Hardcore is a trial for those ready to walk the hero's path with a single life. Here is how it works.
How to start
- The "Hardcore Contract" window appears only for a new level 1 character and only once. Demon Hunters (they start at level 98) are not offered the contract.
- The window is shown by the "Azeron Hardcore Contract" addon, which the launcher installs. Start the game through the launcher and make sure the addon is enabled in the addon list.
- Pick a mode, tick extra conditions if you want them and press "Sign the contract". The game will ask you to confirm once more and list the chosen conditions: check them carefully.
- "Decline (normal mode)": the character plays as usual. The window will not appear again and this character cannot become hardcore later.
- The offer is valid only at level 1: if the character reaches level 2 without answering, the window will not appear again.
- When signing, the character must not wear heirlooms, and for Iron Man nothing above white quality. Otherwise the contract is not accepted: unequip those items and sign again.
- A signed contract cannot be cancelled. The mode and the extra conditions stay the same until the end of the trial.
Modes
Hardcore: Veteran
- no mail (you cannot open a mailbox, receive or send letters) and no auction house;
- you cannot equip or use heirlooms;
- incoming healing is halved (food restores health as usual).
Iron Man: all Veteran rules, plus:
- only grey and white items can be equipped;
- you cannot pick class talents;
- you cannot use potions, elixirs, flasks or food with an extra effect (ordinary food and drink are allowed);
- beneficial effects from other players are not applied to you.
Blood Trail
- experience comes only from killing creatures; quests, exploration, gathering and everything else give no experience;
- health never regenerates on its own, neither in combat nor out of combat. Healing spells, potions and food work.
- Mail, the auction house and heirlooms are not restricted in this mode.
Extra conditions
They are ticked when signing and work in any mode:
- No health regeneration out of combat: health does not regenerate on its own while you are out of combat (in Blood Trail it does not regenerate anyway).
- Double falling damage.
- No dungeon finder: you cannot queue through group finder for dungeons, raids or scenarios. If at least one group member has this condition, the whole group cannot join such a queue.
How to check a mode
- Type .hc info in chat to see your contract: mode, extra conditions, character state and how many times the trial was continued.
- To see another player's mode and conditions, target that player (they must be nearby, in sight) and type .hc info. The command does not show the AZ Coins balance.
Death
- Any death (from a creature, another player, a fall, in water or in lava) stops the trial. The whole world learns about it.
- "Release Spirit" is unavailable and the character cannot be resurrected in any other way: the spirit healer, other players' resurrection spells, a soulstone or reincarnation will not help.
- The "Continue the trial?" window appears with two buttons:
- "Continue for 300 AZ Coins": 300 AZ Coins are taken from your account balance, the character is resurrected on the spot with full health and no resurrection sickness, and the trial goes on. The mode and conditions stay the same, and every next death brings the same choice again.
- "End the trial": after you confirm, the character is deleted and you return to the character selection screen.
- The window shows your balance. If it is below 300 AZ Coins, the "Continue" button is unavailable and you can only end the trial. The character is never deleted on its own without your decision.
- If you close the game or lose connection before deciding, the character stays dead and waits. The window appears again at your next login. If you logged out, after continuing the character is resurrected where it is after login (usually at a graveyard).
- If the window did not appear, make sure the "Azeron Hardcore Contract" addon from the launcher is enabled in the addon list. The decision after death is made only in this window.
- These death rules apply to all hardcore characters, including those who chose hardcore before the contract appeared.
If a character died because of a server error, it can be restored on request: see the thread "How to request a restoration".
How to start
- The "Hardcore Contract" window appears only for a new level 1 character and only once. Demon Hunters (they start at level 98) are not offered the contract.
- The window is shown by the "Azeron Hardcore Contract" addon, which the launcher installs. Start the game through the launcher and make sure the addon is enabled in the addon list.
- Pick a mode, tick extra conditions if you want them and press "Sign the contract". The game will ask you to confirm once more and list the chosen conditions: check them carefully.
- "Decline (normal mode)": the character plays as usual. The window will not appear again and this character cannot become hardcore later.
- The offer is valid only at level 1: if the character reaches level 2 without answering, the window will not appear again.
- When signing, the character must not wear heirlooms, and for Iron Man nothing above white quality. Otherwise the contract is not accepted: unequip those items and sign again.
- A signed contract cannot be cancelled. The mode and the extra conditions stay the same until the end of the trial.
Modes
Hardcore: Veteran
- no mail (you cannot open a mailbox, receive or send letters) and no auction house;
- you cannot equip or use heirlooms;
- incoming healing is halved (food restores health as usual).
Iron Man: all Veteran rules, plus:
- only grey and white items can be equipped;
- you cannot pick class talents;
- you cannot use potions, elixirs, flasks or food with an extra effect (ordinary food and drink are allowed);
- beneficial effects from other players are not applied to you.
Blood Trail
- experience comes only from killing creatures; quests, exploration, gathering and everything else give no experience;
- health never regenerates on its own, neither in combat nor out of combat. Healing spells, potions and food work.
- Mail, the auction house and heirlooms are not restricted in this mode.
Extra conditions
They are ticked when signing and work in any mode:
- No health regeneration out of combat: health does not regenerate on its own while you are out of combat (in Blood Trail it does not regenerate anyway).
- Double falling damage.
- No dungeon finder: you cannot queue through group finder for dungeons, raids or scenarios. If at least one group member has this condition, the whole group cannot join such a queue.
How to check a mode
- Type .hc info in chat to see your contract: mode, extra conditions, character state and how many times the trial was continued.
- To see another player's mode and conditions, target that player (they must be nearby, in sight) and type .hc info. The command does not show the AZ Coins balance.
Death
- Any death (from a creature, another player, a fall, in water or in lava) stops the trial. The whole world learns about it.
- "Release Spirit" is unavailable and the character cannot be resurrected in any other way: the spirit healer, other players' resurrection spells, a soulstone or reincarnation will not help.
- The "Continue the trial?" window appears with two buttons:
- "Continue for 300 AZ Coins": 300 AZ Coins are taken from your account balance, the character is resurrected on the spot with full health and no resurrection sickness, and the trial goes on. The mode and conditions stay the same, and every next death brings the same choice again.
- "End the trial": after you confirm, the character is deleted and you return to the character selection screen.
- The window shows your balance. If it is below 300 AZ Coins, the "Continue" button is unavailable and you can only end the trial. The character is never deleted on its own without your decision.
- If you close the game or lose connection before deciding, the character stays dead and waits. The window appears again at your next login. If you logged out, after continuing the character is resurrected where it is after login (usually at a graveyard).
- If the window did not appear, make sure the "Azeron Hardcore Contract" addon from the launcher is enabled in the addon list. The decision after death is made only in this window.
- These death rules apply to all hardcore characters, including those who chose hardcore before the contract appeared.
If a character died because of a server error, it can be restored on request: see the thread "How to request a restoration".