This article describes a feature in the first Apocalypse Rising
Hardcore Mode is a version of Apocalypse Rising that costs 250 Robux to enter.
Differences between Regular and Hardcore
There are a large number of differences in Hardcore Mode. Which are as follows:
- All weapons do three times their normal damage and can kill other players in a single shot or melee strike to the head.
- All loot rates drop at 1/3 of their original values.
- Night is significantly darker after 8PM. (Shown as 20:00 on the Watch)
- Max player count is reduced to 12.
- Zombies kill players in two hits.
- All military zombies wear helmets.
- No credit purchases. This means you can get only the free clothing from the normal game.
Along with this, it has its own achievements, including "Hardcore Bandit", "Hardcore Wanderer" and "Hardcore Guardian".
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to survive the longest in this version of Apocalypse Rising
- Hardcore mode heavily incentivizes stealth due to the drastically faster/instant times to kill for all weapons.
- Ditch melee weapons. Zombies take half your health in one hit and using melee weapons to conserve ammo is suicide more often than not. Only use melee weapons as an absolute last resort. The melee weapon you should be most concerned looking after is the Katana due to having the longest reach and easiest chance of striking a Zombie's head.
- Conserve everything to your best. There is no room for wasting in Hardcore. Don't drink until you have no thirst, don't eat until you have no hunger, etc.
- Situational awareness is highly imperative to your survival. There very well might be someone, or something, behind you, ready to kill you as soon as they can.
- The perks have varying ranges of value. Cardio can help to quickly and quietly traverse the map. Survivalist greatly helps in preserving food and drinks and Ninja is very useful for sneaking past Zombies and PVP. Vitality, though is generally useless due to all weapons having the capacity to instantly kill.
- Strictly avoid using Chemlights and the Omni-Light unless you want to be an easy target at night.
- Road Flares can be useful for setting up traps against other unsuspecting players.
- Stay on the move constantly. If you need hit up a town, quickly run in, loot as many buildings as you can, and run out.
- If you're trying to actively kill other players, do it at night, and strictly go for headshots.
- Sprint as much as you can but be wary of your hunger and thirst.
- Avoid the common player hotspots unless you have suppressed weapons.
- Don't fire off guns unless absolutely necessary.
Weapon Strategy
- Shotguns are the only weapons that will consistently kill helmeted Zombies in one headshot.
- While the Double Barrel, M870 and M1014 are the only firearms that only take 1 shot to either torso or head to kill, all the shotguns still heavily reward you for getting the drop on your target, even out to a mid range.
- Civilian weapons are far superior to Military weapons in Hardcore due to their ammunition being much easier to find and manage.
- The Mosin Nagant and Lee-Enfield are some of the deadliest weapons in Hardcore thanks to comfortably being out of reach of almost all weapons. Stick to high ground to get the best vantage point. The Auto-5, while somewhat rare to find, is another godsend in Hardcore thanks to very common ammo, and being absurdly deadly at close to mid range.
- The Katana is the only melee weapon having the capacity to instantly kill other players regardless of where you hit them.
- It's generally better to avoid picking up higher caliber suppressors due to the near nonexistent drop rates of military weapons. But if you find a pistol caliber suppressor (9mm or .45), hold onto them until you can find a suitable gun for stealth.