Best class for Hardcore in WoW Forever

Hardcore is one of Forever's rulesets: permanent death, and Blizzard says it becomes available some time after launch (launch post). Blizzard's published the outline, covered on our Hardcore page, so this is about what keeps a character alive.

Safest picks

• Hunter: the pet takes the hits and traps work in combat, so most bad pulls never reach you.
• Paladin: plate, heals and Lay on Hands every 20 minutes instead of every hour.
• Warlock: Voidwalker tanking, Healthstones, and Fear to break a bad pull.
• Druid: heal in caster form, run in Travel Form, tank in bear form.

Risky picks

• Mage and Priest: cloth, low health; one mistake with two enemies is fatal.
• Rogue: Vanish saves you, but there's no heal.

Habits that matter more than class

1. Never fight at the edge of your mana or Rage.
2. Keep one escape on cooldown for emergencies.
3. Skip elite quests until you have a group.

Add-ons for Hardcore are tracked on our sister site: Hardcore add-ons.