Hardcore Co-Op: A Missed Opportunity for Team Play?

Hey GGG and fellow Exiles,

I wanted to bring up something that’s been bothering me about Hardcore mode—especially when it comes to co-op and guild play.

The Problem
In Hardcore, when a player dies, all their gear is essentially lost and you become a softcore player. That makes sense in Solo Self-Found, where everything’s on you.
But in a group setting, it feels… off. I’ve had so many runs where I’ve gone down mid-fight while grouped with friends or guildmates, and every time it’s the same feeling:
Everything I worked for just disappears, and my team can’t do anything but watch.

Hardcore team play ends up feeling a bit hollow. Whether it’s a casual group with friends or a coordinated guild push, there’s no system that supports or rewards collective effort when things go sideways. It’s all or nothing, no matter how strong the team is around you.

The Suggestion
If PoE2 aims to encourage co-op and social gameplay(which I really hope it does), please consider one of the following changes for Hardcore:

1) Let teammates loot the gear of a fallen player instead of reviving
or
2) Drop equipped gear on death so the team has a chance to recover it

These ideas would keep the high-stakes tension of Hardcore intact while also giving team play more meaning. It would turn a moment of loss into something dramatic and memorable. For instance, in real warfare a desperate scramble to recover a fallen ally’s gear and carry on.

Right now, the only real difference between HC and HC SSF is the ability to group up. But both treat death the same way: total loss. If you want to make cooperative play a core pillar of PoE2, I really believe this kind of change could make a big difference.

Would love to hear what others think about this. Is this something you'd want to see in PoE2?

Thanks for reading,

Go enjoy softcore... 😂

Make a private softcore league and implement your own house rules lol.