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Hardcore Diablo 4 PvP is just that, so don’t die

Hardcore Diablo 4 PvP lives up to its name, as Blizzard has confirmed that if you lose a bout against another of the action RPG game's players, it's permadeath.

Hardcore Diablo 4 PvP is just that, so don't die: An Asian woman with black hair tied back on a ponytail conjures fire in her right hand wearing a plunging blue robe adorned with gold in a cavern

Hardcore Diablo 4 runs are just that – hardcore. If you’re looking to delve into the competitive world of PvP in the action RPG game then you had best be prepared, as Blizzard has confirmed that if you die in combat, it’s permadeath. Ouch.

For those who haven’t touched a Diablo game before, hardcore mode is the game’s top-tier difficulty, and is renowned for being hard like, really hard. Your enemies are even more powerful, and if you die, you die permanently. Boom, finito, it’s over.

But how does that play into PvP, one of the Diablo 4 endgame‘s most competitive features? Well, if you’re going to take on hardcore PvP, Blizzard has confirmed that if you fall in combat, you permanently die. Yes, permadeath transcends both PvP and PvE content.

When asked on Twitter “if you’re playing hardcore and you die in PVP, is it permadeath?” Diablo global community development director Adam ‘PezRadar’ Fletcher responds with a simple “permadeath.” This is echoed by associate game director Joe Piepiora, who replies “yup.”

A tweet from Diablo 4 dev Adam Fletcher about permadeath in PvP

While this might not be a shock for avid hardcore enthusiasts, it’s better to know in advance than find out the hard way in-game. It also means the ‘Sweaty’ and ‘Murderer’ titles (earned for killing ten players in hardcore PvP) make more sense, because man that’s going to be a grind.

As someone who cannot PvP for the life of me, I’ll be avoiding hardcore like the plague – although who knows, maybe I’ll feel adventurous. If you, like me, prefer killing demons over other players, be sure to check out our list of the five Diablo 4 classes to maximise your monster slaying potential in the new Diablo 4 beta – yes, folks, there’s another one. Get excited.