A simple copy/paste reporting on the FAQ of the Ironman Challenge, for those that cannot access original site.
Who this guide is intended for?
This guide is meant for you, Ironman Challenger, whether you are still considering joining or are just starting the challenge. This is also for those that have been at this for some time who have mentioned the need for a place that gathered the questions that have come up so far
.
What’s covered?
This first take tries to cover the basic and common questions that have come up in the chat window and the forums. Hopefully, this guide will answer what is puzzling you about the challenge. It’s organized along broad categories that, hopefully, will make it easy for you to find your answer.
These categories include:
- Challenge Philosophy
- Game Play
- Other Resources
The guide is by no means complete. If this guide answered your question, that’s great! If not, reply with your question and we’ll see what we can figure out an answer. The guide may be updated in the future for an easier organization or if we get more questions than those listed here.
Philosophy
Why the challenge?
The challenge started with the idea that the game has become too easy. It has become boring and there was no longer a challenge. This is often a common topic in the forums, well, at least in General. To a great extent, this is true. There is very little sense of danger. If you die, big deal, just rez. There is little sense of adventure. Why bother, you’re racing for end content. There was definitely an undercurrent that was looking for a different way to play.
With that in mind, the first nine rules were proposed that challenged players to level up with nothing but the most basic gear, without the benefit of talent points, specializations, buffs, professions (other than First Aid), no outside help. The biggest rule is if your character dies, you delete it and start over. The rules have since evolved from the many discussions from these original nine but all changes always kept the original spirit of game play over gear, personal challenge over competition.
<edit, 2/17/12> Among the many posts that talked about the ideas and ideals behind the challenge, click here to see one of the finer explanations.
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4015202822?page=150#2983
Hasn’t this been done before?
Yes, it has. There have been attempts in WoW’s earlier days where players have tried and succeeded in leveling up their characters with a permadeath rule and other limitations. At least one player has reached 85 without dying! But keep in mind that although the rules that they followed and the ones listed for the challenge are similar, both have distinct differences.
Some would say one way is better, since it was more of a challenge since it had more strict limitations than the current challenge rule set. Others would say that the limitations limit game play too much resulting in more a grind than actually playing the game.
Is this an official Blizzard event?
No, the challenge is not an official Blizzard event. The challenge came out of discussions from a group of players looking for a way to challenge themselves to level their characters and play the game in a different way. Beyond the support given the challenge by the recent and most-welcomed blog post, and the use of the forums, this challenge has no direct Blizzard sanction or support.
What’s the point?
The challenge is a different style for playing the game. It emphasizes game play over gear. It tries to promote a personal challenge instead of completion. Sure, being gamers, our DNA has us programmed to try and be first, or the fastest. This is not a competition. Not. A. Competition. You are challenging yourself against the game using the rules and limitations defined.
How do I win?
There is no in-game achievement, award, title, prize, or Feat of Strength, so if you define “winning” by getting one of these, I’m sorry to say that this may not be a challenge for you. Personally, the win here is once again feeling the excitement, engagement, and enjoyment that, to me, has been missing from the game for some time.
This is not a competition. This is a personal challenge. It is not a race to see who gets to be “first.” Yes, there are tracking sites and talk of “what is the highest level.” This is good and it serves as a way for challengers to measure their progress, but it’s not the end purpose. You win by playing.
Game Play
What are the rules again?
Here is a copy of the official rules as shown on the page 1 of the Ironman Challenge thread.
Ironman Challenge Rules
1. All gear employed must be White or Grey. Also, no Heirlooms of any sort.
2. No transfer of gear, items or money from any other character (yours or others)
3. No gear enhancement(s), thus no Socket Gems, Enchanting or Reforging. Exceptions exist for class abilities. (example: Rogue poisons)
4. No specializations, talent points, or glyphs. This restriction also applies to talent points for pets.
5. No professions or secondary skills. An exception is made for First Aid.
6. No potions/flasks/elixirs (except those labeled as Quest Items)
7. No food buffs or other external buffs (this includes buffs from items and other players).
8. No grouping or assistance from other characters, even if not grouped.
9. No dungeons/raids. No battlegrounds/arenas.
10. No guilds. An exception is made for Ironman guilds (no perks)
11. No Refer-A- Friend activities. The intention of the challenge is that it be done without assistance.
12. No add-ons that assist in combat and/or leveling.
13.
THE BIG ONE: No deaths. Character death for any reason disqualifies the character.
You can see The Official Ironman Challenge thread here:
http://www.blogger.com/goog_7422240281
You can always go back to the first post of each thread to see the history of how the rules evolved. Here are links to the threads II, III, and IV:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3881923142
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3966606644
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3967848837
The original post that started this current challenge is here:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3881708489?page=1
The rules I see are different from other rules. Wassup with that?
The challenge is using the rules listed on the first page of the fifth thread. The other rules may have been quoting earlier pages when the rules were still under discussion. When in doubt, check the latest page:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4015202822?page=1
What if players cheat?
The rules can be gamed, and there is nothing preventing players from doing that. Much of the enforcement is by the honor system. Since this is not a competition, those that “cheat” only cheat themselves. Although the tracking site does have code that watches for obvious rules violations, in the end it is up the individual challenger to play in a way that meets the spirit of the rules.
**NEW** Speaking of the tracking site, can you tell me more about that?
The site tracks progress for players who have registered their challenger. Although some may look at this as a "leaderboard," and we have called it this is the past, its purpose is not meant to serve to say "who is first." Remember, this is a challenge, not a race. The tracking site lets players measure their overall progress and root for their fellow challengers. The site does have code that flags rules violations. Recent code updates now have various symbols that show the severity of the violation. The "big rule" of character death moves you into the Honored Dead list. The site has more explanations as to what is tracked and what the symbols mean. Give it a look at
http://www.wowironman.com/
Getting to 85 will be impossible with these rules! This sounds more like a useless exercise.
Not exactly a question, but here it goes. Given the limitations to gear, weapons, etc., the trip to 85 will not be easy. The math looks daunting beyond the original zones. BC looks doable with great care. Wrath is possible. Cata? Yikes! I guess that’s why it is called a challenge. We can run math models but I guess we really won’t know until we get there. To borrow a quote from a favorite movie:Sir, the possibility of navigating the 1-85 leveling process with these rules and limitations is approximately 3,720 to 1.Never tell me the odds!A successful challenger knows how and where to level. You have to balance how much XP a zone is giving you against the danger and risk of another zone that might give you more.
How do I get started?
Choose your character and realm, just like always. It is highly recommended you choose a new realm in case you may be tempted to break the “no assistance from other characters” rule. Once that is done, go to the forums and post on your challenger toon. You can also go to the tracking website (
wowironman.com) and register.
**UPDATE** What is the highest level achieved?
With the increase popularity and the sheer number of players actively on the challenge (over 2,000 now), any attempt to answer this question here is doomed to fail. Instead, you should go to the awesome progress tracking site at
http://www.wowironman.com/
Is there an “official” server?
There is no official server, but some popular servers have emerged. There is a large collection of Alliance challengers on Wrymrest Accord. There is a large collection of Horde challengers on Moonguard.
If your server has a sizable challenger population, please reply here with the server name, faction, and estimated population. I'd like to include at least the top five servers so it doesn't sound like we are actively promoting just the two servers listed here.
Wait, what? These are RP servers. I don’t RP.
Although RP servers, challengers on the two servers mentioned are not required to role play. It’s all optional, of course. However, the RP atmosphere has encouraged many challengers to post their updates in the form of stories.
Being that RP servers have a distinct flavor, do be respectful of the server's residents and the RP conventions often found in these servers. Challengers are already pushing boundaries with some of our "iron" based names. Again, you don't have to participate in RP, but be respectful and polite. We are guests in "their" house, after all. However, why not give it an honest try. You just might like it! With WrA among the servers with the largest Challenger population, they are understandably worried about all these new faces in town and the effect they have overall. Here's a link to a thread with good suggestions on the first post for how we can conduct ourselves here. The thread does include posts that are still trying to understand what the challenge is about, so if you do post here, play nice!
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4063167760
Do I have to have “iron” in my name?
Having “iron” in your name is not required. The current abundance of “iron” names continues the practice and tradition of the earlier challengers. Some names are very creative, but let’s keep it (relatively) clean, folks.Some challengers have kept the same name with each reroll. Just be sure you clean out your dead character’s account first before rerolling as this may affect how quickly your armory profile is updated.
As the challenge's popularity grows, huge waves of challengers are rippling through servers not used to having so many join them in such a short amount of time, which may stress some of the long term residents there. Some of these servers have standards and traditions that go back almost to when the server first went live. Many servers, the RP realms in particular, take great pride in the atmosphere they have built up throughout the years. As you name your challenger, consider the server on which they are created. Be mindful of the conventions defined, both by Blizzard and by your soon-to-be new server home, and name your character accordingly. Iron Challengers, along with being fearless and bold, should also be respectful to their host server.
Here is a link to Blizzard's naming policy for role playing servers:
http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/roleplaying-policy
What’s the best character or class to play?
Play the character or class you like most. You will find that regardless of what you choose, it will be your game play that will most affect how far you will level. However, if you look on the tracking site, the hunter class is very well represented. Some have based their decision on this and have rolled some of the least represented classes. Some have also randomized their selection using random.org.
**HOT TOPIC** Can I play a DK?
The general consensus is DKs are not allowed. The challenge is to level from 1-85. DKs skip 55 of those levels. Besides, to conform to the gear rules, DKs will have to fight naked in their first quests. Several challengers have tried with comedically tragic results. This is still under heavy discussion so stay tuned. If you can't wait, go ahead and give it a try and let us know the results. Just know that you may have to be considered a separate category from the current challenge.
(Rhenai note 2/20/12: On the official roster, there is a DK flagged as yellow with the caution: "Death knights are outside the original scope of the challenge, as they start at level 55" Yellow flags indicate possible disqualification, will follow up and see if the DK then gets the red flag - disqualified.)
Are guilds allowed?
Yes, as long as it is level one and is made specifically for the challenge. Many guilds are now up named “Ironman Challenger.” Be sure to check your realm/server in case one is already up and running.
What happens when the guild reaches Level 2?
As the guild approaches level two, the guild owner must start planning to disband and reform it back to a level one. The restriction prevents challengers from getting the guild XP bonus perk.
What’s the point of a guild if you have the chat channel?
There was a lot of discussion about this with the basic conclusion that the guild allows an extra way for challengers to communicate with each other. It also allowed for the possibility of using MotD for updates and an easier way of tracking progress among the challenger members.
Is the Tyreal mount allowed?
Yes, all mounts are allowed, ground and air. Mounts that require a profession are obviously unattainable since crafting is not allowed. No magic carpets, which needs Tailoring. No mechanohogs, which needs Engineering. Cosmetic pets, since they give no combat benefit, are allowed.
Beware the penguin as it is proving a bit problematic for players who die early who try to reroll only to find out they still have mail.
Speaking of ways of getting around, how about portals. Are portals allowed?
Yes. They do not affect combat. As a bonus, they let players get into the action much faster. For more thoughts, please see this link:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4062846258?page=10#193
Bags? How about bags. Some are green and break the “white gear only” rule.
All bags are allowed. But you might be amazed how little bag space you really need in this challenge. Let’s just not get too cute with having friends post 16-slot bags on the AH for you to snatch them up for a silver.
Where do I get my gold?
Outside gold is not allowed. You cannot accept gold from other toons including transfers from your existing characters, guild mates, and other challengers. Gold is abundant, but it is spread out among the hundreds and thousands of mobs out in Azeroth eager to meet you in combat. No begging! But the main way to make gold is through the auction house. Many players have found that two or three successful rounds in the AH takes care of most of their money needs.
So, we can use the AH to sell our loot? Or buy other stuff like white gear and grey shoulders we can use?
Yes. And Yes. You can use the AH to sell your loot to make gold. Yes, you can buy gear from the AH that you might need. Please note that there are some who have defined that, as part of their own personal challenge, they will not use the AH. Just know that this is their decision. Although the rules do not explicitly state that the AH is allowed, subsequent discussions have concluded that challengers are free to use this service. This is the only way for challengers to legally exchange items. Challengers are not allowed to give each other stuff, as this is against Rule #8. Challengers are allowed to use the AH to buy allowed items (don't buy that potion!!) regardless of who posts them. However, think twice before having another character post that cloak for a mere one silver as you stand there waiting to click Buyout. This is an obvious violation of the spirit of Rule #8. Set the price for your stuff fairly, and don't worry about it. Ironmen don't "play" the AH.
About that Auction House. Can I play the AH?
There is nothing in the rules against this. But wouldn't you rather be out in the world killing stuff with gear that is so laughably bad that the only thing keeping you from death is how well you play? Hmmm. Come to think of it, maybe *you* should be playing the AH. You know I'm joking, right?
Can I use potions?
No potions are allowed. Any potion you use disqualifies you from the challenge. Code in the tracking site looks for this and will flag you.
Why can’t I use potions?
Potions give you a distinct benefit in combat. In effect, you are boosting your HP and mana pools. This makes you rely more on how you play than relying on an external buff.
How about scrolls, elixirs, flasks, slots, glyphs, gems, enchants, reforging?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, and no.
I got a buff from some random player. Am I out?
Random buffs will happen. Just know that the buffer was being kind and generous. Just click off the buff before you can any benefits from it.
What about buffs from NPCs, or quests?
Buffs from quests are OK as they are part of the quest mechanic. This also applies to buffing items that would normally not be allowed but are needed to complete the quest, like water breathing, special vision, flying, etc.
So, no talent points? No specializations?
Correct. You are not allowed to use your growing collection of talent points. You are not allowed to choose a specialization. Hunters have gone as far as not allowing talents for their pets, too.
Food. how about food?
You are limited to foods that do not buff you. Be careful as some quests give your food with buffs. Don’t be too quick to accept and eat that bowl of soup that nice man just gave you.
Why only allow First Aid?
First Aid speeds up how players recover their HP. It is also the one profession that does not give XP or buffs. Other professions allow players to level up without leaving a city, or give players buffs already prohibited elsewhere.
Are there other professions allowed?
No, just First Aid.
Are racials allowed?
Yes. Racials come as part of the character your create. Many challengers are choosing races with specific racials that help them escape easier, hit harder, heal better.
**HOT TOPIC** Add-ons. Tell me more about add ons.
Again. Not a question, but this touches on an important point. This topic remains a grey area. After much discussions in the forums, the rules have evolved to prohibit “…add-ons that assist in combat and/or leveling.” And this is where the discussion gets tricky. Bartender, or any other UI mods…are these OK? How about Recount? Timers? HUDs? Auction house addons? The general rule of thumb is that if the addon allows you an ability above and beyond the default UI, or enhances your abilities as a player, then it is probably not allowed. This rules out timers, range finders, cooldown alerts. Addons that have no obvious combat benefits are allowed, which includes most auction house addons. Where does Recount fit in? Well, since you are challenged to solo the content, you don’t have anyone else to compare your DPS against. Besides, you will be using unbuffed, unenchanted white weapons. The ultimate Recount stat is if you are still alive after a fight, you are doing enough DPS. As for other addons, the discussion is still open. Please feel free to reply with your specific list of addons and let’s hash it out.
Can I send gold to myself?
No. No inheriting gold from previous, deceased characters.
Bank alts. How about bank alts?
This is a grey area. Previous discussions, and there have been many, wrestled with this idea. Bank alts provide no combat advantage and are great for a player’s “quality of life.” Anyone with a bank alt knows this. But a bank alt can be considered “assistance from other characters,” which violates the rules. Until there is a hard and fast rule on this, challengers will have to use their own best judgment and common sense.
So, any death counts, including those from reasons I cannot control?
Yes, a death disqualifies you from the challenge. Let’s dig into this a bit further: any death that shows up on your stat disqualifies you. You only get one, and your are out. This may include deaths from disconnects, power outages, lag, AFK, all those things IRL that sometimes get in the way. The world is not fair sometimes. That’s part of the challenge.
My toon died. Can I keep him/her?
Given the effort needed to level a character beyond the first few levels, some players are choosing to keep their dead and disqualified characters. This is OK. Just know that you are no longer qualified for the challenge. However, feel free to come and join the chat or the rest of the challenge. Remember, this is your own personal challenge. Although you are no longer be part of the original challenge, you can still continue with your dead character. Maybe your next challenge is seeing how close to 85 you can get with only 2 deaths!
**UPDATED** I'm a hunter and my pet died? Can I just use Revive?
Yes, you can use Revive. Some might also ask if Mend pet is OK. Yes, Mend Pet is OK to use.
<2/15/2012, 3:59PM PST>The previous entry stated:The consensus is if your hunter pet dies, it is also a death in the sense that you have to start over. You will need to go tame another one. You just cannot Revive it. (Some hunters are doing this, but it should now be considered
optional.)
With all these restrictions, how am I suppose to level?
That's why it's called a challenge. But seriously, use your game knowledge and other character skills you've picked up from all your /played time. When I say "skills," I'm not necessarily talking about being able to hit three buttons in a particular order. One of the most important skills you will need is...drum roll, please...being patient. Being patient and knowing where to quest. Your two most important skills, patience, knowing where to quest, and knowing how to safely pull mobs. Yes, three skills.
Questing is allowed?
Yes, you can quest. You should quest. In fact, it is highly recommended that you also read the quest text. Lots of good things happen: you get a good story, you get a sense of the world around you, and you might even get a hint or two on how to complete the quest quickly and safely.Please note that this may disagree with other challenger's view of how a true ironman should level. My take is if you are not doing the quests, you are missing out on some good XP and, more importantly, some good stories. You know, for that atmosphere, immersion stuff. Disclaimer: that last part may not apply if this is the 20th time you've accepted a particular quest. Still, you will be doing the quest with gear barely better than a Sharpened Letter Opener .
Is rested XP allowed?
Yes. (I wish all the questions were this easy.)
Can Warlocks use Healthstones? How about Mage mana gems?
Yes, and yes, as these are abilities natural to that class.
Talk to me about macros. Are macros allowed?
Macros that violate the Blizzard policies against botting, automation, spamming, and all those others listed in the TOS are obviously NOT allowed. As I play a hunter, I am especially aware of how life is made so much easier if I can hit one button and have several actions take place "automatically." For example, Hunter's Mark, then Pet Attack. Two simple actions that can be reduced to one that will always act consistently and in this order each time I push one button.I have struggled with this as this also is related to the "Are addons allowed" question, since macros can be viewed as enhancing combat abilities. In the end, to meet the spirit of the rules, I have stayed away from any macros I might use in combat. Given all this, you the player will have to decide for yourself until an "official ruling" is made. I do have a few emotes, /wave, /nod, /cheer, stuff like that so I can shout out to other challengers. Well, I did, when I was still alive, that is. Now, all I have is /decompose.
Is this item allowed?
Let's build a list of items that you have a question about. Keep the rules in mind, specially
Rule #1,
"All gear employed must be White or Grey. Also, no Heirlooms of any sort,"
Rule #3,
"No gear enhancements...," and
Rule #7,
"No food buffs or other external buffs (this includes buffs from items and other players)."
- Crystal of Vitality, Crystal of Insight, Crystal of Ferocity. No, no, and no. Even if they are quest rewards, these white items clearly buff you.
- Keeshan's Bandana. Yes. Even though it has those extra resists, it is white gear, which meets the gear rule. Reference, among others: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4015202822?page=137#2737
- Sand Pear Pie. Yes, along with similar food and drinks that only restore your health or mana, respectively, are OK.
- Cookie's Jumbo Gumbo. No, not allowed. Even though received as quest reward, that extra +2 to STA and SPI are prohibited food buffs.
- Slumber Sand. No, as explained here:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4062846258?page=2#28
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4062846258?page=2#29
Basically, although not a buff to you, it debuffs the target by giving you an ability you do not have as part of your character.
Is there some site that tracks this?
In the earlier days, progress was tracked manually. Today, you can register your challenger here, which tracks your progress based off the armory.
wowironman.com
Thanks to Ironbraids and Casathree for the tracking site concept and implementation. Special thanks to Aberzombie for manually(!) tracking the first set of challengers.
Are there any other resources you can recommend?
For a detailed, post-by-post description of how the challenge evolved, take a look at the Ironman threads in the General Forum.
There is a thread that discusses Ironman danger spots:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3941414946?page=1
There is an active off-site forum with almost 1,200(!) members here:
http://www.wowironmanchallenge.proboards.com/
Blizzard posted a blog entry that was the catalyst for the recent surge in the number of challengers. The challenge went from a few dozen to several hundred in one weekend. You can see the blog post here:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/4452527/Till_Death_Do_You_Part-2_10_2012#blog
The challenge has also been featured on MMO-champion and joystiq.
