==Arena PvP==
The current planAfter two years of often bitter debate, as of late 2010the Diablo III team changed their initial plans, and announced at BlizzCon 2011 that Hardcore characters would no longer "die" when engaging in Arena PvP.[http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/blizzcon/pc/games/156898.Diablo-III/features/138132.20111026.Blizzards-Wyatt-Cheng-and-Andrew-Chambers-on-Diablo-III/] <blue>Wyatt Cheng: Our current position is that you don’t die in DiabloWikiPvP in DiabloWikiHardcore mode. So what happened in Diablo II is for that anyone who wanted to do Hardcore dueling PvP would basically level a character to work level 10, and then they’d find another level 10 character, and they’d fight and one would die. That’s just like a PvM hardcore game (and not like the normal [[Arena]]really that interesting. So we’re just going to let players engage in PvP. </blue> No more details were released, where and it's team-based, games last unknown if there will be an option for 15 minutespermanent death from an Arena defeat, and but clearly the team with default/only option is no longer permanent death, as HC characters experience if they die in the most total round victories wins)[[PvM]] Campaign mode. In the ===The Perma-Death Debate=== When Hardcore Arenaaccess was first revealed in 2009, as initially planned, any death is the end of a character. There's no team play, and no best all through 2010 and most of 5 or 72011, and no 15 minutes of the design was set to mirror Hardcore playin normal games; if you died, you stayed dead. The details were never revealed; if it was literally as soon as in the regular Arena. One death = no more a characterdied, whether that takes 10 seconds or 2 minutesif there was some condition for the losing team dying at the end of a timed match, and whether that char's team wins after his deathbut the concept was clear.
Jay Wilson enthused about instant perma-death Hardcore dueling at Blizzcon 2010, and @Diablo repeated that in November 2010. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-hardcore-pvp/]
::<blue>If you PvP in hardcore and you die, you’re dead. Hardcore PvP leader board is going to be... hardcore! --Diablo<br><br><font color="#FFFFFF">''Yeah, it’ll be hardcore, but it undermines your Arena design. How can you have 3 rounds if you die forever in the first one? --NocturneGS</font><br>It doesn’t undermine anything. Although I would expect it to become most popular at specific skill tier unlocks. --Diablo</blue>
::''YeahCracks in the armor of this opinion began to show in mid-2011, it’ll be hardcore, but it undermines your Arena designwhen [[Jay Wilson]] alluded to internal conflict on this issue. How can you have 3 rounds if you die forever in He said that some of the first one? "strike team" were arguing for a non--NocturneGS::It doesn’t undermine anything. Although I permanent death mode for Hardcore dueling, since they feared it would expect it just result in HC players never getting to become most popular at specific skill tier unlocksduel with their own characters.—Diablo
However, [[Jay Wilson]] has alluded to internal conflict on this issue, where some employees wish for hardcore death to not apply in PVP, fearing that no player would ever want to enter a match due to the heavy losses that they would be almost certain to face.
===Hardcore Dueling Arguments===
===Hardcore Dueling Arguments===This has proven a very contentious subject, with strong opinions on both sides. The argument largely breaks down to a "realist vs. idealist" conundrum.
This has proven * Supporters are idealists who argue that permanent death is a very contentious subjectnon-negotiable part of HC, with strong opinions on both sidesand that such high stakes will make for every intense Arena combat.* Opponents argue that most players will never risk their characters in that way. That HC players will have to make SC chars if they wish to duel regularly. Some threads with much debate about And that the issue:Arena is a whole different game type, where every character dies repeatedly, and very quickly.
A few sample threads where this argument was threshed out in 2009 and 2010.
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=785939 HC Dueling in D3?]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=732438 PvP HC Dueling Without Permanent Death]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-hardcore-pvp/ How about HC dueling?]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/vote-hardcore-pvp/ Diii.net ran a vote on the issue] in November 2010, which spawned another long comment thread of people on both sides of the issue. The vote results:
** 1) HC Arena should be always HC. -- 887 votes, 49.97%
** 2) HC Chars should have a non-lethal Arena option. -- 522 votes, 29.41%
** 3) No opinion/don't care. -- 366 votes, 20.62%
*** Total Votes: 1775
===Hardcore Dueling Game Mode Suggestions===
There are numerous fan suggestions to make HC dueling like SC dueling by people who are afraid of dieing[http://diablo.* An arena practice mode which would work just like SC duelingincgamers. Permacom/blog/comments/vote-death duels would remain an option if both players agreedhardcore-pvp/ Diii.* A best-of format for HC duels, where net ran a vote on the most kills issue] in 5 or 10 or 15 minutes would rule outNovember 2010, and the other team would die. (How to stop disconnects before which spawned another long comment thread of people on both sides of the time limit is an issue.)The vote results:** Equipment wagering penalty. The characters in a duel put up all (or some1) of their equipment as bond; if they leave the game before the conclusion, all of their gear goes to the other team/playerHC Arena should be always HC. This would punish chicken-hack disconnecters- 887 votes, while hurting someone who got actually did lose connection, but at least leaving their character alive49.97%* A team format, where all 3 players on 2) HC Chars should have a team would stay alive if that team wonnon-lethal Arena option. This could go one single round-- 522 votes, or best of 29.41%* 3) No opinion/5/7 roundsdon't care. -- 366 votes, to make it more skill and less luck-based than a single fall match20.62%
==Additional HC Content==
