Classic Hardcore is upon us. Get a quick refresher on the content available, the special considerations for Hardcore and be ready for your ticket into a new adventure!
As we've mentioned in our previous article on the Rules of Engagement, all content available in WoW Classic will be unlocked from the moment Hardcore realms open. This has certain implications for would-be adventurers that you should know about, especially in relation to quests, dungeons, and raids.
Quests & World
Items added to early dungeons late in the original release of World of Warcraft will be available in their final state in Classic Hardcore realms.
Dungeon Set quests will be available.
You can undertake quests to complete sets such as Deathmist Raiment or Soulforge Armor from the moment you meet the requirements (though we advise caution—some of these quests can be incredibly dangerous to unprepared adventurers).
The gates of Ahn'Qiraj will be open from the start.
It won't be possible for any player to become a Scarab Lord, but the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline will be available, should you feel inclined to truly test your limits.
Certain areas of the world that were unguarded will have the presence of guards (such as Light's Hope Chapel in Eastern Plaguelands). Beware of enemy settlements, and absolutely no funny business around guards. They have no qualms about bringing an abrupt end to your Hardcore adventures if you end up hostile to them.
Dungeons
As a reminder, in Classic Hardcore most dungeons are on a 24-hour lockout. This is to encourage you to face the dangers of the open world—where the main part of the Hardcore journey takes place.
In addition, Classic Hardcore realms will feature adjusted behavior for creatures in most dungeons to make it significantly more difficult to endlessly snare and kite enemies, on top of a significant reduction to group XP earned when there is large disparity between player levels in the same group.
Dire Maul and any associated quests will be available from the start. Loot drop sources from dungeon bosses will follow the latest iteration of WoW Classic Era realms (for example, the Hand of Justice trinket will drop from Emperor Thaurissan, not General Angerforge). Here's a complete list of moved items to help you make sure you're finding your favorite drops wherever they are:
Raids
All raid instances are open, from Molten Core to Naxxramas. The attunement process for each raid remains unchanged. Boss encounter mechanics will be the same as the current Classic Era realms (no new boss mechanics from Season of Mastery will carry over). World bosses like Lord Kazzak, Azuregos, and the Nightmare Dragons will also be there, ready to finish off anyone foolish enough to approach them unprepared.
Remember that just because you can zone into a raid, it doesn't mean that you should. We recommend grouping only with trusted guildmates and exercising extreme amounts of caution in raids. You have been warned.
You Only Live Once
Classic Hardcore realms challenge you to play World of Warcraft in a completely new way. Will you meet your doom, or rise to the high ranks of legendary champions? We'll see you (or your ghost) in Azeroth!