[Currently Outdated] Sven Co-op: Hardcore Servers Guide

A guide designed to teach new players how to play in Hardcore servers, how not to die too often, and how not to accidentally make other people angry at you.

Introduction

Heyo! I'm sure quite a number of Sven Co-op players have seen these servers in the list that have the word "Hardcore" in their title and either were intimidated by it, or decided to join out of curiosuty. For the latter, I'm sure that you were surprised when the enemies instantly killed you in just one hit. Well, that's the "Hardcore" part.
Hardcore servers have several things that make them stand out:

• The damage dealt by enemies is dramatically increased, enough to instantly kill you.
  
• Most levels have anti-rush features implemented.
  
• The game is in permanent Survival Mode.

As a reminder: Survival Mode is where if you die - you can only be revived if another player revives you with a medkit (as long as your body is intact - you can't revive gibbed players); if a Respawn Point is reached; and at the start of each level (you are given a 30-second grace period where you can respawn, before the Survival mode is activated).

So what is this guide about? Well, I wrote this guide to (hopefully) teach new players the basics of Hardcore servers: how to play, what not to do, tactics in different situations, et cetera. This is the purpose of this guide: to teach, and reduce the lack of knowledge. I highly doubt this is going to be best guide ever, and I definitely don't know everything since I'm not a pro. I'm simply sharing what I know in hopes that this knowledge will be useful to others.
So, let's begin!

Guidelines to Follow

To start things off, here are a few basic guidelines to keep in mind when you are in Hardcore server:

1. Get used to dying a lot. If you make it through a hard level without any deaths whatsoever - consider yourself very lucky, and feel free to pat yourself on the back. But make no mistake: you will die. A lot. It's pretty much inevitable, like it or not. None of any players out there are perfect in any way, shape or form, so dying in Hardcore servers is normal. Even pros fail, despite that the frequency of their deaths are usually much lower.
   
2. Avoid rushing. Remember: this is a Hardcore server, where everything kills you in one shot. Running in guns blazing may be a valid strategy for other servers (particularly XP servers), and I know it's a great feeling to be like a action movie star and mow down your enemies like they're copy paper, but if you do that here, you'll just quickly die. So please save your enthusiasm and be careful.
   
3. Be considerate of other players. Hardcore servers are often played by various people - almost daily you can bet you'll see someone in the servers. Sometimes these players are knowledgeable, or even pro players. So messing up their play, accidentally or not, is a good way to earn their ire. Some are patient and understanding, others not so much. So, in short, if you see them snipe something from behind the cover, or are throwing their weapons at the start of the level - do not try to rush out and gun down whatever they were shooting at, or collect said thrown weapons (we'll talk about that later). In former case you'll aggravate the enemy and cause them to charge you, thus getting other players killed, and the latter case will get you labeled as the thief. Basically don't be a jerk and use common sense.
   
4. Healing is situational. Another thing that is different for Hardcore server is that since nearly everything instakills you, healing is not as important as you'd like to believe. In fact, there are only several times where health even matters, and that's when something doesn't instantly kill you. Such things are: fall damage, splash damage from explosives, select few level hazards, Voltigore shots, and some other things I'm probably forgetting. And in certain servers it is outright made useless, since your health could be set to 1. But while healing is not useful...
   
5. Reviving is not straightforward. As mentioned before, you can only revive intact bodies of players. How to do that? Hold the key for Alt. fire - usually it's the Right Mouse Button, or MOUSE2 as the settings say. Now, remember that the more players, the better chances you have to succeed. But, there are also nuances to it. For example, Respawn points. Yeah, those floating silvery Half-Life logos? You might have an urge to go grab it, but don't. First check how many players are actually dead. If only one or two are alive among 10, then you can go ahead. However, if it's not necessary, and most players are alive - don't. Save it for when you need it.
   
6. Think before bashing/shooting. You have that urge to break down every single crate in sight with the crowbar? You wanna just shoot everything that is shootable? Yeah, suppress that urge for now. Those crates you destroy? In certain places they are a vital instrument for success, and by breaking all of those crates you just made the situation much harder. So if you want to win, keep your hands off of your crowbar. And on the subject of shooting things: that green alien thingy that gives spore ammo? Do not shoot it. That releases an armed spore, and it belongs to the world, not you. Which means *everyone* in the vicinity will get damaged. So do not shoot them, or you'll suffer the wrath of pretty much everyone. Teamkilling is bad, m'kay?
   
7. In case of over 12 players - be smart. Do not rush in along with others, stay behind. There are bound to be players who just rush in without a care in the world and get themselves killed. They also go in all at once and not one by one, which, while can be beneficial in some cases, can prove disastrous in others. Avoid falling into conformity and do not imitate those players.
   
8. Listen to experienced players. Like I said, some players are pretty knowledgeable, or even pro players. So as a rule of thumb, if they tell you not to do something, then in 9 out of 10 cases it's a good idea to listen to them. On a side note, pay attention to the chat. You missed something? Check the console, the chat log is also there.
   
9. Don't be a jerk. I know, I already said it in guideline number 3, but I saw many outside cases, where this particular rule must be specified. Nobody likes jerks. Nobody likes people who deliberately block other players, and/or intentionally lure enemies to them, among other things. Ruining the fun for everybody involved is bad. Don't be that guy. Others will not remember you fondly for that.

Hardcore Tactics, pt.1 (The Basics)

This is the basics that every person who wants to play in Hardcore servers for a while should know. They will improve your playing experience by quite a bit, so remember them well!

Third Person Spy Camera

Sven Co-op has a feature where you can press a button, and it switches you to the third person mode. Default button is 'J'. This feature is a very important tool for you to spot danger without risking the enemies charging after you and murdering you and anyone who is unfortunate enough to be near you. Use it to check around the corners, behind cover, etc. Believe me, it will greatly help you when you know where the enemy is, and if it's coming or not. If you find said option not efficient, however, no worries: 'C' key brings up the menu, and option 6 are the camera settings. With those you can set a specific camera preset, or adjust the distance. Remember this combination: C645. That's a key sequence to adjust the camera to a more fitting distance of 128.

TAKE COVER!

Yeah I know, that callout is often taken for granted, but you need to remember that, again, enemies can instakill you. So it is important to take cover if you face ranged enemies like grunts or alien slaves/vortigaunts. Also that callout is a good short indicator that something is coming and you must run the heck away. Default key is 'X', so make sure to use it when necessary.

Know Thy Enemy

Make sure you learn what kind of enemies you are dealing with. There are aliens and there are humans. As a rule of thumb, humans - military grunts, security guards, Black Ops, - are harder to deal with, because it's next to impossible to dodge their shots. You aren't Neo, nor you are Boris the Bullet Dodger. Luckily, however, they don't gib players - unless they use hand grenades or AR grenades. Thus, players can be revived from being struck by a bullet. Aliens, on the other hand? They will gib you if they hit you. Zombies, Vortigaunts, Alien Grunts, Controllers, Headcrabs, Shock Troopers, Pit Drones - every alien will turn you into a chunky salsa if you are not careful. Even LEECHES will instantly kill you and gib you if they bite you. However, you can save yourself from being gibbed: you can commit sudoku by pressing 'K' - and your body will drop, intact, and revivable by other players. Unless you are in Sudden Death mode where everything gibs you, then I'm afraid it won't work.
Further details about enemies can be found at the "Adversary Encyclopedia" section of the guide.

Know Thy Weapons

In Hardcore servers, some weapons become situational. But some become very very important. Pistols suddenly find much more use. Crossbows become much more valuable. Slot 5 weapons become very important tools for enemy killing. A number of weapons that aren't used much in regular playing begin to shine in Hardcore servers, so use them well!
Further details about weapons can be found at the "Armament Encyclopedia" section of the guide.

Observing the Enemy

You may think that if you die, that's it - you have to wait in boredom until you come back to life. That's incorrect: observers have an important role in this too! They can do what living players can't without difficulties: spy on enemies. They can tell how many are there, what type of enemy is it, and their current state. Observe the enemy, watch what it does, and inform others. Conveying information like that is important in Hardcore servers, and it will help save the player from suddenly dying.

Hardcore Tactics, pt.2 (The Advanced Stuff)

These are the skills that require more thought put into them. It's still important to know them, as they will help you deal with a large variety of enemies while avoiding putting yourself into risky situations.

Slow and Steady

Did you know that you can slow yourself down by crouching ('Left Ctrl')? Did you also know that you can walk slowly by holding 'Left Shift', and that you can walk even slower by holding the Use key ('E')? If you do, great! But did you also know that you can hold multiple of those keys together to be super slow? In this server this is a very, VERY, useful trick in order to sneak up on enemies, which leads me to my next point:

Assassination Around The Corner

Corner-shooting is a technique, where you shoot and kill the enemy without them even knowing that you are there. There are several enemies that you can safely take down without attracting their attention - Headcrabs, Zombies, Bullsquids. It also works on other enemies, but you need to be careful: Vortigaunts, Alien Grunts, Human Grunts, Black Ops and Shock Troopers tend to move if they are damaged, and in that moment where they move, they can, with a pretty high chance, spot you. So if you see them flinching - move back to a safe spot and wait until they stop moving. I don't know exactly when they can see you in order for them to be aggro'd, but here's my personal rule of thumb: if the enemy is facing you, AND their head is in full view - then there's a good chance they will see you. Keep that in mind when you corner-shoot them.

Your Personal Spyglass

If you need additional help with sniping, then there is a way other than using crossbow and sniper rifle scopes! There are two commands that will help you: 'default_fov' and 'sensitivity', each affecting your field of view and mouse sensitivity, respectively. You need to bind two buttons for zoom-in and zoom-out. I did it like this:

bind "PGUP" "default_fov 15; sensitivity 3"
bind "PGDN" "default_fov 90; sensitivity 15"

The first line is for zooming in, the other is for zooming out. These aren't strict numbers, and you can assign different buttons, so use whichever works best for you!

The Satchel Stunlock

Satchels are the kryptonite of Human Grunts, Male Assassins, and Shock Troopers. How so? Let me explain. All three of them share the same AI, and are programmed to run away from the grenade and cover their heads. And here is the kicker: this behavior overrides the rest of their actions. That means they won't shoot at you while they engage in 'escape from the grenade' behavior. This is where the satchel comes into play. In Sven Co-op you can pick up the satchels you have thrown, but didn't detonate. I presume this was made so that you couldn't lose them permanently if you accidentally thrown one away. Satchels are also classified as grenades, so the grunts will run away from them. Knowing this, you can stunlock them by repeatedly throwing out the satchel, and then picking it up almost immediately after. This will either buy you seconds to kill the enemy, or let another player safely deal with them. Note that there is an area of effect when using this technique, and it will only affect the grunts that are close enough to you. Also use the Right Mouse Button to do it, in order to avoid accidentally blowing yourself up.
(Thanks to Kirtash for pointing this out) It also works on Vortigaunts/Alien Slaves: deploy it when they are charging up their attack, and it'll interrupt them instantly. Use it when there's a lot of them!
Also keep in mind that while this can work on Female Assassins, it's much less effective. They might run or do a backflip, but at best you'll just get a tiny window frame before they'll shoot you dead. They have the nerves of steel and are also ninjas.

Ammo Resupplying

Duplication (or duping for short) is an exploit that can be done at the start of every map. In half of the maps there is no respawning ammo, and most pickups are one-time only. This is why some players will use this trick to gain more ammo. Pick a safe corner where players won't spawn, drop off the weapons you need ammo for (press 'G' to drop your current weapon), then sudoku by pressing 'K'. You will respawn with what you had, AND you can pick up ammo you have dropped off. For greater effect, check how long it takes you to respawn, and account for that when you repeat the duping process. Just make sure you don't stay dead when the Survival Mode activates, and watch out for particular players who will take your ammo, either due to lack of knowledge, or because they're jerks.

Explosion Luring

Sometimes in certain situations you can use grenades to lure humans. Military AI investigate the explosions if they are idle, and you can use that to your advantage to get them to somewhere where you can easily shoot them.

"I Lost Their Trail"

If there are two or more players alive, and you know at least one has the attention of the enemies who spotted them, then have the one who angered the enemies press 'K' to commit sudoku - and the enemies will instantly lose interest in that player. The other player can then revive them. Be smart about it when you do that, and make sure you are in a safe location. Also make sure you don't accidentally sudoku all at once if the enemies are angry at all of you - it's rare, but it unfortunately happens. Also if you are in Sudden Death 1 HP mode, then this trick is pointless.

Adversary Encyclopedia, pt.1 (Simpler Enemies)

The enemies you'll be facing are numerous and different, and this section explains how to deal with them. The list will go from least dangerous to most dangerous.

• Barnacles: Let's face it, the only times they become actually dangerous is if you have no ranged weapons, AND if they are placed in tricky spots. As long as you are attentive, you can practically never die from them. In the event that you do somehow get caught in their tongues, press 'K' to commit sudoku and avoid getting killed by them. Also you can use them to deal with Human Grunts, provided they won't shoot them first.
  
• Stukabats: I don't know the exact details, but apparently they do not have insta-kill damage. That makes them the easiest enemy in Hardcore servers, and mostly an annoyance. Just keep in mind that it can still damage you, and can distract you from more important things, and also they become a lot more dangerous at 1 HP difficulty runs, so kill them.
  
• Zombies: Not much is different about them, they're the same dumb zombies. Shoot them in the head with the shotgun, or whack them with a wrench, but be careful, as they can do a very quick two handed attack that is very hard to dodge.
  
• Baby Voltigores: They are basically smaller and faster zombies. Just shoot them, or use a wrench. Beware of their parents though.
  
• Classic Soldier Zombies: Did you know that non-HD zombie soldiers can't be headshotted? That, and zombie soldiers in general are faster than normal zombies. Use a shotgun, or something that can outdamage a shotgun. Or just use a wrench.
  
• Leeches: Yes, you are seeing this right. What are practically annoyances in regular Sven Co-op become a nightmare in Hardcore. They are only encountered in water, and they are very hard to hit with the pistol. Only reason they are this low is because they can be maneuvered around, and you can also use other weapons that can deal damage underwater. In tight corridors use unscoped crossbow, otherwise use grenades. Anything with splash damage that can fire underwater works.
  
• Sentry Turrets: They are stationary, thus are easier to deal with compared to a vast majority of enemies, and they do not gib you. There are two types: tripods and ceiling turrets. Ceiling turrets have a 'hat' of a sorts, where the shots will just bounce off and do no damage. There are three ways to take these down. A riskier one involves playing peek-a-boo with them: run out of cover, shoot them with a shotgun once, and then run back into cover. It's risky, because there's a chance you'll get caught by a stray shot and die. Second way involves throwing grenades. Depending on the type of the turret, it's either an effective strategy, or a waste of time. Finally, you can simply snipe them. Sneak in so that you can see part of their structure, and shoot them. Turrets can also be distracted by Hivehand flies, so keep that in mind if you need to run past them. Also keep in mind that tripods explode upon death, so keep respectable distance. Won't instantly kill you, but still can deal significant damage.
  
• Tentacles: Those giant green things with sharp beak-like growths are more of an enviromental hazard than an enemy, primarily because you can't permanently kill them. Unless it's a scripted event. They are blind, but they have exceptional hearing and react to sound, so avoid running and jumping around while in their vicinity. Don't even fire your guns. Crouch-walk, or hold Left Shift to walk slowly. You can also distract it with grenades by throwing it towards somewhere, and they will go ham on that location.
  
• Ichthyosaurs: We call them "sharks". It only is dangerous while it's in water, but it's harmless when you are on land, and you aren't standing too close to the edge. The official Sven Co-op manual says that crossbows are very effective against it, and it's true, but you should only use that, or the pistol, when you are forced to fight underwater. On land, I recommend using a shotgun against them. Shotgun fishing!
  
• Snarks: If you ever see them, run. Running is a valid strategy to deal with the snarks, because they have limited time span and will self-destruct in about half a minute. If there's no way to run away from them, then circle around them. Or if you have a crossbow, shoot them with an unscoped shot. Also, Alien Grunts (which I'll get to later) deploy snark nests, and in order to make things easier for you, you have to kill it and not let it get close enough. If it does get close, it'll explode into several snarks. If you kill it, it'll only release one. Also deep water is a good way to avoid snarks, so keep that in mind when you have to run away.
  
• Vortigaunts/Alien Slaves: Can be quite a pain to deal with, but they're doable. You can safely take cover from them while they take their time to charge up their attack. In open areas they become a menace, especially in larger numbers. And in some maps they can bring back their dead allies! The only way to put them down for good is to gib them, or kill them all. Shotguns, MP5s, Gluon Guns, explosives - these are the way to go. Thankfully you can interrupt their attack if you shoot them enough - use MP5 or shotguns for that. Remember to take cover, and avoid being surrounded.
  
• Heavy Weapons Grunts: These are the cigar-smoking minigun-wielding grunts that you can sometimes encounter in custom campaigns. You'll be surprised, but they are actually much less dangerous than Human Grunts, as long as you have cover and a way to maneuver around them. The strategy is like with Vortigaunts: if they wind up, take cover and prepare for a server lagfest, because they fire out bullets from all six barrels at once. You can use whatever works best against them, but word of caution: avoid using explosives. Explosives cause them to drop their minigun, and they will start using a deagle, and suddenly they are much more dangerous. If this happens, let them pick their minigun back up. If the minigun is gone, well...
  
• Bullsquids: Bullsquids are one of the more painful enemies to deal with... if you are going against them face to face. Otherwise they are the easiest enemies to snipe, because they never try to investigate or move as they are damaged. They only move to investigate corpses. So make sure you can snipe them from afar. If you do go against the angry one, use shotguns, revolvers or Gauss cannons, and remember to strife and dodge to avoid their spit: it will kill you dead.
  
• Pit Drones: More dangerous than Bullsquids, because they are pack animals. Same strategy with sniping, but be more careful with them: they are faster than bullsquids, and their projectiles, while slower, can go indefinitely until they hit something.
  
• Houndeyes: A pretty dangerous foe, especially when they are in groups. If they start charging up their attack - RUN. If there's nowhere to run - SHOOT THEM. Or else you will die. If death is inevitable, press 'K' to avoid becoming chunky salsa, but only if there's another player alive to revive you. Thankfully, like Vortigaunts, you can interrupt their attack. Shotguns and MP5 work best against them, but you can use pistols too. Focus on the attacking ones.

Adversary Encyclopedia, pt.2 (Harder Enemies)

• Voltigores: These big, insect hulks may look dangerous due to their large pool of health, but it's actually easier to deal with them than you think. For one, their shots won't instantly kill you (unless you are at 1 HP), if they don't make direct contact with your body, and it's simple to avoid them, unless you are in a tight corridor. But there is a reason why they are above Houndeyes and the rest: they explode. And their explosion can, and will kill you. As soon as the Voltigore is dead, make distance and take cover NOW. Also, do not use the following weapons: Spore Launcher, Shock Roach, Gluon Gun, Snarks. These are weapons that will always gib enemies, and if Voltigore is gibbed, it will explode instantly, and you will die. Resort to a machine gun, or a shotgun. Even the minigun works if you are in a place where it can't reach with claws. But the best weapon to use against it is, bar none, the displacer cannon. This is the only weapon that can kill the voltigore and cancel out the explosion, because the body is teleported elsewhere. Make sure, however, that it is a direct hit. The splash wave from the projectile will not remove the explosion, so aim carefully.
  
• Headcrabs: It's hard to believe that they are far more dangerous than the previous enemies, isn't it? You'd be surprised as to how far they can jump. Never underestimate them and their jumping ability. Pay attention to your surroundings, and if possible, snipe the damn things with a pistol, or a shotgun. If you have no weapons, well... Make them jump, and then whack them while they are recovering. Just make sure you attack them from behind.
  
• Security Guards: Yes, you can sometimes encounter enemy Barneys and Otises. They are very fast, and have a very quick trigger finger, but they are also more easily snipeable compared to most other enemies. They are also scared of grenades, but they won't take cover, they'll just run away, and that either can be a viable strategy, or can backfire badly. Revolvers and crossbows work the best on them.
  
• Human Grunts and Male Assassins: Very dangerous foes. They have hitscan weapons, they can coordinate their attacks, and their reaction time is almost instantaneous. They'll shoot you dead if they see you, and if you are out of reach, they may spam grenades. Some even have assault rifles, and those can launch rifle grenades that explode on contact. Do not worry, however, for they have their weaknesses. Continuous fire from MP5 will stop them from attacking you, but it only works on Human Grunts, and only on whoever you're shooting at, so it's better to use it against singular soldiers, or when there are three players or more. But a much more effective strategy is to use satchels. I explained the strategy in the tactics section, so use it if possible. Sniping tactic will work on them, but they tend to move around when hurt, so keep that in mind. For sniping I recommend hard-hitting weapons, such as the crossbow, the sniper rifle, the Gauss, or the revolver.
  
• Defense Robots: Same enemy as Human Grunts, except they have armor, and they explode on death, like tripod turrets. They will take more damage from energy weapons, so use those instead of bullets, if possible.
  
• Shock Troopers: They are more dangerous than the previous three in several ways. One: they are aliens, so of course their weapon will cause you to explode if it hits. Second, they throw spores instead of grenades, and while those don't instantly kill you, they are more dangerous because they have higher bounce and can poison you (damage over time). Finally, they will drop their roach upon death, and it's practically a headcrab in all but name. Otherwise they aren't too different from regular marines. Their weak point is their eye, so try to shoot there, if possible.
  
• Gonomes: This is what happens when you blend together zombies and bullsquids. These things are VERY dangerous, because unlike Bullsquids, they will move if you try to snipe them. And once they will see you, they will chase you and will not let up until you reach a place where they can't reach you. They also have a ranged attack akin to Bullsquids, but much more easily telegraphed. They are very hard to run away from, because they are slightly faster than the players, AND they can attack with their claws while running. Use shotguns, or anything with knockback, and if possible, find a safe spot, or a high ground where they can't reach you. Be VERY careful when dealing with these monstrosities.
  (Thanks to TraXamO for the following tactic!) They do happen to have one weakness, if you can pull it off. Run directly into them, mash the crouch key, and bash them with your melee weapon. You have to hold both forward and attack key, while mashing the crouch key, which is trickier than it sounds. Still, it works, so if you can pull it off without a hitch, great job!
  
• Baby Headcrabs: THESE ONES ARE THE WORST I HATE THEM I HATE THEM I HATE THEM.
  They are much, much more dangerous than normal headcrabs. They are small and hard to hit; it's really hard to see them most of the time; their speed, compared to normal headcrabs, is practically Mach-1, and they will still one-shot kill you and tear you into bloody chunks. Their only disadvantage is their very small health. Use unscoped crossbow to kill them dead, or use a satchel if you got a spare. Hell, Gluon gun works too. RPG could work too, but it's impractical to use against them - more risk of you dying to your own shot. DO NOT ACTIVELY MELEE THEM.
  
• Alien Controllers: Flying large-headed creatures that are dangerous in their own right. Make sure you kill them quickly, because in battle they can release a homing ball of electricity, and if it gets to you - you die. As usual, press 'K' if death is inevitable. Use high-power weapons to take them out.
  
• Baby Gargantua: Unlike their parents, they are, while dangerous, safer to deal with, because their shell isn't as developed. Bullets will definitely work on it, so shoot it with everything you have, and aim for the eyes, but keep your distance. After enough health is depleted, it will go into panic mode and start running around, so be careful!
  
• Female Assassins: Way, way more dangerous than soldiers. They are very fast, satchel trick barely works on them, they can't be stunned by MP5, and they can also turn invisible (it's a Hard difficulty thing). Sniping them is important, but you can also use grenades or snarks. Snarks work a bit better against them than soldiers, because they have pistols. Still, be careful, and make sure you aren't spotted by them, or else things will get much more difficult.
  
• Alien Grunts: A very dangerous alien. Why? It has a rapid-fire homing attack. Remember the Hivehand? That's what it has. And it knows it has homing shots, because when it spots you and can't reach you, it will keep firing these flies in hopes that one will get you (and it will if you are not careful). It also moves when being sniped. Sniping, grenades or tripmines is the most simple way to deal with them, and if possible, you can use Gluon guns. You can also briefly stun them by using hard-hitting weapons like shotguns or revolvers, and make sure to aim for the face. They can also throw snark nests (which they couldn't do in original Half-Life, by the by), which explode into snarks. Make sure you kill them and don't let them explode, because it's easier to deal with one snark than half a dozen.

Adversary Encyclopedia, pt.3 (Boss Monsters)

• Apache Helicopters: A pretty dangerous foe, and there are bound to be deaths nearly every time you face it. It has a high-caliber rotary cannon, and rocket launchers, and both are very lethal. Most of its hull will deflect most of the arsenal you have, but some weapons can ignore the armor, and those are: explosives, Gluon gun, Alt. fire of Gauss gun, sniper rifles and revolvers. But don't worry: even if you have none of those things, you can still damage it. See those two protrusions at the sides just below the rotor? Those are the engines, and you must shoot there. In theory even a dinky pistol can take it down. Just be careful and take cover.
  
• Osprey Helicopters: These helicopters never attack. That's good! But they spawn Human Grunts or Male Assassins, usually four at a time. That's bad! Luckily they are like Apaches in terms of what damage they can take. Their weak points are the rotors at the ends of each wing, and they are an easier target compared to Apaches. So, why is it above Apaches, you may ask? Because it spawns aforementioned Human Grunts and Male Assassins.
  
• Gargantuas: The rare times you'll face one of those things, it will be very very hard to get past them. They are very fast, fast enough to catch up with you, they are very patient and will wait for you if you take cover, and their flamethrower is the most dangerous weapon out there. As soon as it's in range, nothing will save you from its fire, save for you pressing 'K' in order to not explode from searing heat. Bullets do not work on it, not even high-caliber rounds. The only things that will work on these monstrosities are explosives, high-tech weapons like Gluon gun and Displacer, and scripted level elements like electricity and airstrikes. It may seem like a nigh-impossible situation, but do not fear, it is possible to trick them. They only use their flamethrower if your health is 50% and above. If it's below that, they will instead try to melee you. And unlike the flamethrowers, they take their time to take a swing, and they stop too! If you have grenades, use these to lower your health, or even better: use fall damage if that's an option. And with that it is now possible to get past Gargantua without much problem. They will also move if you shoot them a couple of times. Won't damage them at all, but it will annoy them enough to move out of the way. Use a pistol for that.
  
• Gonarch: The most dangerous non-exclusive enemy. This very large mother of headcrabs can easily kill you if you are not careful. She can do plenty of things: spawn in baby headcrabs (THE WORST), rush you to try to stab you with a claw, or she will launch a glob of acid in your direction, which is her most deadly attack. Think Voltigore's death explosion, except she can use it repeatedly. So what are the best weapons to use against her? Well, there is one weapon that is very viable for sniping: the Hivehand. Gonarch is large enough of a target, and the flies will easily seek her out. Just make sure you remain in cover while you fire, and do not let her see you. But when facing her when she saw you: use Gluon gun, the displacer cannon, or the machine gun. Aim for her sack, that's her weak point. The rest of her body is armored via her carapace, so don't shoot there.
  
• Kingpin: THE most dangerous enemy in Sven Co-op. It's rare, but the encounters with it are a significant threat. It can teleport, it can create homing energy spheres that are faster than you, and it can shoot instakilling gibbing hitscan beams without any warning when in range. It is also capable of telekinesis, and thus projectiles like grenades, spores and similar things will be diverted away from it. Whatever you do, do not let it spot you. Try to snipe it, or take it out via indirect means. Mounted guns if they're available, snarks, spam spores (it can't divert them all), displacer cannons. Keep in mind that it can also create a defensive shield - don't know what exactly triggers that, but it negates pretty much all damage. Keep your cool while fighting this creature, and remember: DO NOT LET IT SPOT YOU. If it does, 'K' immediately to drop its attention, while the rest of the players run the heck away.
  
• Tor/Xen Overlord: ...I'll be perfectly honest: I have no idea how to fight him in Hardcore, because I have never encountered it there. I know it must be very difficult, because it can create alien grunts, it has a hitscan beam, and it can do a sonic attack like the Houndeyes. But I don't know the strategies, so if anybody knows, please let me know, alright? Thanks in advance.

Armament Encyclopedia, pt.1 (Slots 1-4)

The many weapons you'll be holding in your hands and using to kill the enemies you'll face. Some are situational, and some are very great.

Slot 1: Melee/Tools

• Medkit: A self-explanatory tool. You use it to heal or revive players. You can also use it to heal friendly NPCs, although they can still be one-shotted by enemies. BUT, the friendlies also have one-shot damage. So it's worth it to keep them alive.
  
• Crowbar: Fairly useless weapon, often to be used more for breaking boxes than direct combat. You can use them as a last resort. If you have nothing else, remember that you can throw it with Middle Mouse Button (MOUSE3), but you'll have to go pick it up again afterwards, and you also have to aim the throw. Even the Electric Crowbar feature available for donators isn't that useful, because it feeds on armor battery to work, and most of Hardcore servers either batteries and stations give next to no armor, or armor is disabled altogether.
  
• Wrench: More useful than the crowbar, because you can hold Alt. fire to charge up a heavy attack. It can one-shot headcrabs, zombies, vortigaunts and houndeyes if struck in weak spots. Still not very useful, however.
  
• Handheld Barnacle: Unorthodox grappling hook. It can be used as a weapon, but I don't recommend it: it's better as a utility. Know that you can switch between modes with Alt. fire. There's the standard Pull mode, and then there's Rappel mode, which will allow you to slowly descent down on the ground while the barnacle's tongue is attached to the appropriate surface.

Slot 2: Handguns

• Glock/Beretta Pistol: It's pretty underused in most other servers, but in Hardcore it becomes your best friend. This is the go-to tool for sniping enemies if better options aren't available. I recommend you use this over MP5, because that way you can conserve ammo, and the pistol is more accurate anyway. Alt. fire allows quicker but less accurate firing, and it's better used in a pinch.
  
• Magnum Revolver: A hard-hitting weapon, good for tougher enemies. You can snipe with it too, but considering ammo for the revolver is pretty limited, I say you use it more carefully. The Classic version allows you to zoom in with Alt. fire.
  
• Desert Eagle: Did you know that the actual real life Desert Eagle pistol is pretty flawed? Not in this game! Its laser sight is great for sniping, since it allows accurate shots, and it's pretty strong in its own right. Alt. fire turns off the laser sight, which allows a quicker, but more inaccurate firing, like the basic pistol (again, use in a pinch).
  
• Uzi: This gun is actually pretty rare, because it's nowhere in the Half-Life campaign or its expansions, and some custom campaigns don't have it either. Either way, considering that it eats through ammo like a shredder through copy paper - especially when dual-wielded, - I recommend only using it if the map has ammo respawn turned on. Otherwise only use it against health sponges, like Ichthyosaurs or Baby Gargantuas. Donators have access to Golden Uzis, which have increased damage and more worth in terms of use, but it still uses a lot of ammo.

Slot 3: Military-Grade Guns

• MP5 Submachine Gun: There are two versions of this weapon: Classic and Sven Co-op. Classic has 50 rounds in a clip and can use Alt. fire to launch grenades. Sven version has 30 rounds, and can zoom in a bit, which increases its accuracy. I personally consider the Classic to be a better one. In general it's a great tool for interrupting attacks, so use them on Houndeyes and Vortigaunts. Also use them against Human Grunts, since it prevents them from firing at you, and will instead make them run away for cover. Useful weapon, but leans more towards situational.
  
• SPAS-12 Shotgun: Let's face it, it's a great weapon. You can expect to use it often against a large variety of enemies, and it has a large ammo capacity (whopping 133 points of ammo, including the rounds in a clip!). Classic one fires slower, but its Alt. fire makes it fire two shots at once, thus increasing its power (fun fact: real life SPAS-12 shotguns of this model can't do that). Sven version has faster firing speed, and its Alt. fire makes it fire really fast, but inaccurately. A great weapon to use in most circumstances.
  
• Crossbow: Your other best friend in Hardcore servers. In other servers it's pretty underused, but here it gets its time to shine. It can be used to snipe enemies with ease (with a bonus of bolts being coated in poison), it can fire explosive bolts when unscoped, and you can use it as improvised binoculars (unless you're like me, who binded keys to change FOV whenever I want). Not as usable as the shotgun, but it's still a great weapon. Use it wisely!
  
• M4 Assault Rifle: If you see this weapon, then that means you are not in Classic mode, because it's absolutely absent there. It fires a three-round burst with each press of a fire button, and it's fairly accurate. The Alt. fire is where the grenade launcher is, and it works differently from what the Classic MP5 is: you don't instantly launch a grenade. First you load the grenade in, and then you press the button again to launch it. Most likely it was made to prevent players from accidentally firing a grenade and killing themselves with it. Either way, with Sven Co-op's version of MP5 being more accurate when zoomed, compared to this assault rifle, it's not used as often, but it does have its purpose.

Slot 4: Specialized Weapons

• RPG Launcher: A situational weapon due to the fact that you can blow yourself up with it by accident, and it has only a maximum of 6 rockets overall. Still, it is good for using against armored vehicles that are impractical to fight with bullet weapons. It is also one of the weapons that can damage a Gargantua. DO NOT use it in cramped space, since, to quote a Sven Co-op Manual: "The rocket is thrown upwards roughly half a metre before firing forward."
  
• Gauss gun: A great weapon for sniping, and overall a decent weapon for use in combat. Also the bane of all players in PVP, but that's a whole different animal: we're in Sven CO-OP. Anyway, its Alt. Fire allows charging up a shot, which can be used to instakill a good portion of the enemies, and it can be used against armored enemies, like helicopters or Gargantuas. Keep in mind, however, to not hold the button for too long, or else it will overcharge and backfire on you. Just ask that one guard in Half-Life what happened.
  
• Gluon gun: A very powerful weapon which eats through ammo like crazy. It can be used against pretty much any enemy, but the most favored units are Alien Grunts, Alien Controllers and Gargantuas. And Kingpin, although I don't know if you ever got a Gluon gun when facing that thing. Use it wisely, because, again, it depletes ammo fast.
  
• Hivehand: It's a VERY useful weapon, solely because it has infinite ammo. That's right, you can use it pretty much forever, because it regenerates ammo! It can be used to snipe enemies even better than before, because it fires homing flies that seek out enemies. Like the shotgun, it can be used in a lot of situations. You can even use it as a distraction for the sentry turrets! The Alt. fire mode is to be used in a pinch, however, because while it fires faster, its shots aren't enemy-seeking. A great weapon! Only downside is that flies can be a bit stupid, and you can get confused if you use it against Alien Grunts who are also firing their hivehands.

Armament Encyclopedia, pt.2 (Slots 5-6, + special weapons)

Slot 5: Disposable Weapons

• Hand Grenades: A lot of players don't use these grenades because, in their opinion, it's garbage due to how long they take to explode. Well guess what? They aren't garbage, you just don't know how to use them! They have a 4-second fuse, and you can hold them to 'cook' them. Hold fire, count to 4, then let go, and it will explode pretty much half a second after you throw it. THAT'S how you use the grenades, you don't just spam click and throw them around like they are frisbees. Use them to deal with enemies that are in cover and are hard to snipe.
  You can also use Alt. fire if you have all 10 grenades. It will throw out a banana grenade, which will explode in a cluster of explosive bananas. It's best used against a crowd of enemies.
  
• Satchel Charges: Bar none the best utility weapon against Human Grunts, Male Assassins and Shock Troopers. I explained why they're the best weapon previously, so let's talk about their other uses! You can use them to lay traps for enemies that don't run away from grenades, and you can use them as a sort-of grenade if you don't want to bother with regular grenades (why).
  
• Tripmines: Yes, those things are useful too. Why? You can use them to deal with enemies you don't want to face, and you can actually use them to climb things. Yes, you can safely stand on the tripmine itself as a platform. As long as you don't touch the lasers, it's safe to use them.
  
• Snarks: Remember: snarks have increased damage too. That means in Hardcore servers they too can melt through things like butter! In Sven Co-op they do not attack you or other players, so you can use them without worrying about getting yourself killed. Just don't use them in water, because they can't swim, and they'll drown. Donators have access to an Alt. fire, which, if used, spawns a Chumtoad at the cost of 10 snarks. It's cute and adorable (at least in my opinion), and if it dies, it releases a venom cloud that kills any enemies nearby. Snarks are very valuable! But Alien Grunts use them too, and they are equally as dangerous to you. Hmm, maybe Alien Grunts are smarter than what people tell you?

Slot 6: Heavy Duty Weapons

• M40 Sniper Rifle: It's an alternative to the crossbow, pretty much. Less ammo, no poison or explosive shots, but it's hitscan, reloads faster and deals more damage. I personally think a crossbow is better if the two are to be compared, since it can be used with more versatility. Still, in the absence of a crossbow, this is still a good weapon.
  
• M249 Machine Gun: A pretty great weapon, it is pretty much an upgrade to the SMG! It deals more damage, it can stagger soldier AI just as well, if not better, and it has more ammo capacity! It is more expected to show up on Opposing Force maps, though. It's drawback is that the weapon is pretty inaccurate, but that can be sidestepped! You can give repeated short bursts of bullets, and that way your accuracy improves quite a bit. To make it more clear: don't hold down the fire button for that, instead tap it quickly, and you will be rewarded with increased damage to the enemy. (Thanks to Ishtarion for pointing out this last bit, and thanks to TraXamO for improving my view on the weapon!)
  
• Displacer Cannon: The most powerful weapon, and equally the most ammo-consuming: you only get 5 shots maximum (100 ammo, 20 per shot). It fires slow portal projectiles that emit a damaging wave when colliding with something. That makes it useful for taking out enemies that are out of sight, and also taking out very chunky enemies, since it deals a lot of damage. It has an Alt. fire, which consumes three times as much ammo, but teleports you away if there's such an option. It can be used to get out of hairy situations if there is such a possibility, since usually there are Respawn points at these locations, so having a weapon like this can be handy. Also this is the only weapon that can safely kill a Voltigore: just make sure it's a direct hit!
  
• Spore Launcher: This weapon is one of those things that need to be learned in order to use effectively. It launches a spore grenade that bounces off the surfaces and explodes after it lands. Or it explodes upon making contact with the enemy. It has two firing modes: low velocity (Primary fire) and high velocity (Alt. fire). Whichever is best to use depends on where the enemy is, but either way, you shouldn't use it as a direct combat weapon. It has splash damage, and the splash damage can hurt you too! Make use of it's mechanic of bouncing off walls and aim your shots.

Slot 0: Unique Weapons

• Mounted Guns: It's more of an interactive element in a level than a weapon you can carry, but you can certainly kill things with it. It has infinite ammo, it has varying type of ammunition (usually it's bullets) and it usually provides cover for you. This is where third person mode becomes useful too: use it to aim better, since you usually can't see much behind your cover where you are crouching to avoid getting hit. It's downside is that it's only aimed in a 180 angle, so you can only shoot where it allows to.
  
• XM214 Microgun: Everyone calls it a minigun. This weapon has its pros and cons: cons include your walking speed being limited, and you can't even walk when firing your gun, and that you can't jump at all. Pros? Well, it's a friggin powerhouse of a weapon. It can shred anything that is within the player's line of sight. And it really shines in places with cover or corners. Here's how you use it effectively: Alt. fire spins it up. Primary fire fires the weapon, and you can use it with the spun-up weapon. And the kicker: crouching makes the weapon a hell of a lot more accurate and less affected by recoil. It turns you into a machine of destruction. However, keep in mind that while you have a weapon of destruction in your hands, your enemes can take advantage of your lessened mobility. So use it to snipe enemies, or be in a place where enemies can't easily reach you.
  
• Shock Roach: Its usefulness depends on various factors. Is it a Classic roach, where you can switch to another weapon? If yes, it's useful, because it has infinite ammo! Not homing like the hivehand flies are, but it's quite damaging. If not, follow up question is: is armor disabled on your server? If not, then use it to charge up other players' armor with Alt. fire. If yes, you might as well lower its ammo count to 30, and then throw it at enemies as soon as it starts sparking (you press 'G' for that), because you'll find other weapons more worth your time. Make sure to keep your distance, because it explodes with the force of a grenade.

Conclusion

And that about covers it! I hope this guide will help you become more acclimatized to the harsh world of Hardcore servers. Credit me only for this particular guide. Do not credit me for all of those strategies and exploits - I did not come up with them, I'm not that smart. Constructive criticism is welcome, additional strategies to put in are also welcome! Feel free to correct me on some things, since I am bound to be wrong someplace.

And for those who are new to the Hardcore servers: here are several servers to start you off with. Special thanks to the players in them for showing/telling me most of the tricks and information listed here!

• Hardcore servers hosted by one Rick:
  
• - 95.172.92.198:27016 (EU Server, the most frequently visited one)
  
• - 192.223.24.234:27016 (US Server)
  
  
• Hardcore server hosted by ModRiot: 178.63.16.211:27102

Those owned by Rick have a voting system, and dynamic difficulty that automatically lowers after each fail. At 100% everyone is set to Sudden Death mode, where you only have 1 HP, healing is completely ineffective, and everything gibs you. ModRiot server doesn't have voting, difficulty reduction or Sudden Death mode. Both set of servers are different in map selection, enemy selection and other details.
Now, with all that said, welcome to Hell! Enjoy your stay :D

[Mr. Mishima]

And what changed? Everything is still same

[UberCatSR]

TraXamO, noted. Sadly, currenty I don't have time or nerves to get into Hardcore again, especially considering this is multiplayer XD

For now I'm marking this guide as outdated, because that speed thing you mentioned would, in theory, have me change a whole section. When I'll be able to, I will definitely get to working on the guide :>

[TraXamO™]

Hey Rina, I know its been a while but you might want to update this guide a bit. Because Rick has changed the speed of the enemies above 90 diff and they are running and moving fast as hell. Even a zombie is a threat in 100 diff right now and you might want to check a bit :)

[Alb]

One tip, if your weapon have empty magazine and you dont want to wait the animation you can throw it with G and take it back, the magazine will be full

[Sneaky Emλ]

Something not said about the 9mmhandgun/glock is that it can stunlock certain enemies, mainly the AGrunts in middle range. Tor can be rendered defenseless if someone kites back and forth avoiding it's melee attack and killing the agrunts it spawns *if it does* or shooting him in the head with an uzi *recomended*, but glock will do too. (or 357/eagle) About kingpin, using crossbow on him works pretty well because of it's poison feature but he may roam around *and bunch of other npcs*. If it spawns by squadmaker / xenmaker, before spawning throw a banana bomb before it activates it's shield and reflects it back for an instant kill. About the gauss, please also use wallgaussing, that can be more effective than using a displacer sometimes and satchels, human enemies, Rgrunts & Race X Stroopers react to it, so throwing one and picking it up instantly will make the A.I freak out constantly and they will not attack.

[Hyda]

FINALLY I'VE FOUND PROOF OF KING PIN BEING IN SVEN COOP!!! (Honestly i have never seen him in the game and the most evidence I had of him being in the game before this is a Sven Coop screenshot i saw once that i can't find anymore)

[UberCatSR]

Not sure why you are asking this here, since it takes the purpose of Hardcore servers away (and it's impossible to turn the mode off without being an admin anyway, and turning it off can actually potentially softlock the map because the enemies can spawncamp), but the command is 'mp_survival_mode 0'

[Real BOY]

how to disable survival mod?

[UberCatSR]

Sorry for taking almost a whole month with this, but the guide is updated. Thanks, TraXamO!

[TraXamO™]

You can dodge the bees of the Alien Grunt in middle range very easily. About gonomes, there's a model bug in Sven Co-Op's itself which means if you "hug" them and spam "crouch" in this situation, you can kill them with a melee weapon very, very easily. Male assassins and Shock Troopers can get stunned by M249 Heavy Machine Gun due DPS/Total Health Rate. Little tips from a guy who has 450h in this server. You can add 'em if you want.