Take the WoW Ironman Challenge
by Mathew McCurley 
Feb 7th 2012 at 12:00PM
Blizzard is no stranger to Ironman-type challenges. Both Diablo and Diablo II featured rough hard modes that would cripple those who were not the best. Frankly, the fact that there are players out there putting together these difficulty challenges probably makes a lot of folks over at Blizzard very happy.
Some of these Ironman Challenge rules are pretty brutal. Death is death -- if you die, delete. End of story. Better make it a PvE realm choice, if you want to curb a lot of nonsense-deaths. You aren't even allowed to use talent points, including the one to pick your specialization. No specialization is a rough road to take. If this is your kind of thing, brutal self-hatred, you're going to have a ton of fun.
Head over to the official WoW forums to check out all of the rules and FAQ. If you do decide to try the Ironman Challenge, share your progress in the thread.
Filed under: News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Docseuzz Feb 7th 2012 12:16PM
There's a dedicated site/forum for it too!
http://ironmanwow.freeforums.org/
Rai Feb 7th 2012 12:16PM
I'm far too busy to attempt this. I mean, I have to...
Um...
.....fine.
Rai Feb 7th 2012 10:11PM
I attempted this, got assigned a male orc warlock and set about on my merry little way, working out of the Valley of Trials, into Sen'jin Village and so on.
Then I arrived at Razor Hill. Soon I began thinking about my character, what spec I would play, all that sort of stuff. Then it hit me, Ironmode. This character was gone if he died. I was getting attached, it's the writer's curse.
This continued until level 7, when I couldn't take it anymore. I poked someone with a vial of the sands and they carried me high above Orgrimmar. One right click of a parachute and I was free. FREE.
It's an interesting challenge and community, and perhaps I should have stuck with it longer, certainly worth a go if you get bored. Just don't get attached.
Erin Mar 23rd 2012 12:37AM
Your story was hilarious. I laughed, then I read it outloud to my boyfriend who doesn't even play WoW, and he laughed too. :p
(I get attached to all my characters, so I don't think I could do it either!)
AudreyR Feb 7th 2012 12:17PM
Those rules ARE fairly brutal. Only whites and greys?
Still, it would be pretty fun to try out, when there aren't so many holidays going at the same time. >.>
Noyou Feb 7th 2012 3:25PM
This is cool. I heard about this before. I was under the impression that it was running dungeons using only what you got from there to level. This seems to be the direct opposite and more extreme. I think I am going to make a guild dedicated to a variation of this. Probably on my alt server on Garona. Most likely Alliance side. Not sure what toon I would play. I think I would have to roll for it.
Vrykerion Feb 7th 2012 12:21PM
I got to hand it to these guys. They know how to turn it up to 11!
For those who aren't aware, the original WoW Ironman Challenge did not include a "no death" clause. It was put together over twitter by Psyinister and myself last year (The original rules can be found here: http://landofodd.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/the-wow-ironman-challenge/ ). The first person to reach 85 under those rules (the ones without the 'no death') was Ironsally from Tome of the Ancient!
It was such a delightful surprise to find that all these good folks across the pond found them and then ramped them up! I applaud all the Ironmen and Ironwomen! You have my profound respect for this. :D
Scott Feb 7th 2012 12:30PM
I was wondering how long it would be before WoW Insider picked up on this. The Ironman is definitely brutal, but I love it some weird perverse way.
My character is on Wyrmrest Accord, hopefully I'll see a few new peeps there. Best of luck to all future prospective Ironmen (and women). :)
ali Feb 7th 2012 3:30PM
dedicated site
http://fvkings.com/
Welshy Feb 7th 2012 12:39PM
Dang, some of those rules are crazy. No death and no items above white. Brave souls.
Tabasa Feb 7th 2012 12:41PM
This actually sounds like a lot of fun. I've been needing a new approach to the game and this seems like it would make for a totally new kind of experience.
I might give it a shot once I get my new computer put together, could double as a stress test of sorts to see just what the new system runs the game like on max settings. :D
underground_slacker Feb 7th 2012 12:46PM
eh, kinda sounds like a more pointless nuzlocke run. hell more so than a skyrim merchant run.
difference being that has a chance of victory, this has no end point so failure is the only end so its just seeing how long you can hold out.
...can you tell im not a fan of 'horde mode' in shooters?
SR Feb 7th 2012 2:04PM
We're all entitled to our own opinions, and I think the black part of this post is a testament to that.
Snuzzle Feb 7th 2012 2:11PM
Alliance pig-dog, the Horde (or this "horde mode" as you call it in your filth tongue) will smash your puny city to its feet.
SR Feb 7th 2012 2:23PM
Snuzzle, he's talking about a gank train in FPS shooters. You know, where there's like 5 guys with OP weapons, going around the map like a train of rape?
. . . At least, I think that's what he was pointing at. He didn't make much sense.
Skyrei Feb 7th 2012 3:18PM
He speaks of "Horde Mode" in Gears of War. You alone or you and 1-3 buddies fight 50 waves of enemies with only 30 seconds to restock/rebuild between each wave.
tabardsrock Feb 7th 2012 12:58PM
here's the link for the US forums:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4015202822#1
Rhoan01 Feb 7th 2012 1:22PM
My guild (The Risen - Thorium Brotherhood US) has done another Ironman Challenge that's not as... let's say, "unforgiving" as this one (which sounds incredible, btw).
It's based around dungeon-running. You pick a character and start naked in the lowest-level dungeons available for your faction, and can only use gear acquired through running dungeons. You must complete the dungeons sequentially (i.e. must complete lower-level dungeon before moving up to the next level dungeon, can't skip dungeons) and must take screenshots of your character and their character sheet at the end of each dungeon. You cannot group with people who aren't also running the Ironman Challenge, so we usually wind up with two or three "teams" that run dungeons and farm gear together.
The winner is the first player / group to complete all the 5-person dungeons in the game, or who gets the farthest by the end of the challenge period (~1 month, maybe longer).
Kolyarut Feb 7th 2012 1:35PM
This is the version I'd heard of before, too. It's something I've meant to get around to doing some time, because the idea of genuinely checking old loot for upgrades sounds fun. As a paladin, I know I can manage some Cata normals with my proper gear... will be interesting to see how far I can push without (I'm thinking the ICC 5-mans might be an issue).
Snuzzle Feb 7th 2012 2:09PM
So, you take a naked level 85 into RFK? Sounds like fun. I could be down with that.