What difficulty is first playthrough intended at?

[Hexunext]

I've always played RPG's at the hardest difficulty to enjoy them more and because usually by end-game you're a god. However in this game Hard mode is actually being a pain in that I have to save after every fight and it breaks the immersion.

I'm currently at Witchwood path dying to bandits over and over and while I'm sure ill get over it eventually from what I can read in forums I'll break the game by being overlevel from Hard Mode bonuses later on. Could someone please confirm/deny and let me know if HM is better then normal for first playthrough?

Thanks.

[staggybitosoup]

Normal.

[staggybitosoup]

Hard Mode is overkill for first time. Only if you want to squish your own nuts and like that kinda challenge.

[karl-emil]

Hard mode is what other games would call NG+

[GloriousCause]

From what I have heard, iirc, hard mode wasn't even available until after you had beat the game in the original console release. So I definitely do not think it is intended as the best way to play the game for the first time.

[BurningTofu]

I play the normal and play the harder difficulties later to entice replay value. This is a typical JRPG where it rewards you for being patient. Just come back later after few grinds and new skills you pick up with other vocation.

[Pimpollo]

Similar problem. I started on Hard and quickly grew frustrated with the instakills. However, the sense of accomplishment when executing a flawless victory is great. However, I restarted on Normal and I find it's way too easy (i.e. I can win while comitting many, many mistakes). I'm going to give Hard mode another spin and see if it clicks.

[uWot]

Easy = Easy
Normal = Easy
Hard = Normal. (or 'The Way it was meant to be Played')

Playing on anything lower than Hard,will be a cakewalk. The Game isn't very challenged mid-game/late-game any ways (besides CoL,UR- is a Pain in the Ass ....). + Hard is more Fun,you die a few times early on (until you get the hang of the combat-mechanics),but after a while,you should have no problems at all.

[TheGreenman]

Any other modern game, you could go up a difficulty to rebalance playing. This is one of the few ones that normal is normal and hard is actually hard. I hear a lot of chest pounding in here about how normal is way too easy. Back when it was just console, you had to play normal to unlock hard mode, so I'm guessing a lot of that came from people that actually know what the hell they're doing the second time around.

[JHarlequin]

If I remember right, they originally intended to have only one difficulty. Normal, but they implemented easy before release and after a while they established the hard mode.

If it is your first play through, then normal really is what you should play at because there are things you won't know. That knowledge will be the difference between doing reasonable damage and not being able to hurt what you are fighting. Learn first, then try hard, or just expect to have to redo everything a lot.

[karl-emil]

Originally posted by uWot:

but after a while,you should have no problems at all.

Mainly because you'll be overleveled 5 hours in.

[Lavian]

Originally posted by uWot:

Easy = Easy
Normal = Easy
Hard = Normal. (or 'The Way it was meant to be Played')

Playing on anything lower than Hard,will be a cakewalk. The Game isn't very challenged mid-game/late-game any ways (besides CoL,UR- is a Pain in the Ass ....). + Hard is more Fun,you die a few times early on (until you get the hang of the combat-mechanics),but after a while,you should have no problems at all.

Yeah... this is just not true. Hard Mode wasn't even a thing until they patched it in (like speedrun mode).

It's certainly not designed to be played in Hard Mode first time through, since the early big monsters really aren't supposed to be able to one-shot you when you start the game, and yet they will on the damage levels associated with Hard Mode.

Still, Hard Mode is fine to start out on if you're careful.

[Xionanx]

Normal is "Hard Enough" if you aren't cheating and are playing the game at least somewhat well. Fights are balanced unless you go somewhere you shouldn't go yet, and all you have to do then in level a little and come back.

Of course using the pawn of someone who knows how to build a pawn right doesn't hurt. I keep running into pawns that:

1. Talk too much.. seriously, use the chair and when it asks about talking and being silent always answer NO. NO makes them talk less..

2. Have some odd personality build that makes them stand around being useless. Again, training and whatnot.

[Lavian]

You know you can turn off pawn chatter, right?

[Enjoy_Ham]

After 5-6 hours playing on Hard, I got to level 35. I am still getting one-shot by magic (occasionally), but otherwise it's gotten a lot easier. Leveling is ridiculously fast, (goblins give 300 xp when soloing), so you can overlevel accidentally. You get a ridiculous amount of gold as well, it's common to get 150k+ per night while fighting wolf, goblins or undead. Pack of wolf can drop 4-6 giant gold bags. Sometimes enemies drop 2-3 at once.

I think hard mode can be actually easier than normal - since you truly never need to worry about money you can buy any curatives you want and solo everything while munching on potent greenwarish or whatver. If you spend 30k on curatives per day, you still end up with 120k+ profit by the end of the day... I literally have 1mil gold, and nothing to spend it on, since I assume shop inventory will only open up after I move through the main quest more.