Hardcore Deaths from DDoS Are NOT Okay — We Deserve Better

WoW Classic WoW Classic Hardcore
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Hey everyone,

Thousands of Hardcore players lost their characters today — not because of bad pulls or risky plays, but because of a DDoS attack that Blizzard didn’t mitigate in time. These weren’t just characters. These were dozens or hundreds of hours of time, effort, and emotional investment, deleted in an instant due to something completely out of our control.

Blizzard’s official stance is “death is final, for any reason.” But let’s be real: disconnects and server attacks are NOT part of the Hardcore challenge we signed up for. We expect to die in battle — not in loading screens. And when this many players are affected, silence and “policy” aren’t good enough.

This post isn’t about blaming the devs — we know they care. But it is a call to action. We need to come together as a community and make Blizzard recognize this isn’t acceptable. Whether it’s a rollback, a one-time character restore, or better death protection during unstable server periods — we need a solution. Hardcore doesn’t work if death is arbitrary.

Let’s make our voices heard. Don’t just accept this as “part of the game.” Reply. Upvote. Share. Post your stories. If we stay silent, nothing will change. If we rise up together — Blizzard will listen.

Edit: Another massive disconnect occurred today. It’s disheartening to see dedicated Hardcore players lose their characters due to factors beyond their control, and what’s even more upsetting is the complete silence from Blizzard.

We must take action. I suggest we start sending clear, direct support tickets or emails to Blizzard — asking what they know, what they are doing, and what the plan is to prevent this from continuing. Also, rallying influential figures within the gaming community to support our cause could amplify our voice and pressure Blizzard to respond.

This isn’t just about dead characters, it’s about the future of Hardcore. If we care about this mode, now’s the time to take a stand. Not to argue with each other or wait in silence, but to act.

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You’re absolutely right that we all agreed to the Hardcore rules — including the clause that death is permanent “for any reason.” That’s not being disputed.

But here’s the key issue: the expectation we signed up for was that Blizzard would provide a reasonably stable and playable environment. That’s the bare minimum. Hardcore is supposed to be challenging, not unfairly punishing due to repeated, widespread technical failures.

We’re not talking about a one-off disconnect here. We’ve had nearly daily, massive lag spikes, server disconnects, and instability — to the point where the game is becoming unplayable, and character death feels like Russian roulette with your internet rather than skill or decision-making.

The Hardcore community accepted the risks — but not the neglect. We’re not asking Blizzard to change the rules. We’re asking them to uphold their part of the experience by delivering a service that doesn’t regularly collapse under basic load or attacks.

Accepting the terms doesn’t mean we stop holding Blizzard accountable when things go off the rails.

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I understand that this was a direct and deliberate attack on streamers, but what precedent does that set if they do a roll back? It really is a slippery slope. Do you think the idiot DDOSsers won’t do this again if they did do a roll back? Of course they would. They will continue to target them as often as they please. Not doing the rollback will just give all the power and control over to the hackers. Doing the rollback will only embolden them more.

You see where this can all go?

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It sucks, but you literally agree to this.

At least your character isn’t lost. It just moves to a different server.

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Rip pepperoni

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completely understand the concerns around a rollback as it does open a can of worms, and it’s fair to ask what precedent that sets. I also agree that creating perfect disconnect protection isn’t easy, especially when dealing with deliberate DDoS attacks. But here’s the thing: Blizzard has to try something.

Hardcore isn’t just a mode. It’s a community, and for many of us, the reason we’re even playing WoW Classic again. And right now, this mode is being slowly choked by instability and silence. If the current pattern continues such as daily disconnects, mass deaths, zero communication, it will kill the mode we love.

What we’re asking for isn’t an instant fix or a magic rollback button. We’re asking Blizzard to acknowledge what’s happening and give us something. A comment. A plan. A commitment to explore technical solutions or safeguards. Silence is what empowers the hackers more than anything.

We know they can’t promise perfection, but they can show us they care about Hardcore and the people who play it. Ignoring it and hoping the community just shrugs it off? That’s the real slippery slope.

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You do realize by that logic that you can argue the exact opposite as well?

By doing nothing it shows that the individuals involved in the DDos attacks have that much power to influence the HC community and there is nothing we can do or will do about it.

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Yes it does, it’s been arbitrary since the beginning.

Anyway, we are finally rid of the streamers so the DDOS should stop. Win win.

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It was on the launcher. You gambled and lost.

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I went ahead and cancelled my subscription today.

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BLIZZARD PLEASE TAKE ACTION AND MAKE THIS RIGHT.

Make this right for the playerbase, your customers.

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Stunning and brave

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…bye.

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If you come up with a foolproof DDOS defence system, you will become very rich very quickly.
Experts have been trying for a long time.

As soon as Blizz makes any exception, their entire customer service will be flooded with “wrongful death due to DDOS” tickets, of which many will be outright lies.

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Exactly this. Give an inch, take a mile

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Yes, they agreed to blizzards stupid rules. It will also be the reason no one plays hardcore anymore. If they wanna die on that hill than good for them

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You don’t think blizzard has the ability to differentiate between a server wide DDOS attack and a dude who died to a boar and said “I got DDOS’d”? Are you brain dead

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This has been ongoing every 8 hours or so theres a new attack for 3+ days it was definitely targeted around the streamers in some cases. but they wiped onlyfangs already and there is one ongoing at this time now.

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This isn’t true. The stiches server a few years back had a massive server lag issue where thousands died. They still kept playing after

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I never personally mentioned you at all, but interesting you assumed it was about you. Must of been accurate. Also every word I said is fact, argue with a wall, have a good night.

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