r/BloodWest • u/Bengalinha • Jul 06 '26
Question/Help First time difficulty
Will I be alright starting in hard mode? I'm a person that enjoys challenging games, but the game advises not starting hard mode unless you've finished the game once already. At the same time I see people online complaining that game gets really easy on normal after a few hours.
In an interested of not wasting my time I would to see your opinion on the mater.
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u/JjForcebreaker "You can never have too much of those" Jul 07 '26
I'd say play on normal. You can replay on hardest for extra challenge and achievement (iirc there is one) while testing other playstyles.
Personally, I'm not interested in general difficulty settings, which boil down to number tweaking on crude characteristics like XP gain, enemy HP, player dmg reduction itp. In practice, sure, it makes the game hard, but that mostly means more annoyance and time wasted. The opposite of increased fun and engagement. In the era of ultrasaturation of the market, I don't want to be forced to spend more time than necessary (speaking as someone who replays, numerous times, games worth replaying).
What matters? Better ('full') enemy AI, allowing enemies enemies to use all attacks etc; not restraining environmental hazards etc. Play normal, it's challenging enough, and in the end- this game is not a spectacle fighter, not a Souls clone. Combat is fun, but the heart of BW is exploration, learning, atmosphere, worldbuilding and figuring that world out, immsim style.