Is this game hard, or do I suck?

[🐉Kesseleth🐉]

I'm quite early on in this game (early twenties at this point) on hard mode, and so far my ass is getting handed to me quite often. I'm mostly bouncing back and forth between vocations, trying to keep them all adequately leveled (though currently I'm leaning towards Strider as far as effectiveness goes, I'm a fighter at the time of this writing). I find myself repeatedly starting a quest and then abandoning it after seeing the monster I'll have to fight through to succeed. Right now I'm trying to slaughter a small army of bandits and a cyclopse with some pawns, and my pawns and I are getting crushed like insects.

I can come to several conclusions-this game might be quite brutal on hard mode and therefore I must simply carry on until I become more powerful. My pawn might be of low quality. I might be heading into areas that are too tough before I'm strong enough. Or, I might just be terrible. Thoughts?

[noir_7]

I'll keep this brief. Hard mode from level 1 is tough. You'll run outta stamina quick and get one shotted by alot of enemies. Most people go with hard mode after beating the game one time.
NG+ (new game+) lets you start the game with the levels and equipement you earned from the prior playthrough. Might wait on hard mode till then so you can focus on learning the gameplay itself.
I found assassin to be the best melee and sorcerer to be the best magic user but thats just my opinion.

[Ta'veren]

There are many many threads about this issue already...sigh..nobody uses the search function....

TL;DR: the game is very hard EARLY on hard mode, and gets progressively easier until it is very easy at END game. That's due to the fact that you gain excessive amounts of experience early, as well as more gold, BUT, suffer stamina use penalties.

As MANY others have commented - hard mode is really meant to be played in NG+, after you beat the game once.

And yes. this game is hard, especially early on if you are not familiar with the mechanics of the battle dynamics.

You've got many options - friend someone, and hire their high level pawn; level up the tougher vocations (fighter) first, then switch to others; upgrade your gear, get better weapons, and upgrade it, etc. etc.

[Zenogias]

This game gave me death much more than dark souls.
so.yes the game is quite brutal for new player especially in hard mode since most of the enemies almost become unstunable.

but once you understand it all it would become easily.

another thing that I advice you to change your party often untill you feel your group is effective.

furthermore you have to get the best equipments as many as possible and always upgrade them.


There is also a place called BBI island which you can find end game gears there but be warned that the enemies are much more stronger than ususal.

[Rob'sEvilTwin]

You suck

But really, I did a lot on Hard mode until at least Level 50. After 100 I hardely died at all unless I really screwed up.

[Noquid]

" I'm mostly bouncing back and forth between vocations, trying to keep them all adequately leveled."

Realize I'm just in my mid-20's too but isn't this the wrong strategy? I don't see how you would be very effective. I run out of points to train skills and I'm strictly a Fighter. I think he is really hampering his effectiveness especially on hard mode, which I haven't tried yet.

[🐉Kesseleth🐉]

Originally posted by Noquid:

" I'm mostly bouncing back and forth between vocations, trying to keep them all adequately leveled."

Realize I'm just in my mid-20's too but isn't this the wrong strategy? I don't see how you would be very effective. I run out of points to train skills and I'm strictly a Fighter. I think he is really hampering his effectiveness especially on hard mode, which I haven't tried yet.

Hard Mode gives double XP, among other things, and so far I've not found myself worrying about points at all. I seem to have loads despite not knowing where they really came from, so I can buy every skill I like without too much hesitation even after changing vocations.

[Lashane The Simp of Mimi]

wouldn't say ya suck, it all depends if you're a veteran of action rpg games or hell even over the top hack n' slash games. basically any type of game with real time, combo based action.

ddda is up there for sure, the beauty of it all though is the difficulty spikes to absurd levels when you reach bbi, the actual vanilla game is a cake walk in comparison.

[🐉Kesseleth🐉]

Originally posted by Leshain:

wouldn't say ya suck, it all depends if you're a veteran of action rpg games or hell even over the top hack n' slash games. basically any type of game with real time, combo based action.

ddda is up there for sure, the beauty of it all though is the difficulty spikes to absurd levels when you reach bbi, the actual vanilla game is a cake walk in comparison.

... You're kidding, right? It gets harder?

*cracks knuckles*

[WingedKagouti]

Originally posted by Kesseleth:

Originally posted by Leshain:

wouldn't say ya suck, it all depends if you're a veteran of action rpg games or hell even over the top hack n' slash games. basically any type of game with real time, combo based action.

ddda is up there for sure, the beauty of it all though is the difficulty spikes to absurd levels when you reach bbi, the actual vanilla game is a cake walk in comparison.

... You're kidding, right? It gets harder?

*cracks knuckles*

BBI is intended for those who have beaten the game and farmed the main game's end area for gear.

[haplok]

BBI on hard is very brutal.

Regular BBI can be slowly tackled on normal from the start of the game. The early areas, such as Garden of Ingnomity, feauture quite low-level enemies.

[Jemolk]

Originally posted by boiler_room:

I'll keep this brief. Hard mode from level 1 is tough. You'll run outta stamina quick and get one shotted by alot of enemies. Most people go with hard mode after beating the game one time.
NG+ (new game+) lets you start the game with the levels and equipement you earned from the prior playthrough. Might wait on hard mode till then so you can focus on learning the gameplay itself.
I found assassin to be the best melee and sorcerer to be the best magic user but thats just my opinion.

Originally posted by haplok:

BBI on hard is very brutal.

Regular BBI can be slowly tackled on normal from the start of the game. The early areas, such as Garden of Ingnomity, feauture quite low-level enemies.

Both of these are very true. I too started on Hard, but frankly, I only did that because I played the game to death on 360, and knew all the ins and outs. For people picking up the game for the first time, I really don't recommend Hard at level 1 unless you're really, really good at this kind of game. Even knowing all of the tricks I did, I died repeatedly against some enemies, especially the bandits on the path between the encampment and the Witchwood. Why? Because the enemies are not levelled, and on hard they do double damage and you use double stamina, so if you go somewhere you're not supposed to go that early, you WILL get stomped. The worst was the abandoned mine, with the ogres, because I tried to go there and clear it out at level 23. On normal they would have been toast. On hard they were one-shotting me left and right. I managed it, but it took a full day real time, and drove me nuts. The point of this is, at least early on, hard mode really is hard. It does get a lot less agonizing though...until you hit BBI, when the difficulty jumps again. Keep in mind though, once you hit level 200 (the cap), even BBI isn't that frustrating, though you'll likely still die and still need to remember to run when you meet a pair of Frostwyrms in the last area before the Fallen City.