SC people that tried HC for the first time.

I had several HC attempts in the past leagues, but none of them past the Level 60 barrier. As a nonHC player, i like - like many others - the DPS orientied builds where occasional RIPs are expected. I knew that in HC this playstyle is a nogo. Just like playing a melee build, imo too dangerous.

So i tried a Caster build. Arc/Flameblast/Searing Bond? Nope i didn't and i don't like them all. My choice was Freezing Pulse. I don't know why but i've always liked this skill. I planned to play as a Marauder with heavy investment in Lifenodes (>200%).

The Pros were:
The needed Wand with +1/+2 to Coldgems (magic/rare) was very cheap to craft or to obtain by trade.
Gear choice was easy high Life with at least one high Resistence - selffound or bought at max. 1 Chaos per piece.
Only 3-Link Wand needed for FP/LMP/ColdPen. In combination with Frostbite and 2 Heralds the Killspeed was quite good, i was very surprised.

Cons:
Pretty late kickin of FP when you start as Marauder. The time you get in the Templar area, it goes way better.
Dex and especially Int get a Problem as Marauder.
Not all needed Gems are Quest rewards as Maurauder.

Normal was a little struggle due to the low Dips , Cruel went pretty fine, and Act one and two of Merc. also. You know the situation when your balls grow to big? Mine was at Vaal. He was at approx. 20% where he managed to shock me while walking on the frozen ground. A Vaal Slam was the End. Level 62 and 4,5k Life? - Vaal is stronger!

Disappointed i rerolled a fancy TornadoShot Ranger. I had a Deaths Harp in my Stash and gave it a shot. To make it short in the 40s i realized that i wouldn't make it to Level 80 with a Char like this. Low life and a pretty bad Killspeed was not a base for a good Char. I stopped at level 43 and went back to my first build.

This time as a Templar. It went way better than the Marauder. I used FP from the start right to level 80. Thanks to a Cartobox which gave me 18 Maps, mapping was pretty early possible. I reached Level 80 after ~50 hours playtime, entirely solo. At level 81 my Char died, again were too big balls the reason. This time it was Piety in the Temple map with a trap. First map i killed her very easy, too easy. On the second map beeing to confident gets you punished. She shock-stunned me and the next lightning impact was my end. Aprox 6k Life wasn't enough, lesson learned. Next round i'll be prepared.

I got my 4/4 in both leagues so the loss was not to hard.

P.S
Thanks to almost all 820 players, without you 4/4 would never have been possible.

I'm pretty much a SC player only, these are my thoughts

1. HC requires you to grab more survivability and macro /oos.

2. HC is not any more difficult than SC.

3. HC has a better trading economy due to the constant need for items of all levels.

4. HC is not HC simply because instantaneous (I know it takes 100 milliseconds or so) logout ruins it.

5. I will not be playing HC due to #4 in A4.

6. I completed all SC and HC challenges with no problem.

Not my thing at all. Lost two characters in HC and there's no point crafting another now.

Personally I enjoy leaping into the fray and sweeping about with a sword to take down the enemy. The ultimate hero destroying evil against all odds.

I don't recall at any stage Conan considering his next move and thinking "I'll just farm the desert for a few more levels before I move onto the next scene" or "That Thulsa Doom guy is walloping me, better Alt F4 outta here!".

For me the whole second guessing yourself constantly, the fear of the tiniest little thing, just completely breaks the immersion and inhibits my enjoyment of the game.

I'm not saying my way is the right way, or that there is no value in HC. Sure, I learnt a lot playing HC, but it's not my style and I don't find it satisfying at all.

I was tempted this time by the MTX and I may get drawn in again by a similar offer in the future, but otherwise I have no interest in the enforced masochism of HC.