Normal vs Hard

[Tinki]

Hello. I have pre-ordered this amazing looking game and have been researching info for hours now. There is one thing I would like to know regarding difficulty.  I just watched Quill18  3part lets play on YouTube. He chose normal setting and as I watched it seemed combat was very easy indeed.  Just what might be the diference between "normal" and "hard" in this game in laymans terms?

 

As for me, I am not a veteran of this style of game but I am learning to play, having downloaded BG1 and 2 and Neverwinter Night. But, I have been gaming MMOs for a long time. I do believe I would try a hardcore setting once I got the mechanics down.

 

Thanks for any replies.

[TrueMenace]

Watch this if you haven't.

 

On Hard, enemies do full damage, and there more enemies added to each encounter and some of them are "bigger" variants like an Elder Wolf instead of a Wolf. Traps do more damage. You only get 2 camping supplies. 

[Bazy]

On Hard, enemies do full damage, and there more enemies added to each encounter and some of them are "bigger" variants like an Elder Wolf instead of a Wolf. Traps do more damage. You only get 2 camping supplies. 

Enemies do full damage? Traps do more damage? Do you have a source for this information?

 

My understanding was that stat scaling like this only occurs on POTD. Easy/Normal/Hard are only differ by which particular enemies spawn.

 

For example...

Easy: Wolf

Normal: 2 Wolf

Hard: Wolf + Elder Wolf

 

POTD: All of the above + some stat scaling

Edited March 24, 2015 by Bazy

[TrueMenace]

 

On Hard, enemies do full damage, and there more enemies added to each encounter and some of them are "bigger" variants like an Elder Wolf instead of a Wolf. Traps do more damage. You only get 2 camping supplies. 

Enemies do full damage? Traps do more damage? Do you have a source for this information?

 

My understanding was that stat scaling like this only occurs on POTD. Easy/Normal/Hard are only differ by which particular enemies spawn.

 

For example...

Easy: Wolf

Normal: 2 Wolf

Hard: Wolf + Elder Wolf

 

POTD: All of the above + some stat scaling

 

Someone on the Codex forums checked the code.

 

It's apparently 50% damage on easy, 75% damage on Normal, Full damage on Hard + PoD. If you want to know for sure, PM Sensuki and let me know.

 

Well that  Codexer was wrong.

Edited March 24, 2015 by TrueMenace

[Bazy]

Someone on the Codex forums checked the code.

 

 

It's apparently 50% damage on easy, 75% damage on Normal, Full damage on Hard + PoD. If you want to know for sure, PM Sensuki and let me know.

 

Thanks. That is good to know. Ill let you know.

 

 

According to Sensuki...

 

"The % damage thing is a lie, all difficulty does is add or remove creatures. Path of the Damned modifies stats."

Edited March 24, 2015 by Bazy

[Sock]

I can't even imagine playing this game at easy or normal difficulty anymore.

 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I like moderately challenging game play, and easy/normal would quickly become boring.

[Bazy]

I can't even imagine playing this game at easy or normal difficulty anymore.

 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I like moderately challenging game play, and easy/normal would quickly become boring.

Depends. Sometimes higher difficulty can just be tedious instead of challenging over the course of 60+ hours. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by Bazy

[Azmodiuz]

I recommend playing Normal if you've played BG/IWD/Torment as a start. If you have the Beta and have played alot, play Hard. If you have ever Min/Maxed before, play Hard.  If you are a save scummer, play HARD.

If your also very confident, and have played hard and found it easy, then try impossible.

 

I play on Hard.

 

I tried normal and easy after playing on Hard, and it was just too much easier. Hard is where its at. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by Azmodiuz

[Baleros]

Take into consideration that they are in the very beginning stages of the game.

[PIP-Clownboy]

I don't even find Hard challenging in the BB anymore. Normal is just tourist mode.. if you any IE experience just play at least Hard. 

[Sock]

Maybe spend an hour or two getting familiar with combat, and then bump the difficulty up. You'll enjoy the game a lot more then.

 

Or start a PotD game, and relive the launch of Witcher 2's tutorial. That ****ing dragon...

[Karranthain]

The game's out in two days and I'm still torn on this issue. Admittedly, I've played IE games heavily, which points to a Hard difficulty, but I'm tempted to see how the encounters differ on Normal and plunge into harder difficulties in later playthroughs.

[budyn]

POTD TOI EXPERT, nothing else matters!

[Mazisky]

Better to start hard and then decrease the difficulty ingame if there are huge problems

[Myrten]

Since there are more enemies - do we get more loot on hard :D?

[Tinki]

Got it. Hard = more foes. Thanks a lot. I also understand there is an inn early in the game where a player can design a party of adventurers rather than collect them via rp means ingame? I would be very interested in a function that allows such a thing.

[TrueMenace]

Since there are more enemies - do we get more loot on hard :D?

 

Yes.

[Ark Evensong]

I'm playing on Normal. My only real IE experience was Planescape:Torment, and I didn't really care much for combat then. I haven't plumbed too deep in the depths of the Backer Beta, but I played a bunch, and I still get my arse kicked regularly on Normal. I'm not planning to Min-Max my character, so I'll save Hard for a second playthrough, when I know what I'm doing, and see some new encounters. (I mean, I understand the theory just fine - but practice is hard.)

 

Additionally, I'm not a fan of Real-Time with Pause - It works, sure. I can enjoy it, too. But eh. Swords, Wizards and Dragons? Bleh.  ... Sometimes I wonder why I backed at the level I did, or why I'm as excited about this game as I am. Aside from "Obsidian CRPG", there's not a whole lot I should like about it - but I do, anyway. 49 hours! 

[BrainMuncher]

Got it. Hard = more foes. Thanks a lot. I also understand there is an inn early in the game where a player can design a party of adventurers rather than collect them via rp means ingame? I would be very interested in a function that allows such a thing.

I think it's pretty much every inn. And your stronghold. So you can make a custom party member more or less whenever you feel like it. They will have no personality or dialogue though.

[madPav3L]

Better to start hard and then decrease the difficulty ingame if there are huge problems

So can someone please confirm, that you can change the difficulty in-game? If so then hard it is, if I get demolished I can then switch to normal...

Edited March 24, 2015 by madPav3L

[Majber]

From wiki: "The game's difficulty can be set to three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Changing the setting generally means adding tactical difficulty, by replacing weaker enemies with more powerful types or increasing how many are present in encounters. On average, you will probably get a small increase in loot, but it's possible to get less in certain circumstances"

Can anyone confirm or deny that "you can get less loot in certain circumstances" (in hard)? Its not troll question, Im serious.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Majber

[Shdy314]

The answer is in the entire quote. Read more carefully.

Sometimes there will be a more powerful enemy rather than multiples.

4 young wolves may become 3 regular wolves.

[Majber]

Oooh, you are right, I would never think about it this way. thx a lot

[Calurin]

Maybe spend an hour or two getting familiar with combat, and then bump the difficulty up. You'll enjoy the game a lot more then.

 

Or start a PotD game, and relive the launch of Witcher 2's tutorial. That ****ing dragon...

 I remember that damned dragon......all the late players had the updated patch to handhold them.

 

Aye hard at the minimum is where the fun is to be had.

[Bazy]

Oooh, you are right, I would never think about it this way. thx a lot

Every fight that I can think of from the beta hard meant more enemies and not upgraded enemies. If you simply "upgraded" the enemies that would be de facto stat scaling which is exactly what they tried to avoid. 

 

I'm not saying they don't exist, but I can't think of any examples.