Advance notice - upcoming hardcore gaming comp. Free entry - 100 steem in prizes, no resteem required.
Path of Exile is incredible. It's totally free to download and play, and purchases only confer cosmetic benefits, so success is all about skill.
I've been playing for a couple of years now, with a twist.
I only play hardcore; so when a character dies and loses hardcore status, I delete them and start again with a new one.
Maybe it's a throwback to an earlier, unforgiving time before checkpoints; but permadeath is just so much more rivetting. I haven't seen the second half of the game; and I won't see it until I've earned it.
When you've put 100 hours into a character and you've just kicked down the wrong door, damn.
That's some intense gaming.
So, in collaboration with @ratticus, I've decided to share the experience with you all, by holding a race.
From the 16th of Feb there'll be a countdown timer at pathofexile.com.
As soon as that hits zero on Friday March 2nd, eating and sleeping will become secondary considerations as we all start a brand new character in a brand new league, and begin chopping and hexing our way through Wraeclast.
Existing characters won't be able to play the new league, and all stashes will be empty (nobody gets a headstart by using previously acquired gear or experienced characters)
Exactly 7 days later, on the 9th of March; I'll be awarding the 100 steem based on highest level achieved by an active, eligible, hardcore character.
Highest level: 50 steem divided equally
Second highest level: 30 steem divided equally
Third highest level: 20 steem divided equally
If, for example, there are two players at lvl 43, one player at lvl 42 and three at lvl 40, those on 43 will win 25 steem each, the player at 42 will win 30 steem, and the players at lvl 40 will each receive 6.66 steem.
If a character has died, the lvl they got to is irrelevant.
The higher you go, the more you have to lose.
If you're way out in front it may even be worth resting your main and starting a backup character.
Click here to sign up and start practicing for the main event.
Take note of your account name and make sure you've unticked the privacy options.
We'll want to track your progress publicly. (See my account/characters here.)
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.imgur.com/Wbu5Ksv.png.jpg)
When you open the game you'll want to create a new character.
Choose the red, Hardcore banner, and tick the 'Solo self found' button. (Solo self found means you can't join parties or trade with other players)
Then choose your class. This decides where you'll start on the passive skill tree.
We'll need to see a 'Hardcore' character, with SHR_ at the start of their name.
SHR_ will be the prefix for your official characters in the race.
You may have others, but they're the ones who's progress we'll be watching.
NB: "Abyss" is the name of the current league, no news yet on the name of the one we'll be racing in.
As to strategy, it's unavoidable that some players will actually be a group of friends sharing a login, and working in shifts; but this isn't necessarily a winning strategy.
The mouse is only ever in one hand; and if that hand only has a third of the experience acquired in getting to that point, it may end up spending more time texting apologies than slaying those jumping goat bastards.
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/http://webcdn.pathofexile.com/public/news/31-03-2015/GoatPunch.gif)
If your character dies, that's obviously a setback, but you can start again with somebody new.
It may seem that others have an unassailable lead, but they can die too.
It's quite possible that a mad dash for the finish line may be the undoing of one or many of your competitors.
Suddenly fourth place becomes first, and you join Steven Bradbury as one of my personal heroes.
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/ZDgXmVu.gif)
If you're equipped to record and/or stream, please do so.
Use the tag #poecomp when posting. (Assuming you have time to post)
Glorious deaths are bittersweet and better shared. I've been there. I miss them too.
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://media0.giphy.com/media/GJVpbMjfT2Ftm/giphy.gif)
To enter;
Post your intention to compete, using #poecomp as the first tag.
Tell us about yourself. Are you a grizzled veteran, or an eager newcomer?
Will you be dealing physical damage up close and personal, or raising an army of the dead to fight on your behalf?
Will you lay traps, mines and totems to outwit the enemy, or stick 'em with poisoned arrows from a distance?
Are you going to charge headlong into each level, or take it slow and stay alive?
Get some practice in, clear your March calendar and start carbo-loading Doritos.
We're going to have a blast
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://odealo.com/uploads/public/Path%20of%20Exile/3.1%20gems/volley.gif)
Note to all other players, that if you have Steam, the game is also available through their platform, which streamlines the login process, but I think from memory you still have to go to the PoE website to create an account. It's been so long since I started playing I've forgotten
Still a go ahead? can we compete on consoles also sorry if it has been asked already :)
It hasn't been asked. I didn't stipulate a specific interface, so it's certainly a good question.
Do you have a publicly visible poe account?
I would on the pc brother i played a long time ago when it first came out, played again when it came out on the Xbox one i only ever played hardcore same with ARK and everything in between only ever played hardcore.... I am stuck to console at the moment and i really want to compete just reading the post brought out the competitiveness in me bahaha!!! How could we integrate console gamers to this my xbox account is public but who can verify because @mattclarke has said hardcore and competition in the same post so i showed up with no pants on and don't even know if i can enter :( i will win this just let me play couch!!!
Just let me know i will put my post up #poecomp... I will be on XB1 tho, if anyone doesn't want console gamers to enter thats also fine haha.
I've given it some thought; and console play offers too many potential unfairness vectors (I just don't know enough about it and don't have the time to investigate)
I plan on running hardcore races with each new league; so we'll say PC only this time; and I'll get poe on my Xbox in the meantime; so I can be clearer on entry terms next time.
Thanks, mate.
This sounds excellent brother! I think new console leagues start at the same time as pc, i really think it would work for console players to join next time, you may just need to find a moderator for PS4 and XB1 and i am happy to help out in anyway i can man just give me a shout out :).... Do it man i found it a lot smoother on xb1 then my sh*tty laptop hahaha, allows for a lot more people to enter the comps too. Add me on xb1 i think my gamertag is Rampage_jr_1 we could smash a comp out together.
Sounds like a plan.
My home broadband resets in a week; so I'll download it then.
Where are you @ man? I am in Aus but i will play NA if we get to bang a comp on consoles. Has been a long time since i played but this really made me want to grind some hours out!
I know this game is free @mattclarke but....
Sounds like a jolly old time. To bad I'm not that type of gamer ;) (or it's more good news because of my addictive personality).
The only thing that doesn't sound fair is the option that the person in third could actually get a higher reward than the people in first and second if they are both on the same level. I guess it creates some strange incentives where it would be better for both to stop competing and to allow one of them only to level up so they don't have to share the rewards for 1st and 2nd levels. Interesting how this will play out.
Yes, it's almost another layer of gamification. I think most people will just do the best they can, rather than watching others. The character screen we can see doesn't actually display total xp, just their level, so I couldn't rank them according to xp without requiring screenshots.
I'd then need the screenshots to come in simultaneously, so nobody gets an advantage.
Too many ways it could go wrong.
Why aren't you, 'that type of gamer'? It's a great, fun game; and it's free.
Maybe give it a download and have a try :)
Well, first of all, I tend to be pretty bad at it, that kind of makes it a bit more difficult to enjoy complex games with steeper learning curves. The second component is that there are other types of games that I tend to prefer. I really enjoy playing games like Pro Evolution Soccer (that might be viewed as lame or too casual for hardcore gamers) so if I manage to set aside some time for gaming, I usually prefer to spend it on that. To put it in perspective, I still haven't played a single minute of PES in 2018 yet and I have an unfinished season saved that I'm eager to finish, so I don't want to risk falling in love with yet another game and not have the time to play it as much as I'd want.
Still, I suspect now that we've talked about it, curiosity will take the better of me and I'll try it sooner or later ;)
Doesn't hurt to try new things, as comforting as the old ones can be.
If we get good engagement, I might run more comps with subsequent new league rollouts.
Perhaps look at some of @holoz0r's dtube gameplay clips to see what it's like.
Hopefully this is not me at the end of the contest!
Actually reactions like that, properly recorded and posted, could prove quite lucrative.
Also entertaining for me; which is the main thing.
I aim to please lol
This already is me :P
This is a game I've been meaning to play... once I upgraded my computer... and now I sort-of have. ^_^
Thank you for reminding me about it. I won't be participating in the contest but its back on my radar.
Get involved, mate. You know you want to.
'grins' Having access to the new computer once-to-twice a week isn't gonna cut it but I now know what game I'd like to first load it up with. ^_^
I'm not sure if I'll have the time to really be competitive, but I'll give it a go! Love this game, even if I'm not that great at it.
That's the spirit :)
Gives you something to post about, too.
Anyway, I've made my entry post, so I'm in!
Excellent. May the odds be ever in your favour.
I've got lots to post about! But some POE antics might have a broader appeal than my usual ramblings :)
I suppose I can take a short break from streaming Diablo 3...
Ursa joining in? Separate chars or you gonna share?
Oh ffs, I've been playing less and less lately and I've missed PoE. Now a challenge like this..
Maybe I should try go fall down on ice and get a long sick leave from work, so I could get a great run on hardcore.
Good luck for everyone participating in the contest!
I've been on here so much, I haven't been on much, myself.
This way I can combine the two :)
(you know you want to, just do it)
I'm a softcore league kinda guy but sure, but I'll try my hand in HC for this :D
Softcore feels like playing with action figures now.
You might find it's a one way trip.
It's more that I have little time to play and I like the laid back low stress gameplay and accumulating wealth. I don't chase the highs and lows of HC life.
For PoE, a death in HC turns the character into SC, so I see no point in not starting with HC every single time. I just wish I died less...
Have you not read the changelog? New league writes your hd with 0's if you die in hc.
Good thing I don't die then :)
haha. Good thing I've got a horribly unstable connection already and expect random disconnects!