Blizzard Intends to Revive WoW Classic Hardcore Characters Lost to DDoS Attacks

Blizzard has announced it will revive certain World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore characters that were lost during a recent DDoS attack.

“Unlike the many other ways characters can die in Hardcore, DDoS attacks are an intentionally malicious effort,” stated Clay Stone, associate production director for WoW Classic, in an official forum post on March 24, 2025. “We believe the severity and results of DDoS attacks specifically warrant a different response.”

Hardcore mode in WoW Classic was introduced in 2023, offering players a brutal mechanic – permadeath. Until now, there were no do-overs. If the player’s character died, that was it. There was an option to transfer to a normal realm, but in the Hardcore mode, the character remained dead.

The DDoS-related issues have been hitting Blizzard’s servers for weeks. And while annoying for standard players, any disruption is a potential death sentence in Hardcore mode. The situation hit a boiling point when OnlyFangs, a high-profile Hardcore guild led by streamer Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris, was wiped out mid-raid after getting disconnected.

Clay Stone stated that, in the future, Blizzard might choose, at their sole discretion, to revive Hardcore characters who die in a mass event that the company considers inconsistent with the integrity of the game. He clarified that they did not intend to revive characters that had died due to server disconnects, lag spikes, gameplay bugs, or any other reasons.

This marks the first time in Blizzard’s history that the studio has chosen to revive Hardcore characters. Traditionally, Blizzard has made it clear that Hardcore deaths are final, no matter the cause. The company has consistently stated that it would never restore Hardcore characters under any circumstances. This decision to make an exception, even in limited cases tied to DDoS-related mass deaths, breaks that long-standing rule.