tips on nightmare difficulty

[achilleas_demetriou]

so i've just started playing doom 3 for the first time on veteran difficulty and i expected it to be more difficult. although it is pretty trial and error for me i've made it more than half way though the game and intent to take on nightmare difficulty after this. however i barely know anything about nightmare difficulty. i will definetly do some research before starting it though

[Leninova]

A few things you should follow here:

- know where the enemy shows up

- be as quick as possible

- don't let them get close to you

[triple_agent]

On the Nightmare difficulty, you will notice your health drops constantly, until it reaches the value of 25. This is when the dropping stops. You can temporarily increase it with medstations, but it will start dropping again. Anything below 25 you can normally regenerate up to 25 without health dropping back. You will notice on the Nightmare that the Soulcube will be at your disposal right from the very moment you obtain your first guns. Use it to your advantage without shame, especially with tactical health boosting in difficult fights.

Watch out for Marsec shotgunners, they are almost hitscan in the vanilla state game.

If you are looking for a tougher difficulty level, check out my MODplus, it will surprise you.

[achilleas_demetriou]

i'm now certain about one thing. i am not ready for nightmare difficulty since i pretty much lose half of my health every 10 minutes. i will beat the game on veteran again (once i beat it for the very first time) and then i will give nightmare a shot. on top of that at around the end of alpha labs sector 4 i almost had a heart attack. nighmare difficulty will surely finish me for good

[triple_agent]

First time I have ever played the game was with Redux mod on Nightmare difficulty. Redux has Nightmare unlocked automatically. I am glad I did it, Veteran is just too gooey.

[achilleas_demetriou]

Originally posted by Triple_Agent_AAA:

First time I have ever played the game was with Redux mod on Nightmare difficulty. Redux has Nightmare unlocked automatically. I am glad I did it, Veteran is just too gooey.

i'm glad i chose veteran though. its a real challenge for me

[triple_agent]

Do not get me wrong, Veteran is difficult as well, but Nightmare is a different taste of the game. Once you get rolling and take it as a challenge, you will adapt. Doom^3 is balanced in such a way that you are never without chances, unless you play in a very unwise manner.

[ZyPHeR_0]

You're right to decide to go veteran fist, then you can learn where everyone comes up from.

The simpliest most usefull advice i can give is: as soon as you do kill a couple demons of do any progress... Just hit Quick save, in fact, glue a finger into it so you press it as soon as you are safe after a horde of demons

[triple_agent]

Originally posted by Zeydan:

You're right to decide to go veteran fist, then you can learn where everyone comes up from.

The simpliest most usefull advice i can give is: as soon as you do kill a couple demons of do any progress... Just hit Quick save, in fact, glue a finger into it so you press it as soon as you are safe after a horde of demons

While this is true for Nightmare, quicksaving too much can spoil the taste of a game, kill the sense of hazardous journey. Therefore I would say, quicksave once in a while.

[triple_agent]

The random medkits also will be unpresent on the Nightmare difficulty, just the medstations, but since you will be having the Soulcube with you from the early stage, you are better off that way.

[achilleas_demetriou]

Originally posted by Triple_Agent_AAA:

The random medkits also will be unpresent on the Nightmare difficulty, just the medstations, but since you will be having the Soulcube with you from the early stage, you are better off that way.

i can see why

[triple_agent]

This is a description I have found on Wikia - source HERE[doom.wikia.com] - regarding the traits of Doom^3 difficulty levels:

Recruit: the protagonist takes 75% of the base damage. Slightly fewer monsters are encountered.
Marine: the protagonist takes 90% of the base damage. Normal number of monsters.
Veteran: the protagonist takes 170% of the base damage. Health kits are fewer in number. More monsters appear around compared to the previous mode.
Nightmare: the protagonist takes 350% of the base damage. The player starts with the Soul Cube in [basic] Doom 3 or with all Artifact powers in RoE [expansion pack]. All medikits are removed from the game, and the player's health steadily drains until it's 25 or below. The only sources of healing are health stations, or the healing powers of either the Soul Cube or the Artifact. Number of monsters is the same as on Veteran skill. Nightmare skill level must be unlocked by first completing the game on any other skill level.

[Mental Paradox]

Originally posted by Triple_Agent_AAA:

This is a description I have found on Wikia - source HERE[doom.wikia.com] - regarding the traits of Doom^3 difficulty levels:

Recruit: the protagonist takes 75% of the base damage. Slightly fewer monsters are encountered.
Marine: the protagonist takes 90% of the base damage. Normal number of monsters.
Veteran: the protagonist takes 170% of the base damage. Health kits are fewer in number. More monsters appear around compared to the previous mode.
Nightmare: the protagonist takes 350% of the base damage. The player starts with the Soul Cube in [basic] Doom 3 or with all Artifact powers in RoE [expansion pack]. All medikits are removed from the game, and the player's health steadily drains until it's 25 or below. The only sources of healing are health stations, or the healing powers of either the Soul Cube or the Artifact. Number of monsters is the same as on Veteran skill. Nightmare skill level must be unlocked by first completing the game on any other skill level.

What the world needs right now is a difficulty mod that allows you to change these values. Like, for me 130% damage would be the perfect balance. I find Marine too easy and Veteran too hard.

[triple_agent]

The problem with modders, unlike with the industry, is that they do what they feel like and what is within the range of their possibilities, instead of responding to demands or following trends, majority of cases, but sure there are functional solutions, as well as there are trends around everywhere. Personally, I do not know how to change these values, therefore what I thought would be an answer is changing the definitions of enemies, having increasing the general difficulty of the game in mind. But I guess you talk about the vanilla state game, unmodded, right?

[Mental Paradox]

Yes?

[triple_agent]

Allright, thought you could have been using a mod already so that would be another tale. Some people forget they have mods hardwired somewhere in the gamefiles and strange things happen. But the base game is doable on Veteran. Keep it up.