New Season: HC is the place to be

[~Foxfire~]

New Season: HC is the place to be

As an old time D2 player, I must admit I can no longer play softcore. Hardcore truly has it all, with only a few minor drawbacks.
I started playing HC in late .09, and haven't gone back to SC. The PvM aspects of it are far more entertaining, as you have your character on the line. The public is a different crowd altogether, you get to skip many of the flame-happy youngin's; though there are still flame-happy 'matured' players as well. But most importantly, as far as PvM goes, you get to prove your character's valor by his very existance: Avoiding death with every second he's played.

The most entertaining aspect of HC, however, is PvP. Nothing gets your heart racing like a loot duel. While the dueling rules are very different, and will certainly take some time to adjust to (There's virtually no such thing as BM), the rush you get while in the heat of battle cannot be matched by any game I've had the privelege to play yet.

There is the drawback of losing your character, and note, this is more likely to happen than not, especially coming from SC. However you will find a whole new meaning to the game. If you haven't played HC yet, make this your first attempt. Bring your f list over and start together. It may be your last chance to start a ladder fresh on HC. This last reset took closer to 2 years, than the 1 year pace it was on before. I urge you all to join the mayhem and excel as Diablo players. See you on HC!

-*Sh4ttered, WHCL

 

[akumaxxyz]

hc is all pvm, it will never have the level of pvp that softcore does.

 

[jesterlolz]

Haha, that means we will own their faces off :grin: .

I'm thinking about doing some hardcore, if I do west again, I'll whisper you or something fox, and maybe you could give me some tips :wink3: .

 

[Camden]

"There is hardly any bm"

LOL? You haven't played hc for very long then. People do whatever it takes to win.

Hc dueling is for people with WAY too much time on their hands.

 

[CaptnSparrow]

"There is hardly any bm"

LOL? You haven't played hc for very long then. People do whatever it takes to win.

Hc dueling is for people with WAY too much time on their hands.

I think what he meant by that was nobody considers anything really BM because everyone understands that characters are on the line. And when that much of an individual's time investment is up in the air, that person will do all they can to win.

 

[Kiba]

The sound of tppk does not sound fun.

 

[Camden]

I think what he meant by that was nobody considers anything really BM because everyone understands that characters are on the line. And when that much of an individual's time investment is up in the air, that person will do all they can to win.

Ah, maybe. If that's the case, my apologies for misunderstanding ~.~;

 

[~Foxfire~]

Yeah that is the case, I was slightly unclear as well.

And you're right on some level, HC will never be on the same level of PvP that SC is, as SC contains no risk. Important to note, that doesn't mean a better level, but the same level. HC is very much a different sort of PvP, and no, you don't get a duel every day. But here's the difference: The duels matter. An ear matters very much. Being offered in excess of 20 highrunes (Which were the standard of trade, and a stronger standard than the HR of SC) for a specific ear is a nice feeling. Even nicer when you turn it down.

As for HC dueling being for people with way too much time on their hands, only partially true. D2 is for people with way too much time on their hands .

And Jester, you're probably right. The truth is, man to man, there is rarely an HC player who will beat you on your terms, your rules. SC players get a LOT of exposure to dueling. Duelers like myself actually borrow friends' SCNL accounts to duel with to keep in shape, because it's true, you don't want to be rusty with your charms, and often gear on the line. We've had a handful of former SC players come over with amazing playing skill, and I've got a lot of respect for that. I in fact challenge you to come over, because that's the very reason I'm petitioning for it. I can't be sure that you'll prefer the HC style over SC, but it certainly does minimize the shat talk: You can tell who won by who's got the ear

As for tppk, yeah it's not fun. And for first timers, it's especially not fun. Truth is I went all of Season 3 without being tppked once: And not because I wasn't targeted. In S2 I gathered about 5 tppk ears in a very short period of time, one of which I still get comments about. The reputation put me at the top of a lot of lists. I was once in a Hell Baal run in S3 with 6 other TPPK characters. I didn't get tagged once . TPPK can be beat. A combination of knowing what to look for, and a certain level of preparation will make you near invulnerable. I have more TPPK'er ears than I've been tppked, if that is proof enough. I'm happy to give more specific instruction if anyone's interested. This forum has a handful of similar suggestions if you'd like to do a search.

One thing I forgot to mention in my initial post, low level dueling is a ton of fun as well. There's a lot more low level PK'ers, the hunt is often intense to say the least. There's not much like taking the ear off of 70's and 80's from a ~45

 

[akumaxxyz]

i dont want to turn this into a sc vs hc debate but duelers in sc are far way better its the truth, and about paying hrs for ears? who really the hell cares? you can get runes easily on sc, plus items dont goto waste.

killing tppks means you just kill some poor player who need to rely on hacks.

the low pks is all about the 1 hit kos and chug juv left and right add in the random person who uses chicken and thats hc duels for you..

people spend way more time on hc duels than in sc, constant dying and constant leveling or having trouble looking for that specific item on a small trading enconomy

hc dueling imo is really really stupid, killing someone once doesnt necessarily mean your automatically better than the other person, and if you want a rematch? you remake! lol..

sc you duel on and on to see whose better.

 

[~Foxfire~]

Akuma, you're right on a couple of aspects. HC dueling can require a little more time when it comes to remaking, as well as when it comes to finding a duel. Important to note, however, a duel does not always end in an ear. I'd venture to say in fact, that they on average don't, especially with your more talented duelers. You'll empty a couple belts full of juvs before you end up with an ear. However, I have never spent much time rebuilding. In fact, I don't remember losing a character that I had to rebuild to a duel. I've been more than fortunate with my duelers, however. Somehow I tend to come out on top, call it luck or skill, I refuse to choose a side in that debate.

As for killing tppkers, it's true: they do rely on hacks for their tppks. What you may not have noted, is that many tppkers are actually talented duelers. Some use their tppk script to take down opponents who won't duel them. Last season there was actually a very talented tppker who was more bored with the dueling community and still wanted a few ears to his name. I would be quicker to generalize tppkers as perhaps bored with the game, quicker than I would as without skill. I myself use no 3rd party programs at any extent and do not at all condone them (I in fact pride myself on my success without them, especially vs those who partake).

And as for paying for ears with HR's, to each their own. I personally would never pay for an ear, I'm usually more than capable of taking it myself in a duel... however not always able to get that duel . There are a handful of rather wealthy players however, who have been taken out at the hands of a pker. I know a specific person who was chasing 99 who was taken out by the same pker under a different character name, TWICE at 97. He put a similar bounty out on that tppker. That kind of repetition and annoyance may serve to promote a bounty .

And I'd agree with your statement about SC players being better than HC players. Again, that's why I invite you over. Having been through the competition, I seek new challenges under the HC thrill. I wouldn't be so quick to say constant death nor constant rebuilding. Again, I haven't had to rebuild often. You're dead on, however, on the small trading economy. While not the case at the beginning of ladder, the economy does take a turn for the slim a good ways in. Sometimes we have to settle for sub-perfect gear. On the bright side, chances are good that the sub-perfect gear we've settled for is still good enough to do the job, and therefore serve it's purpose.

As for 1hits and chicken users with reference to LLD, and well, even high lvls, a certain amount of that is spot on. You are likely to encounter cowards who'd rather cheat to hopefully stave off death or beat you. In my eyes, however, it's a loss in itself. Important to note, there are a handful of builds to overcome such cowardly displays of HC. 1hitting people for 6k life is a blast, I must say

As for low pks, yeah usually 1hits. As for low lvl duels, chugging juvs is more accurate. Even still, that's an awful large overgeneralization.

And as for time spent on HC, I imagine it's not less *time* spent as on SC. In SC it's easier to get your duel, sure. But the actual time spent in front of the computer ought to be the same. I mean, you're either going to spend the time on the computer or you won't, how much you spend certainly should be up to you.

And you're absolutely right about whether or not killing someone once makes you the better. I've lost to people who are actually worse in either skill or gear or build. Perhaps lag, perhaps the occasional hack. It happens. However, the same is true for SC. These kinds of things can ruin duels, and the chance to re-try the duel can make it a more even playing ground. However the element of surprise can be taken out of it, and on the 2nd time the lag may not be the only element taken out of it. Perhaps a 2nd try can give the former loser insight enough to the intentions of the former winner, and turn the tides. Even in the case of a loss, I'd like to believe in the existance of the element of surprise. It's just as much a part of some builds as the rest of it.

Akuma I do want to thank you for your post and your information, flame free and insightful. I do appreciate the lack of flaming, between you and I, I believe we can give SC players a good idea of what they can expect with HC play.

 

[fraquar]

I can honestly say I've tried the HC route - with the first 3 characters I created getting PK'ed by level 30's or higher in act 1. Needless to say in the SC world I could still continue on - but in the HC world why bother?

In a couple of weeks we will be right back where we started with the economy flooded with duped runes and the like. If they went nearly 2 years without caring about the dupes last time........

 

[akumaxxyz]

tppks being talented? funny heh.. if they are good why hide in sc where theres not much competition at all

 

[Uncle_Mike]

tppks being talented? funny heh.. if they are good why hide in sc where theres not much competition at all

Even though I've not played hardcore I am sure skill has to be involved as well :wink3:

It's interesting to see a hc player post btw.

 

[akumaxxyz]

tppk takes no skill its done by scripts.. and if there is the occational manual tppk it just need good timing and quick reflex

 

[~Foxfire~]

Oh I apologize, I was unclear again.

The skill of the tppker I was speaking of was about his dueling skill. He actually was a talented dueler. He became somewhat an archnemesis for me, as my target tends to be tppkers.

As for the skill required to actually tppk, certainly nowhere near that of a real duel. However, timing and target selection, as well as position and gear camouflaging all make a good bit of difference. The 2 visual gear givaways, while not required, were Death's Fathom and Nightwing's. They'd keep their NW on their merc and their DF on 'w'. Cold sorcs were especially fun to get shot at by. 300res in cold charms goes a long ways

As for being pk'd by lvl 30's, there's virtually no excuse for that. With the hostile timers at waypoints, there's only 2 areas to be feared for being pk'd by a lvl 30, likely upp'd bonesnap pally. Blood Moor, and the Sewers. You don't want to even go into those areas if you're being followed by a lvl like that. Use waypoints, and esc/exit when the hostile hits. PK'ing the legitimate way has very much gone by the wayside, the only successes are either those new to HC, or who were unaware of the power a low pker can put out. I've seen some fall to str bugging before as well, back when that was kind of a new thing.

As for why get up after your first death? I know the feeling. It's not to say that people don't quit HC on a death, or even 3. Sometimes I don't understand how 1 person can be tppked every time they get ~60, and rebuild each time. Or losing a fortune on a character, be it dueler or PvM, the feeling can be the same. But for me, these are the things that make actual gameplay more fun. The builds and strategies to avoid these things throw an extra curve into every part of D2. The ubers are especially fun for instance. Or even just getting the Dkeys from Nihl. I personally couldn't go back to SC for the PvM aspects alone. As I play games for the PvP aspect, it's just that much more intense.

 

[jesterlolz]

It seems to me the really intense duels are mld and lld. While playing hardcore with a strafer a while ago, I watched an amazingly intense duel between a mld fc bear and a mld windy. It took a really long time, and was quite intense.

I might get into hc about 1/2 way through the ladder, but I'm gonna start out doing what I do best - softcore.

 

[~Foxfire~]

The best part about HC is the early start, vying for your life with shat for gear is intense . But yeah, lld and mld are far more sane ways to pvp, and just as valid. I do both. My 56 FC was great S2, and my 48 necro is still to this day one of my favs. 18 pals are always fun, I've got a preference for zeal, but chargers tend to get the ear quicker.