AzerothAI/docs/ZAKU_HARDCORE.md

Zaku + Hardcore World Mode

AzerothAI now supports a persistent hero agent tier and a realm-level Hardcore ruleset. Zaku is the first hero agent.

Design rule

AzerothCore remains the authority for game mechanics. AzerothAI owns identity, memory, relationships, goals, and permanent life history.

Zaku does not receive GM powers or resurrection privileges. He is special because his cognition and memory are richer, not because the world rules do not apply to him.

One life

When settings.hardcore.enabled is true, a mortal character that enters the dead state can never spawn, resume, think, or be recycled under that identity.

The death record preserves:

• character identity
• level
• zone
• timestamp
• cause
• killer when known
• source of the death event
• whether the event was verified

The existing identity, memories, relationships, and history stay in the realm so surviving characters can remember the dead.

Fail-safe death verification

A temporary disconnect, loading problem, ghost state, or bad bridge response must not erase a months-old character.

With requireVerifiedDeath: true, the AzerothCore bridge must return a verified death event before AzerothAI permanently closes the identity.

Example observation:

{
  "zone": "Duskwood",
  "level": 27,
  "summary": "Zaku was killed during combat.",
  "availableActions": [],
  "alive": false,
  "death": {
    "id": "worldserver-death-event-93822",
    "at": "2026-09-20T18:00:00Z",
    "cause": "Killed in combat",
    "killer": "Stitches",
    "zone": "Duskwood",
    "verified": true
  }
}

If alive is false but the verified event is missing, AzerothAI fails safe: the bot is not deleted and no new AI decision is sent.

Zaku

Seed identity:

• ID: hero-zaku
• Race: Undead
• Class: Warlock
• Tier: hero
• Mortal: yes
• Starting zone: Deathknell
• Starting level: 1

His starting goal is to survive, build a life, form relationships, and pursue goals even while the human player is offline.

His long-term memory uses the same durable memory and relationship system as every resident. Hero status is intended to unlock richer planning later, not rule-breaking.

Memorialization

When a character permanently dies, surviving agents who had a relationship with that character receive a high-importance memory of the death. Hero agents also remember realm deaths so important losses can influence future behavior.

Simulation testing

The control plane supports an explicit confirmed recordDeath action for simulation and administrative testing. This action requires confirmed: true.

Live AzerothCore deaths should normally originate from the bridge's verified game-server event rather than manual death recording.

Next live-server step

The AzerothCore bridge should subscribe to or expose authoritative player death state and produce stable unique death event IDs. The bridge should only set verified: true after the worldserver has committed the death event for that character.