You fire up a new single player game. It's a game you've not played before. What difficulty do you select?

[MrFox]

90% of the time I set on Normal.

I will turn it down to Easy if I die way too much and it becomes frustrating.

I will turn it up to Hard if the combat is fun and the difficulty requires more elaborate moves or strategy to succeed, usually based on what reviewers or forum posters recommend.

Any RPGs requiring grinding of ressources to git gud, I set on Easy or even Very Easy.

Sequels of games I'm already familiar with the controls, I start on Hard except when I care more about the story pacing than the combat.

 

[Scruffy8642]

Hard usually. After like a decade of being a completionist and doing everything on the hardest difficulty, I generally find it's not an issue to go to one step above normal in most games, it's a bit too mindless usually otherwise. Hardest difficulty is normally too frustrating to enjoy properly too, so it's a nice middle ground.

Depends on the game though. Some games just have piss poor gameplay or difficulty balance, so it's a waste of time to do higher difficulties. Lately I've been putting all RPGs on the easiest difficulty right away as well because in the genre, difficulty generally means "amount of grinding needed to progress" rather than actually having any correlation with skill requirement.

 

[Michilin]

Easy, normal, or what "story mode" is called, always.

I couldn't care less about difficulty or challenge. Games are all about relaxation to me, I don't want to be challenged during them. I like feeling like a god during combat by destroying things with ease.

Click to shrink...

This

 

[Shadow of the Void]

I stopped starting off on hard mode after Halo Reach. My first playthrough on that game was on Legendary, and it took me something like 14 hours and 200+ deaths to beat. That was just over a decade ago, and my patience is even less than it was back then. I chose Heroic for my first playthroughs of Halo 4 & 5, and I tend to choose normal on most other games, especially if I'm unfamiliar with the series. If it's a game I enjoy enough, I may attempt to beat it on hard mode on my second run through it.

 

[Agamon]

Normal, though I may up the difficulty on replays/NG+. The only time I regretted playing normal was in The Long Dark, where, after playing for 30 hours thinking the wolves were a threat, I realized they were actually harmless. Made the game a whole lot less fun.

 

[Biteren]

i go hard, im tired of games holdng my hands

 

[Damaniel]

If it's a game from a series I'm familiar with, Normal.

If it's from a series I've never played before, Easy.

 

[Rats]

I find myself bored by Normal mode in most games these days, but there are certainly exceptions. Hard is my default, and a lot of times I'll bump it up a step further once I've got a handle on the mechanics if the game allows it.

 

[LuckyLinus]

Usually hard but if Im not enjoying the gameplay I have no problem with pulling it down to normal or easy.

 

[nStruct]

Usually normal but there have been exceptions. Off the top of my head I started the original Gears of War on Hardcore and DOOM 2016 on Ultra Violence.

 

[fourfourfun]

I expect Normal to be completely balanced for someone new to a game who doesn't play games to enthusiast levels (i.e. several hours each day), so I head there.

I don't go to hard as I don't want to have my game to devolve into eye gouging frustration with my limited available time.

If I find myself replaying to a level that I am enthusiast about that game, then I'll notch it up. i.e. BOTW's Master Mode.

 

[astro]

Depends on the genre and what the difficulty is doing.

I usually go for the hardest or second to hardest straight away, as Normal is almost always too easy.

If the hardest setting has some kind of restriction that might make the game less enjoyable first time through, like extremely limiting resources, or adds survival mechanics, then I'd take the one below so I could enjoy the systems a bit more freely and use the higher difficulty as a challenge run later.

Also, if hard mode just makes enemies health super bloated with no way to intelligently approach combat using skills and techniques to make it more efficient, then I'll dial it down for sure.

 

[gnexus]

I usually go for hard/very hard in modern "casual" games that aren't generally difficult anyway. I go for normal in games that are brutally difficult try-hard tests in patience and will(shmups and soulsbourne style games, I guess).

 

[Right]

Normal or hard depends on the genre/studio

 

[Dec]

I use the accompanying text and go with the hardest difficulty that doesn't seem detrimental to the experience. Like enemies take a billion more damage, or permadeath.

 

[FlashbladeERA]

If it's a sequel to a game I've played I will usually go hard.

Games like the Last of Us 2 or DMCV are pretty forgiving on normal so I choose hard so I'm forced to use the game's features/tech/abilities instead of spamming the same combo or weapon.

Reviews and other gamers are pretty good at informing us on how challenging the difficulty mode actually is.

I still remember playing Metal Gear Revengeance on Hard.
Didn't second guess my choice until I had to fight Armstrong.
LOL It was the first time I could say a boss took hours to beat.



Other than that I will pick normal.

 

[Adathir]

I normally pick the easiest difficulty now. I have too many games and not enough time so I try to save myself some frustration when I can.

 

[TheDeadlyHound]

If I know there is no unlockable difficulty then I choose one lower than the hardest and leave the hardest for replay.

If I know the genre and series then I go for the hardest available right from the start unless the difficulty is artificially increased like making enemies bullet/hit sponges.

 

[CMP]

Depends on the kind of game. If it's an action game like Devil May Cry, then very hard. If strategy game, then probably normal

 

[jimboton]

Hardest available for a first playthrough (only play games once with few exceptions) for most games released after 2005. When modern games say 'very hard', they don't really mean it. Back in the 16-32 bit days I never changed the default difficulty/lives setting.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Normal for the most part, but I might drop it down to Easy if I'm struggling. As others have said, games are about relaxation for me these days, and I don't need to punish myself while trying to unwind after work.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Usually Easy, unless I'm really interested in combat mechanics (although I tend to not be). Never on Hard, though.

 

[Crumrin]

I always go for Normal. However, when I really enjoy a game, I do the subsequent runs on harder difficulties. In fact, right now I'm doing a Death March playthrough on The Witcher 3.

 

[Z-Brownie]

i always try the hardest at first. If the game have achievs for it i try to stick with it, if it does not i can tune down to a "playable" difficulty if it's unbearably hard like Doom on ultra nightmare

 

[Dogstar]

Normal or Easy/Story depending on the game... Valhalla, as it's such a long game I'm playing on easy, although I still die now and then, when I take on something way above my level.... so, it's not a free pass to victory. Most FPS games it's alway normal, maybe with a playthough on hard later, if I finish, which I rarely do these days.

 

[Merton]

As 1 of 2 working parents with a 1.5 yr old, if I have the option, very easy or story, I can't be playing 5 hours a night, I get maybe an hour and want to relax and see as much as possible.

 

[Yoshimitsu126]

Royalty class. Give me my magic.

Normal for action adventure.

Easy on Resident Evil. Horror is already terrifying for me.

 

[ApeEscaper]

Normal in games nowadays feels like Easy just no challenge

So i always start off Hard in new games and in replays i go Very Hard

 

[BetoJR]

"Easy" or "Very Easy" or whatever the least hard one there is.
I'm way too old, it seems, so I don't have either the time or the inclination to get overly frustrated whenever I'm trying to unwind. Also, I have three kids - my free time comes at a hefty premium.

 

[LoveAndBeer]

WoW definitely has difficulty settings when it comes to raiding and endgame content.

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Fair point.

For me personally WoW these days is 90% solo with the other 10% being a group of 5 friends that do whatever level of M+ we can get to. I don't raid ever (not even LFR) but you are absolutely right there are higher difficulty challenges available at end game. I just don't personally partake in many of them, I realize many do. Back in the day I was in an end game raiding guild in EQ and later a mid-tier in WoW, but that's not been true since tBC. Div2 is the same way if you group up for raids or endgame, but I've never grouped once in Div1 or Div2.

I treat both mostly as single player experience (I try not to think how much I've spent on WoW's fees over 16 years mostly soloing though)

I know I am atypical.

 

[HellofaMouse]

Normal to begin with.

If i dont like the combat, of if its frustrating in some way, or the game has bad checkpoints, turn it down.

Never turn it up until the second playtrough though

 

[Sanguine]

I typically choose Normal, but if there isn't a Normal mode then whatever the developers consider the default difficulty. I don't really care about challenge (though not to the point that I would use an easier setting) or achievements. I just want to complete the game while having fun and I honestly think most harder difficulties aren't harder because they are geniunely harder - it's my experience that harder simply means enemies are ridiculous bullet sponges or something which I don't find fun.

 

[Violence Jack]

I get maybe 1-2 hours a day to game these days between work and taking care of a toddler, so I'm going Easy 90% of the time unless it's a gameplay engine that I'm already familiar with.

 

[vitormg]

Usually the second hardest option, meaning in the case of the poll, hard.

If it's too hard, I drop immediatelly to normal

 

[Red Liquorice]

I leave it on default unless I've heard that 'normal' is super baby easy, then I'll look at cranking it up, generally I eat as the chef recommends.

 

[Zool]

Always easy. I like to take my time, do my stuff, look around and don't want any pressure. Gaming is relaxing and exploring . I don't need any difficulties in gaming, just a lot of fun!

 

[CobaltBlu]

I think most games with an easy to hardest scale like this poll hard is more like a normal mode. I pick that.

 

[gblues]

Normal to start, always.

One trend I've seen is that games are offering more granular difficulty controls (typically labeled as "assists"), such as CrossCode and Control. That way I can fine-tune difficulty for the things that are frustrating me (puzzle timing in CrossCode, taking damage in Control) without making the game a complete cakewalk.

 

[Nickgia]

Usually normal or the slightly harder mode.

 

[Deleted member 4869]

Normal. Except for the Kingdom Hearts games where I always go for Proud first. And the Metal Gear Solid series where I go for Hard.

 

[Shiz Padoo]

The easiest available. Preferably story mode if it's there.

 

[Deleted member 11370]

By default, Normal. If there's a trophy associated to a hogher difficulty, then that difficulty.

 

[KORNdog]

Depends what game really.

Hard in general.

The hardest difficulty for stealth games (if you don't get caught the difficulty is rendered redundant anyway)

and easy if it's a game I don't really want to deal with the frustration of and just want to chill out and experience it's story.

 

[hydruxo]

Usually just normal. Sometimes hard depending on the game or if there's a trophy and I feel like going for it.

 

[PinkSpider]

Start on normal, if after a few tries I'm not enjoying it based on difficulty I would rather get through a game and reluctantly change it to easy so I can enjoy the story/experience (As long as it's just not a bad game).

Other than the odd RTS I can't think of a game I've played on hard (I play a good few genres but I tend to swing to more strategic games).

 

[SunBroDave]

Normal, unless it's a game explicitly balanced around a different difficulty setting (i.e. Halo series, Jedi Fallen Order) or its a series that I have a history with and always play on a different difficulty setting.

 

[jnWake]

Normal usually, unless I've read online that Normal is just way too easy and I pick Hard. That's what I did with FE3H for example.

 

[Why would you do that?]

If it's a genre I'm familiar with / good at, and there's a whole lot of difficulty options, I'll probably make it a little harder.

Otherwise, I'll choose the default or recommend option.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Hard. Unfortunately, recent games have become considerably easier and in most cases you don't get the chance to utilise all the gameplay tools/mechanichs they provide. Of course, this doesn't apply to games like COD where the only thing changing between difficulties is your health.



Actually I don't think that's true at all. Normal is usually what the developers think their average audience is most comfortable with. There are several genres (including hack n slash games) where it is obvious that this can't be the intended difficulty since it doesn't expose the depth of the combat system. There is no way any developer intents people not to utilise all the crazy strategies and combos they've conceptualised and implemented.

Of course, I'm not saying that the more difficult you go the better, since there are difficulties where game flow essentially breaks and your experiences ends up being a battle of chances.

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The higher difficulties are not usually intended as your first playthrough though.

Let's take Hideki Kamiya's titles as an example. The intention is for you to eventually play on the higher difficulities and plumb the absolute depths of the gameplay systems and all of their intricacies; not for you to immediately jump into Dante Must Die/Infinite Climax/Ultra V-Rated etc.

That's why they take the effort to actually modify the enemy layouts & boss patterns etc on higher difficulties. You are first given the opportunity to learn the game on the Normal difficulty and then are given the chance to push the game's mechanics to their limits on the higher difficulties; these games are meant to be played more than once.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

99% of the time, higher difficulty just means spongy enemies, scarce resources and taking more damage.

If difficulty had better differences, for example an enemy has abc moveset on easy difficulty, but has xyz on harder, that's more meaningful, and isn't just designed to pad the game length.

Click to shrink...

This is also true. Most developers do not make any meaningful changes with their various difficulty settings and just pump up the damage/health numbers with a slider. AAA western games in particular are notorious for this; and their higher difficulty levels are mostly just a huge waste of your time.

Most developers are not Platinum or Treasure; and have no intention for you to explore their mechanics in-depth or play through their games multiple times.