Exclusive Insight: World of Warcraft Classic Developers Reveal Secrets Behind Hardcore Realms

World of Warcraft Classic has recently announced the upcoming introduction of Hardcore realms to the game. This new mode presents players with a high level of challenge, as characters are unable to be resurrected once they die, leaving them trapped as spirits in the afterlife. Although they can still interact with the world and communicate with friends, their progression on the Hardcore server comes to an end. In order to ensure fairness and prevent unjust tragedies, World of Warcraft will be implementing certain modifications to the game's PvP and enemy behavior specifically for the Hardcore realms, while otherwise maintaining the integrity of these new Classic Era servers.

Game Rant had the opportunity to interview lead software engineer Ana Resendez and senior technical designer Tim Jones, who shed light on what players can anticipate from World of Warcraft's new challenge mode. Hardcore Classic emphasizes the importance of the in-game journey as well as the experiences beyond the game world itself. The developers discussed the genesis of this project, its operational mechanics, and how players can continue their journey upon death in the Hardcore realms. The following transcript has been condensed and edited for improved clarity and conciseness.

Q: Can you please introduce yourselves and your roles at Blizzard?

Resendez: Hi there! I'm Ana Resendez, and I work as the lead software engineer for the World of Warcraft Classic team. Today, we are excited to discuss our latest project, Hardcore.

Jones: Hi, I'm Tim Jones, the senior technical designer for the World of Warcraft Classic team. It's a pleasure to be here with you today.

Q: Can you share the personal journeys you embarked on while creating the Hardcore realms for World of Warcraft Classic?

Resendez: From an engineering perspective and my personal viewpoint, the community has been engaged in this matter for quite some time. Several members of our team closely monitored developments and began discussing an ongoing phenomenon on the Era servers. Initially, our main focus was on releasing Wrath, but we decided to keep the servers open for the original Classic experience without any expansions. As time went on, we observed certain patterns within the community, noticing an increase in activity and daily logins. Naturally, we were intrigued and wondered what could be causing this sudden surge.

Then, we became aware of the community's interest in Hardcore servers and their excitement about it. As we heard more about how much the community enjoyed this, we began to take a closer look. We wanted to understand what made Hardcore servers so appealing to the players. From an engineering standpoint, we started examining what defines Hardcore and what changes we would need to make in the code to prevent player resurrection.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as simple as just adding a line of code to disable resurrection. We had to thoroughly analyze all the different aspects and logic in the code that could potentially result in a character's death or allow them to resurrect. This made the engineering process quite complex. Despite the challenges, we were determined to provide this Hardcore experience to players. We wanted everyone on the same server to experience the same Hardcore rules, so we decided to implement the feature and give players the opportunity to try it out.

Jones: The creation of Classic was a direct response to the enthusiasm of the community. They came together and requested official Classic servers from Blizzard, and we delivered on that request. We always strive to listen to what excites the Classic community, and their excitement aligned perfectly with our desire to introduce new and exciting features to Classic. When we began working on Season of Mastery a few years ago, there was a community-driven initiative called Road to Ragnaros, which involved Hardcore challenges. We wanted to support this endeavor because the idea of people attempting to defeat Ragnaros without dying was an incredibly thrilling challenge, and players responded positively to it.

To acknowledge the achievements and progress on the Season of Mastery servers, we offered cosmetic options for players to keep track of their deaths. As mentioned by Ana, the Hardcore community's enthusiasm and energy in creating their own add-ons on the Era servers has continued to grow in popularity. Even if you're not actively participating, we enjoy watching videos of people experiencing the most unexpected deaths. Once again, it was the community's desire to establish this as an official playstyle that led us to create dedicated Hardcore realms. We aim to support and nurture the community in every way possible, and the introduction of official Hardcore realms is a result of that shared excitement.

Q: In Hardcore realms, when you meet your demise, you retain the ability to log in and engage with fellow players, but you assume the form of a ghost. Could you elaborate on the mechanics behind this unique feature and shed some light on the reasoning behind its inclusion?

Resendez: We faced an interesting dilemma as we considered this issue from two different perspectives. In certain parts of the game, dying is necessary to complete specific quests. However, starting your journey as a ghost in those scenarios was not our intention. Therefore, we are actively reviewing and improving quests that require you to die in order to communicate with a spirit. Our aim is to eliminate the need for such deaths.

On the other hand, there may be instances where you invest a significant amount of time in a character, only to experience a tragic or even comical death, such as accidentally falling into lava. These unexpected deaths do happen, and players often form attachments to their characters. As someone who has created numerous characters myself, I understand this attachment. We didn't want your journey to abruptly end in those situations if that's not what you desire.

We drew inspiration from other game modes, commonly seen in Battle Royales, where you can spectate after dying to see who the winner is. This experience can also be found in Arenas during Burning Crusade and Wrath, where you can still watch the rest of the fight after dying. It will be interesting to see how the sudden emergence of ghost communities plays out. It wouldn't be surprising if "ghost guilds" form, where players intentionally die to join them.

However, I want to clarify that your journey doesn't end in the ghost world if you don't want it to. We will be providing free character transfers for players to join the other Era realms. So, if you were a part of the ghost community but want to return to the action, you will have the opportunity to continue playing your character in the normal Era servers where death and resurrection are possible at any time.

Q: I imagine people having “ghost parties” with a bunch of dead characters forming a raid or something.

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Resendez: Additionally, we could represent the Night Elves as tiny dots, gracefully hovering in the air!

Q: The Hardcore realms will feature a PvE environment with a different approach to PvP flagging. Could you elaborate on the changes made to PvP mechanics in these servers and the reasoning behind it?

Jones: Our primary focus on the Hardcore realms is to improve quests, pathways, and abilities that allow players to engage in non-consensual PvP. These servers are dedicated to providing a PvE leveling experience. The journey and challenge revolve around leveling and the intricacies of combat. Death is permanent for your character, which requires careful navigation of zones and selective group choices for dungeon runs due to the constant danger.

We are meticulously identifying problematic quests, such as escort missions. Often, escort NPCs had neutral factions that allowed opposing players to engage in combat, ruining the quest experience. Additionally, players could manipulate high-level creatures from other zones to attack unsuspecting characters or take advantage of attacks that randomly targeted and killed players. These situations lacked fair gameplay options, as players in low-level areas did not willingly choose these experiences. Therefore, we are implementing measures to prevent these actions and preserve the PvE challenge to the best of our abilities.

Resendez: PvP should be approached with caution and intentionality. If you choose to flag yourself for PvP, it should be because you actively seek that experience. However, we also recognize the importance of PvP in the game and don't want to eliminate it entirely. After all, playing with and against other players adds to the enjoyment of the game.

That's why we're introducing the duel to the death feature. If you decide to engage in PvP, be prepared for a serious challenge. You can still participate in normal duels without the risk of dying, but if you truly want to fight for your honor and settle disputes in the ultimate test of a duel to the death, you're welcome to do so. The exciting part is that if you emerge victorious, you'll receive a cosmetic reward—a buff that showcases the number of players you have defeated on your journey. It's a unique and rewarding feature.

Our aim is to create an exciting PvP experience that genuinely excites you. We have observed instances where players approach a Flight Master, intending to simply right-click on it, only to be caught off guard by a rogue lurking nearby. It is our intention to prevent such occurrences where players clearly have no intention of partaking in PvP.

Random Battlegrounds will no longer be available, however, players still have the option to form groups and engage in battles in Warsong Gulch to capture flags. To do so, they must challenge another raid group through War Games, a Battleground-specific duel-like feature. Players can still enjoy all the PvP activities they desire, as long as both players agree to participate.

Regarding the Hardcore realms, the leash radius for enemies returning to their spawn is being adjusted. The exact magnitude of this adjustment is unclear, but it is possible that classes relying on kiting for survival may be affected.

Resendez: This situation will require ongoing attention. Currently, we plan to implement a distance that we believe will be effective. We are mindful of these types of behaviors and want to ensure that Mages and Hunters can still kite and defeat their targets gradually. However, we recognize the need to assess this distance during testing on the PTR. We need to determine if it makes sense in both directions and whether players can exploit it in unfavorable ways due to the significant distances between leveling zones.

Nonetheless, we want players to retain the ability to kite their targets and successfully eliminate them. We will closely monitor the situation, and if we find that the distance is too short and does not offer a satisfactory experience for Hunters, Mages, or other classes, we will explore potential adjustments accordingly.

Q: Will players adhere to the basic Hardcore rules on these servers? Can you provide more information about the mentioned "player-driven restrictions"?

Jones: In addition to the fundamental Hardcore rules, there are also "player-driven restrictions" discussed in the announcement. Could you elaborate further on these restrictions?

Now, a significant aspect of this is to ensure that individuals are exclusively interacting with other Hardcore players. This is because Era realms consist of a diverse mixture of players. You will encounter those who have been playing on these realms since 2019, as well as some individuals who have transferred from the Season of Mastery onto Era realms. Consequently, Hardcore players are not the exclusive majority on these realms. Therefore, the focus of the add-on centers around a playstyle known as Solo Self-Found. This playstyle emphasizes not engaging with anyone until reaching level 60, excluding interactions within dungeons.

There will be free character transfers available for deceased Hardcore characters to other realms. Additionally, players will have access to various in-game services on these realms.

Resendez: We currently have no plans to introduce Hardcore realms for Wrath of the Lich King Classic.

Jones: Currently, there are no plans for official Hardcore realms in Wrath of the Lich King Classic or modern World of Warcraft. However, we value the feedback and passion from our community, which led to the creation of Classic Hardcore. We are always open to hearing what players want, so if there is interest in an official Hardcore version of a different World of Warcraft experience, we are listening.

Q: During the Hardcore Allstars Classic WoW event, Aggrend hinted that the team is working on something new, unrelated to Hardcore Classic or another Season of Mastery. Can you provide any hints about what this might be?

Resendez: The team is currently occupied with numerous projects in the Classic universe. While we cannot disclose additional details at this time, it is safe to say that we are enthusiastic and intensely engaged in our work.

Jones: The recent release of Trial of the Grand Crusader in Wrath Classic has been incredibly thrilling. The race to world first has garnered much excitement, and players are thoroughly enjoying the raid. Additionally, Icecrown Citadel is set to launch in the near future. Like Ana mentioned, the Classic team has ambitious goals and is currently fully occupied. We will provide more updates when we are prepared to do so.

Q: Any final thoughts on Hardcore World of Warcraft Classic?

Resendez: I'm really interested in knowing which classes people are playing the most. I'm not sure if there's a way to conduct a poll, but I would love to gather data on the classes that people are planning to play in Hardcore. Personally, I usually main Priest, but I'm unsure if I want to continue being a Priest in Hardcore. Perhaps I'll choose a safer option like a Mage. I'm genuinely curious if players are sticking to their main class or if they are trying something new, or even going for the most challenging class like a Warrior. I'm really excited to find out!

Jones: Honestly, I'm just thrilled. I managed to level up my Warrior to 28, but unfortunately, I died during a Shadowfang Keep run. However, the community has been incredibly supportive, which has been quite surprising. It's really heartwarming to see how much emphasis is placed on the journey and the support that people provide to each other. Despite losing a significant amount of progress, there's always encouragement to keep going and try again!

Being a part of a guild and supporting that player who keeps dying at level 10, while also giving advice on the behavior of unique creatures in specific areas, is truly captivating. Hardcore gameplay allows for a slower pace, which stands in stark contrast to the current obsession of rushing through a game to reach the end as quickly as possible. It is perfectly acceptable to take one's time. Therefore, by immersing myself in the challenge alongside a group of enthusiastic individuals, I anticipate a great deal of enjoyment.

Resendez: I am eagerly looking forward to witnessing the various new media compilations!

Jones: Oh yeah! Seeing who gets to kill the raid bosses first is going to be a treat. That’s going to be exciting to watch.

[END]

World of Warcraft is available now for PC.