Couple of questions before starting

[big_bob002]

My friend and I are picking this up and we play the game coop. Is there anything to know going in?

Looks like you need 1 of each class to level 70 in Hardcore mode. Just to confirm, if you die in Hardcore mode you lose that character permanently? Can you play Hardcore mode on an easy difficulty to lower chances of dying?

Thanks in advance.

[ScutumMagister]

My friend and I are picking this up and we play the game coop. Is there anything to know going in?

Looks like you need 1 of each class to level 70 in Hardcore mode. Just to confirm, if you die in Hardcore mode you lose that character permanently? Can you play Hardcore mode on an easy difficulty to lower chances of dying?

Thanks in advance.

You just need 1 character to reach level 70 in Hardcore mode. The trophy for reaching level 70 with 6 different classes can be done with regular mode characters. Normal is the default starting difficulty and can't be reduced from that.

For Hardcore I personally recommend the Crusader. I've played up to Torment 2 on my old ID with a Crusader and only came close to dying once the entire time.

Edited February 6, 2015 by ScutumMagister

[BhekifaZ]

Crusader is very good for Hardcore. I personally did it with a Monk as it has some moves that you can use to escape from a sticky situation while also having some good offensive abilities. Don't use a Demon Hunter or a WIzard as they're really soft and if you get overwhelmed by enemies odds are you'll die.

Enemies are very weak on Normal so you can raise it a difficulty or two without it getting much harder so you can reap the rewards of the bonus xp.

Edited February 6, 2015 by BhekifaZ

[big_bob002]

Thanks to both of you. Glad I asked.

We will play through on normal with the other classes and save the Crusader for Hardcore after. We will know what we are doing by then too.

[Piramidoglowy]

Just a little tip, if I may => The D3 save could be easily copied to a USB drive (at least on PS3. I suppose it should also work with PS4). It contains all your items, gold... and characters Not that I would do such a thing (*cough* *cough*), but you could simply copy the save file (just in case), turn the difficulty above Normal, grind a little bit and then copy the save again. If you happen to die, just copy the save back from the USB drive. Some people may consider it to be cheating, but I'm just pointing out a possibility if you're affraid that you'll lose couple of hours of gameplay / grinding. Either way, getting a 70 level Hardcore character (yes, you only need one) is fairly easy if you don't rush in. Keep cool and game on

Edited February 6, 2015 by Piramidoglowy

[maggot1612]

Just a little tip, if I may => The D3 save could be easily copied to a USB drive (at least on PS3. I suppose it should also work with PS4). It contains all your items, gold... and characters Not that I would do such a thing (*cough* *cough*), but you could simply copy the save file (just in case), turn the difficulty above Normal, grind a little bit and then copy the save again. If you happen to die, just copy the save back from the USB drive. Some people may consider it to be cheating, but I'm just pointing out a possibility if you're affraid that you'll lose couple of hours of gameplay / grinding. Either way, getting a 70 level Hardcore character (yes, you only need one) is fairly easy if you don't rush in. Keep cool and game on

I can confirm that this is working for PS4, too ;-)

[Remilia Scarlet]

I'm a hardcore Diablo III fan - I own the game on both PS3 and PS4, have beaten it 6 times, and own the official BradyGames strategy guide. I personally have not started hardcore mode yet as I wanted to max out my normal character first. A very important thing to know when playing the game is that you should constantly check your loot. Eventually your weapons will become useless, so always check your loot for better weapons and gear. Socket gems and enchant your items to increase your odds in combat and survival skills. 

 

While co-op is not necessary to beat the game, it definitely makes boss encounters much easier. Work together to get the best experience possible. All items are split 50/50 in co-op and lower level characters get a significant boost to better their chances of survival when playing with friends. 

 

Explore every dungeon you find until there is nothing left to collect - you never know what you will find! Also try to kill every enemy as quickly as possible and keep your combo chain going. The higher the chain, the bigger the XP boost.

 

Do not limit yourself to just one ability. Some skills work better on certain enemies than others. Vary your attack patterns and utilize all your abilities as best as you can. 

 

If you ever get surrounded by a mob, don't worry if you die. You can resurrect at your corpse or in the nearest town. After you restock your supplies and repair your armor, you can teleport back to your corpse. Use this time to configure your loadout and figure out what went wrong. Be sure to visit Covetous Shen to socket any gems you found, and Haedrig to buy better equipment or repair broken armor.

 

Be sure to send gifts to your friends! A grateful buddy might send you a badass spear or flail!

 

When you complete the story, make use of the Adventure Mode to continue leveling your characters, or replay the chapters to find secrets you may have missed! Replaying the game over and over is part of the Diablo experience!