Confused about Combat Difficulty.

[Surfblasted]

Hi everyone.
Just wondering if anyone knows or can explain what the 'Auto' level of difficulty is all about?

I'm not very good at button-mashing combo combat games due to poorly joints in my hands, so would usually avoid games like this. But I was intregued by the subject of psychosis so I thought I'd give it a go and I'm really enjoying the game a great deal.

Only problem I have is the combat causing a great deal of pain in my hands and limiting my playtime. I started on Auto - which I believe is the default setting - but had to switch to Easy after the first few attempts at combat. But I didn't notice any real change, so after a while went back to Auto again. I've very nearly finished the game now, but I just can't defeat the Northmen to enter the last door.

I watched MXR's playthrough and I know he is better than me at this type of combat, but he's clearly doing at least four times more damage than I am using the same attack.

Any ideas why?

[Reverielle]

Originally posted by Gnome:

Strange... I just started a new playthrough on 'Hard'. When I reached the Sea of Corpses, the first three mobs you encounter I one-shotted with Parry+Heavy Attack. That has never happened to me before. At least not until the final fight.

I played on 'Auto' on my first four playthroughs but set it to 'Hard' on this one. No deaths on my most recent 'Auto' playthroughs and so far no deaths on 'Hard'. Is it possible that 'Auto' scales the difficulty beyond 'Hard' if you do well enough?

Anyone had similar experiences?

It may. I've been thinking a similar thing, having played through on all combat difficulties, I think I found 'auto' the most difficult after a while. Maybe it does scale up to be harder than hard. Though why then would that not be a preset option, I don't know.

Combat was also tweaked here and there with the patch so that no doubt plays a role too, to a greater or lesser degree.

[Gnome]

Just finished the game on Hard and it certainly felt A LOT easier. Enemies went down quicker and there were fewer of them. Especially on the bridge and the last fight in Sea of Corpses. My last playthrough on Auto I had like 7 enemies against me on the bridge at once, now it was 4 at most. I hope the latest patch didn't nerf the game this much and that playing on Auto will revert the difficulty back to what I am used to.

[Bartschinator]

Originally posted by Gnome:

Just finished the game on Hard and it certainly felt A LOT easier. Enemies went down quicker and there were fewer of them. Especially on the bridge and the last fight in Sea of Corpses. My last playthrough on Auto I had like 7 enemies against me on the bridge at once, now it was 4 at most. I hope the latest patch didn't nerf the game this much and that playing on Auto will revert the difficulty back to what I am used to.

nah i had the same feeling, that Auto scales up to be harder than the hard setting is. Could still just be that: A feeling - maybe someone whispered it into my ear?

[John "Felmarg" Blacksad]

Yep, I think Auto is harder than hard. At least until you died once in a fight and then the difficulty is lowered... too much lowered.
My first time at Auto difficulty on the bridge before Hella was a real nightmare, and the second try easy as f*ck.

[Gnome]

I loved the bridge on Auto! Trying to juggle that many enemies at once was pretty cool compared to the small handful I got on Hard.

[Bartschinator]

if you keep them in front of you it allmost doesn't matter how many they are, they take forever to walk arround their friends. Except those Berserkers and Hugeassbattleaxe-guys. Just a little opening for them and they'll charge right through directly into you.
That bullrush oneshotting me and i didn't even see him coming until the swordsman was pushed aside... cruel :D

[Surfblasted]

Yeah my first time on the bridge using Auto was finally brought to an end when the pain in my wrists caused one badly timed dodge too many and I finally bit the dust lol.

I definately think Auto ramps up until combat becomes a constant slog - really enjoyable mechanic, but too much for old me :)

[Gnome]

Yep, it's auto all the way from now on. It makes the end feel all the more epic because of your struggle on the bridge :)

[Superxonic]

Originally posted by xTheVisionary:

Originally posted by joridiculous:

Evade?

And when you guys talk about parry you men block (and attack if you got the timing right)right

Also.. When those floating white'ish "runes" show up in a fight, what do they mean?

Evade (A/X/Spacebar)
Parry (Pressing the block button at the last second of an enemy attacking you)
White Runes (Focus mode, during combat. Slows down time. No real narrative significance. It's just a refitted, thematic version of Devil Trigger from DMC)

There is a block button? Damn, I just finish the game and came to see what is that auto difficulty and I learn there is a block button and a parry mechanic.

[CorneliusWhite]

I know this is a very late reply but, if there is anyone who is wondering about Auto difficulty don't listen to anyone else. I have played through and beat this game somewhere around 20 - 25 times. Auto is the only way to play this game for anyone who is good at sword fighting games.

How auto difficulty actually works. It scales up the more damage over time you deal (DPS), it scales up the longer you keep focus built up and do not use it, and it scales up the longer you go without dying. Use focus as a very last resort like if you're lying on the ground and a sword is coming down on your head. Until then, fight injured. It will make a ton more spawn on top of you. DO NOT DIE!

What is the payoff? The enemies become intelligent fighters. They will parry, block, dodge, jump, roll, and do combinations you will never see them do on hard setting. The enemies become 3 - 7 times more abundant as the game progresses. The enemies damage dealt toward you increases to a crazy level. One heavy strike from just your standard enemy will come close to killing you. Two or three consecutive hits, no matter the enemy it is coming from will kill you. Your warning system doesn't go off as much. The voices stop warning you as much when someone is attacking from behind. You have to start listening for their grunts when they swing their weapon or just keep everyone in front of you the best you can.

Button mashing no longer works at this level of difficulty. You have to actually be methodical and patient while fighting.

The game takes about 4 hours in one sitting on auto if you're not collecting any rune lore. My record number of enemies on the last bridge is 27 before going through the gate........

.......on the hard setting the two times I played, there were only 4 enemies on the last bridge.

To get this many enemies on the last bridge for anyone wondering, after playing through without dying and basically fighting like a complete badass, take damage right off the bat and parry once or twice. Let your focus build all the way up before you kill anyone and do not use it. Focus builds by being injured or parrying. So, fight while injured. If two shield guys and two standard guys spawn in the first few moments of the fight, then they are followed by two of the huge guys with the giant axes, you are on your way to one hell of a battle. That's only 6 out of the 20-30 you will be fighting. It turns a 2 minute fight into a 10 minute fight.

Have fun. :)

[johnnywintermute]

I simply could not work out how the combat works. I wasn't really expecting the game to have this amount of combat, and early on, at only the third battle, I just could not beat the enemies, so I reverted to a trainer. If I'm not even an hour in and I can't beat them, what hope have I got later?

Dunno why I can't get it, as I had no trouble with DmC and rather enjoyed the combat in that - which was basically all of the game :)

[jhaelen]

Okay, got it: Avoid Auto difficulty at all cost. Will play it on easy like I always do in FPS games. I'm really only in it for the story, anyway.

[Gnome]

Play it your own way, buddy! It's good either way!