The Hardcore Diaries: A New Beginning
by JR Cook - 10 years ago show comments
Welcome back to Blizzpro. I am Dannie “IAmDiR23” Ray, and today I want to share with you a very interesting letter that I got from a Diablo 3 player that recently made the switch to Hardcore. Just like Neinball has said many times, starting up Hardcore can be a game changing experience, and this man certainly discovered this firsthand.
But don’t let me hog all the spotlight, give this letter a read and it might change the way you look at Diablo 3 forever.
The Hardcore Diaries: A New Beginning
by Jason Taylor
Hardcore, the experience gamers have missed for far too long…
Hello fellow Diablo players my name is Jason Taylor, known to many as wowjason62606, and I have been a fan of the Diablo series since the original. Like many of you I was ecstatic the day I finally got my hands on the long awaited new installment of the series, Diablo 3. A little backstory of my experience so far; I have logged over 100 hours on every single class Diablo 3 and its expansion, Reaper of Souls, have to offer. I’ve found that while all of the classes have something I enjoy, there was something missing about my gameplay experience.
Like many when I first started my Diablo 3 adventure, I was given two choices on how to proceed. My first option was quite simple, Softcore mode, a rather normal type of gameplay experience with the unlimited respawns gamers are used to these days. Softcore was a really accesible choice and it is no suprise that it was the default game mode. My other option loomed in the shadows, and it was a really terrifying one as it was a game mode where you only live once. A simple death and your Hero would be reduced to a memory, I had the option to be Hardcore.
I really never had the slightest interest in Hardcore mode as the thought of losing something I spent so much time and effort on seemed absolutely horrible. I imagined myself being slaughtered by the minions of hell and not seeing the resurrect button appear to tell me it was ok, that I had tried my best and would be brought back to this world to seek out my vengeance on the hordes who had slain me. I had heard horrible stories of how people had lost their characters to insanely powerful elite packs, boss mechanics they had never seen before or even a dreaded disconnect and to be honest none of that sounded fun to me. So I happily selected default or “Softcore” mode, and never looked back. I have enjoyed many battles, tremendous victories and achievements with both friends and random fellow adventurers, who like me just wanted to enjoy the game and get awesome items to become more powerful and reach the highest difficulties. But at some point I felt like something was missing from my gameplay experience, after many hours of thinking I just couldn’t find an answer that satisfied me. But when some people I knew decided to make the switch, I started to wonder what I was missing over there in the land of terror that is Hardcore. Surely there must be something I don’t see that has drawn so many clan members and friends to its depths never to return to Softcore, leaving me behind in this world of comfort I had grown accustomed to. But what was it about Hardcore that had drawn them all in? People who had always shared the same apprehensions and views as me had abandoned all safety and traded it for this other mode of play.
So I decided to visit a place on the forums that in days past, I hardly even acknowledged its existence: the Hardcore section. To me I always imagined the Hardcore Forums as a bunch of elitists laughing at the death and loss of other players’ heroes, as they remained alive to gloat over the fallen. What I actually found astonished me, there was a sense of comradery and dare I say family in this section of the forums that one usually only sees in clan chat with real life or longtime friends and relatives. I saw nothing but threads of advice on how to survive, how to gear differently, and of course the unavoidable threads of fallen heroes. This part astonished me most of all rarely is there a negative post in these threads of death, no matter how they happened, be it a disheartening disconnect or a foolish attempt at a difficulty someone was ill-prepared for or simply a great boss battle that had not gone their way. There instead was a recurring theme in all of these threads, a simple three letter word kept appearing, RIP. These were usually then followed by a message of understanding and or encouragement to re roll and try again, no taunting, no gloating, and no elitism. That was it! I had found what I felt the game was missing, that next level of adventure and so I did it; I accepted the agreement that no matter how my hero dies, he is dead forever. I have entered this realm of terror with wide eyes and hint of unsettling and impending doom; I have become a member of the Hardcore player base.
One Life To Live: it seems like a silly statement, an obvious point when entering this mode of the game. But when I really thought about the depth of these words it resonated within me. No longer can I rush through content without thinking of the consequences that my decisions will have. No longer can I leap into any fight no matter the odds of survival, for if I do, I could lose everything in the blink of an eye. Starting fresh is an amazing feeling in any game, but I found it particularly invigorating this time around; knowing not only if I die does my hero lose everything, but also that I have no crutch to hold me up. I have nothing, no gems, no gold, no paragon levels and no gear, my character sheet has single digits in the damage section and there’s nothing I can do about it. That is until I take my first step into battle and attack my first enemy in hopes to find something, anything really that could be more useful. So there I stood in front of the gates of New Tristram with enemies blocking my path, I couldn’t believe this I was tense and nervous how could this be I’ve killed these same enemies hundreds of times. Then I realized it, right then and there, with my heartbeat racing and my hand slightly shaking. I ran in and attacked for the first time, knowing I have everything to lose, but more importantly, everything to gain!
I will never forget my first playthrough of Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls on Hardcore mode; every battle no matter how small, or how large, was approached in a way I had never imagined before. The thought processes I was going through to ensure my heroes survival were incredible and in-depth. Each battle I was making sure I had a way out, so if for any reason I became overwhelmed by enemies or overpowered by an elite pack with a particularly nasty combination of abilities I could run and live to fight another day. I found myself trying to avoid picking up health globes, so that if I needed them in battle they were available to me later to turn the tide in my favor. I found myself saving shrine effects in case I ran into an elite pack or even a double pack so I could use it to save myself. I found my gear was aimed at not only dealing damage but being able to survive at all costs; even the skills I chose were entirely different as a result of this style of play. Most importantly I found myself engaged in a way I haven’t felt in a video game in years, I was not only enjoying the experience of playing in this new mode but I was invested in it on a level I would not have thought possible before experiencing it firsthand.
During this new experience I traversed areas I had seen countless times, I slayed enemies that I had killed before, and I fought bosses that I had bested many times over in the past. But it wasn’t like it used to be, in fact it was completely different. You could say I was in newfound lands, it was as if this new perspective made it so I was seeing them for the first time all over again, It was just like I was fighting enemies that I had never really fought before. Now every monster, champion, elite, minion, and boss was an infinitely evil creature eager to smite me from this very existence, this time permanently. But I was no longer nervous or afraid to lose it all, no I was excited and willing to face it knowing that I may only have one life to live but that is what can make it be such an epic adventure.
I’ve finally mastered my own fear, and I’ve become stronger for it. I encourage anyone with even the tiniest inkling that there may be more to this game than you thought to join me and take up the war cry of the Hardcore. For we all have just one life to live, so let it be filled with adventure of the unknown and all those new friends who are just waiting for you to take that first great leap of faith and join them in the most epic of journeys.
To my fallen brothers and sisters I say simply this, RIP and may your next adventure be even greater. I know that one day I will lose my first Hardcore hero, that is after all the only inevitable truth about this game mode, but I will never lose the memories or the friendships I have made along the way.
