What is solo self-found mode in WoW Classic Hardcore?

If you’re new to WoW Classic Hardcore, you may have heard the term “solo self-found” get thrown around quite a bit. The term is oftentimes abbreviated to SSF and is pretty popular among the most dedicated Hardcore WoW players. 

Leveling to 60 on your own is difficult, and the SSF ruleset makes it so that you cannot group up with other players under any circumstances; nor can you use any items crafted, found, or looted by other players. Your journey to max level under these additional rules must be completely solo, and any item or trade good that you pick up must be self-found. Simple enough, right?

While the rules are pretty straightforward, they add another layer of difficulty to the Hardcore challenge. Here’s everything you need to know about the solo self-found mode in WoW Classic Hardcore and whether or not it’s a good fit for your personal playstyle.

WoW Classic Solo self-found mode: rules and regulations, explained

Solo self-found is a game mode that has roots in other online games like EverQuest and Path of Exile; the term is used for players who do not interact with other players in any capacity. When playing under this ruleset, you cannot do the following things:

• Join a group in the open world.
• Trade with other players.
• Use the Auction House.
• Send or receive mail. 

The only exception for the grouping policy comes during dungeon runs. Although you cannot complete open-world quests in a group under the SSF ruleset, you can run dungeons in groups. However, on official Classic Hardcore servers, you cannot run a dungeon more than once in a 24-hour time period. 

Will an official solo self-found option be coming to WoW Classic Hardcore? 

While it’s not in the game at the moment, a toggle-on system for SSF mode will be coming to WoW Classic Hardcore servers at a later date. At BlizzCon 2023, solo self-found was confirmed for WoW Classic Hardcore, and a launch window of 2024 was set.

Players will have the ability to press a button and turn on the completely solo self-found mode, cutting off the ability to group and trade with other players. When you activate solo self-found mode on official servers, you’ll lose access to grouping, trading, the mail system, as well as the Auction House. However, when you reach level 60, you’ll regain access to those features.

Is solo self-found better than the default Hardcore Classic WoW experience?

There’s no real answer to this question; it really depends on how you like to play WoW. While some players want to be involved in the side of the game that appeals more to an  MMO player base—they’re not afraid of grouping and are always down to kill an elite mob in the open world with a couple of friends—others are completely into the solo mode, and there’s no shame in that. 

Personally, I like to play WoW solo most of the time, but if I come across a quest that requires more than one player to complete, I won’t hesitate to form a group. Until solo self-found becomes an official game mode in Hardcore WoW, there’s no reason to implement the arbitrary ruleset on yourself.

However, if you’re looking to make the already-really-hard Hardcore challenge even more difficult, give it a shot; you might have some fun with it. It’s not the worst idea to already have a Hardcore run or two under your belt before you do so, though.

An official solo self-found (SSF) option will be coming to WoW Classic Hardcore servers in 2024.