World of Warcraft Classic introducing new permadeath Hardcore Realms

World of Warcraft classic is a way to travel back to the earliest days of MMORPG history and relive the original game. Blizzard also added some optional modern twists to the game, such as season runs. On Wednesday, Blizzard announced Hardcore Realms, which enforce a new, challenging set of rules for the usual adventure through Azeroth.

For example, if you die Classic on a Hardcore Realm you die forever. Permadeath is in effect, but players can log in as a ghost to complete their affairs. A guild leader can hand over the reins to a more physical colleague, or check their mailbox. Furthermore, after experiencing permadeath, all players can throw a new character and try again.

When it comes to PVP, it’s a whole new game. There are no battlefields; it is difficult to capture the flag without killing the flag bearer. Instead, players can duel… to the death. Type /makgora in front of another player, and if they accept, it’s do or die. Players who take on duels earn a new tracking aura that shows how many duels they have survived.

Blizzard developers will be watching to make sure there are as few unintended casualties as possible, such as flight master deaths. Resurrection skill classes allow them to be removed, so there are no sneaky escapes from the Reaper. Players won’t be able to kite enemies out of their zone either, so the usual tactic of pulling a big bad guy into a lower mission area isn’t possible.

The Hardcore Realm will begin testing on June 29 and is expected to go live later this year.