Diablo 4 is already proving to be much more punishing than its predecessors. Its focus on tactical combat makes every encounter threatening, even for characters who are already reaching the peak of their power.
Such difficulty makes Hardcore mode more dangerous but also much more rewarding to play. The threat of death is very real, and nothing quite compares to beating a seemingly-insurmountable challenge in Diablo 4's upper World Tiers with a character that risks permanent deletion. Here are a few tips on how to not die in Hardcore mode.
Pick Your Fights
Every fight in Diablo 4's Hardcore mode is a matter of life and death (more so than usual, at least). Jumping blindly into an elite pack or face-tanking a boss' attacks can end a run very quickly regardless of a player's relative power level.
Hardcore players should always approach fights more tactically, especially when there are elite monsters with crowd-control abilities. Bait enemies into choke points and wait for big attacks to happen before diving into the fray.
Also, players should always have an escape route ready. This is especially important in the early game where early Butcher encounters can happen. Keep an eye on the map for a Skull icon and listen for rattling chains; if both are present, then it's time to run away.
Important Consumables
Hardcore mode in Diablo 4 has a couple of valuable consumables that every player should have in their inventory: Elixir of Death Evasion and Scroll of Escape. Both exist to prevent players from dying, but they do it in completely different ways.
Elixir of Death Evasion makes characters immune to all damage for two seconds once their LIfe reaches zero. Like other Elixirs, this effect is active for only 30 minutes, and it disappears once it procs.
On the other hand, the Scroll of Escape automatically whisks players away to safety when used. The effect is instant, and it is automatically used when the player is accidentally disconnected from Diablo 4.
Both of these drop randomly and cannot be bought or crafted. Make sure to save the Elixirs for boss fights and try not to use the Scroll of Escape in case of an internet outage.
Stack Armor and Protection
When gearing up, it's better to stack Armor than Resistances due to how stat scaling works. For some reason, gear pieces that provide Elemental Resistances don't give the actual value stated in their item tooltips. For example, a helmet with 50% Fire Resistance, for example, may give only 3% total when worn.
Meanwhile, Armor always counts directly to the player's defenses. A gear piece with a percentage bonus to its armor is more valuable than an elemental resistance affix simply due to how the numbers are calculated. Also, Armor protects from both Physical and Non-Physical Damage, albeit the latter is only reduced by half of the former's value.
Players should still try to get their Resistance values up to at least 50% for every element, but as far as gearing goes, stacking Armor is the way to go. Cap this off with defensive Legendary Aspects to further protect against damage at all stages of the game.
Always Have an Unstoppable Skill
Crowd-Control Effects will be the death of a Hardcore character someday, so players should always have at least one source of the Unstoppable buff ready when they're adventuring across Sanctuary.
Skills like the Barbarian's Rallying Cry or the Necromancer's Blood Mist can save players from a sticky situation. However, they have relatively short durations and much longer cooldown periods. Always monitor these abilities and do not engage recklessly when they aren't available.
There are certain Diablo 4 Legendary Aspects like Eluding, Snowveiled, and Iron Warrior that grant additional sources of Unstoppable. Sneak these into a build for some extra survivability against CC-heavy enemies. Otherwise, look for a pair of boots that increase Evade charges to make dodging Crowd Control more manageable.
Diablo 4 is available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.