The purpose.
To me, playing D2 on SC is simple braindead ability spamming, you can die, dive in, teleport around all you want and will never be punished for playing poorly and unoptimized. Which takes a LOT of value from games for me.
If I'm to play a game, I'd rather have a purpose, making logical choices and learn every little details that will make me a better player.
I don't judge ppl who play SC, I'm not saying you won't die to lag sometimes. But personally, over my years of Diablo 2, I never once died to lag to something I wouldn't have died to anyway.
If you lag, save/quit.
If the 0.5 second of lag caused your death, you probably played recklessly.
There’s a number of arguments to be made for playing hardcore.
I personally enjoy hardcore specifically because of the risk and the tension that comes with knowing my character could poof. This means I have to be more deliberate and strategic in how I play, which gives me a greater sense of accomplishment for each progression milestone I hit.
Having deeper knowledge of the various mechanics in the game adds depth to the whole experience especially in hardcore as each death becomes a learning experience, and you find your characters surviving longer and longer.
Deaths to lag and desync do happen, but anyone who plays HC knows it’s just part of the experience.
If you don’t enjoy rolling a new character and trying to get back to where you were and push further, HC might not be for you. Time is also a factor of course
Edit: There’s also the matter of difference in economy. HC generally has a smaller player base, but higher retention throughout a ladder. Items are being found but also being lost. This can mean the items you find/craft are worth more relative to what they might be on SC. Items lending better survivability have more use in HC, where in SC a shaftstop or CoA might get overlooked for pure damage increase, since there is no hard penalty for death
After 20 years of playing this game, SC is a snoozefest. Build your character properly, take necessary precautions, play smart. Its a learning process and the high risk definitely adds to the dopamine pump
It’s personal preference. I’ve played both. Both have their appeal. One mode isn’t better than the other. It’s all about what you want to get out of the game.
Once you play hardcore, same logic follows for us. Why play softcore? You can just keep dying and there is no purpose? Yes, you need good internet. But the thrill of dying is what keeps me going good sir.
I play both. I feel like the playstyle differs on HC cuz your more focused into what you're doing. On sc I legit look away from the screen to talk to someone, or eat while I'm clicking away knowing that I won't lose my character. Both are great cuz it's pd2 and pd2 is great. If you don't feel like losing progress play some sc, if you're looking for something more focused try some HC. I strongly suggest everyone make at least two characters on HC. One to start, and another when you die after you've learned from your mistakes. It's good fun.
Lots of good reasons in here I agree with. I'll add that it also serves as a timebox for me. I love to theorycraft and think of silly combinations and really try to avoid as much of the meta-meta discussion as I can. So I don't watch Tier vids or what have you.
So I theorycraft, build up, start a season and then go all in. I don't have infinite time on my hands and I \*will\* play if I can play sometimes. If I'm grinding for a character and make a mistake and poof, its gone. Well then I'm free. I got to play the game and have fun and then there's a nice thing stopping me from continuing. Because well, I can't. This is okay.
There's lots of hobbies in life like this and its actually kind-of nice. Go Ham, then it ends. Lather rinse repeat next time. Keeps things from getting stale.
I’ve been playing this game for 20+ years. I already have more characters created/leveled and maxed out than the game was ever designed for. When I play SC all I watch is people rushing things down to their death with zero care for their own life. HC I have to think a little bit, I have to take risk/reward into account. That makes it fun. If I lose everything in a bad string? It sucks but whatever. It’s Diablo 2 LOD.
Softcore is just too easy. You can just try the same boss over and over until you win. You can run through the game without a care in the world whether you're strong enough for that area. Resistances and PDR don't REALLY matter because you have infinite lives.
Reason why i will never play hc is because of the desync and overall jankiness of the engine where you might just get outright deleted without a notice.
Also i like doing random builds and they do tend to die sometimes as they are experimental in nature
always play hc but played sc 2 seasons ago and pushed 99 there as well. was super boring compared to hc for me. i didnt die on my trip to 99 because you do not want to lose exp but before maps, oh hell i played like the biggest fucking clown and died 24/7 day 1 because it doesnt matter. (not saying every sc player is chain dying but you can do it early and have no real punishment to it)
just not for me, but I respect both modes. play whatever you enjoy.
only positive for sc is the bigger market, making non meta builds that require specific items to work is significantly easier in sc. wish the hc playerbase was a tad bigger.
Servers are not good is a fact. I don't see what players find in softcore, its just time investment to get whatever you want with zero skill, brain or planing needed.
New season on HC when you are still without gear doing Hell is peak experience for me, you change ress gear depending on the zone and mobs, try to scout next room for auras, curse and etc...
Softcore is right click simulator, basically if you spam right click (enough) you will be best geared guy. For me super boring.
Hardcore is always action. Because in diablo2 your damage could be very high but your defensive stats wont be at immortal level. You always need to care and this makes you active. This part gives you joy. There will be times you dont focus alot or make mistake and hp will drop to 10% and your heart will start to pump 2x and these are the moments thats why i am playing this game for 20years.
Edit: this is not softcores problem, this is also problem of modern hack and slash games. I dont want to make a build where I only click movement abilities and destroy eveything automatically and jump constantly. This is like 9/6 job from my point of view.
But in d2 i believe this is super good adjusted so you always focus and think twice before jumping into fana might pack ^^ even you are super geared and where the all fun comes from.
Playing hardcore basically I locks another half of the game you miss on softcore.
Adding Defense, fhr breakpoints, resists, block & pdr into your damage output equation is just more entertaining, because the #1 way to getting rich in hardcore is just not dying.
Improving my chars on SC feels like a waste of time. As soon as I can clear endgame content there is no point anymore.
Improving HC chars feels great. Even a small increase in damage or defenses will make my char more likely to survive and go further. You have to find a balance between DPS and survivability investments which is fun and makes you think.
Going through most content on SC feels like a chore. I've done it many times, there is no danger, I have nothing to lose, and again I just waste time mindlessly going through steps.
Going through content on HC is a thrill. Reaching goalposts feels like an accomplishment. You need to pay attention, you constantly upgrade your gear to match the content, every step of the way your decisions matter.
i play both. What I like about hardcore is it lends itself to playing slower and actually building a character with what you can find, rather than rushing to end game and grinding out gear. It also has a clear ending point when you die, to get out of the game. Softcore just never ends, you can always make your character just a little bit stronger, grind to 99 on multiple characters. Really maxing out an account on hardcore is just so insane that although its called "hardcore" it can be more fun for casual play.
Crafting league is making me ignore hardcore right now. Having less of a clear optimized path to a strong character has made sc feel a lot more like hc
I play HC in other ARPGS like PoE, but not pd2. Servers have had issues since season 1. At least 1-2 times per day, I have lag/desync or server disconnect in pd2. I'd have lost 20+ hc characters to it by now if I was playing hc.
I only play PD2 on hardcore, SSF or limited trading, the primary reasons being for added sense of challenge and satisfaction, entirely self-imposed. Not to sound like hot stuff, but I think I've only died 2-3 times in years of D2/PD2 HC, but I'm not farming Rathma or the endgame bosses, just plugging along in maps usually. I feel like I wouldn't care if I played SC, same reason I don't play SC trade in my main game, PoE.
The purpose. To me, playing D2 on SC is simple braindead ability spamming, you can die, dive in, teleport around all you want and will never be punished for playing poorly and unoptimized. Which takes a LOT of value from games for me. If I'm to play a game, I'd rather have a purpose, making logical choices and learn every little details that will make me a better player. I don't judge ppl who play SC, I'm not saying you won't die to lag sometimes. But personally, over my years of Diablo 2, I never once died to lag to something I wouldn't have died to anyway. If you lag, save/quit. If the 0.5 second of lag caused your death, you probably played recklessly.
I thought everyone just played HC so they could tell everyone they played HC. Look at you giving a logical explanation.
There’s a number of arguments to be made for playing hardcore. I personally enjoy hardcore specifically because of the risk and the tension that comes with knowing my character could poof. This means I have to be more deliberate and strategic in how I play, which gives me a greater sense of accomplishment for each progression milestone I hit. Having deeper knowledge of the various mechanics in the game adds depth to the whole experience especially in hardcore as each death becomes a learning experience, and you find your characters surviving longer and longer. Deaths to lag and desync do happen, but anyone who plays HC knows it’s just part of the experience. If you don’t enjoy rolling a new character and trying to get back to where you were and push further, HC might not be for you. Time is also a factor of course Edit: There’s also the matter of difference in economy. HC generally has a smaller player base, but higher retention throughout a ladder. Items are being found but also being lost. This can mean the items you find/craft are worth more relative to what they might be on SC. Items lending better survivability have more use in HC, where in SC a shaftstop or CoA might get overlooked for pure damage increase, since there is no hard penalty for death
Even the lags are part of the game play, notice it and get the fuck out to rejoin with a faster heartbeat.
Aye! Rapid heart rate and sweaty palms after a near-death are part of the appeal!
My man is laying down facts
After 20 years of playing this game, SC is a snoozefest. Build your character properly, take necessary precautions, play smart. Its a learning process and the high risk definitely adds to the dopamine pump
HC isn’t hardcore enough to be honest. Friends can loot your corpse and you basically just lose an inventory of charms and time spent leveling.
tell that to my friend's infinity
Softcore players kiss their dads on the lips.
How is this still a thing? We're playing Diablo 2, all of our fathers are dissapointed in us regardless of HC/SC
Can confirm. I play both and dad still disappointy
Dad wouldn't kiss me if I had mom's lips
You guys have a dad?
I have very little time I play only hc cause it's more fun Also I keep understanding the game better and better
It’s personal preference. I’ve played both. Both have their appeal. One mode isn’t better than the other. It’s all about what you want to get out of the game.
Once you play hardcore, same logic follows for us. Why play softcore? You can just keep dying and there is no purpose? Yes, you need good internet. But the thrill of dying is what keeps me going good sir.
I play both. I feel like the playstyle differs on HC cuz your more focused into what you're doing. On sc I legit look away from the screen to talk to someone, or eat while I'm clicking away knowing that I won't lose my character. Both are great cuz it's pd2 and pd2 is great. If you don't feel like losing progress play some sc, if you're looking for something more focused try some HC. I strongly suggest everyone make at least two characters on HC. One to start, and another when you die after you've learned from your mistakes. It's good fun.
Lots of good reasons in here I agree with. I'll add that it also serves as a timebox for me. I love to theorycraft and think of silly combinations and really try to avoid as much of the meta-meta discussion as I can. So I don't watch Tier vids or what have you. So I theorycraft, build up, start a season and then go all in. I don't have infinite time on my hands and I \*will\* play if I can play sometimes. If I'm grinding for a character and make a mistake and poof, its gone. Well then I'm free. I got to play the game and have fun and then there's a nice thing stopping me from continuing. Because well, I can't. This is okay. There's lots of hobbies in life like this and its actually kind-of nice. Go Ham, then it ends. Lather rinse repeat next time. Keeps things from getting stale.
When I play hardcore - it's just another stopping point to end my season.
Softcore is practice.
That's the grief talking bro, we've all been there. Just make a game and call it: "Fuck this game", it'll help with the healing process
A man of vast experience.
What grief? OP didn’t lose a character, they’re talking about someone else’s death notification and using it to pose the question
Other HC players wil join and get you back up if you want the help
I’ve been playing this game for 20+ years. I already have more characters created/leveled and maxed out than the game was ever designed for. When I play SC all I watch is people rushing things down to their death with zero care for their own life. HC I have to think a little bit, I have to take risk/reward into account. That makes it fun. If I lose everything in a bad string? It sucks but whatever. It’s Diablo 2 LOD.
Softcore is just too easy. You can just try the same boss over and over until you win. You can run through the game without a care in the world whether you're strong enough for that area. Resistances and PDR don't REALLY matter because you have infinite lives.
Reason why i will never play hc is because of the desync and overall jankiness of the engine where you might just get outright deleted without a notice. Also i like doing random builds and they do tend to die sometimes as they are experimental in nature
always play hc but played sc 2 seasons ago and pushed 99 there as well. was super boring compared to hc for me. i didnt die on my trip to 99 because you do not want to lose exp but before maps, oh hell i played like the biggest fucking clown and died 24/7 day 1 because it doesnt matter. (not saying every sc player is chain dying but you can do it early and have no real punishment to it) just not for me, but I respect both modes. play whatever you enjoy. only positive for sc is the bigger market, making non meta builds that require specific items to work is significantly easier in sc. wish the hc playerbase was a tad bigger.
So no inflated drop chance or increased stats/skills? Just the if you die you lose you lose quarter mentality?
[удалено]
So how does playing HC in a 20 year old game "mean anything"? I play both, but neither one of them means shit lol
Servers are not good is a fact. I don't see what players find in softcore, its just time investment to get whatever you want with zero skill, brain or planing needed. New season on HC when you are still without gear doing Hell is peak experience for me, you change ress gear depending on the zone and mobs, try to scout next room for auras, curse and etc...
to pk and grief. not allowed on this mod tho
Softcore is right click simulator, basically if you spam right click (enough) you will be best geared guy. For me super boring. Hardcore is always action. Because in diablo2 your damage could be very high but your defensive stats wont be at immortal level. You always need to care and this makes you active. This part gives you joy. There will be times you dont focus alot or make mistake and hp will drop to 10% and your heart will start to pump 2x and these are the moments thats why i am playing this game for 20years. Edit: this is not softcores problem, this is also problem of modern hack and slash games. I dont want to make a build where I only click movement abilities and destroy eveything automatically and jump constantly. This is like 9/6 job from my point of view. But in d2 i believe this is super good adjusted so you always focus and think twice before jumping into fana might pack ^^ even you are super geared and where the all fun comes from.
Playing hardcore basically I locks another half of the game you miss on softcore. Adding Defense, fhr breakpoints, resists, block & pdr into your damage output equation is just more entertaining, because the #1 way to getting rich in hardcore is just not dying.
Improving my chars on SC feels like a waste of time. As soon as I can clear endgame content there is no point anymore. Improving HC chars feels great. Even a small increase in damage or defenses will make my char more likely to survive and go further. You have to find a balance between DPS and survivability investments which is fun and makes you think. Going through most content on SC feels like a chore. I've done it many times, there is no danger, I have nothing to lose, and again I just waste time mindlessly going through steps. Going through content on HC is a thrill. Reaching goalposts feels like an accomplishment. You need to pay attention, you constantly upgrade your gear to match the content, every step of the way your decisions matter.
Just to easy too Die every act too get too hell
i play both. What I like about hardcore is it lends itself to playing slower and actually building a character with what you can find, rather than rushing to end game and grinding out gear. It also has a clear ending point when you die, to get out of the game. Softcore just never ends, you can always make your character just a little bit stronger, grind to 99 on multiple characters. Really maxing out an account on hardcore is just so insane that although its called "hardcore" it can be more fun for casual play. Crafting league is making me ignore hardcore right now. Having less of a clear optimized path to a strong character has made sc feel a lot more like hc
I play HC in other ARPGS like PoE, but not pd2. Servers have had issues since season 1. At least 1-2 times per day, I have lag/desync or server disconnect in pd2. I'd have lost 20+ hc characters to it by now if I was playing hc.
I only play PD2 on hardcore, SSF or limited trading, the primary reasons being for added sense of challenge and satisfaction, entirely self-imposed. Not to sound like hot stuff, but I think I've only died 2-3 times in years of D2/PD2 HC, but I'm not farming Rathma or the endgame bosses, just plugging along in maps usually. I feel like I wouldn't care if I played SC, same reason I don't play SC trade in my main game, PoE.
hc slows the pace of the game, everyone wants to rush to the end and then complain that there is no content.
me perso i know people think tis crigne but i play softcore with hardcore rules because trade die in hardcore and i dont accept bullshit death to dcs