A Hardcore challenge

The challenge

Cristina Anderca

As far as I choose to remember, there’s never been a challenge I haven’t won, and I would not let this be the exception. Things started smoothly enough: I punched some trees, I crafted some tools, I picked some flowers, and I absolutely obliterated some cows to gather my first ingredients: leather and dye. I spent a terrifying heroic night fighting off zombies in complete darkness, until I finally unearthed some coal and plunged beneath the dirt blocks to find some unsuspecting spiders and claim their string.  

After several minutes of frantic mining and zombie fighting (how were they all armored??), I finally spotted my first eight-legged victim. I swung my sword while also yelling “SORRYYY” – eight sad eye staring at me was just too much. With tears in my humble by comparison pair of eyes and my heart pounding in my chest, I finally combined the string and leather, then used some lapis to craft a thing of wonder: a blue bundle!  

As I was eagerly streamlining my inventory inside a cave that was crawling with hostile mobs, a creeper inexplicably snuck up on me... causing my tragic demise with 47 minutes on the clock and demolishing my ego in the process. But can Sophie do better?...   

Total points = 49

Sophie Austin

I went into this challenge with a game plan. I knew I needed a base, I knew I needed to go on a merciless cow attack (sorry cows!) and I knew I needed to either find a cave, or wait for darkness to fall to get my pickaxe on some spiders. In the beginning, the challenge was going pretty well for me (less well for the cows in the biome I spawned into). I even found an amazing lapis ore vein straight away – and my goal of crafting a blue bundle came into focus. 

And then I found a cave. It was very deep, and very dark – and cleverly, I decided to investigate it with only three stone pickaxes and zero torches. After my third pickaxe broke the cave was so dark I only had one choice: to mine straight down until I either died (less ideal) or found light (the goal!). And so I did the one thing you should probably never do in Hardcore mode – I dug straight down. I dug so far down, in fact, that I eventually hit bedrock. And I kept mining (now with my fist) until I was completely surrounded by bedrock.

And then my boss popped into the gaming room, and told me that I actually have something called “work” to be getting on with? So I ended the challenge with 0 bundles crafted, and still completely lost in darkness. BUT! Unlike all the other writers... I didn’t die! And I won’t – so long as I never, ever, open that save file again... does that count as infinite in-game minutes survived? Let’s ask Linn – sorry, I mean – Linnferno: 

Total points = Inifite?

Linnferno

Okay, we’re off! I’ve spawned into a forest next to a lake. Not a bad start. But did the others spawn in better biomes? Oh no, I can feel the pressure of the competition already getting to me. Focus, Linnferno – focus! My plan of attack is to seek shelter underground and mine as I wait for the sun to rise again. For that I need torches. Usually, coal doesn’t hide too far down, so I should be good. Wrong. After digging for an entire day and night I am in a huge dark hole with the sound of hostile mobs seemingly coming from every direction. No coal in sight. Should I change up my strategy just to feel like I’m making any progress? Probably not, but for all I know, the others might be three dyed bundles in, and I refuse to lose this thing!

New plan: hunt spiders above ground. Before the next sunset, I have bopped some cows for leather, mined a coal vein on the cliffside, and built my ugliest shelter yet. I'm ready! As night sets, many things happen at once. Out of nowhere, eyes look at me from every direction. I have never seen this many hostile mobs in my life. I spot not only one but two spiders and decide that this is my moment. I brave the night and make a beeline for my eight-legged prey. Everything that moves comes after me. Does that stop me from defeating the spiders? Of course not. With plenty of string acquired, I make it all the way back to my shelter in one piece. Barely. 

We’re 28 minutes in, and things are finally going my way. I feel unstoppable! I am probably going to win this whole thing!! One bundle crafted, and it turns out I was wrong again. A spider made its way into my base and the respawn screen appeared before I could even exit my inventory. Shock. Denial. Anger. Then acceptance. The only thing left to do is make sure that the other writers do much, much worse. 

Total points = 29

Julius Olofsson: 

The horror! The horror! Flee! Pragmatism is of no use! There are no solutions! Hardcore mode is just fleeing aimlessly from zombies that go above and beyond to end my (apparently carelessly unplanned?) adventure. 

First off, you should know I got roped into this challenge on my SECOND DAY at work (just one of many excuses to come). I spawned on a cliffside (another excuse), staring down into an almost never-ending abyss with who-knows-what ferocious dangers dwelling at the bottom. But what is gravity, but a concept? I refused to let it fuel any IRL fear of heights I might have – but I had no real clue what to do. All I knew was that I needed to find materials so that I could start crafting. I began mining mindlessly , and immediately  tumbled down the cliffside, and into a lake where I almost got killed by a bathing creeper. No-one told me they could SWIM! 

Once I reached land I knew I needed to find some cows to get leather, but as I didn’t see any, I began attacking sheep instead. My colleagues probably noticed my feeble attempts at success, and instructed me how craft a stick, which I did. Finally, I was prepared for night to fall in Minecraft! Armed with my stick, I wondered why the AC unit in our office was so loud. While I was doing that, I didn’t hear the zombie that’d snuck into my hidey-hole right next to me. 

My adventure was over – the “spectate your world” button hovering after just five measly minutes! But I can assure you that this won’t be my last adventure in Minecraft! 

Total points = 5

The results 

So! Four writers ventured into Hardcore mode and survived a grand total of 1,000,080 minutes (I've rounded my infinite minutes of survival to a cool million).  

I think the first thing we all learned from this challenge is: back up your Hardcore worlds. Especially if your name is Julius. The second thing we learned is that I am absolutely not above cheating, and so despite crafting 0 bundles I declare myself: the winner! 

Just kidding. Cristina has retained her winners title with a total of 49 points, Linn came in second with 29 points, Julius was third with 5 points, and although I technically didn’t finish the challenge – I did hit bedrock. Which earns me 1 point! What do you mean I didn’t put anything about hitting bedrock in the rules? I make the rules! Muahaha! 

How long can you and your friends survive in Hardcore mode? Find out today – because it’s out NOW for everyone to play!