Hardcore... How would you define it?

[Zantetsuken]

Hardcores approach the game like a Job

Casuals approach the game like a Game

Elitists approach the game as their Identity


FFXIV isn't a game for hardcores, everything you get is designed to have a shelf life of about 3 months. Within two patches, it becomes accessible to everyone.

Sadly, hardcore players in FFXIV are just compulsively running on a hamster wheel. The game is not-so-cleverly constructed to trick them into thinking that they're actually accomplishing something...


I miss how FFXI (pre-abyssea) had content that actually rewarded hardcore players. If you worked hard, you would get prestigious gear that was relevant for years and years (HNM drops, Sky Gear, etc).

For better or worse, FFXIV is fundamentally a casual game, so it's best to ignore the treadmill and play it with a mid-core or casual approach


Oh and elitists are the absolute worst kind of players, they often overlap with hardcores, but are unique as they seem to put as much work into being toxic to the MMO culture, as they do growing their e-peens.

[Azoryl]

Hardcore - Someone who's life is the game. They are always logged in, always doing the hardest content, has the crazy amount of achievements and the best gear.

Casual Hardcore - Your people who play only at certain times, but when they do play they go "balls to the wall". They are hardcore only some of the time.

Elitist - People who's attitude is about being the best and only if your the best can you accomplish what you need to do. Often confused with hardcore, but hardcore don't thrive to excluded people the way elitist do.

Casual - The people who are just passing the time. They might enjoy progression but rarely have the time to do it.

Newbie - someone new to the game, but willing to learn.

NOOB - someone who just doesn't want to learn, or someone who is a completely ignorant.

[Remilia_Nightfall]

Hardcore - Someone who's life is the game. They are always logged in, always doing the hardest content, has the crazy amount of achievements and the best gear.

Casual Hardcore - Your people who play only at certain times, but when they do play they go "balls to the wall". They are hardcore only some of the time.

Elitist - People who's attitude is about being the best and only if your the best can you accomplish what you need to do. Often confused with hardcore, but hardcore don't thrive to excluded people the way elitist do.

Casual - The people who are just passing the time. They might enjoy progression but rarely have the time to do it.

Newbie - someone new to the game, but willing to learn.

NOOB - someone who just doesn't want to learn, or someone who is a completely ignorant.

This is actually pretty accurate.

I stand in the Casual Hardcore category :P

[-d-ky]

Hardcore - Someone who's life is the game. They are always logged in, always doing the hardest content, has the crazy amount of achievements and the best gear.

Casual Hardcore - Your people who play only at certain times, but when they do play they go "balls to the wall". They are hardcore only some of the time.

Elitist - People who's attitude is about being the best and only if your the best can you accomplish what you need to do. Often confused with hardcore, but hardcore don't thrive to excluded people the way elitist do.

Casual - The people who are just passing the time. They might enjoy progression but rarely have the time to do it.

Newbie - someone new to the game, but willing to learn.

NOOB - someone who just doesn't want to learn, or someone who is a completely ignorant.

i am the newbie casual

[Azoryl]

Accidental

[Nosiahk]

Hardcore = NFL, MLG, Walmart
Casual = College Football, Small Private Tourney, Corner Store

lmao ;p

[Grey_Cain]

Hardcore are people that aim for the final destination right from beginning. They want to be at the top, even when they're still at the bottom, and spend most of their free time working toward it. They want to be the best, or, at least for the more realistic of them, rub shoulders with the best. When they see someone better, that has something they don't have, they work toward getting it immediately. They will work toward multiple goals at the same time, spending more free time as their goals expand. When they finally reach the top they then spend their free time maintaining their position at the top; getting all the rarest vanity loot; grinding out achievements; working out new strategies with guild-mates; PvP to test/train personal ability; raising other classes/alternate characters so they can swap in other roles/ability sets to complete specific content; scheduling dates and times that they will meet with "their" group to complete specific content; completing all new content as soon as possible to try and claim world-firsts, etc. At some point when they figure out that they have nothing left to work toward and no new content on the horizon, they'll quit the game when something new comes along. Later, when they're bored of their new stuff, they'll look back and see what expansions have come out. Then they'll re-install/re-sub and work toward completing the new content, and they'll stick around until, again, something new comes along to replace it.

Casuals look at the world immediately in front of them and don't worry about the journey ahead. They'll complete content when it's appropriate or even later if it's initially too hard. They don't like being forced into groups with strangers to complete content, but they'll do so if it's necessary to advance the plot. They don't want to grind, and they'll give up on obtaining items/completing sidequests if it would take too long to complete. When they finally find out what the end-game will be, they just shrug their shoulders and say they'll get there eventually. When they finally get to end-game, they complete what content they can and ignore content that's too difficult. They raise other classes if there are good cross-class skills they can use, but they wouldn't even consider raising an alt. They'll grind under duress if the story requires it, and they see party-play as stressful even before they get into a party. At some point when they figure out that they aren't having fun anymore, they'll quit the game without waiting for something new to replace it. Later, when they're bored and looking for something to do, they'll look at the expansions that have come out, shrug their shoulders, and say it's too much effort to re-install/re-sub for something that's not really fun for them anymore.

Most players are mid-core, who mix and match attributes of both hard-core and casual. Maybe they like levelling alts but don't care about end-game. Maybe they don't like party play but they still try to complete party content while solo. They'll grind for good gear so they can take on greater challenges at the end-game, but they'll quit the game when they look at all the content that remains before them and decide that it isn't worth the effort of keeping up what is basically a second job to complete the parts they care about completing. Later, when they're between games and looking for something to do, they might see that some expansions have come out and evaluate what content has been added. They might even re-install/re-sub if they figure there's enough to keep them going for a few months until they can drop it for something newer/better.

tl;dr - Hardcore want more at end-game. Casual want more along the way to end-game. Mid-core want both to have a lot of content.

[Legend_]

snip

Wow your like a psychic

For me its pretty much what most said. The amount of time you put in. In my MMO prime I wasn't getting no sleep on the weekends going 15 hours straight on FFXI. My personal best was two days

Dont confuse hard core with Elitist, Elistist won't even talk to you or the party unless your cut from the same cloth.

[SirGazuntai]

Hardcore - Douchebags who think they're awesome because gear.
Casual - Douchebags who think they're awesome because they don't want gear.

^ The petty arguments you're bound to run into. People who consider themselves hardcore will clown casuals, and vice versa, for seemingly no reason.

People consider me a hardcore player. I often get mocked because I always join casual guilds (or FC in this instance) despite the fact it would be better to join fellow hardcore players.

In my eyes, casual players are people playing the game for fun. They enjoy the scenery, the voices, the mechanics, the story and just the experience in general. They'll log off if something they're doing is bored. Hardcore players, on the other hand, don't play for fun. I'll farm dungeons repeatedly for something despite the fact it's boring because I get enjoyment and satisfaction from progression.

A good example a friend of mine told me was:

Casual - Will play Angry Birds when they feel like it.
Hardcore - Will start playing Angry Birds and go out of their way to reach the end, despite the fact they're bored.

Completion is a huge part of a hardcore gamers enjoyment. They go out of their way to be as efficient as possible, whereas many of my FC members have no cares if they cap their Myth tombs each week which boggles my mind while it boggles their mind that I'm willing to spend 4-5 hours doing the same content over and over to cap it.

At the end of the day you won't find a clear definition, though. The best thing to do is to come up with your own definition. For example, where do you draw the line for someone who plays a sport for a hobby and someone who players it seriously? It's a similar situation.

[Langureion]

Level each single job to Max and geared with BiS in every single slot, clear every single mission/quest/duty