world of warcraft Classic Hardcore mode is something we’ve hoped Blizzard would officially support for some time. Now that dream has come true: dedicated servers for WoW Classic Hardcore are here and you can try them out on the PTR. As we prepare for the fight of our lives, a player raised concerns about how trading will work in the MMORPG’s new mode, prompting a response from Blizzard that may not be what you want to hear.
In a lengthy post on the official WoW forums, World of Warcraft Community Council member ‘Azelon’ expresses his “concerns about Classic Hardcore”. His first concern is with regards to the ‘String of Ears’ cosmetic buff, which you get by completing Deathmatches: PvP matches where you challenge another player to a duel.
However, the main focal point is the trading system. Azleon’s concern is that, in its current state, trading allows high-level players to farm powerful weapons for low-level players, upsetting the balance of the game. They also call for a ban on “chain trading,” the practice of trading weapons for level ranks (a level 50 player will give an item to a level 45 player, then pass it on to a level 43 player, and so on). successively), and ask for limits on the amount of gold that can be traded back and forth.
In response, Senior Game Producer Josh ‘Aggrend’ Greenfield states that “no change mode is not something we are looking to roll out to all players, without the ability to opt out. Generally speaking, we are uncomfortable with removing player agency or restricting options unless absolutely necessary.”
However, he clarifies that “we are listening to feedback on this and are considering some ideas on how to add a subscription option for the game without trade or ‘auto-found’ in the future. There are a few ways to potentially address this, but they are all outside the scope of our initial 1.14.4 patch release and will need to come with a future Classic Era Hardcore update.
“To the best of my knowledge, the current tools and plugins that the community uses to enforce these challenges will continue to be maintained and work, and that remains an option that is fully available to those who wish to pursue additional challenges. We expect player communities to spring up around these subscription restrictions as well, which we’re very excited to see.”
As someone who plays a lot of hardcore on Blizzard’s sister series Diablo, I can immediately see where trading is a problem. To use Azelon’s words, “Classic Hardcore should be about the journey from level one when you start with nothing and survive through all the difficulties”, and I completely agree. Hopefully Blizzard finds a happy medium, but I like Azelon’s idea of ​​giving the item a cooldown as a penalty for constant trading.
If you’re looking to dive into WoW Classic Hardcore, you can check out our WoW WotLK Death Knight guide; after all, they are the new (but old) kids on the block. We also have a WoW WotLK Affliction Warlock guide, and given their high DPS output, they are worth considering for your more intense runs.