Blizzard has recently released a new server type on World of Warcraft (WoW) that lets you play in a new mode “Hardcore” or “Self-Found”. What does that mean?

On normal servers if your player dies you can be resurrected by running back to your body from the nearest graveyard, or by having a fellow player cast a spell to bring you back to life. Some characters even have a self-resurrection spell they can cast to come back to life without help or running back from the graveyard.

Also on normal servers there are auction houses, you can trade items with other players and send and receive in-game mail.

With Hardcore/Self-Found you cannot do those things or get resurrected. Once your character is dead it stays dead. (well, once you die you can request a realm transfer and then keep playing that character I guess)

It’s also on World of Warcraft: Classic – a version of the game that takes you back to how it was designed during the initial 1 – 60 level game. It’s nostalgic and harder to play than WoW – Retail.

I decided to try it out and created a new character and played for a bit, leveled up to 6 and then noticed I wasn’t actually a Hardcore/Self-Found player, I had neglected to check a box…. ugh.

Second attempt I remembered to choose the right realm/server and also checked the box. Lots of disclaimers you have to click to make sure you realize the limits of this type of play and the dangers…. I didn’t read em, I felt I knew what I was in for.

I first rolled/created a dwarves warrior. I figured tougher to kill, better armor and fun. I did pretty well, was hack and slashing monsters and npcs (non-player characters). I thought, this won’t be a problem. Then while I was attacking a bad guy another bad guy popped up and started hitting me from behind, so I was fighting two. I thought I’d be ok… but between the two of them they drained my life to zero.

When you die your guild (if you’re in one) gets a large red notification “Hiexo has died at level 8” is what it said…. I only made it to 8. if you make it to top level (60), the whole server gets notified with some music and text celebrating you.

Not to be deterred, I rolled/created a gnome rogue next. Rogues are sneaky and can stealth so other can’t see them…. how could this not be a successful journey….but before I knew it I was level 8 again and got killed by two leper gnomes. UGH

I tried another character, maybe I’d be better rolling/creating a Horde character. So I rolled another warrior an Undead named Noq. He got to level 6…. I’m not cut out for this it seems.

Once again I wanted to try, this time I gave a gnome mage a try. I did very well, ran away whenever I got scared or saw extra mobs come towards me. I got past the initial zone and the secondary zone. I was in a guild, I had a bar full of bags (10 slot bags cost more silver than I had) that had dropped off of mobs. I finally had talents and was still running from troubles – one of my spells Frost Nova freezes mobs in place so you can run away. Well, I got a little cocky and thought I could run through a bunch of troggs (a caveman like humanoid) but two of them stunned me and the casters kept shooting and me and boom “Noq has died at level 12” UGH!

It’s been an awful lot of fun to go back to Classic and try to level these characters with the extra challenges. There are parts of Classic that I am glad have been upgraded in Retail – easier to make money, quicker leveling, shorter time of hearthstones…. there are quite a lot of things. But it was nice to play old school and remember things that I had forgotten – like campfires need tinder and flint (in Retail you can just build a fire without reagents) or the Freefall (slow falling) spell needs a feather.

I’ve been playing WoW almost since day one (November 23rd 2004 was day one of the game, I started in March the next year). When I first started I was so lost and a total n00b (new player with no clue). But it was fun and I quickly made friends that are friends to this day. I even traveled to Winnipeg once to see some of them.

WoW keeps adding expansions, new content, new ways to play and experience the game. While some of the changes I don’t like and some times it seems the game has become “easy mode” I still enjoy playing. Hardcore mode adds some challenges that I like and I’ll probably try a couple other characters.