Diablo 3 Hard Core

[cranewings]

Anyone else playing it? I just got to the third act with my Witch Doctor, "Verbena." I'm feeling pretty excited.

This whole way I've focused mostly on defense. She uses a shield instead of a fetish, vitality higher even than intelligence, but still intelligence, and the spirit walk power under my middle finger at all times. Despite all that, I don't feel like killing is that hard, although my other character is a wizard and I haven't played the barbarian yet.

[Talonhawke]

Planning to start a monk up on hardcore mostly do it the inate healing i get just from beating things with my abilities. I'll let you know how it goes.

[cranewings]

Talonhawke wrote:

Planning to start a monk up on hardcore mostly do it the inate healing i get just from beating things with my abilities. I'll let you know how it goes.

Yeah, I am nervous about the monk in hardcore. A light armored melee character? Makes me think of Pathfinder (;

[Talonhawke]

LOL yeah well I tend to off-hand a shield and if you keep your spirit spent = x health gained at a decent amount you work out okay. Right now for instance every spin kick I let off coverts into about 200 health and I'm just about mid-way through Act II.

[Maerimydra]

Question from a newb:

How does hardcore work?

[Talonhawke]

You die its over. There is no coming back.

[cranewings]

Talonhawke wrote:

LOL yeah well I tend to off-hand a shield and if you keep your spirit spent = x health gained at a decent amount you work out okay. Right now for instance every spin kick I let off coverts into about 200 health and I'm just about mid-way through Act II.

That's pretty slick actually.

[Maerimydra]

Talonhawke wrote:

You die its over. There is no coming back.

That's it? No upside? What about honor or having your character's name on a ladder board on Battlenet? :P

[cranewings]

Maerimydra wrote:

Talonhawke wrote:

You die its over. There is no coming back.

That's it? No upside? What about honor or having your character's name on a ladder board on Battlenet? :P

For me, there isn't any point to Diablo in normal mode. When you die, you just reappear with no penalty (besides a few gold coins) and a bunch of hurt enemies. I can't pay attention to it.

Hardcore Diablo is basically the same way as I play Pathfinder: I need people to be dying, be scared of death, and expect death or there is nothing to draw my attention in. With death looming though, it is really compelling.

[Maerimydra]

cranewings wrote:

Maerimydra wrote:

Talonhawke wrote:

You die its over. There is no coming back.

That's it? No upside? What about honor or having your character's name on a ladder board on Battlenet? :P

For me, there isn't any point to Diablo in normal mode. When you die, you just reappear with no penalty (besides a few gold coins) and a bunch of hurt enemies. I can't pay attention to it.

Hardcore Diablo is basically the same way as I play Pathfinder: I need people to be dying, be scared of death, and expect death or there is nothing to draw my attention in. With death looming though, it is really compelling.

In Diablo II, you used to lose XP everytime your character died, is that no longer the case?

[cranewings]

Maerimydra wrote:

cranewings wrote:

Maerimydra wrote:

Talonhawke wrote:

You die its over. There is no coming back.

That's it? No upside? What about honor or having your character's name on a ladder board on Battlenet? :P

For me, there isn't any point to Diablo in normal mode. When you die, you just reappear with no penalty (besides a few gold coins) and a bunch of hurt enemies. I can't pay attention to it.

Hardcore Diablo is basically the same way as I play Pathfinder: I need people to be dying, be scared of death, and expect death or there is nothing to draw my attention in. With death looming though, it is really compelling.

In Diablo II, you used to lose XP everytime your character died, is that no longer the case?

I honestly don't know. All your gear looses 10% of its durability, so you have to pay a few pennies to get it fixed. That's all I know for sure.

The worst thing in the old diablo was that you actually dropped your gear and had to go retrieve it. At least that was in Diablo 1. There were a number of times where I saw people lose their gear to mobs they flat out could not take and their gear was lost forever. It was exciting.

[cranewings]

I just died at level 29 in the heart of darkness. The situation was fubar. I was up against freeze bombs, jailers, and phasers in the same fight. I successfully jaunted through the pack, blew up my dogs behind me, and then made my final mistake.

Instead of just running, I stopped to see what died.

Nothing really but my dogs.

When I tried to run, it was to late.

Died to a soul lasher while in jail.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

My personal opinion>

F' Hardcore mode! As often as the game lags (in single player) or has some other glitch F that right in the A.

Just my opinion.

[Klaus van der Kroft]

I'm currently wary of trying Hardcore mode, mostly for the same reasons listed by our resident caffeine construct. The game works pretty good in general, but 90% of the times I die is because I lag out in the worst possible moment.

So I'm waiting until lag spikes are no longer a life-threatening issue to venture into Hardcore.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

I would consider hardcore if I had a character that created a mob. Like the old D2 necromancer.

[cranewings]

Just made it to the 4th act with my Hardcore Wizard, "Vlad." Dude is level 31 and has higher DPS and Armor than my 34 wizard I upgraded in Nightmare some. I've really twinked him out with the auction house best I can afford. He still seems to take a lot of damage, but he has the stats to kill Diablo in theory all ready.

[Exocrat]

I've got my Witch Doctor up to 47 in Act III Nightmare. Spirit vessel has saved me a time or two but mostly I just jaunt my way out of trouble and let my Templar and Gargantuan take the beating. I've been farming areas on and off and trying to max out my gear with aid of the AH, so it's not too bad. Once I get well into hell difficulty and hit 60 I'm sure it will get dicey.

[cranewings]

Exocrat wrote:

I've got my Witch Doctor up to 47 in Act III Nightmare. Spirit vessel has saved me a time or two but mostly I just jaunt my way out of trouble and let my Templar and Gargantuan take the beating. I've been farming areas on and off and trying to max out my gear with aid of the AH, so it's not too bad. Once I get well into hell difficulty and hit 60 I'm sure it will get dicey.

So what's your strategy for beating teleporters? My wizard is level 32 / just hit nightmare. He has been chased a few times but his self generated DPS is amazing. My Level 29 WD died because she got separated from her minions and caught by some phasers, even after jaunting.

[Exocrat]

I think I'm just leveled and geared enough that I can eat the damage. Sometimes I have to kite while taking light damage. Also, between the soul-eating AOE ability (I forget what it's called), jaunt, spirit vessel, and templar healing, I usually have enough healing and panic buttons to stay out of trouble.

[cranewings]

Rockin