Story mode is too darn hard

[oldrocker99]

I have gotten in fights in which my whole party was killed IN STORY MODE???

I thought that that mode made for easy combat, and most of the other fights have been fairly tough, but winnable. The lowest level of the dungeon (apparently before the dragon?) had monsters which killed my party, the battle for the fields found my party surrounded and there was no chance at all of victory.

And, yes, I have checked to see if I was still in Story Mode. Yep.

It makes me very glad I didn't start with a higher difficulty level; I'd have gotten so frustrated that I'd never made it to Caed Nua.

Is SM supposed to be this difficult?

[Luzzifus]

I just finished the game on Normal difficulty (first time played, close to zero experience with party based RPGs before). First few character levels had challenging fights, but after reaching level 6-7 with my party, most fights felt pretty easy. After that I can only remember a few fights which I would consider challenging (e.g. Adra Dragon took me 3 or 4 tries).

I didn't try easier modes at all, but I think they are supposed to be easier indeed. Here's me guessing wildly what you could maybe improve:

- Party level seems to play a big role in how challenging fights are (since monster don't scale with you in the main campaign). So if you feel a place is too difficult, do some side quests or continue elsewhere and come back later. I started Steps of Od Nua as soon as I was able to and made it to level 5, which was hard at that point. When I came back a few levels later to continue, it was a walk in the park.
- Take the time and level up all the characters in your party manually. Don't pick only high damage skills but also defensive stuff and skills to weaken/control/disable enemies or enemy groups.
- When picking new gear, remember the rules of stat stacking[pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com].
- Have dedicated roles in your party. Have a tank with a shield, heavy armor, good defenses and the ability to bind multiple enemies. Also have some healing capabilities (though I didn't really need it, even in the harder fights -> if I'm taking big damage, I'm doing something wrong).
- Use party formation. Tank(s) in front row, squishier chars in the back. Start combat with good positioning. If you've got the patience, scout ahead.

- Bonus: Use summons. I found the chanter summons pretty darn helpful in terms of taking damage off your group (the later ones deal some pretty good damage too).
- Also the later cipher skill tiers offer some amazing mass control/disable abilities.

[air.locked]

I think the most important part is preparation for a fight. Enemies - know their stats (defences mostly) and damage they deal. This will help you be effective in choosing weapons to DD and to make a decision to pick a fight or not. What you'd want - is to fight those enemies that have stats closer to your tanks'. The game is designed to have a pace, so you should be dying in some situations.
Also, the game rewards understanding its mechanics - that's also probable reason of your deaths if you completely disregard them.
P.S. To give some sense into my words, since the beginning I have been playing PoE only on PotD difficulty.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by LINUXoldrocker99:

Is SM supposed to be this difficult?

You've not told anything about your party level.

Perhaps you've tried to go to the bottom of the Endless Paths immediately after arriving at Caed Nua? Why not continue with the main quest first? Story Time mode doesn't make you invincible as in other games.

https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Mode

Story Time - Story Time mode is for players who are more interested in exploration and story development than the challenge of combat. While Story Time is active, the enemy composition of battles is the same as Normal difficulty, but the game mechanics are biased in the player's favor. Additionally, the party can carry an unlimited number of Camping Supplies.

[Procrastinating Gamer]

Originally posted by LINUXoldrocker99:

I thought that that mode made for easy combat, and most of the other fights have been fairly tough, but winnable. The lowest level of the dungeon (apparently before the dragon?) had monsters which killed my party, the battle for the fields found my party surrounded and there was no chance at all of victory.

Keep in mind that both of those are meant for higher-level parties, like around the old level cap of 12. The Battle of Yenwood Field is scaled for a level 14 party and can also be made easier by having allies from other parts of the story aid you - mercenaries hired through Marshal Forwyn, hirelings employed for your keep, two groups of troops you can recieve aid from through quests in The White March, and whichever faction you supported in Defiance Bay (either the Crucible Knights, the Dozens, or House Doemenel).

[Harag]

You never mentioned what level your party is. I recall going down the dungeon when I was about level 5/6 and only getting as far as levl 5 in the dungeon, then decided to not go on further for a bit. My party level is now 9 so think it might be time to go back and do a couple more levels. In the mean time go to other areas, and level up a bit - I think players these days are use to being told what level they should be to do quests (e.g. witcher 3) it's fun finding out, dieing, then go elsewhere!

I'm playing on Normal level.

[Ins]

Yup, probably just underleveled for the area you're trying to do.

And if you'd actually been reading the text, you'd know you can get an ally to help you in the Yenwood battle. And you can upgrade your troops for that battle which costs 10k.

I've gotten through hard fairly easy so far (save a few tough fights) without "pre-planning" as suggested so I don't think that part is a very big deal myself.

Mind your party composition.
You'll want atleast 2 characters that can soak damage and hold the line for you.
(Eder / Pallegina in full plate + sagani's pet ituumaak = what I've got now. Works great.)

A wizard with some confusion / sleep / damage AoE spells can do wonders from behind them.
And durance's level 2 healing skill is awesome too.