8. If you go hardcore, beware of lag

Well, maybe he can afford a little lag

I mentioned a hardcore league. This is actually not a higher difficulty or anything like that. It just means that when you die, it's game over. You're done. Sike! I know why Diablo veterans would think this true, but Grinding Gear Games are a bit more merciful. Instead of losing your character, you get knocked down to the standard league. As I said, bragging rights.

If you have a really high level character who's still in the hardcore league, then you're really hardcore! Even more so than you think, because of lag. This is a game where enemies can get really tough, some can chip away at your health in seconds if you're not careful. Lag is the number 1 killer of hardcore players in Path of Exile. Combat is really fast paced and if you freeze up for a second, chances are, the next image you see is yourself lying in a pool of your own blood, only to wake up in the standard league.

I guess lag is the reason they're merciful enough to let us keep our characters at least.