Difficult combat? Difficulty settings?

[Windwalker]

I've done some reading and from what I understand, the combat can be very challenging in this game, possibly too difficult. Is that the case, in your opinions? Do the difficulty settings make a big difference?

Thanks!

[Shower With Joe Dad Simulator]

The difficulty settings do make a difference, just dont expect normal to be normal, Id go with easy for normal and story for easy.

[Meanwhile]

As I write this there are nearly 400 posts about this exact issue in the very first thread on these forums.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/640820/discussions/0/1734340257883177224/

[Michael]

The difficulty is very customizable with in-game settings. Just understand that Challenging actually means challenging and Unfair actually means unfair.

[Iry]

The flat increases to stats mean that the early game is massively RNG. Let me explain...

One of the first enemies you fight has 20 AC on Hard Difficulty. Even with 20 Strength, +1 BAB, +1 Inspire Courage, and +2 from Charge that is only +9 To Hit = 50% chance. After that initial charge, you drop down to 40% to hit. If you have a more reasonable attack stat like 16 Strength that's 30% to hit.

So what happens to most people is that they miss most of the time, get lucky on their 8th savescum and finally land the hits that they need. Then repeat for the next battle.

[TRELLTRON]

Difficulty setting does make a massive difference. The only people I've seen complaining were talking about how hard the early game is on the highest difficulty. There's talk that they've buffed some of the early encounters too much for it to actually be possible to beat them at level 1, which is pretty bad if true, but it won't affect you if you pick a lower difficulty.

The only time I've actually died so far on normal is to the spider swarms, and that was because I didn't understand how the mechanic worked until way too late.

[Windwalker]

OK, thanks guys. I wonder how this made it through beta testing...An encounter in the tutorial with wolves that they admit is way too difficult? Early-game encounters that are brutal even on normal settings? I mean, I appreciate a challenge, but I don't want mobs one or two-shotting me on normal or easy difficulty. That doesn't sound like the PnP Pathfinder that I've played.

[LockDown]

Originally posted by Goatleaker:

OK, thanks guys. I wonder how this made it through beta testing...An encounter in the tutorial that they admit is way too difficult?

On higher difficulties yes. If you play on Unfair you're gonna get wrecked because it's not balanced right now. Just do what I did and set it for Story.

[Windwalker]

Originally posted by The Matlock:

Originally posted by Goatleaker:

OK, thanks guys. I wonder how this made it through beta testing...An encounter in the tutorial that they admit is way too difficult?

On higher difficulties yes. If you play on Unfair you're gonna get wrecked because it's not balanced right now. Just do what I did and set it for Story.

Fair enough, but from reading through the responses on the pinned difficulty post, it doesn't sound like just the higher settings that are unbalanced.

[Player8]

I set things to normal - seems pretty decent. Still unbalanced but i can at least survice combat. Problem is the resting mechanism is crap - reset for 40 hours and only get back 5hps. That is a load of garbage. I should be able to get more.

[Alkaline]

The big killers are the Enemy stat adjustment and Enemy difficulty. I can't recall which one does what but one will give a flat +2 difficulty bous to basically everything roll related. AC, DC, Attacks and so on. The other will give raw ability score bonus this is where you see a level 2 with foolish scores. If you use them together, (both set to somewhat stronger) that +2 becomes +4. Because somethings like AC and attack rolls double dip you quickly end up with an enemey in light armor that has 20+ AC and cant roll below an 8.

Are hard and unfair doable? Yes. To be honest unfair is not much worse then hard at the start. Everyone will die in a hit (2 if your lucky) As eating 15 damage is not much worse then 30 when most people have like 11-14 hp. However like Iry above said you will save scum your way to vicotry. Took me an hour maybe 2 just to clear the final fight in the tutorial on hard. dropped both the above settings to normal and now I am haveing fun rather then slogging through an RNG nightmare.

[Son1X]

Originally posted by Player8:

I set things to normal - seems pretty decent. Still unbalanced but i can at least survice combat. Problem is the resting mechanism is crap - reset for 40 hours and only get back 5hps. That is a load of garbage. I should be able to get more.

I've had this same problem happen to me in the pathfinder tabletop and since i haven't found a wand of cure light wounds in game, the best advice i can give you is to always go around with multiple divine healers (at least 2) and rest until they get their spells back (8 hours) then use them to heal your party, and if you still really need more healing then rest some more. the dwarf cleric actually heals a lot with channels starting from level 3 onwards.

[Windwalker]

Would you guys say that an in-depth understanding of the PnP ruleset is pretty important? I only played it briefly before, and then as a player, not a DM.

[Iry]

Originally posted by Goatleaker:

Would you guys say that an in-depth understanding of the PnP ruleset is pretty important? I only played it briefly before, and then as a player, not a DM.

A general understanding of D&D is really important. But you don't have to know much about Pathfinder specifically, as long as you are willing to read your abilities.