Difficulty ยท Hardcore Mode
Launch-day updateMoonlighter 2 Hardcore Mode Guide: What Happens on Death?
Moonlighter 2 version 1.0 includes Hardcore Mode. The launch-day announcement says dying means losing progress and starting from the very beginning, while an earlier announcement described losing relics on defeat. Because the two official wordings differ, the safe assumption is the harsher one.
The current Hardcore wording
The September 2 launch post describes death as losing progress and starting the journey again from the very beginning. That is the wording attached to the build that shipped with version 1.0.
Why older guides disagree
The August 5 announcement described Hardcore Difficulty as losing all relics upon defeat in the Moonlighter style. Losing relics and restarting the whole journey are different penalties, and neither announcement explains the difference. This page keeps both statements visible instead of silently choosing one.
Practical rule
Until the in-game description or a later patch note clarifies the difference, assume a defeat can erase the run from the beginning.
Who should start Hardcore first?
Use a normal file to learn the shop, dungeon, relic and extraction loop before committing a Hardcore run. If you do start immediately, keep an offline save backup only for technical recovery; do not use it to claim that the mode has a different in-game death rule.