The Hardcore Code

Rules of Engagement

Read carefully. These rules define your run. Not knowing the rules does not exempt you from them.

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Game Modes

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Standard Hardcore — Death by game mechanics is permanent. Death by PvP is revocable. You may group, trade, and use the Auction House.
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Self-Found (SF) — Some Standard rules apply, but the Auction House, Mail, and Trading are fully disabled by the addon. Every item must be looted, crafted, or purchased from an NPC by your own character. No outside assistance.
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Zero tolerance for cheating applies to both modes. Any detected abuse ends your run immediately and permanently.
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Addon Requirement

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The addon must be enabled from the moment you create your character (level 1) through the end of your run. There are no exceptions and no appeals for this rule.
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The addon is a critical part of the Hardcore experience on Warmane. It tracks your enrollment status, detects rule violations, and automatically reverts PvP deaths. Playing without it is not playing Hardcore.
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Death Rules

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Death by game mechanics, bugs, disconnects, etc is permanent and non-revocable. This includes monsters, bosses, fall damage, drowning, the Undercity elevator, fire, poison, and any other in-game hazard. If the game killed you — your run is over.
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Death by another player (PvP) is revocable. All Warmane WotLK realms are PvP realms. The addon automatically detects PvP kills and reverts the death — no appeal or manual action is needed.
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Important: Warmane tracks deaths on the achievement tab and on the web profile. Every death on your character must be accounted for (PvP) . Unexplained deaths will not be dismissed.
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Party & Raiding

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Party and raids are allowed only with other Hardcore characters — including elite mob hunting, leveling together, dungeons, and raids — as long as every member is an active Hardcore character (Standard or SF) enrolled in WOTLKHC.
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Grouping with non-HC characters ends your run. The addon detects HC enrollment status of all party members. If a non-enrolled player joins your group, the addon will leave your group. If you continue to group with non-HC players after receiving a warning, your run may end permanently.
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SF players can group with other SF or Standard HC characters, but cannot trade items between players — even accidentally looted items. Trading is blocked by the addon regardless of circumstances.
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Trading, Mail & Auction House

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Standard mode: Trading, mailing items, and the Auction House are permitted. Heirlooms are allowed — some players prefer a faster leveling experience to focus on dungeons and raids, and that is perfectly fine. The truest challenge on Standard is simply: don't die. For enforced item restrictions, play Self-Found.
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Self-Found mode: The Auction House, Mail, and direct Trading are disabled and enforced by the addon. Attempting to use them triggers the anti-cheat system and ends your run. SF characters cannot receive items from any external source.
❌

Reviving Mechanics

Abilities that prevent death — such as Iceblock, Vanish, the Petrification Flask, or Divine Shield — are allowed. They are clever uses of in-game mechanics, not cheating. Abilities that resurrect a character after death are not.

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Shamans cannot use Reincarnation. Self-resurrection is a revive mechanic and will end your run if used.
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Warlocks cannot use a Soulstone on themselves or apply it to other players. Soulstones enable resurrection after death and are not permitted.
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The rule is simple: if it prevents a legitimate death, it is allowed. If it resurrects a player after they have already died, it is not.
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PvP Rules

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Since all Warmane WotLK realms are PvP realms, PvP deaths will not cancel your run — with the exceptions listed below.
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Abusing the PvP revocation rule is cheating. Having another player kill you when you would otherwise die from a game mechanic — or any similar exploit — is considered cheating and will end your run permanently.
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Battlegrounds, STV Arena, Wintergrasp & other PvP zones are NOT recommended for Hardcore characters, dying there in PvP may end your run.
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Standard PvP deaths outside restricted zones are detected and reverted automatically by the addon. The addon identifies the kill source and marks the death as non-lethal for your run. That mechanism it's called Blood Pact
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Dungeon Rules

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Dungeon finder must be done with a full group (5 players). If a member dies or leaves, requeuing isn't allowed. You either finish the dungeon with fewer people or leave the dungeon.
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Dungeons and raids must be run with HC-enrolled party members only. The same party composition rules apply inside instances as they do in the open world.
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Anti-Cheat & Security

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Zero tolerance for cheating. The addon includes security mechanics — both behavioral detection and verification strings — that flag abuse attempts and end runs automatically.
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Monitored abuse patterns include: removing the addon for a period of time to perform actions, Alt+F4 or force-quitting when near death, using the Warmane website /unstuck to escape combat, disabling the addon to trade on SF, and other bypass attempts. We do not disclose all detection methods publicly — your run will end if abuse is detected. This includes at level 80 during the verification part.
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The addon is safe. WOTLKHC does not communicate with any external servers or websites. It only sends addon messages to other WOTLKHC clients — the same mechanism used by addons like GearScore and PallyPower. It is completely safe to use on Warmane.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is trading allowed on Standard if this is Hardcore?

The current addon version cannot filter Auction House listings to HC-only characters, or verify whether a mail sender is a Hardcore player. Enforcing a rule we can't technically verify is not feasible. If you want enforced restrictions, play Self-Found — the AH, Mail, and Trading are blocked there by the addon.

Isn't sending heirlooms or gold undermining the spirit of Hardcore?

In a way, but WotLK is a massive expansion — the time investment to reach level 80 is significant, and then there are dungeons and raids that present their own unique challenge. Our thinking is that the leveling process can be made a bit easier on Standard if you choose, so players can engage with arguably the most exciting part of the game. For the fully raw experience, Self-Found is there — AH, Mail, and Trading are all blocked.

Why is Icecrown (x7) allowed? It's not a x1 realm.

We believe every player — regardless of how much time they can invest — deserves to experience Hardcore at their own pace. We recommend Lordaeron for the authentic x1 experience closest to classic Hardcore, but we won't gatekeep players from having fun on Icecrown. Hardcore on a faster realm is still Hardcore.

Wasn't death supposed to be permanent? Why are some deaths revocable?

In a perfect world, all deaths would be permanent. But we have to account for the time players invest in their runs. Dying to PvP on a PvP realm, is outside your control. Dying because you forgot to breathe underwater or walked off the elevator — that's on you, and it's permanent. We only revoke deaths genuinely outside a player's control.

Am I forced to play with other players?

No. You can play completely solo from level 1 to 80 without interacting with other players. The Hardcore channel at level 20 is passive — you don't need to participate. Solo play is entirely valid and supported.

Is the addon safe to install on Warmane?

Yes. The addon communicates exclusively with other WOTLKHC addon clients using WoW's built-in addon messaging API. It does not contact any external server, website, or third-party service. It functions identically to widely-used addons like GearScore or PallyPower — completely safe on Warmane.

Where do I submit ag report, or suggestion?

Post everything on our Discord: wotlkhc.com/discord. Use the appropriate channel: #bug-reports, or #suggestions. Death appeals are not possible.