Close Calls in Hardocre

[Malentros]

To me, nothing in Diablo beats the rush in Hardcore mode when your character gets in a tricky situation, your health drops to a sliver and your skill, luck or a combination thereof gets you out of it. In the end, you're sweating, your hands a shaking, and you've probably got to log off for a while, but you'll be back playing HC again in no time, waiting for the next rush.

Thought I'd start a threat where we could share such moments. Apologies if this has been done before. Ideally these should be about legit gameplay challanges rather than when lag or bugs intervene but a lot of crazy situations I've saved my character from start with sever lag, so its all fair game.

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Mine happened a couple of days ago. I was leveling my Wizard through Act I nightmare and had just gotten through the Khazra Barricade with relative ease. Feeling complacent (only had diamond skin as a defensive since I was using venom hydra/blizz to kill/kite and nothing was getting close), I started walking straight through to where I knew Leoric's manor would be and I set off the trapped chest and 4 elite bugs (one mod was Fast, not sure about the other) were on me.

I tried to kite them back through the Khazra barricade, but I miscalculated in my surprised state, and missed it. Now I have to circle around, and while kiting them, I pull another elite pack and a horde of goatmen. Now I'm panicking, using diamond skin/pot whenever they're up, and wishing badly I had kept Frost Nova or Wave of Force on my bar. I miss the barricande entrance again on my second pass. Health is at 10%, Diamond Skin and Pot on cooldown. I've now resigned myself to the most embarrasing of Hardcore fates, Death-by-Stupidity, and I plant a final blizzard and hydra and stand there to take death staring back.

Instead, my last Blizzard kills 2 of the wasps and I get two heatlh globes getting me back to ~40% hp. I decide I'll try to pull it out, and run back to the barricade, finding the entrance (finally!). Now I have room to kite, my and Venom and Blizz make short work of them. I consider going back to finish the rest of the goatmen and elites but consider my mental state and log off for a while. (And then go back to farming Wortham before attempting to finish Act I again :P)

Happy ending, and now it defintiely feels like my Wizard has a second life.

[AlexanderBarin]

Close one? Mauled into a corner by a hell pack of illusionist teleporter arcane Golgors (the dough boys that hit for like 10k). Thought it was over, the charge cooldown came up and the exit was just behind them. I felt like that one Treasure Goblin that got away: "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

[moranor]

I've had a few ones.
When I fought Rakanoth I got below 30% health, he did his teleport move and I got a random dodge which saved my life. Later when I fought Izual for the second time (the checkpoint reset) I was down in 10% health, his minions were there and I had everything on cooldown. Tyreal and my follower grabbed the aggro though and I somehow survived.

[Helpoing]

Had a few as well on my first char (WD). In both cases I had literally no health left in the lower left orb. First time I barelly escaped from an ambush by Treants in Field of Misery (an event that happens in a very small grove), and I still don't know how I managed to run through a ton of poison flower bombs with almost 0 HP. Then later in Act 3 Normal my friend lead 2 or 3 Lunatics right into me while I was fighting some other mobs. After my first near death experience I was euphoric, but after the second one I was very very mad at my friend.

Instead, my last Blizzard kills 2 of the wasps and I get two heatlh globes getting me back to ~40% hp.

It really helps to have monster HP bars toggled on ("V"). This way you can quickly decide which retreat path to chose or when to make a stand.

[cbr]

and I still don't know how I managed to run through a ton of poison flower bombs with almost 0 HP

I think that's because poison damage acts like it did in D2, meaning it will bring you down to 1 HP, but is never able to kill, regardless of how much poison damage you take.

EDIT: This is only for player characters, NPCs will die from poison probably.

[skr]

I think that's because poison damage acts like it did in D2, meaning it will bring you down to 1 HP, but is never able to kill, regardless of how much poison damage you take.

EDIT: This is only for player characters, NPCs will die from poison probably.

That's false, ive died in those flowers in act1 nightmare, and i know it wasn't the tree killing me afterwards because in the hall of fallen heroes it says my barb got killed by: unknown.

be carefull with that ****ty monsters in that area =p

[Helpoing]

In one run I fell victim to two bugs. One was very deadly and I escaped thanks to my DH partner, the other - not so dangerous.

The first bug happened in Caverns of Frost when a Lacuni pack with Shielding, Reflects Damage and some other mod cornered me around a hole in the ground. I tried to teleport away with Dashing Strike, but nothing happened. I could only use healing skills/pots, dodge, block, but was unable to do any damage to mobs or move. Once the pack was destroyed by my teammate I noticed that the monk became invisible, though I could see the aura from Evasion mantra. I tried to cast TP and suddenly the char became visible and mobile once again.

The second glitch came on the Rakkis Crossing when I dashed at a Fallen shaman (it was the last mob on screen) and became trapped behind a crumbled statue. TP, then used my friend's flag to come back.

[Laccnow]

Luckily I never was in a hot situation in-game while fighting, but the disconnects (yeah, my isp is really ****ty lately).
Yesterday I finally got to nightmare again and did the wretched mother runs, when suddenly everything stopped, and of course I was surrounded with a lot of monsters. I got DC'd and was pretty sure that my character died there. He did not. That was some serious relief! (My first hc died because of this)

[flint]

Last night I had an "I should be dead" moment.

I was in Act 2 Nightmare and after clearing an area I walked out on a dock, one of those skinny projections off the side of the map. All of a sudden a pack of waller/arcane fallen come sneaking in after me and completely lock me in while dropping arcane sentries left and right. The gargantuan and templar just melted away. I knew this was no time to fight but I didn't have a choice. I tried to spirit walk out but you can't get through the walls. I swapped one of my skills to Horrify - Face of Death and was praying for the cooldown to run out before my life did. I slammed Horrify the instant it was available but one of the fallen was out of range and stayed back to keep walling me in. I sat there resigned to death but then it happened. They misplaced their walls and gave me a pathway out. I ran half way up the dock then hit spirit walk and got the rest of the way out.

[AlexanderBarin]

Tried NM Kulle at lvl 31.

Hah!

Down to red screen flashing in seconds. Kited around with stomp and sprint, spent 4 potions to get to 100%, then logged out (it took them 8 seconds to get to me, and I survived the final 2, yay!)