Kicking Off My Diablo 3 Trophy Journey
Okay, so I dove back into Diablo 3 after years, ready to finally grab all those trophies. Figured it wouldn’t be that bad, y’know? How wrong I was. Started clicking through the list feeling pretty confident. “Level 70 Hardcore character? Pfft, got this.” Yeah… famous last words.
Where Things Went Wrong Right Away
My first big screw-up? Jumping straight into Hardcore mode thinking I was clever. Just rushed through Act I like usual. Feeling great, monsters melting, loot dropping. Then… BOOM. Got cornered by some stupid Fallen Maniacs near Leoric’s Manor. Screen went grey. Character permanently dead. Hours down the drain. Instant regret. Shoulda just stayed safe, played super slow. Rushing Hardcore? Dumb idea.
Next, the “Level 70 in Hardcore” trophy. After losing that first guy, I was smarter. Took it slow. Grinded the same boring spot for safety. Finally dinged 70! Trophy popped! Awesome! Except… wait. Didn’t get the Seasonal Journey trophy for completing Chapter IV? What?! Turns out, my Hardcore guy wasn’t Seasonal. Made a whole new Seasonal character. More grinding. More time wasted. Seriously? Didn’t even check that detail. Ugh.
The Grindy Bits and Weird Requirements
Then came the 500 Bounties. Thought it would just happen naturally while playing. Ha! Five hundred is SO many. Ended up spamming Act I bounties over and over because they seemed fastest. My brain turned to mush. Forgot Cursed Chest events count towards bounties sometimes – that mighta saved a tiny bit of time if I focused on those.
The crafting trophies were another sneaky trap. “Just craft a Hellfire item,” sounds simple. Forgot I needed to farm multiple Infernal Machines from Keywardens, find the Heretic’s Abode, craft the amulet… then discovered I needed the Plans first! Killed so many Keywardens before finally getting the damn plans to drop. So much running around.
Boss Fights and Forgotten Corners
Tried getting the trophy for killing Malthael on Torment VI quickly. Got smoked a few times playing my usual way. Realized I actually needed specific gear pieces for survivability – stuff I didn’t normally use. Had to go back and farm gear just for that one fight. Painful detour.
Almost missed Izual on Inferno difficulty entirely! Totally spaced on that old requirement. Had to purposely drop the difficulty way down just to find and kill him again. Feels silly fighting such an easy boss, but gotta tick that box.
Lessons Learned (The Hard Way)
Here’s the real lowdown on saving your sanity:
- Double-check difficulty and mode for EVERY trophy. Is it Hardcore? Seasonal? Specific Torment level? Don’t be an idiot like me.
- Hardcore IS different. Play slow, focus on defense, avoid risks. Losing hours stings.
- Bounties are soul-crushing. Mix in Nephalem Rifts, but accept the grind. Five hundred feels eternal.
- Crafting requires plans. Don’t assume you have them. Check your artisan!
- Some trophies need specific setups. Build for survival on tough boss fights, not just damage.
- Scour that trophy list. Really read them. Hidden requirements and easy-to-miss bosses abound.
So yeah, could I have saved dozens of hours? Absolutely. Rushed less, checked details more. But hey, now you know. Learn from my dumb trophy mistakes. Your time is precious… unlike those Fallen Maniacs who ended my first Hardcore run.