Diablo 4 Hardcore Survival Guide – Tips & Tricks

Hardcore Mode is for those adventurers looking for an extra challenge...or an excuse to frequently try out new builds. If a Hardcore (HC) character dies, that's it. It can no longer be played in any game modes, and you lose all items it was carrying. You need to be ready to lose it all at any moment, even at no fault of your own. You can opt into this mode at the end of the character creation via the Hardcore checkbox. Everything here is separated from your regular Softcore (SC) characters: you have your own stash, Renown Progression, Altars of Lilith, and can only see or group up with other HC players. This post covers the most important things to be successful when playing Hardcore. We hope it encourages you to try Hardcore out for yourself for the rush and rewards it brings!

Why Play Hardcore?

Playing Hardcore is its own reward. It is all about the thrill you experience being in constant danger of dying, and the feeling of accomplishment when you don't and make progress. It tests both your ability to focus during long farming sessions and your ability to make critical decisions in the heat of combat. Besides bragging rights, certain achievements in Hardcore earn you titles not otherwise available. Show the world what you are made of!

How Hardcore Works

When your HC character dies in Diablo 4, one of two things happens:

• Characters below level 10: Vanish forever.
• Characters at level 10 or higher: Go into the Hall of Fallen Heroes.

The Hall of Fallen Heroes is essentially a museum of your lost HC characters. Here you can see their names, equipment, playtime, and how they died. Only up to eight characters are remembered here, so don't die too often!

If you die on a HC character, you DON'T lose:

• Completed Campaign and Renown status (if you complete the Campaign on either HC or SC, you can skip it in either mode on a new character)
• Any items in your Shared Stash (Make sure to put valuable items in here ASAP so you don't lose them!)
• Gold (which is shared across all characters in that game mode)

There are a couple of additional things to keep in mind when playing Hardcore. The first is that you potentially stay longer in the game world and may die during that time if you don't wait the full 10 seconds of the game's logout timer. Your character also may stay longer in the game if your internet connection cuts out, the server shuts down, or you manually decide to exit. Leaving the game instantly is NOT an easy escape of your inevitable doom! Lastly, you can die (and thus lose your character) from PvP in the Fields of Hatred. Be careful in these areas!

Hardcore-only Consumable

Scroll of Escape

The Scroll of Escape is a novelty introduced to Hardcore in Diablo 4. It is a rare, drop-only consumable that allows you to immediately disengage from a fight. Compared to Town Portal, it can be used at any moment and has no cast time - you simply vanish and appear somewhere else. It becomes possible to find this item anywhere in the open world once your character reaches Level 20.

This item is a crucial tool to survive in Hardcore. As soon as you find one, always carry it in your inventory and keep others in your stash. Make sure to bind the Scroll of Escape to an easily accessible button on your Action Wheel so you can use it in a pinch. They are great to have if you are planning to engage with difficult content, such as completing your Capstone Dungeon, Nightmare Dungeon Pushing, or tough Bosses you are not sure you can handle yet. With this, you can test the limits of your character and still get out if you stretched it too far. But always remember these Scrolls are precious; don't waste them as you never know when you might need one!

Important: As of Season 2, as long as you have at least 1 Scroll of Escape in your inventory, one will automatically activate and be consumed if you disconnect while engaged in combat (i.e. monsters are attacking you). This allows your character to teleport to a safe location and avoid death.

Defensive Stats

Armor, Life, various forms of Damage Reduction and Mitigation (such as Damage Reduction stats, Fortify, and Barriers), and Resistances are the most important stats for a Hardcore character. Movement Speed also deserves an honorable mention for getting you out of harm's way. Prioritizing these stats on Gear, Gems, Elixirs/Incense, and on your Paragon Boards is a must for consistent survivability. This means you often have to sacrifice damage stats to be able to reliably tank and avoid damage yourself.

Gear

Prioritize the following Defensive Stats on a HC Character's gear in order:

• Armor Cap (1000)
• Damage Reduction (All Types - % Damage Reduction is best but all types are useful. Diversify types of Damage Reduction if possible and/or prioritize types that fit your build/playstyle)
• Resistances (up to or beyond the 70% cap)
• Maximum Life
• Movement Speed

Gems

Diamonds are typically the best to socket into Jewelry to max out your Resistances but sometimes different gems can yield better overall results. Make sure to mix and match the Gems in your Jewelry to always cap your Elemental Resistances. If you max out your Resistances by other means such as Paragon, you can run Skulls for increased Armor.

Elixirs and Incense

The following lists useful defensive Elixirs you can craft at the Alchemist. The effects of all Elixirs last for 30 minutes, and you can only have 1 Elixir running at a time. Remember to upgrade your standard Health Potions every 10 character levels!

Elixir	Effect
Elixir of Cold Resistance	Cold Resistance, Experience Gain, Maximum Cold Resistance
Elixir of Fire Resistance	Fire Resistance, Experience Gain, Maximum Fire Resistance
Elixir of Fortitude	Maximum Life, Experience Gain
Elixir of Lightning Resistance	Lightning Resistance, Experience Gain, Maximum Lightning Resistance
Elixir of Poison Resistance	Poison Resistance, Experience Gain, Maximum Poison Resistance
Elixir of Shadow Resistance	Shadow Resistance, Experience Gain, Maximum Shadow Resistance

The following lists defensive Incenses that can be used to benefit an entire group. In a group of 4 you can individually benefit from up to 4 incense types simultaneously! Only one of each Incense can be used at a time.

Incense	Effect
Reddamine Buzz	Maximum Life, Experience Gain
Desert Escape	Armor, Shadow, Cold, Fire Resistances, All Maximum Resistances, Experience Gain
Storm of the Wilds	Lightning, Cold, Poison Resistances, All Maximum Resistances, Experience Gain
Soothing Spices	All Resistances, Armor, All Maximum Resistances, Experience Gain
Song of the Mountain	Armor, Experience Gain

Paragon

After reaching Level 60, it is important to prioritize acquiring Defensive Stats as you progress through your Paragon Boards. This entails sinking Paragon Points into Defensive Stats before rushing additional Boards/Legendary Nodes, and choosing more defensive oriented Boards and Glyphs.

Control Impairing Effects

In Diablo 4, several monster abilities can Freeze (Frozen), Chill, Stun, Immobilize, Fear, and otherwise impair your ability to move and use Skills. As of Season 5, you can however use Healing Potions while crowd controlled. Still, it is worthwhile to invest at least 1 Skill Point into 1-2 abilities that can break Control Impairing Effects. Unstoppable effects from Skills are the most common way to achieve this. Several Legendary Aspects can also help with breaking or mitigating various forms of Crowd Control (see Defensive Legendary Aspects above).

On-Death Explosions

The developers of Diablo 4 really like monsters that explode upon death. One of the most common ways to RIP, these death explosions do an enormous amount of AoE damage about 2-3 seconds after the monster dies. Just when you think you have defeated your foes, your foes have the last laugh... After killing certain monsters, make sure to move away from where they died ASAP! An Elite with both the Fire Enchanted and Plaguebearer Affixes explodes multiple times in succession. Beware! There are several types of death explosions:

Positioning

Frequently using the Evade mechanic and being able to use it more often (extra Evade Charge from Boots) is key to escaping danger, including high damage enemy attacks and various Control Impairing Effects as mentioned above. Saving your mobility Skills (see Safety Skills and Passives above) for these crucial moments, particularly in tight spaces like Dungeons, is also key.

Horse

It is also ill-advised to use up all of the Dash charges on your Horse at any given time, as you may need to quickly get out of a bad situation. Always save 1 Dash charge just in case. Finding yourself surrounded by 5 Fallen Lunatics with no quick way to escape them on horseback could be a bad time.

Dangerous Monster Types

Here we go over a few monster types that are especially dangerous in Diablo 4, mostly due to wielding various Control Impairing Effects, exploding on death, or having high one-shot potential. Engage them with caution!

Spiders

These nasty buggers can chain Immobilize you with their webs. They restrict all movement. Even if they miss, the webs on the ground linger and will stop you if you walk over them. Be careful not to be caught in-between too many of them, or you may find no escape. Additionally, Spider Hosts even explode on death dealing an enormous amount of Poison Damage! They are most often found in Dungeons such as Blind Burrows or in Hawezar and Dry Steppes.

Fallen

Last, but not least, is perhaps the most dangerous monster type of all, the Fallen. Fallen Lunatics explode themselves near you (every monster that has some kind of explosion effect or explosion on death effect is quite dangerous, such as an Elite with either the Fire Enchanted or Plaguebearer Affix). These explosions hurt...badly...even having the potential to one-shot you. Either kill them from range or bait out their delayed AoE (Area of effect) explosion, which has a clear visual indicator. Also make sure to kill Fallen Shamans ASAP, otherwise they continually resurrect regular fallen Fallen. They mostly reside in Fractured Peaks and Kehjistan and can be found in dungeons such as Ancient's Lament.

Goatmen

You may have seen these before during Beta in Fractured Peaks. These particularly brutal creatures have a Knockdown attack that renders you unable to do anything until you get back up; they can also make you Vulnerable. Watch out for their overhead wind-up slam attack! Also, kill their Shaman ASAP, as their Shaman buffs them up allowing them to deal unreal amounts of Lightning Damage. They are also frequently spotted in Dry Steppes, well-known for their appearance in Champion's Demise.

Cannibals

Specifically, the Gorger is yet another monster that has a Knockdown attack, rendering you unable to move, use Skills, or use Health Potions until you get back up. A monster that can knock you down is especially dangerous, if it isn't already obvious. These are often found in Dry Steppes and many dungeons.

Skeleton Corpse Bows

These siege contraptions can snipe you from off-screen dealing incredible amounts of damage, potentially one-shotting you. They are especially deadly in groups. These Skeleton-type enemies are most often found in Fractured Peaks and dungeons such as Zenith.

Snakes

Nangari Oracles, members of the Snake family, have a nasty ranged Stun ability that can hit you from any angle, and thus is naturally very difficult to dodge. Nangari Longfangs can also Stun you by biting you! With multiple Stun attacks and high Poison Damage, these creatures are best approached with caution. Snakes can be found in Hawezar and in dungeons such as Witchwater.

Ghosts

Ghosts are a nasty monster family that uses deadly ranged attacks. Like all ranged-attacking monsters in Diablo 4, they hit incredibly hard. Particularly dangerous is the Wraiths' charge-up Lightning Damage attack. If you are wary of this monster type, avoid the open expanses of Fractured Peaks and dungeons such as Black Asylum and Onyx Hold.

Wasps

This Bug type monster deals an insane amount of Poison Damage from afar. Another dangerous ranged-type monster, these Wasps' attacks are best evaded. Get the jump on them before you get rail-gunned. This monster is typically found in desert-like places such as Dry Steppes, Kehjistan, and in the Guulrahn Canals and Guulrahn Slums dungeons.

Quill Rats

Yet another dangerous ranged-type enemy, in packs can gun you down faster than you can say "gunned-down". It is best to evade and get the jump on them before they are able to fire more than one volley. A member of the Wildlife family, this monster can often be found in Scosglen and forest-type dungeons such as Aldurwood.

Boars

Boy oh boy do these things hit hard. If one of these beasts charges directly into you it can be a one-shot! They often spawn in groups too, making them even more dangerous. Make sure you dodge or crowd control these monsters before their tusks make contact with your fragile character. A member of the Wildlife family, these monsters can often be found in Dry Steppes or forest-type dungeons like Raethwind Wilds.

Bloated Corpsefiends

This Zombie-type monster explodes upon death! This gross being hosts yet another death explosion that is best avoided. Make sure to evade or use some kind of mobility Skill after killing a bunch of these, or you might find yourself with the Bloat. These can be found lurking around coastal regions and dungeons such as Sunken Ruins.

Top 10 Do's in Hardcore

1. Consider first playing on Normal if you are brand new to Hardcore, new to a class, new to a build, or just new to Diablo 4 in general. The benefits of playing on higher difficulties do not always outweigh the greatly increased risk of dying and the frustration that comes with it.
2. Include defensive choices in your build such as extra Armor, Life, Passives and Skills. Make sure that the equipment you're using is adequate and upgraded as much as possible.
3. Save back-up gear, especially weapons, for various level requirements. Keep it in your stash so that you can rush through the early levels quickly after a death. Also save up some Gold and materials to upgrade your items.
4. Complete all the Dungeons that unlock important Codex of Power aspects as soon as possible for a big power spike and to get new characters going. Do the same with all Renown Objectives and Altars of Lilith.
5. Play with an exit plan. Be aware of all tools available to you like defensive cooldowns, Crowd Control effects, and your number of Health Potions. Think about how to leave if things go poorly (i.e. Scroll of Escape).
6. Engage new enemies only when you're ready. Make sure you have enough Life to take some hits and if you are being followed by dangerous monsters, deal with them first before moving on.
7. Be aware of Elite Affixes that deal high damage or Crowd Control you (esp. Terrorized, Frozen, Chilling Wind, Waller, Mortar, Lightning Enchanted, Fire Enchanted, Plaguebearer).
8. Monitor your defensive buffs, especially those with conditional effects or short timers, and keep them up as much as possible in combat.
9. Refill your health potions when you run out by teleporting to town and talking to a Healer. Also, use Consumables such as Elixirs and Incense when you are up against challenging content. That's what they're there for!
10. Carry a Scroll of Escape with you at all times to protect from disconnects!

Top 10 Dont's in Hardcore

1. Don't leave the game unattended at any moment. If you have to AFK, teleport back to town for safety.
2. Don't take unnecessary risks by fighting dangerous monsters!
3. Don't forget to upgrade your potions every 10 character levels at the Alchemist!
4. Don't be overconfident after some big item or skill upgrades. Test your new limits safely!
5. Don't dive into ground effects and on-death explosions. Stay patient and let them run their course.
6. Don't maneuver yourself into a corner where you can be surrounded and killed. Be cautious when playing a build with low mobility, especially versus Elites with Crowd Controls or the Waller affix!
7. Don't fight World Bosses on your current main difficulty without maximizing your defenses. Scattered Prisms drop more frequently from them on higher difficulties, so you may have reason to fight them at their strongest. Dropping down to a lower difficulty much safer, however.
8. Don't run Nightmare Dungeons without paying attention to the Elites affixes.
9. Don't waste your Evade charges unnecessarily to move around a bit faster. Keep them ready for when you need them in combat.
10. Don't trust anyone. When an unknown person invites you for some difficult content, it could be a trap! On that note, following someone you just met blindly into the Fields of Hatred may not be a great idea either.

More Hardcore Survival Tips

There are various bosses, monsters, zones, dungeons and nightmare afflictions that require more attention than normal. When playing Hardcore, always keep in mind what you are up against and plan your run accordingly.

• Avoid running a Dungeon if you have not already unlocked a mobility and/or Immune Skill (Dash, Teleport, Leap, ...) for your class. You never know what might lurk in the shadows.
• Keep in mind that you can't escape from certain encounters in Dungeons such as boss rooms and intermission events, except when you have a Scroll of Escape. Enter only when you are prepared.
• Pay extra attention to telegraphed attacks even from trash monsters. They might Crowd Control and finish you without giving you a chance to react.
• Start new builds with additional survivability until you feel comfortable with them. Always double-check everything after making adjustments.
• Avoid fighting multiple Elite Packs in the same area for a prolonged period of time. Their Elite Affixes can build up and become lethal even for tanky builds.
• It's extremely important that you complete Renown objectives for the extra Health Potion slots in each region ASAP. They are literally your Life Elixir!
• When there are server issues or your internet connection is having troubles, it's better to log off for a while. Take the dog for a walk, feed your cat, read some Maxroll guides. The sky's the limit!

Summary

• You have one shot with your character. Don't waste it but be prepared to lose it all!
• Start on Normal for maximum survivability, esp. until you master your build and various game mechanics.
• Save back-up gear, Gold and materials in your Shared Stash.
• Pay extra attention to things such as elite affixes, dangerous monsters, getting stuck, and dropping defensive buffs. These can easily get you killed.
• Take advantage of Consumables, Defensive Stats, defensive Legendary Aspects, and Skills.
• Take risks only when you have to. It's normal to have lower farming efficiency in Hardcore.
• RIPs happen no matter what. Don't get too attached to anything and enjoy yourself while it lasts!

Credits

Written by Chronikz