5 must-have items for WoW Classic Hardcore players

WoW Classic Hardcore promises to give players a run for their money when it comes to challenges. That means a lot of the items players took for granted or simply threw away are going to be useful once again. From one-use wonders to items with a cooldown, the Alliance and Horde alike have some incredibly handy activated drops. Some of these come from quest rewards, others from rare spawns. We’ll go over what makes them useful and where you can find these in your playthroughs.

As an honorable mention, I wanted to highlight the Blood Shards for the Horde and Restoring Balm on the Alliance side. Blood Shards can be farmed and turned in to grant temporary buffs while Restoring Balm can be found in a pair of quests and grants the player a temporary Heal over Time.

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Which items should WoW Classic Hardcore players seek out

1) Bag of Marbles (Alliance)

• Number of uses: 10
• Location: Goldshire (Gold Dust Exchange)

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You can pick up this quest early on in Goldshire as you explore WoW Classic Hardcore. However, this can be a dangerous area to wander into, thanks to the caves and mines. You don’t have to go in, though - you can kill the Kobolds outside, but be careful. This item will decrease the target’s hit chance by 25% for 10s and has a 1m cooldown.

While it doesn’t sound like much, it can allow you to potentially solo enemies that would otherwise clobber you with repeated, heavy strikes.

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2) Really Sticky Glue (Horde)

• Max stacks: 20
• Location: Zen’jin Village (A Solvent Spirit)

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Early in the Orc/Troll starting area, you’ll come across this limited-use item that is incredibly potent for your WoW Classic Hardcore experience. Undead and Tauren can also get this item, but they will have to make a lengthy trek in order to do so.

What makes this WoW Classic Hardcore item so must-have is that it makes a target unable to move for 10s. While it does have a 1m cooldown, that gives you just enough time to make a clean getaway from dangerous foes in Silverpine Forest. However, it may not always work, so keep that in mind too.

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3) Nifty Stopwatch (Both)

• Gear slot: Trinket
• Location: Badlands (This Is Going to Be Hard)

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Later in your WoW Classic Hardcore adventure, you’re going to hopefully get to the Badlands. It’s going to take a while, but you do pick up one of the best trinkets in the game here - The Nifty Stopwatch. You need to defeat the Fam’retor Guardian and bring back Lotwil’s Shackles of Elemental Binding to do this.

This trinket has a 30s cooldown and increases your run speed by 40%. There are times you’re going to be overwhelmed and need to get moving. Nifty Stopwatch is certainly going to come in handy when trying to get places safely.

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4) Tidal Charm (Both)

• Gear slot: Trinket
• Location: Prince Nazjak (Arathi Highlands)

Unfortunately, this one’s kind of a gamble. Prince Nazjak is a rare spawn that spawns around southeast of Faldir’s Cove in Arathi Highlands. There’s a path near 23.2, 82.2 that he tends to spawn near. It’s not a guaranteed item drop anyway, but it’s worth seeking out.

This item is exceptional for PVP and PVE. Upon its activation, you stun a target for 3s, with a 15m cooldown. In WoW Classic Hardcore, that might be the difference between life and death. You can stop spells from casting, or you might be up for PVP and decide you need a stun. Either way, it’s one of the best items you can equip.

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5) Light of Elune (Alliance)

• Number of uses: 1
• Location: Silverwind Refuge (Mage Summoner)

Part of this quest takes place in The Barrens but leads to Silverwind Refuge. It’s part of a small quest chain, but the reward can save your life in a pinch. Sadly, this item, the Light of Elune, can only be used once. However, once should hopefully be all you need. Most spells and abilities that give you damage/spell immunity are gone in WoW Classic Hardcore, but this appears to still be around.

Upon activating the Light of Elune, you gain total immunity from damage and spells for 10s. While the item says it has a 2m cooldown, you only get one each playthrough. The only place it drops is from this quest. Use it in the most dire circumstances.

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WoW Classic Hardcore is still on the PTR servers, ahead of its August 24, 2023 release date. It’s one of the most challenging ways to play the MMO, and you won’t have to wait long to take part.