Ultra Hardcore, after sitting in purgatory for almost a year, has finally been released to the public, and as such, comes great confusion. The root of said confusion, is that Ultra Hardcore is unlike any other gamemode that you may have played before, and especially Cubecraft's version of the classic game. The biggest and most vital difference is that natural regeneration is disabled, and also that you have to gather all of your supplies yourself, in a vanilla setting. Below are a few tips that I have so that you too, can kill many noobs and become a champion of Ultra Hardcore.
Because natural regeneration is disabled, you want to avoid combat against players and mobs alike as much as possible, potentially until the very end. This is because even if you choose to attack a player whose gear is vastly inferior to your own, realistically, they're going to deal some damage to you. That damage, however little it may be, cannot be regenerated under ordinary circumstances, and in a gamemode where golden apples and similar regeneration-inducing items are incredibly scarce, this is a big deal. For example, if you take three hearts of damage in a fight, then you'll be going into your next encounter with a substantial disadvantage, having only seven hearts of health to work with. By frequently getting into combat with other players, the outcomes of many of your fights will ultimately be decided long before they've even begun.
What reason do you have to attack other players anyways? Are they really likely to have anything on them that you cannot get yourself? If they're on the surface, they're probably a worthless target; avoid combat!
Similarly, you're going to want to avoid mob encounters as much as possible, especially witches and skeletons. This is because they have stupidly accurate ranged attacks that can hit you from afar. The former can also poison you, guaranteeing your death no matter what, and the latter can hit very hard and very quickly, securing your fate later on. Only attack mobs if it's absolutely necessary to do so, and don't just spartan-charge them hoping to kill them before they're able to hit you back. Instead, try to get their attention, and build a trap to kill them safely.
Get underground by night time!! Don't wander around the overworld trying to kill people, because most of them will be mining for diamonds at this point, and mobs will be spawning in dangerous quantities. Don't undermine the AI either, because while one zombie or spider is easy enough to deal with on its own, three or four of them coming at you from different directions isn't quite as manageable.
Then there are the common tips, such as to not dig straight down without another block to stand on, and don't blindly run down an underground passageway directly into a creeper's nest. You may only have ten minutes, but take your time. Your odds of victory will be far greater if you can get to the Deathmatch with iron armour and ten hearts, than if you have full diamond armour but only three hearts.
Choose the right kit!!! In my opinion, the Archer kit is hands down, the best kit in the game. Think about it - Who in their right mind would dare approach you, knowing that they'll take five hearts of damage before they even get to you? Is there a creeper lurking in the dark ahead, guarding diamonds and gold and a source of lava? Play it safe and shoot it from afar! Is the deathmatch taking place on a large playing field? Then get to the outer edges and shoot your opposition, bow-spamming if you have to to reduce their number of hearts before the real fight begins. Is somebody chasing you down on the surface? Find a body of water, and if they continue to chase, make them regret it big time.
Starting the game with a sword and some armour is nice, but you're going to get those supplies later on regardless, finding wood, stone and iron in great quantities. A bow and arrows on the other hand, can only be acquired from killing mobs, the very thing that you're trying to avoid. A bow is stupidly valuable, and yet people rarely use it.
With all that excess iron you've found, craft two buckets. Find sources of water and lava, and use the latter as a powerful weapon during the death match. Likewise, expect somebody to do this to you, and carry the water in your hot-bar to increase chances of survival.
If there are large trees nearby, then get an apple before going underground. It'll save you time in the long run and will also be a lot safer, since you won't have to go all the way back up to the surface to get one after finding eight pieces of gold. Don't run around looking for trees or chests though if there aren't any nearby, as you'll just be wasting time.
Don't try to be a hero during deathmatches. Get as far away from the action as possible, and even resort to hiding if you can. If somebody is chasing you, placing water beneath you is a fantastic way to create a distance between your attacker, and is also perhaps the perfect time to draw your bow. Get everybody else to kill off the opposition, then clean up whoever is left, removing however many hearts they have left.
Lastly, is the most valuable yet most basic tip of all; do not take any damage. If you don't take damage, then you won't die, and this means playing the game as safely as possible. Rather than jumping down from that five-block height, scaffold your way down. Rather than rushing past that zombie in a cave and hoping to get away unscratched, build a structure that allows you to kill it safely. Try not to blindly run into a cactus, as that'll be a very embarrassing way to go. If somebody is pursuing you and you can't get away, don't just turn around and start fighting back. Instead, place water and shoot your bow, drop lava on them, jump into a ravine and place water right before you land, etc.
The best way to win in Speed Ultra Hardcore, as well as the normal variant, is to outsmart your opposition. PvP skills won't do you any good if you have two hearts at the start of an encounter, will they? avoid as much danger as possible, and try to get into the deathmatch with ten hearts. This could mean favouring strip-mining over cave exploration, and using precious time to take extra care when navigating the world. Golden apples are very helpful, but you won't even need to spend time finding one if you don't allow yourself to take damage in the first place.
Good luck killing many noobs to death, and if you have any tips of your own to share, then feel free to leave a comment.
Because natural regeneration is disabled, you want to avoid combat against players and mobs alike as much as possible, potentially until the very end. This is because even if you choose to attack a player whose gear is vastly inferior to your own, realistically, they're going to deal some damage to you. That damage, however little it may be, cannot be regenerated under ordinary circumstances, and in a gamemode where golden apples and similar regeneration-inducing items are incredibly scarce, this is a big deal. For example, if you take three hearts of damage in a fight, then you'll be going into your next encounter with a substantial disadvantage, having only seven hearts of health to work with. By frequently getting into combat with other players, the outcomes of many of your fights will ultimately be decided long before they've even begun.
What reason do you have to attack other players anyways? Are they really likely to have anything on them that you cannot get yourself? If they're on the surface, they're probably a worthless target; avoid combat!
Similarly, you're going to want to avoid mob encounters as much as possible, especially witches and skeletons. This is because they have stupidly accurate ranged attacks that can hit you from afar. The former can also poison you, guaranteeing your death no matter what, and the latter can hit very hard and very quickly, securing your fate later on. Only attack mobs if it's absolutely necessary to do so, and don't just spartan-charge them hoping to kill them before they're able to hit you back. Instead, try to get their attention, and build a trap to kill them safely.
Get underground by night time!! Don't wander around the overworld trying to kill people, because most of them will be mining for diamonds at this point, and mobs will be spawning in dangerous quantities. Don't undermine the AI either, because while one zombie or spider is easy enough to deal with on its own, three or four of them coming at you from different directions isn't quite as manageable.
Then there are the common tips, such as to not dig straight down without another block to stand on, and don't blindly run down an underground passageway directly into a creeper's nest. You may only have ten minutes, but take your time. Your odds of victory will be far greater if you can get to the Deathmatch with iron armour and ten hearts, than if you have full diamond armour but only three hearts.
Choose the right kit!!! In my opinion, the Archer kit is hands down, the best kit in the game. Think about it - Who in their right mind would dare approach you, knowing that they'll take five hearts of damage before they even get to you? Is there a creeper lurking in the dark ahead, guarding diamonds and gold and a source of lava? Play it safe and shoot it from afar! Is the deathmatch taking place on a large playing field? Then get to the outer edges and shoot your opposition, bow-spamming if you have to to reduce their number of hearts before the real fight begins. Is somebody chasing you down on the surface? Find a body of water, and if they continue to chase, make them regret it big time.
Starting the game with a sword and some armour is nice, but you're going to get those supplies later on regardless, finding wood, stone and iron in great quantities. A bow and arrows on the other hand, can only be acquired from killing mobs, the very thing that you're trying to avoid. A bow is stupidly valuable, and yet people rarely use it.
With all that excess iron you've found, craft two buckets. Find sources of water and lava, and use the latter as a powerful weapon during the death match. Likewise, expect somebody to do this to you, and carry the water in your hot-bar to increase chances of survival.
If there are large trees nearby, then get an apple before going underground. It'll save you time in the long run and will also be a lot safer, since you won't have to go all the way back up to the surface to get one after finding eight pieces of gold. Don't run around looking for trees or chests though if there aren't any nearby, as you'll just be wasting time.
Don't try to be a hero during deathmatches. Get as far away from the action as possible, and even resort to hiding if you can. If somebody is chasing you, placing water beneath you is a fantastic way to create a distance between your attacker, and is also perhaps the perfect time to draw your bow. Get everybody else to kill off the opposition, then clean up whoever is left, removing however many hearts they have left.
Lastly, is the most valuable yet most basic tip of all; do not take any damage. If you don't take damage, then you won't die, and this means playing the game as safely as possible. Rather than jumping down from that five-block height, scaffold your way down. Rather than rushing past that zombie in a cave and hoping to get away unscratched, build a structure that allows you to kill it safely. Try not to blindly run into a cactus, as that'll be a very embarrassing way to go. If somebody is pursuing you and you can't get away, don't just turn around and start fighting back. Instead, place water and shoot your bow, drop lava on them, jump into a ravine and place water right before you land, etc.
The best way to win in Speed Ultra Hardcore, as well as the normal variant, is to outsmart your opposition. PvP skills won't do you any good if you have two hearts at the start of an encounter, will they? avoid as much danger as possible, and try to get into the deathmatch with ten hearts. This could mean favouring strip-mining over cave exploration, and using precious time to take extra care when navigating the world. Golden apples are very helpful, but you won't even need to spend time finding one if you don't allow yourself to take damage in the first place.
Good luck killing many noobs to death, and if you have any tips of your own to share, then feel free to leave a comment.
