The Hardcore Worlds

The Hardcore Worlds were a series of worlds created in Hardcore Minecraft by the NKBANGERS to see if they could reach the End in a Hardcore World.

## History

### Birth of a Challenge

The idea was bounced around for years of starting a Hardcore World to see if the NKBANGERS could reach the End without casualties. It was only in 2020 that the idea was set in stone, as many NKBANGERS now had free time due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Lockdown.

### The First Hardcore World

The first world was made on July 12, with Travis, Lucas, Sam, Justin, Zavier, Colin, and Pat on it. Sam did not join on the first day of Hardcore. An initial base was made in the forest to survive the first night. As construction of the base was continuing, a Creeper walked up to Pat with intent on exploding on him. Zavier rushed to his defense as Travis shouted "Behind you!" Zavier was able to save Pat, but only by having the Creeper explode on himself instead, thus ending his life in that world. All participants in the world laughed at how quick the first world failed, and thus began another world.

### The Second Hardcore World

The second Hardcore World created was on the same day as the first World. This time, the NKBANGERS made a base at the base of a mountain, with better vision for the land. The base was sufficient enough for a starter base, but Pat took all the iron that was mined and made armor, upsetting Colin and Zavier. At some point, Pat mistakenly thought Lucas died due to the /me command which allowed him to make a message about himself. Pat thought this meant Lucas died, which was untrue. In order to get substantial food, Lucas planted Sweet Berry Bushes around the base, which greatly increased the food supply but also dealt damage to anyone who was running over them. As Travis was typing up a sign for a pickaxe, he was under attack by a Zombie. He ran away, losing hearts fast, until Lucas came and slayed the Zombie, thus saving Travis. The NKBANGERS then constructed a Nether Portal, allowing them to enter the Nether. Their goal now was to collect Blaze Rods, items needed to enter the End. Zavier made comments on how he also wanted Glowstone, a stone that provided light. Pat asked Zavier if he was still in the Nether collecting resources, which Zavier responded he was. Pat then started to destroy the Nether Portal, shocking Travis and Lucas, but stopped after saying "Just kidding." Zavier caught wind of Pat was doing, and put a Magma Block outside the Portal in the Nether. When Pat entered the Nether, he started to burn up from the Magma Block, while Zavier exited to the Overworld and laughed. Lucas and Zavier then trapped the Portal in the Overworld so Pat wouldn't be able to return properly when he returned. When he did return, he was trapped by cobblestone and more Magma Blocks, but managed to get free. Zavier entered the Nether again shortly while Travis and Lucas mined for resources outside the base. It was unknown was Pat, Justin, and Colin were doing at this time. Zavier then asked for help in the Nether, telling the others to come through, laughing. By laughing, this set off alarms in Lucas' head, asking if the Portal was destroyed from the other side. Zavier said no and to just come through. Lucas asked Travis to go, but Travis said nothing, leaving Lucas to enter. As Lucas entered, he started to burn to death from fire and lava, asking frantically to Zavier "What did you do?" repeatedly before burning to death. Zavier laughed and said "whoops." Travis entered next to see what had happened that caused Lucas to die, only to find that lava completely surrounded the Portal in the Nether. Travis was unable to leave the Portal Frame due to the lava and unable to return to the Overworld due to having to leave the portal frame first. Pat then entered the Portal, pushing Travis into the lava, thus killing him as well. After Pat and Zavier managed to get rid of the lava and fire, Zavier entered the portal back home, only to die on the Magma Block he placed earlier that trapped Pat. He laughed at this, leaving 4 NKBANGERS dead (Justin died at some point, but was undocumented). Only Colin and Pat remained. Realizing that they likely wouldn't succeed, they officially ended the first day of The Hardcore Worlds by going into Creative Mode and letting Colin and Pat run free in the End. This ending did not count as part of the goal for The Hardcore Worlds.

### The Third Hardcore World

The third world made of The Hardcore Worlds was on July 18th. This world included Lucas, Travis, Justin, Colin, Zavier, Kennan, Pat, and Sam. The group spawned at sundown, and frantically scrambled to get a base going. As the NKBANGERS went to work, Sam died from a Creeper attack. Zavier suggested they restart a new world since they were only on that world for less that 10 minutes. In agreement, they moved on the next of the Hardcore Worlds.

### The Fourth Hardcore World

The fourth world of the The Hardcore Worlds was on the same day as the third. The group spawned in a savannah biome, with a village already near them. They established them around the village and went on the gain resources to make it to the End. Travis entered a cave system to mine iron, unknowing that a Creeper was behind him. As it hissed, Travis turned around, shouted, and was blown back by the Creeper explosion, leaving him at half a heart. Travis ran for safety, being alone in the cave system, and ate some watermelon to try and gain his health back. Back on the surface, Travis began to make shields for everyone, knowing how serious the mobs were now. He also managed to befriend a cat, which followed him. As night fell, the NKBANGERS entered the cave system Travis was in earlier to find more resources, and hopefully diamonds. In the cave system, Travis' cat suffered an unfortunate accident and died. The NKBANGERS found a pit in the cave system full of mobs and carefully tried to navigate it. Travis used his fishing rod on Lucas and pushed him into it. Lucas and Zavier were then being chased by a Creeper, which caused Travis to use his fishing rod to pull the Creeper closer to them. They all survived. Travis then caused a cave-in by digging gravel. As all the NKBANGERS went to bed, Lucas was suddenly killed by a Creeper attack. Lucas was happy to watch the group move on though and continue this Hardcore World, urging them to get his items before they despawned. Zavier made a bow, and practiced it by shooting an arrow at Colin. Creeper sound effects were then being played to the NKBANGERS, who dismissed them as fake. Just as one of the sound effects were ending, a real Creeper exploded next to their base, causing all to laugh and say "that one was real!"

### Skipping to the Sixth Hardcore World

A sixth Hardcore World was made, after the last three didn't work out. Having a base established and resources at a sufficient amount to start, a plan was suggested to kill the villagers in the nearby village. Sam opposed this, saying that they could trade with the villagers and make an Iron farm using them. Putting this idea to the side, the group (currently consisting of Lucas, Sam, Travis, and Zavier) went into a cave to farm coal. Lucas and Travis walked by a Coal Vein, prompting Zavier to announce they missed some and mined it himself. As they all traversed deeper into the cave, mobs started to take notice of them. There were too many mobs, so the NKBANGERS started to get to a safer spot to fight back. Zavier accidently hit Lucas, causing him to fall into a hole with a Creeper, which exploded and killed him. At the exact moment Lucas died, Sam found diamonds. Later on, two Creepers had their eyes locked on Zavier, and approached him. Travis tried to defend him, but proved futile. Zavier was about to escape the two Creepers when a Skeleton suddenly shot an arrow at Zavier and knocked him into the two Creepers, causing them to explode and ending his life. The same Skeleton that shot Zavier also killed Travis shortly after, leaving Sam as the sole survivor of the sixth Hardcore World. Sam crafted himself better armor and weapons, but was attacked by a mob of Zombies. Putting up a brave fight, he was killed by a Zombie wearing gold armor, thus ending the sixth Hardcore World.

### Survival Island- The Eighth Hardcore World

With the seventh Hardcore World not working out either, the NKBANGERS found themselves into the eighth Hardcore world; an island in the middle of the sea. A shipwreck was at the edge of the island, mostly underwater. Zavier said that was the ship that was carrying them, before the winds proved to much for the sails. Stranded on the island, their goal to make it to the End didn't change. The survivors of the shipwreck consisted of Lucas, Sam, Travis, Zavier, Colin, Justin, and Rachel, and they decided to call the island Survival Island. Another island was visible nearby, and the group thought there may be treasure on it. They crafted boats, going in pairs: Justin and Zavier, Sam and Travis, Lucas and Rachel, and Colin stayed behind. Not finding treasure, the group returned to Survival Island. The intial base being made wasn't strong enough for all the mobs on the Island, but the group endured for a while. After the mobs were proving too dangerous, everyone tried to get inside the unfinished base. Travis left to see if the mobs were gone, but found a Creeper instead right around the corner of the structure. He managed to kill it, but only barely. Travis then went underground through a hole Justin made to mine in, while Sam looked for a wooden plank to finish making a shield, which Lucas gave him. Zavier also took some wood for himself. As everyone was doing their tasks, Travis accidently flooded the mine he and Justin were in. Concurrently, Sam was slain by a Drowned, making him the first casualty of Survival Island. The Drowned then got to Lucas and Zavier, adding the total deaths to 3. Travis, Rachel, and Justin were the only ones left (Colin left the World earlier). Travis and Rachel found themselves alone in a cave together, trying to get away from the Drowned. As Travis was trying to dig another tunnel to escape, Rachel was suddenly struck down by a Drowned. Only Travis and Justin remained. Travis then made it to the surface during the daytime, only to find the base full of Creepers. The Creepers were defeated carefully, and Travis made a memorial to the fallen survivors. Travis rendezvoused with Justin, telling him the others were all dead. Justin, not aware of what happened due to being underground the whole time, responded that they weren't and he wasn't dumb. Travis told Justin more sternly that they all were dead. Justin, going mad with the loss, began to strike at Travis. His sword broke in the middle of his attack, which allowed Travis the time to defend himself and strike Justin down. With the loss of the entire crew and the mobs too powerful, it was time to find a new world, leaving everything except for the memory of Survival Island.

### The Ninth Hardcore World

After the challenge of Survivor Island, the NKBANGERS made a ninth world. Rethinking their plan to make it to the End, the group decided that an underground base would be more beneficial as a starter base than building one on the surface from scratch. A cave was found that was used as the base, and was perfect as it was roomy, easily accessible, and had protection. A village was nearby as well, which Sam looted for its lectern and brewing stand. Zavier got enough beds for everyone to sleep in inside the cave, while Lucas worked on getting supplies for the Nether Portal. Rachel made basic tools and Justin asked everyone for wood. Zavier then constructed a boat out of excess wood, which he and Travis got inside of in the base, despite being on land. When Travis asked Zavier where they were going, Zavier said they were going to bed, with a laugh. An underground farm was made as well for food, and the stone floors were replaced with food to look nice. Things were finally looking well for the group as everything was going well finally. Pressure plate doors were installed as well, which ended up a bad idea as a Creeper walked inside the base. Justin exclaimed "Creeper!" in which Colin responded "Aw maaannNNN!" realizing that there was a danger next to him. The Creeper was defeated quickly after a scramble. Justin managed to capture a Zombie Villager by the name of Professor Porksword, who was slain by Sam after the Professor escaped and tried to attack Justin. Justin, saddened by this, arranged a memorial for the Professor. Everyone initially gathered, but some went away after realizing there were more important things to do. As Justin gave the memorial, Colin revealed that he had part of his rotten flesh, and ate it in front of Justin, much to his shock. Colin muttered "That was good." Justin continued the memorial, but made the mistake of blaming Colin for his death, which he accepted happily. As night fell, everyone wanted to go to bed, but an odd occurrence with the beds kept happening: some kept breaking. This caused Kennan to not be able to sleep. Dawn soon came, and the NKBANGERS went out to coninue their tasks. Lucas completed the Nether Portal, and a small team composing of Lucas, Sam, Travis, and Zavier went inside to establish a Nether base. While there, Travis attacked a group of Pigmen by accident, which caused the Pigmen to rush Travis. Lucas intervened and saved Travis' life by sacrificing his own, making Lucas the first casualty of the ninth Hardcore World.

The only way Lucas was able to be revived in the Hardcore World was with a Totem of Undying, which would allow Lucas to be brought back into the world. Whoever died in the ninth Hardcore World has the chance to be brought back in the order they died in, so Lucas would be brough back first.

In the Nether Base, Zavier jokingly placed a bed in it, which would cause a mass explosion if someone were to sleep in it. This scared Travis and Sam into leaving the Nether Base and back into the Overworld. Back in the Overworld, Rachel continued to decorate the base and make it look more homely. A memorial was also built in honor of Lucas' death right next to his bed. A gathering was held to honor his sacrifice, but Justin got angry announcing that everyone should be in bed. Soon after, Rachel then died from a Creeper explosion, making her the second casualty of the Hardcore World. A small service was held for Rachel, but now with two team members dead, the NKBANGERS realized they had to increase their efforts to find the End and revive their fallen friends, if possible. Justin, Travis, and Kennan went on to mine more resources and built an Enchanting Table while Sam, Zavier, and Colin went to look for villages.

Over the next few days, Zavier went back into the Nether but became trapped. Travis went to mine 14 obsidian to make a new Nether Portal to save Zavier, but had to rest first. When Travis approached his bed, he found Zavier in the bed next to him. Zavier somehow returned from the Nether, but revealed that Sam was still in the Nether and in danger. Sam was saved, and the surviving NKBANGERS went out to explore to try and find a Totem of Undying for Lucas and Rachel. As they explored, they found a large meadow with bees all around it. Night fell quickly and the NKBANGERS made a small tree base in the tree leaves, with a bee, pig, and sheep to keep them company. Cam then joined the world, wanting to try the challenge of the Hardcore Worlds around this time. As Cam got established back at the base with Sam, Justin, Zavier, Travis, and Colin continued exploring. Travis, Justin, and Colin abandoned Zavier accidently by running ahead, and a Zombie attacked Zavier. Zavier fought hard and proud but the Zombie was able to kill him. Travis, Colin, and Justin went back to find Zavier's stuff, but Justin made eye contact with an Enderman, which caused the Enderman to kill him. Justin argued that the group should restart to another Hardcore World after his death, but Zavier intervened and said it wouldn't be fair to everyone else who waited patiently to be revived. Colin and Travis found a Pillager Outpost not far from where Zavier and Justin died. Colin and Travis infiltrated the Outpost but were spotted by Pillagers when they were exposed near a railing. Colin and Travis were trapped in the Outpost, with Pillagers rushing to the floor they were on. Colin and Travis fought and knocked them back as best as they could, and managed to escape with a few injuries. They then found a village, but the Pillagers followed them. The inhabitants of the village went to find cover while Colin and Travis looked for an advantage spot to efficiently defeat the Pillagers.

#### The Final Stand of the Ninth Hardcore World

The Pillagers raided the village quickly, with Travis and Colin using all they had to hold them back. Some Pillagers dropped crossbows, which Travis picked up and used. After Colin killed the last Pillager, it was revealed a second wave of stronger Pillagers was approaching. Realizing this could be harder than expected, Colin went up a cliff and dropped a bucket of lava, hoping it would take out some Pillagers. The plan worked initially, but a witch entered the battle on the side of the Pillagers and gave the Pillager's fire resistance. As the witch was being shot at by Travis, Colin was ambushed by an Axe Pillager, who killed him instantly. Travis was all that remained in the Pillager Attack. Travis managed to kill the last Pillager of the attack, but another wave of Pillagers was fast approaching. Tired, Travis managed to get himself to the border of the village. He spotted many Pillagers, including Ravagers, coming to attack. Travis managed to kill a few Pillagers when an Axe Pillager swooped in on him and took out half of his health in one hit. Travis ran away, luring the Axe Pillager to a better ground, and managed to defeat the Pillager. Travis found many Pillagers, hoping an Evoker would appear to drop the Totem's needed to revive his friends. Travis hid himself in a house, trying to recollect himself. Suddenly, an Axe Pillager barged through the door and raised its axe. Travis in a panic swung his sword wildly, killing the Pillager, and blocking the door with cobblestone. Travis exited the house eventually and found an Evoker at last, though riding a Ravager. Travis attacked the Evoker, but the Evoker released Vexes which attacked Travis. Travis retreated by the Vexes were too fast and powerful, killing Travis after days of battle.

### Aftermath and Legacy

The Final Stand of the Ninth Hardcore World ended with a Pillager victory, with no Totems of Undying being collected to revive the fallen NKBANGERS. Sam and Cam weren't able to find any Evokers after following the route that Travis, Zavier, Justin, and Colin took. Sam and Cam also weren't hopeful that an Evoker would turn up either. Eventually, Sam and Cam also perished in the Hardcore World through unknown ways, but it was thought that it was because of mobs.

The order of deaths in the ninth Hardcore World went as: Lucas, Rachel, Zavier, Justin, Colin. Travis, Cam, Sam. It's unknown what happened to Kennan, but he likely perished as well. All deaths were due to mobs, except for Kennan who is unknown. The entirety of the Hardcore Worlds lasted four weeks and is considered one of the best examples of teamwork in NKBANGER history, all uniting for a goal. While the NKBANGERS never managed to reach the End, they did reach a new level of teamwork which will be used for the next time they decide to accept the challenge of the Hardcore Worlds.

## Trivia

* The idea of making it to the End in Hardcore Minecraft was brought up in 2012.
* The NKBANGERS refused to play on the worlds unless a majority of the team was online.
* After Justin's death in the ninth Hardcore World, he argued that a new world should be made several times. Zavier continued to explain that wasn't fair to those who waited to be revived. Justin kept trying to bring it up several more times which Zavier shut down.
* All first bases except for the ninth Hardcore World base were just squares with no rooves.
* After a death, Colin would play memorial music through a soundboard.