WoW Classic is getting official 'hardcore' mode servers

World of Warcraft Classic
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Just two months after they were rumored to be coming, World of Warcraft Classic is getting official Hardcore mode servers to give official support and structure for a player-made way to play. Players on the servers won't be able to revive after death under any circumstances. They've got one life and that's it.

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The fresh new servers coming this summer will implement real support for the fan-made mode. The coming feature was announced via a tweet from the World of Warcraft Twitter account. "The Spirit Healers are Ready," it said. Ready for what, a vacation? They won't be around. You can't revive.

The new servers aren't that detailed yet, but there's some information so far. You'll get one life, obviously, and you won't be able to resurrect no matter what. You will be able to log in as a ghost after you die, however, in order to turn over guild leadership or message friends.  The hardcore servers will be entirely new, not conversions of old servers.

The only new thing so far is a new version of the Duel feature, called /makgora, which lets you fight to the death. The actual literal death, though, not the one hit point you lost a duel thing. Which is kind of exciting, to be honest. You kill someone in the duel, they're dead. Cue fights over key grinding areas. Fights to the actual death.

Blizzard has stated that it doesn't want to dominate how players are already doing hardcore mode, just give some official support to those already doing it. That will reassure some players.

As we previously reported, WoW classic hardcore run players currently use an addon in order to track their runs. That included leaderboards and the like. When a leak two months ago teased that official Hardcore servers might be coming, those players were worried that Blizzard would change their community or how their self-imposed challenges worked. So far, at least, those worries seem unfounded.

For my part, I remember dying all the time in WoW back in the day, so I have no idea how these people have the patience for it. I do respect them for it, though.

Good spot, PCGN.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.