The Hardcore Guide for Dummies
   - By one of them (Caprise)

With a short-term memory like mine, reading all the guides and asking a lot of questions don’t always help. I keep forgetting everything the instant after I get the information. This means that I’m learning by doing and I’m totally dependent on the people I play with. I need help with everything, from building the char, to picking the right weapon and getting through the quests in one piece.

To go a little further into my playing skills: When I play a bow-using amazon, I still have to be reminded that: "I’m not a tank. I’m not a tank…I’m not a tank." I have managed to forget that Nihlathak uses corpse-explosions, and gladly ran into his chamber, happily firing away, which of course ended in my spectacular death. I should also mention that I play hardcore, which is not always easy to remember when I get too excited.

Some of the advice below has been mentioned in other guides and posts, but I thought it might be easier to gather them in one place, for those of us who need a reminder.

Advice for the Diablo Dummy:

1. Worship your playing mates!

You are totally dependent upon their patience and good will.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions.

Most people prefer that you ask if you are insecure about something. This is better than pretending to know about these things, thereby putting your teammates in danger. I have tried both, and strongly recommend asking the stupid questions. Remember blondes do have more fun. (I can say this, being a natural blonde myself.)

3. Play more than chat.

If you are a slow typist like me, when playing, concentrate on the game rather than on making funny comments. People respect that, and if you have to say something, make sure you are safe. A good idea is also to give a hint about your typing skills, so they know what to expect. It is not funny when the whole team stops up to check on you, when all you are doing is trying to compose an answer for something said five minutes ago.

4. Give back whenever you can.

If you get in a situation when you can contribute with weapons, assistance or anything else, do it! It feels great to finally get the opportunity to give something back. I always feel proud when I can give advice like "Not sure, but I think -20 -15 - 30 -5 might be too low resists in hell."

5. Communication skills and important terms.

To remember the Basin/Diablo2hc language and the different names of the players isn’t always easy. If you meet someone new, or someone gets a new account or you learn a new expression--write it down! Then you won’t feel so lost the next time. I wish I had followed this piece of advice from day one. For instance: when you hear somebody say that they are playing naked/n00d, it does not mean that they are sitting by their computer naked--and that you should start describing your underwear.

6. If things go too fast, don’t be afraid to speak out (in a nice way).

If the playing is going too fast, and you feel you are out of control, it is better to ask the others to slow down, than put yourself or others in a dangerous position. When I get lost, and all the other players are suddenly on a different level or in different acts than me, I check the party screen, go to the correct town and ask politely for a town portal (tp). I do this every time, and it really works. Speed is not a good excuse for leaving your brain in Act 3.

7. Identifying a boss.

When you run into a boss, it is common to let the others know what kind of mods it has. If you, like me, don’t not know all the abbreviations for the different mods, type BOSS. The others will hopefully get the hint and be careful until they have identified the boss themselves. If others write the mods and you don’t understand them, don’t attack before you know it is ok. It can be multi shot lightning enchanted with conviction!!!! (Eek!) To identify this particular boss yourself, you should know that it is the boss monster (they can have a different colour) with green clouds around it's feet and when you hit it, big sparkling lights come out of them very, very fast and you and all your friends die a swift and horrible death.

8. Be polite.

Do not take assistance or help for granted. People are not playing for you. Give people a chance to offer help rather than feel obligated to do so. If you are patient, the help will come. Be honest about your mistakes! A good piece of advice is to learn where the key is for "oops, did I do that," and use it liberally.

9. Let people know if you are inexperienced.

If you do, you will get a lot of good advice when playing. Your party members will also know that you might not be able to help them out of dangerous situations and then play according to that. If you feel that you have been playing for so long that it is embarrassing to state your inexperience over and over, you're right, it is.

10. What to Avoid at All Cost

The Amazon Basin is a tolerant place. It is allowed to be stupid and to make mistakes. There are only a few things you should never do. If you remember these three you should be all right:

Do not ever ever reveal the game passwords. Not in games, in channel or by whispering. This means not to your grandmother, your best friend or another member of the community--not even if people ask, cry or beg for it.

Think twice before you type. The community has members of all ages, religions, cultures and countries. What you think is ok might not be ok for others. Everybody should feel comfortable when playing here. This means chatting in channel and games, naming characters (it can be tempting to use names you just saw on a public toilet door, but don’t), and in your profile and forum name.

Don’t steal or nag! Don’t beg for rushes or items. Be patient and you will usually get assistance. Don’t steal items in town. Items found in the same act are to be shared. My experience is that is easier to get items than to give them away. If several people want the same item, it gets decided through a lottery. Pick a number and good luck!

11. Have fun!

Never forget that this is only a game. It is allowed to make mistakes (everybody makes them sometimes).

I will recommend that you read the general guides for the forums, the channel and for hardcore. You will find lots of good information about hardcore here. If you still have problems finding them, ask and you will get assistance. After reading it about 10 times you should get the hang of it. I have only read them 6 or 7 times, so I still have some way to go. Good luck to all!

To all of you who have played with me, I am ever so grateful for all your patience, help, advice, weapons and last and most important all the good times.

"If you paid as much attention to your brain as you do to your hair, you would be much better off."
- Malcolm X