Let's talk Hard

[DudeManBroFoSho]

I thought it'd be nice to start a thread on playing through the game on Hard. So far the furthest I've gotten on Hard is level 7 with a Marine, and I've had similar success with the Scout.

The main issue I run into is the enemies either overwhelming me upon a descent into a new level, or a poor run with little ammo dropped. Is it better to avoid a portion of the monsters in the earlier levels in an attempt to delve further into the pit and acquire better loot, or do the early levels need to be scavenged just as desparately so that later levels are actually traversible?

I feel like on Hard the loot drops are even more important, and for that reason I rarely level up any weapon skills and instead focus on Computer/Electronic/Mechanical/Forage, utilizing whatever gear comes my way.

Durability also seems much more important, as I tend to use a Knife/Blade to melee down whatever I can in an effort to conserve ammunition, but this usually results in a pretty battered blade even by the 5th/6th level. Is the Melee skill a viable route with just fists, or are early recipes like Razor Fists essential if the Melee skill is to be used at all?

Either way feel free to post your thoughts on Hard/Insane here, this is a great game and I'm loving the chance to explore all of its intricacies early on in its release.

[BlueFenixR]

Melee its only a last resort thing if you don't have Razor fist or Adamantium blade. The damage you do its far too little to be significant.

[The Stare]

Never mind hard, I have these problems on Normal! The furthest I've ever made it is level 7 BUT my play style was scaenging everything and killing all enemies on every level (completionist). I agree with BlueFenix - conserve your ammo. Once you're down to the knife (as I was on my best run) it does less damage and will eventually break. Save your big guns for the baddies, and dispatch the lightweights with melee.