Advice for Overcoming the Fear?

I've recently quit hardcore to become a scrub because my nervous system is messed up and I get too jilted by the threat of death. I'd like not to be this way and I hope to become healthy enough to play hc some day, but for now I'm trying to rehab myself gradually with sc.

But I still feel on edge. You know that on edge feeling you get when you are playing a game like Zelda or Metroid and you are down to low enough life for the omgimabouttodie sounds to play? I feel that way playing PoE even after I've switched to SC and I know I can't die. It's like all the hc playing conditioned my nerves to be on overdrive.

Does anyone have any advice to help relax and not perceive in-game threats as threats to my own life? I know it sounds stupid but I can't just turn off my nerves even if my higher consciousness thinks it's stupid or wants to "man up".

I remember playing Diablo 2 (soft) and doing dangerous things like teleporting through Durance lvl 2 explody dolls that would one shot me and it never felt this bad. There's gotta be something different about my perception of this game, hopefully something I can change. Has anyone ever overcome something like this? I'm hoping it will gradually get better with exposure to scrubcore but any advice to make it easier is appreciated.

Play something that isn't close to hardcore viable. My personal choice would be glass cannon flicker. Strap on your abyssus and blink around until you've one-shot yourself to reflect enough to undo your conditioning. Flicker has the added bonus of being more or less out of control so you can't hold yourself back.

Cut down on the caffeine.

After the next time you level up in Standard go on a no loss dying spree . Test out different bosses, strategies, etc.

It will help you overcome some dying angst and you will learn some interesting things about boss AI that will later help you avoid deaths.

The front desk assistant will help you schedule your next appointment.

Hah it is that fear of being a "hardcore cherry" honestly.

I have no understanding why you have taken that fear and applied it to SC.

Maybe try to breakdown your mentality about the game. You probably value your time so you look at playing PoE as an investment. In reality PoE is merely recreation.

If you can come to terms that PoE is recreation and not an investment with a return, you will find yourself worrying less about things like dying.

Personally I love it because it helps me feel like the world around me is real.

Anyways, good luck.

Start a new char, goto the coast, die to fire and fury until you are more relaxed

Look there are games that are relaxing and friendly.

Poe is NOT one of those. It keeps you on your toes always. It's demanding game, for some ppl it's challenging and great, to other, it can be too much. Diablo is overall worse game but in some manner it's more noob friendly and relaxing game. Whatever you do (skills, deaths) there is no real damage. Everything can be remedied (too) easily.


About PoE, well you can try to change you play style - it might help. Roll yourself nice tanky resilient character which will have low chance of dying. Most of my characters are almost death proof untill maps lvl 71+. I have 0 stress in playing them, its like stroll in the park. No stress - no fear.

Ofc there is other school of thought - make wimpy character and die as much as you can :) When you see that nothing terrible happens - it might help :)

gl.
Conquering your fears is no mere task. As spock (or someone else from star trek) might say :)