The definitive (I hope) considerations about the difficulty of this title

[Volkarion]

Is this game to easy??? Someone says that. Is this game too hard? Other people say that. After a lot of time trying this title, I want to give my contribution about this topic ... and in particular about the Boss fights (which are the main challenge of the game, obvioulsy). Let's begin saying that I agree with both the kind of customers. It may sound strange, but now I am going to explian what I mean.

This game is:

• relatively too easy in Campaign Mode (if you pick up 1 of the first 3 difficulties available), except for some Boss fights;
  
• brutally difficult on Realm Mode, expecially if you play at "Nightmare" or above.

For me the right difficulty to play the Campaign is "Nightmare" (a serious challenge, but not frustrating once you have understood all the crafting and the combat system of the game). That said, I agree with the "I want more difficulty" guys about some Bosses:

• the big Spider Queen: she is ok , but I would add 2 or 3 more spider with her (at the beginning of the fight);
  
• the final Boss of the second Act. (Part 2): it would be funnier if it could summon other minions, instead of healing himself continually. I would remove all the healing skills from him and add the possibility of summon 2 minions every 3 shifts;
  
• the King of Goblins: to improve him, it would be sufficient adding 3 goblins with him (a Shaman and 2 archers), without any possibility for him to replace them with new troops after their death;
  
• the big Snake (for me, the less interesting Boss of all the game): I would change that attack skill with which he charges all the party with something better animated (as a tail hit, for example), and make him stronger (but without exaggerating).

All the other Bosses of the game are totally ok and appropriately challenging at "Nightmare". And with that, I have finished the Main Campaign part.

Now, let's talk about where the game hits too hard: Realm mode. It is paradoxical that, in a Mode where you start with new and weak (and "naked") characters, all the Bosses are far stronger that in the base game. Now, I don't tell that I want all of them super nerfed, but in some cases they need a better balancing. When I'll try again Realm Mode, I'll give you my specific suggestions for the Bosses that I would change, All in all, I would say that in this case the "I want the game easier" guys are right. But I could also be wrong, cause I need to try further "Realm Mode".

My best suggestion for the developers is to leave all the difficulties of the game as they are, except for the last one that they could make even harder for the players that like challenges in Lovercrat style. Doing so, everyone should be happy cause what I am proposing is a win/win solution.

I hope to have been useful both for the developers and for the community. Let me know what you think of my considerations.

[sandman25dcsss]

Originally posted by Volkarion:

All in all, I would say that in this case the "I want the game easier" guys are right. But I could also be wrong, cause I need to try further "Realm Mode".

I think you should realize that "game is too easy" means the game is too easy on the hardest difficulty level and "game is too hard" means the game is too hard on the easiest difficulty level. So let me clarify: do you really believe realm mode is too hard on the easiest difficulty level?
Or are you asking to make realm mode easier on torment instead of switching to easier difficulty level???

[Volkarion]

Originally posted by sandman25dcsss:

Originally posted by Volkarion:

All in all, I would say that in this case the "I want the game easier" guys are right. But I could also be wrong, cause I need to try further "Realm Mode".

I think you should realize that "game is too easy" means the game is too easy on the hardest difficulty level and "game is too hard" means the game is too hard on the easiest difficulty level. So let me clarify: do you really believe realm mode is too hard on the easiest difficulty level?
Or are you asking to make realm mode easier on torment instead of switching to easier difficulty level???

I have tried it only on "Nightmare", cause I want a proper challenge (not easy, and not too frustrating) and the chance to unlock the relative achievements. What I mean with all I have written above, is that the "Nightmare" difficulty of Realm Mode is at least 4 times harder of the "Nightmare" Campaign.

[sandman25dcsss]

Originally posted by Volkarion:

I have tried it only on "Nightmare", cause I want a proper challenge (not easy, and not too frustrating) and the chance to unlock the relative achievements. What I mean with all I have written above, is that the "Nightmare" difficulty of Realm Mode is at lest 4 times harder of the "Nightmare" Campaign.

Indeed, the difficulty levels are very different in campaign and realm. Yet it means nightmare is not too hard as long as you are able to switch to easier difficulty level. I am playing on torment in realm mode and I actually want it to be harder which is a valid complaint because there is no workaround for me (I cannot switch to harder difficulty level because torment is the last one).

[Volkarion]

Originally posted by sandman25dcsss:

Originally posted by Volkarion:

I have tried it only on "Nightmare", cause I want a proper challenge (not easy, and not too frustrating) and the chance to unlock the relative achievements. What I mean with all I have written above, is that the "Nightmare" difficulty of Realm Mode is at lest 4 times harder of the "Nightmare" Campaign.

Indeed, the difficulty levels are very different in campaign and realm. Yet it means nothing should be changed as long as you are able to switch to easier difficulty level. I am playing on torment in realm mode and I actually want it to be harder which is a valid complaint because there is no workaround for me (I cannot switch to harder difficlty level because torment is the last one).

If you have read carefully what I have written, my proposal for the developers would satisfy also your need.

[sandman25dcsss]

Originally posted by Volkarion:

If you have read carefully what I have written, my proposal for the developers would satisfy also your need.

There were multiple complaints about too large gap between different levels so I believe devs are trying to have equal steps between difficulty levels, they don't want to have 4 easy levels and one extremely hard one. This would be the case if they changed just torment in campaign because all other difficulty levels are extremely easy now. I mean changing both nightmare and torment in campaign might be a good idea IMHO.

[Hajutze]

The game is hard while you're learning.**

The game is easy once you figure out most (not all ...) mechanics. At some point the Realm mode is just "trying to figure out how much you can break a certain build".

This is realm mode solo on torment
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2832939834

This translates into something among the lines of 125k life and 570k dps on the 2AP attack (half that on the 0 AP). Yes -> I have 50% more life than a #80 realm boss. And that's without any of the +% max life talents.

**If you are having a hard time it just means you are missing something (not like, you lack gaming skills, you are literally just missing/overlooking some important mechanic)
**Arguably it's somewhat hard on solo torment for the first ... I'd say 3 bosses. After that you should have a working strategy for the hero. It's just that the starter decks are a bit meh.

[sandman25dcsss]

There is probably a bug on that screen: resistances are not supposed to reach even 100% and here I see 105%. Does it heal you? :)

[Hajutze]

It's probably some visual bug. Probably caps at 70/75 whichever was the cap.

I have no idea really. They usually deal physical/poison damage and I haven't actually bothered letting them live long enough to hit me.

[Volkarion]

Originally posted by Hajutze:

The game is hard while you're learning.**

The game is easy once you figure out most (not all ...) mechanics. At some point the Realm mode is just "trying to figure out how much you can break a certain build".

This is realm mode solo on torment
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2832939834

This translates into something among the lines of 125k life and 570k dps on the 2AP attack (half that on the 0 AP). Yes -> I have 50% more life than a #80 realm boss. And that's without any of the +% max life talents.

**If you are having a hard time it just means you are missing something (not like, you lack gaming skills, you are literally just missing/overlooking some important mechanic)
**Arguably it's somewhat hard on solo torment for the first ... I'd say 3 bosses. After that you should have a working strategy for the hero. It's just that the starter decks are a bit meh.

In your screenshot I see something that I honestly dislike: it seems that your OP build is made of 2 or 3 skills repeated a lot of times. I already considered the theoretical possibility that making similar builds could make Godlike decks ... but I don't play videogames only to get the strongest builds; I want to have fun! And for me fun means using a varied deck, in order to give value to many of the skills available. This is the precise reason because I am totally against the too high difficulties in any game. When the difficulty reaches certain levels you are pratically forced to use only the OP skills and builds. And that means that 90% of what you bought in a game becomes useless. For my tastes "playing" in this way is no more having fun, but having stress.

[Hajutze]

I might be looking at the game the wrong way, but all heroes/builds boggle down to "2 or 3 skills repeated a lot of times".

You pick a specialty (be it bleed, magic missile, whatever) and then you build towards it.

You basically pick your best defensive options, something with purge and then you pick your offensive style and go with that.

It's like saying "That Frozen Orb sorc just spams Frozen Orbs"...

EDIT: Also when you transform, it's not up to you. You literally have 3 skills and you can't adjust that.

EDIT2: Also Also -> The combo is using 8 different cards on 2-3 copies Which is pretty much what you have even at the starter deck...

[sandman25dcsss]

If you want to have fun picking different skills just because they are different, play on easy difficulty levels, not nightmare. Nightmare should be challenging and require some deck optimization, even its name hints at that.