I challenge you. You only get one chance...

[Macrae]

Excitement builds up, release date is drawing near and as we're all going to take on this epic adventure I want to invite you to do something for which you'll only ever get one and only one chance in your lifetime. Play your first ever runthrough in hard mode ironman.

Why? Because of the excitement, the epicness. Most certainly what will happen is that you'll just die after 2 hours of gameplay. You can then always start a new game in non-ironman and play the game normally. But....if you manage to cling on, if you just survive and get through the monsters and traps and ambushes, how epic will that story be? How high will be your excitement and concentration when you play? How proud and satisfied will you be when you survive just a simple brigand ambush? This is the only time you will have this chance.

 

Often ironman is a challenge people take on when they have already beaten the game and they're bored. And often when you do it, it's difficult, it's hard, but you enjoy it because it puts you into a "realistic" situation where every choice, every action is a dice roll on someone's chance to stay alive. But then, while enjoying it, you can't help but wonder, "I wish I forgot the whole story and had the chance to start all over again, live this epic story once more with all of its surprises, excitement and amazement in a realistic game mode". Well, here is your chance. And you'll only ever have one...in all of Eternity..

 

No save/load scumming, no cash saving for a later item that would help you get through the game, no trying out unrealistic tactics just for fun, no knowing what is waiting for you on the next corner. Instead, every consumable will be used as soon as you need to, every tactic will be valid as long as you survive, every occasion will be taken to treat wounds, every moment will be lived like it is your last, and, when the unfortunate death of a comrade comes, he will not be saved but instead will be honored in your memories and you will also fight for him until, for you too, the bitter and inescapable end arrives and you will, indeed, die, but die you will in a sublime blaze of glory..

 

-----------------
 

At this point, I have just one doubt and one question I would like to ask people who played the BB: I am trying to decide if I take on this adventure in hard mode or path of the damned? What I understand is that hard mode is how the game was meant to be played and path of the damned (I really like this feature) is only with more numerous monsters. Obviously on non-ironman I would go path of the damned, but is it mission impossible to take the challenge on first playthrough on PotD IM? I just don't want to attempt something near impossible.

Note: of course, this proposition is for people who see themselves as hardcore players. And of course, I don't expect to survive past a few hours. But then, what is important is not to win, but to do your very best.

Will post my feedback. Don't expect anything incredible. Would love you share your thoughts and experiences...

Edited March 24, 2015 by Macrae

[BrainMuncher]

Not going anywhere near trial of iron until I can be almost guaranteed that the lone save won't be corrupted by a bug. Or crash. Or whatever.

 

Which means at least two months worth of patches.

[soedenone]

I think I'll pass. I didn't play the Backer Beta and honestly haven't much of a clue. I watched Sensukis introduction video, but that is quite literally the extent of my knowledge.

 

I'll roll with non-ironman, though still hard or path of the damned. We'll see

The ironman will be saved for a later playthrough or if it turns out to be too easy!

[damage991]

I'm considering this.  I played D3 on hardcore and my only gripe was that you only had one chance to lose.  If you died that was it.  Done.  Start over...

 

At least here you have a full complete group that has to be wiped out before youre done.  Playing on ironman/hardcore mode brings back the danger I felt while playing Everquest.  You need to be aware of what could be around every corner.  Be prepared at all times and be sure of your decisions.

 

The stakes are high - bring it on!

[soedenone]

I'm considering this.  I played D3 on hardcore and my only gripe was that you only had one chance to lose.  If you died that was it.  Done.  Start over...

 

At least here you have a full complete group that has to be wiped out before youre done.  Playing on ironman/hardcore mode brings back the danger I felt while playing Everquest.  You need to be aware of what could be around every corner.  Be prepared at all times and be sure of your decisions.

 

The stakes are high - bring it on!

I'd wager this will require a lot more thoughtprocess than Diablo 3 hardcore, in which you could only die to stupid cheese or lag

[DarkWanderer]

I'm going with Path of the Damned on my first playthrough (and all others) - but i wont be using the additional challange options though (expert mode and trial of iron).

[Osvir]

I'm game.

Hard+Trial of Iron on my first game it is then  I'm fairly comfortable on the Hard difficulty anyways, and I wouldn't mind starting over if I fail hard halfway through the game xD

EDIT: From my BB experience, Path of the Damned can get really rough and it can start with tons of excitement only to end in miserable "fail".

Edited March 24, 2015 by Osvir

[Macrae]

I'm considering this.  I played D3 on hardcore and my only gripe was that you only had one chance to lose.  If you died that was it.  Done.  Start over...

 

At least here you have a full complete group that has to be wiped out before youre done.  Playing on ironman/hardcore mode brings back the danger I felt while playing Everquest.  You need to be aware of what could be around every corner.  Be prepared at all times and be sure of your decisions.

 

The stakes are high - bring it on!

High stakes....high reward. But then again, can also be hard bad beat (poker players will know.. )

 

But also as in poker, there is no reward if there is no risk. And the game market is flooded with no risk games today, which is the norm unfortunately...

[Doxy]

Hard+Trial of Iron on my  1st playthrough, is what i was considering going with.

You won't feel the same  excitement and rush fighting your first boss without it.

 

Biggest fear tho is getting wiped out at the last stretch of the game but the adrenaline is worth it tho.

[PhroX]

I'm actually rather tempted to do a Hard/ToI playthrough first too (PotD seems a little beyond me...). Might just do a quick run through of the first couple of hours first to pick up the game mechanics properly (as I haven't played the BB), but I think it would indeed be a great, unrepeatable, experience to make my first proper game ironman.

[Tinki]

Hard, Ironman mode. I would be a miserable failure. Would be madness to try....... But hey count me in!

[Voss]

Not going anywhere near trial of iron until I can be almost guaranteed that the lone save won't be corrupted by a bug. Or crash. Or whatever.

 

Which means at least two months worth of patches.

This, so much.  I'll start on hard, but a game (especially an obsidian game, second only to bethesda) is buggy on release until proven otherwise.  

 

I'll start on hard, but iron is going to have to wait until stability is assured.

[Rostere]

You, sir, have convinced me to play Ironman mode.

[thejonvincent]

Nah, doesn't sound appealing to me, not my thing. I enjoy flowing through the game and diving into the RPG aspect. Frustration ruins that for me, it's the main reason i despise Dark Souls/Demon Souls and have zero intention of playing Bloodborne. 

[VladWorks]

I will pass, I backed this game for story and some old school rpg elements, not because I wanted an isometic dark souls expirience.

[PromisedPain]

But mom! I'm scared!

[Leferd]

XCOM nightmares coming back.

 

*shudders

[Gfted1]

I really dislike the combat so Ill be playing on Easy. I hope the story and stronghold will carry the game for me.

[Kjaamor]

Not going anywhere near trial of iron until I can be almost guaranteed that the lone save won't be corrupted by a bug. Or crash. Or whatever.

 

Which means at least two months worth of patches.

 

With the greatest of respect to Obsidian, this. This, this, this, this, this.

 

It is one thing to watch 40 hours of gameplay fall down the drain when it is remotely your fault, but when that one save can easily be wiped through no fault of your own...

 

Obviously it's up to the individual, but not only do I have no intention of going near this (even though I don't mind a bit of PotD) I actually encourage those who are thinking of it to reconsider for their own sanity and Obsidian's name.

[RexRPGs]

From what little I've heard, it sounds like Hard but not Trial of Iron is the way to go for a first playthrough, so I'll be doing that.

[Sonntam]

I had to restart some games due to bugs or making some bad choices... each time I raged at least for an hour and then didn't pick up the game for half a year. Then maybe I'd replay it properly, but the first impression was already ruined. This is something I really don't want to happen to Pillars of Eternity

 

I don't really play Obsidian games for excitement and live or die choices. In Pillars of Eternity I would like to kick back and relax. Hell, I still may run into major problems that may make me restart anyway... so let's keep that risiko to a minimum.

 

I may do an Ironman playthrough after I finished the game, to mix things up and make it more exciting, but definitely not  now.

[smithereen]

I've been thinking of it. Nothing beats the kick of beating the Big Blue Blob in EUIV ironman.

[Logain]

I think i give it a go.

I wanted to Start the game unprepared anyway, like the great games oft my youth. And learn the mechanics aned the worl while i play the game.

Playing it Hardcore will make it feel more immersive and challenging.

[NikoBolas]

I'm considering trying my first run on Hard as I consider myself a bit of an expert at these types of games. My hesitation is that I never played the older games on Hard. That said, I've been devouring any scraps I can get for the last few months (years?), and think I could handle the challenge.

 

Ironman doesn't seem fun though, at least not until I've beaten the game. What if you played through and got beaten by a cheesy tactic in a boss fight? Starting your tale from the beginning doesn't sound appealing to me unless it's on my terms.

[Kordanor]

I like my challenges in "hour packages". Permadeath in 1-10h games are perfectly fine if they are designed around that. A permadeath in a game you played 70h in, not so much.

Especially if you might face bugs or unfair game design.

 

I played Xenonauts on hardest difficulty + ironman. And the more the game progessed the buggier it got until the final level was a buggy mess. That's an iron-man challenge nobody should need to face.

 

So instead I will chose Path of The Damned (maybe with Expert mode, dependent on the options included, though I don't like hiding the AOE interface). In addition I will not create additional player characters which should make it harder as well.