Too hard in the beginning, too easy at the end?

[WoundedRonin]

I just finished PD for the first time playing the CIA campaign on easy mode as the start menu recommends. I enjoyed it but found it to be pretty easy especially once you unlock the more powerful resources and items that appear towards the end of the game. On the whole it was a good experience

I started the KGB campaign on Normal difficulty and found it to be much harder in the beginning of the game. At the very beginning I decided to do a "rescue the informant" mission and basically got a TPK.

But, I think there's just a big difference between playing the game with all the options available to you, and playing it when you have only crappy agents with no good equipment who are unable to kill a soviet soldier in one turn. I'm the same person playing, but there was a TPK.

Another part of it is grenades. I didn't really notice during my first playthrough but apparently even entry-level AI enemies like to throw grenades like they're on overstock. On my previous playthrough I didn't use grenades except for a couple of smoke grenades until the very final mission. Imagine my surprise when every single Soviet soldier liked to lob a grenade at my entry-level squad. I'm not sure if they throw less grenades on Easy difficulty, or if previously I simply never let anyone get close enough to throw a grenade.

Probably the biggest difference is not being able to takedown enemies who have more HP than you. Actually it would barely make a difference later in the game when your agents all have loads of hitpoints. But in the very beginning of the game it means they can't takedown enemy agents, and they also don't have suppressed weapons, so it makes it a lot harder to avoid triggering combat.

Upon reflection I think the game difficulty is backwards. The final missions of the game, when you have more cash and agents than you know what to do with, are easier than the first ones. When you're starting is the hardest. Actually this happens in a lot of strategy games I suppose, even though the conventional wisdom is that a game should start easy and get hard later.

[Sorcerer117]

I'm having my ass kicked, dont even know what im doing. Also i'm saving scaming alot, each "mission' takes like 2 hours
=/

[Sticky Wicket]

I agree. Really difficult at the beginning and gets easier to manage as you go along, but wouldn't say it was "too easy" as you get towards the end, but certainly once you have sniper rifles+Sure shot skill and 3 disguised agents with the actor skill maps become far less dangerous.

Not having suppressed weapons at the start is a big thing, it's very difficult not to raise alarm, and at the start when your agents are weak, once the alarm is raised things get bad very quickly. I admit I did a fair amount of save scumming on my first 10 or so missions. It's so easy to get your entire squad wiped.

As the game progresses you have a lot more choices about how you can run the op. but that is the way nearly all games function.

I think the main factor is the missions are too generic, a problem that often happens when you have randomly generated maps that essentially just repeat the same algorithms.

[Vetgirig on Linux]

Best combat is takedown. Even when in a fight. Since its the most secure way to take out enemy agents in one attack. It will also kill all other enemies in one attack.

So don't use weapons unless you are too far away from the enemy - or do not want to go in the enemies direction.

And yes KGB first mission is kinda hard since its a force majure mission with mandatory fights.

As for generic mission - don't grind side missions jump into main storyline missions asap imho.

However generally speaking - all missions can be done in infiltration mode - unless its one that has force majoure on it.

On the other hand - I've beaten extended Mossad on hardest ironman mode.

[Megas Stevros]

spend a couple of minutes looking at the map before you actually move a character, and press the evac button to see where the evacuation points actually are (you don't have to commit).

However, I play on Hard and often call the extraction vehicle on the first turn. The countdown timer for the Evacuation being exposed only begins once stealth has broken and it's real handy to have the vehicle already there when you do decide you need to get out fast. Even if the evac is exposed, so what? it's just a bit of heat which is more manageable than dead agents.

If combat does start, you need to be putting out as much lethal damage as possible. Try to give all your characters shotguns as their secondary weapon (high calibre pistols are ok if you don't have shotguns) as you can't beat running directly up to a character and shooting them point blank (shotguns often do max damage at close range as well as point blank).

Get used to closing doors as this can be the difference between getting shot at 3+ times in a turn vs not getting shot at all. Also, grenades are king. Give everyone in your squad a grenade and don't be afraid to use them.

[Megas Stevros]

also, I only undertake a mission I haven't reconnoitred when the situation is truly dire (like when your base is about to get exposed and you don't have funds to move) as the difficulty is considerably harder. Always call in the evac on the first turn if you are doing missions blind.