The Weirdest Hardcore Challenge No One Has Tried

The speaker is embarking on a new "classic hardcore journey" in a game, facing the challenge of a "race-locked" playthrough, specifically as a gnome. This means playing only with other gnomes of the warrior, rogue, mage, or warlock classes, with the significant caveat of having no healers for dungeons. The speaker acknowledges this will be "crazy" and "definitely the hardest race" due to the lack of healing. Initially, the speaker discusses the possibility of running dungeons with up to 10 people, even without healers, for later content like Maradon, Sunken Temple, and BRD, but hopes to manage earlier dungeons like Deadmines and Wailing Caverns with five gnomes and no healers. The choice of gnome is partly due to liking the race and its "Escape Artist" ability. Regarding class selection, the speaker rules out warrior due to having played it many times before and its difficulty without a healer. Warlock is considered, as it's a class the speaker hasn't played. A community poll quickly favors Warlock, which the speaker decides to try. The initial attempt at playing a Warlock, named "Zaryu lock," ends almost immediately in a PvP encounter where the character dies. The speaker then expresses a desire for a "mini challenge" within the hardcore run: a "no questy" attempt, meaning no questing, just seeing how long they can survive. This isn't a commitment for the entire run to level 60, but rather a personal side challenge. After another death, the speaker re-rolls to a new Warlock, maintaining the "Zaryu lock" name. The "no questy" challenge proves difficult early on, with the speaker struggling to find specific quest mobs in areas like Coldridge Valley without quest markers, despite believing they could reach level 30 easily with this approach. After some trial and error, the speaker successfully obtains the imp pet, marking a significant milestone. The speaker addresses concerns about the lack of healers, reiterating the 10-man dungeon option for higher levels. For raids, the strategy is to defer the discussion until level 60, as simply reaching level 60 is the primary goal. The speaker expresses skepticism about raiding without healers, citing a 40-mage Molten Core run on normal servers where many players died, concluding it would be "impossible" for a hardcore, self-found, no-healer gnome group. The "no questy" mini-challenge continues, with the speaker committing to playing Warlock until at least level 30. Another PvP encounter leads to a second death, this time due to two "fear resists" from the opponent, which the speaker believes cost them the duel. Despite the setbacks, the speaker re-rolls again, still committed to the Warlock class until level 30. The speaker reflects on the enjoyment of the hardcore experience, highlighting the slower pace and interactive chat as key elements. The community engagement, despite the deaths, is a significant part of the fun. The speaker notes the growth of the guild, reaching 281 members. As the character progresses and regains levels, the speaker learns to utilize Warlock abilities like "Immolate, Agony, Corruption," and "Fear" more effectively, though acknowledging "Fear" in caves can be risky. The speaker also discusses dungeon strategies for a no-healer group, emphasizing tank rotations, target dummies, and bandaging. A near-death experience while helping another gnome highlights the dangers of the hardcore environment. The speaker also shares advice for a viewer struggling to find enjoyment in games, suggesting a break to pursue other leisure activities until the desire to play returns naturally. The speaker successfully reaches level 10 again, celebrating the acquisition of new abilities and gear. The journey continues with renewed determination, embracing the "Zaryu locked" name as a representation of the race-locked challenge. The speaker concludes the session, expressing immense enjoyment for the hardcore experience and inviting others to join the "Skull Rock, Team Gnome" community.