurrection abilities won't prevent the loss of a character.
However, this one change entailed a host of others. To balance the gameplay, Blizzard has modified numerous quests and game mechanics.
- One of the most important new features is the hero's remaining after death as a ghost and the possibility of its migration to regular WoW Classic servers. This will enable us to deal with important matters from beyond the grave, so to speak (for example, to hand over power in a guild), and also means that after permadeath we will be able to continue playing with a given character, only not in Hardcore mode.
- Blizzard has also decided to introduce restrictions preventing so-called powerlevelling. Up to level 60, all dungeons will be locked for them for 24 hours after completion. On top of that, players will receive very few experience points if their level is significantly higher than the slaughtered enemy (read: you won't powerlevel a new character with a maxed-out buddy).
- As a consolation: all the content from WoW Classic will be available from the very beginning, including all raids.
Fans of ravioli will be entranced.Source: Blizzard Entertainment.
Sizable changes have been made in PvP.
- Player characters will not be able to be automatically flagged for clashes with other players after attacking them. It will be necessary to type the command "/pvp" in chat. The same applies to some quests that so far could make a player get a "PvP flag".
- In addition, Battlegrounds will not be available. It will still be possible to participate in Warfare, but neither Honor nor Reputation will be gained in them. Also keep in mind that dying during them will also be irreversible!
- A new feature will be the option to Duel to the Death, available by clicking on another player's portrait or typing the "/makgora" command. The winner will receive a trophy in the form of an ear - a cosmetic "enhancement" to show off to other players.
This is just a general description of the changes. Blizzard also decided to remove mechanics whose presence was due to technical limitations at the release of the original WoW, and in Classic they were left in just to stay true to that release. They include the removal of the limit on buffs and debuffs.
The developers also made it clear that all toxic behavior will not be tolerated. Some of them will not be possible as a result of the developer's changes (including running high-level mobs "on a leash" through several locations to torment novice characters), but Blizzard will also not be lenient either to those who intentionally spoil the fun for others, or those who abuse the player reporting system.
Hardcore mode will hit test realm (PTR) of World of Warcraft Classic later today, and will debut for everyone by the end of the summer. Let's mention that the testing will include a level 30 cap (via interview of Tyler "Sarthe" Robinson with senior technical designer Tim Jones and chief programming engineer Ana Resendez).
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Author: Jacob Blazewicz
Graduated with a master's degree in Polish Studies from the University of Warsaw with a thesis dedicated to this very subject. Started his adventure with gamepressure.com in 2015, writing in the Newsroom and later also in the film and technology sections (also contributed to the Encyclopedia). Interested in video games (and not only video games) for years. He began with platform games and, to this day, remains a big fan of them (including Metroidvania). Also shows interest in card games (including paper), fighting games, soulslikes, and basically everything about games as such. Marvels at pixelated characters from games dating back to the time of the Game Boy (if not older).
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