With the rise in popularity of Classic Hardcore, I feel like it’s hard to find any attempts at this for retail that isn’t 7+ years old or very shortlived.
Also tried to find if there’s any addon equal to the classic one, but for retail.
Just curious what peoples thoughts are. 
I’m myself dabbling in this right now whenever I have nothing else to do or in my insane state of apathy, just “for lols”.
If people are interested in doing this on retail, feel free to join the community I made:
[Hardcore] Community
(Can also be found ingame if you search “Hardcore” in the community tab. The little smiling bomb is our icon!)
The rules set are:
- No help from none-HC characters or high levels
- No heirlooms
- No dungeon spamming (One time only per dungeon + run there manually!)
- No buying off AH, only selling
- No sending items from other characters
- No leveling via Pet Battles / Repeatable account quests, or similar
- Death = Delete
The point is to make leveling into the adventure: so these rules aren’t made to smack you over the fingers, nobody will check you or whatever.
It’s for fun only. 
Anyone is welcome to join in this if you’re bored! 
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i’d try that challenge for sure. tho it wouldn’t be really hardcore in retail 
they could make it like get a certain hard achievement instead of just leveling .
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Yeah I am wondering if I will find a lot of struggle at any point. I’ve gotten so used to playing the Min/max way, using heirlooms and dungeonspamming, EZ-road etc, even getting help from friends… that I have just not tried to level completely “clean” and without using ANY sources outside myself, in … well… forever!
So, I figured: why not try it.
Started my 2nd account anyway for RAF stuff, and so I could make more characters, so might as well try a hardcore-ish route on one. ^^
Made a human warrior called Yuppi, will see how it goes.
It’s relaxing and somewhat interesting so far, as I feel like I have a goal / purpose.
I think I will tweak the rules slightly tho, and allow myself to sell things on the AH.
Finding things and not using them at all or throwing them away is against my nature… 
Also pondering if I should allow myself a specc choice or not, since original classic that wasn’t part of the HC challenge…
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I vaguely remember someone promoting their Retail Hardcore initiative years ago. Looked like fun if you were into that sort of thing. There were rules as to what you could or couldn’t do.
Everyone also had the name abomination or something similar.
I used to do something like this on one of my characters (Baldcall). It wasn’t full on ironman stuff but I was only equipped with rings, trinkets and neck. I managed to level him up all the way to the end of WoD.
Then I found it impossible to progress in Legion due to the mob scaling that was introduced. He’s now just another alt with gear.
You couldn’t make too many unique names if you had to include that word 
Are you sure it wasn’t a guild name instead? Because that’s what HC characters use in Classic.
I have no idea what the guild was called. But all their characters were abomination.
I think you miiiiight have it confused there.
The Abomination-squad all just leveled undeads and created pvp on pve/rp servers, and all wore the same outfits; similar name.
^^
I know it existed years ago, but I am curious if others are diving into it - now - again, with the resurge of Classic initiative for it; would be interesting to see if a big following for it would happen in retail too.
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Oh there’s plenty! You’d be surprised. 
I was part of them as a smol-lil leveler for a short while.
Check the guild https://thescarletscourge.com/
Sadly they were bullied off the realm Argent Dawn where they originated because people rather bully people off, than themself just turn off Warmode. 
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I wish I could find the original post. I’m sure they had to delete the chars and put the gold into the bank if they died. But I’m not sure now you’re questioning it. Might be confusing two different initiatives.
That’s terrible if they were bullied off.
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It seems easier for people to get very angry and bully people out, than just turn off warmode.
I do understand the annoyance of getting killed randomly in a city, but – with WM; it’s so easy to turn off.
Especially if one is in Stormwind where you can toggle it on again if you wish.
But ye I am gonna continue my “hardcore” path, it’s actually making me want to play a bit more than I have wanted in a while.
Helping with my severe apathy. :>
Would be cool with some more addon-esque community for it tho.
I did search for In-Game Community, Both Hardcore and Ironman, and I could not find one…
Maybe I will just make it
(EDIT; I made the community - called Hardcore. Cross-faction. Feel free to join it if you want to participate!)
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What was it like? I’d somehow imagine you all were undead dressed as scarlet crusaders?
Yeah, all named same name with different variations to it (Like replace an A with Å etc), same transmog, same mount use etc.
I was only part of a smal-leveling-side, I never got anywhere significant, but the community is (was, at least! I have lost touch!) very friendly and welcoming!
It was (is) very different than other guild / community setups. ^^
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See also
and ofc
still going strong in Dragonflight without leaving the Isle and without choosing a faction.
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You probably won’t. And then someday when you aren’t paying attention, you’ll find yourself dead. 
That’s how it usually goes.
As for your rules: I suggest disallowing Herbing. Mining, Pet Battles, Archaeology. You can level to 70 very easily with those without ever fighting a mob.
I feel like I won’t disallow those based purely on the classic rules where they aren’t.
It’s supposed to just make the leveling the adventure again. 
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Also - I have already have a small bump of close-call on my toon, so it can 100% happen still… with paying attention and being a decent player… XD
Some mobs just have anger issues!
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The biggest issue is scaling
You 2 shot most mobs when leveling so there isnt really a challenge so to speak
I am not finding myself 2 shotting things without using heirlooms so far.
Edit: Actually, 4 shotting would be more correct. Depending on what I have on GCD etc too!
Frankly, it could be more than that really 
when you begin to have a 4 or 5 button rotation it’s fairly discouraging when the mob dies from a simple Fists of Fury…
I’d probably only feel this way if I fully rerolled (well… I honestly just did, I wanna see what Warmane vs Wrath Classic 1-80 looks like), but rather in the meaning of um, going back in time to experience the game for the first time again.
I had an odd thrill when I began Skyrim and Final Fantasy for the first time. They are nice games, despite their age.
Actually… no. That’s what Pacifist challenge is about - to my knowledge, the most you may do is CC your enemy (ie. Polymorph) to get a node you’re after. It’s harder than you’d think, most likely
Mhm, I guess the challenge somehow opens them up, same as with trying a new game.