You only have to watch a few Classic Hardcore Moments videos to realize that most people who die in Classic Hardcore die to the same mistakes.
If you decided to finally try out Classic World of Warcraft with the release of the 20th Anniversary servers, here are some beginner tips for WoW Classic Hardcore to help you get to Level 60.
If you've only ever played new expansions like Shadowlands, Dragonflight, and The War Within, it can be easy to underestimate just how grueling Classic WoW can be.
This isn't Season of Discovery with 150% increased leveling speed and overpowered runes. The best Classic WoW streamers in the world have only reached the mid-30s after a week of little sleep.
Classic Hardcore WoW means walking everywhere until level 40, taking on enemies one by one to play it safe, and utilizing all the tools you have for survival. Here are some tips to help you survive until level 60.
First, you need to pick the right class. Every class in Classic World of Warcraft has different pros and cons, and you need to think about your playstyle. Mages provide portals and free food and drinks. Paladins get a free mount at level 40. Warlocks and Hunters utilize their pets to be the fastest levelers in Classic. Priest is the best healer, but Shamans have an easier time switching between healer and DPS.
Take some time to think about the classes your friends are playing, or what class would make it easier to survive on your own.
Only do green level quests and kill green level mobs. A lot of serious hardcore players ONLY do green level quests for the entire leveling process from 1-60. Does this take longer than doing riskier quests and defeating elites? Yes, but it's much easier to guarantee your survival this way.
Use your consumables. Have your potions on your action bar in easy to reach places. Some players even write macros to use health potions automatically when their health reaches a certain percent. You can't keep your inventory if you die, so make sure to use your potions when you need them.
Max out first aid. The first aid profession will allow you to use cloth scraps to craft bandages that will save your life over and over again.
Have an alt bank account. Just in case you were to die while playing Classic Hardcore, keep everything of value on an alternate character. Keep only the minimal amount of gold you can on the character you're playing.
Upgrade your weapons and spells. Some of the first quests you should do in Hardcore WoW should be weapon progression. Wowhead's database for weapons will let you filter what class you are and what kind of weapon you should look for early on in Hardcore.
Zoom out as much as possible. However far away you think you need to be to avoid pulling mobs, always be farther out than that. Zooming out can help you get a bird's eye view of your surroundings and avoid pulling mobs that may be out of your line of sight. The addon Leatrix Plus lets you zoom out farther than the base game allows.
Turn on NPC nameplates. The wolf that's blending into the rocky background? It's much easier to see with a nameplate above it. Turn on all the nameplates possible in the Interface options.
Prioritize caster mobs. Caster mobs like the infamous Defias Pillagers are grossly overpowered for their level. If you are in an encounter with casters, prioritize killing them first. Utilize your interrupts, stuns, and line of sight to avoid being hit.
Understand how to lose mob aggro. Mobs that you unintentionally pulled will follow you for a long time, but if you play it safe, you will eventually lose them. A mob that is following you starts a timer, and if they are hit within that timer, it resets. If you play a pet class like Warlock or Hunter, make sure your pets are on passive while running from enemies.
Avoid dueling. This one is probably obvious, but if you want to fully level to 60, avoid the temptation to duel in a Mak'gora. If you manage to petri out of a duel, you'll be inflicted with the Coward debuff in WoW. The Coward debuff decreases all your stats by 20%, increases damage taken by 20%, and reduces all resistances and your armor by 20%.
Even worse, the Coward debuff lasts for 72 hours IN-GAME time. To safely drop the Coward debuff, players have to stand in town for 72 hours while logged in.
Be careful around elevators. The Undercity Elevator has taken countless lives in Classic Hardcore. Take an extra second to make sure it's not about to drop while you're walking on. Don't be on auto run.
Don't Alt-Tab while playing Classic Hardcore World of Warcraft. You've seen this in countless Hardcore Moments videos. Don't be walking anywhere on auto-run while you're looking at something else. Don't even STAND anywhere besides town while you're looking at another screen. It's always possible that you'll be layered into a dangerous situation.
Don't log off in the wild. Players should only log off while in a safe town or inn. If you log out in the wild, you could very well log back in to a zone where new mobs have spawned.
Be careful in mines and caves. Caves can be extra dangerous areas as there is only one way out if things go wrong. Make sure you don't get lost.
Be careful around towers. Plenty of players have met their death from fall damage from cliffs, towers, and bridges. Be careful and don't be on auto-run while traversing towers or other terrain with drops.
Check your party before entering a dungeon. If you join a party and one of the other players is under leveled, leave immediately.
Avoid underwater quests. Although the breath meter is long, it does run out. Drowning has taken plenty of lives in Classic Hardcore WoW, as well as dying to swimming mobs. Players are slowed while swimming, so it's harder to unleash mobs while in the water.
Save your gold. Unless you're playing a Paladin, you'll be paying a hefty fee for your ground mount at level 40. Try to use your money sparingly and put your savings in an alt bank.
Finally, remember not to take it too seriously. Even if you do everything right, you could still be ambushed by another player, sharded into a layer overrun with mobs, or sharded into a layer with an elite. Remember to have fun and keep the stream up so you can be featured on Hardcore Moments if you meet your demise.
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