Select Game Mode

  • Easy- I want to have a relaxing time/ Just want to enjoy the Story

    Votes: 170 13.0%
  • Normal- Perfectly Balanced, as all things should be.

    Votes: 804 61.4%
  • Hard- I want a challenge/I want to REALLY learn the mechanics

    Votes: 258 19.7%
  • Nightmare/Death/Why/Insane- ...That platinum trophy ain't going to get itself...

    Votes: 77 5.9%

  • Total voters
    1,309

Ex-Psych

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,326
What's your overall go to difficulty in video games?

If you're an achievement hunter, what's the first mode you pick?
 

5taquitos

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,016
OR
Normal, I barely have time for games as it is these days, I don't need to spend 2 hours retrying a boss.
 

RaySpencer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,846
Pretty much always Normal, since thats what the game is designed around. Unless the game tells me otherwise, like Halo.
 

Moltres006

Banned
Jan 5, 2019
1,818
Depends on the game. I played through FE awakening and UMVC3 on hard, but would never play doom 2016 on hard difficulty because I dont play FPSs that often.
 

ClickyCal'

Member
Oct 25, 2017
60,311
Completely depends on the game. When Prime 4 comes out, I'm playing that on hard from the start if it's there, unless it's like completely new controls from the trilogy.
 

Driggonny

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,170
Always normal first, unless there's some special reason

I played Fire Emblem: Awakening on hard since that's what the description said "long time fans" should play
 

Hexa

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,760
Hard if I think I can handle it, which I generally can other than for shooters which I suck at. The exception is games that I know I'll play multiple times and just want to enjoy the experience the first time, which is what I'll do with KH3, normal and then critical.
 

DJ Lushious

Enhanced Xperience
Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,330
Hard all the time. I like the challenge, it prolongs the game for me, I really have to learn the nuances of the game to succeed, and that sweet, sweet achievement/trophy!
 

mathematics

Member
Oct 25, 2017
427
Hard mode when I had more time. Now, mostly normal. However I always do Proud in KH first and that won't change
 

Kahoots

Member
Feb 15, 2018
995
I'll go hard by default as I play every game with the assumption I will only ever play it this once and some games like DOOM become different much lesser games when the difficulty option is too easy.

But on the flip side other games like Wolfenstein became a chore at higher difficulty.

A harder difficulty coming out after release, such as with BOTW, is very annoying.
 

Blade Wolf

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,512
Taiwan
I don't know, depends on the genre and time I guess.

For older games like Resident Evil I always play on normal cause that's just perfectly challenging for me, but for newer games I almost always choose hard.
 

supernormal

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
3,176
HALO 1 on legendary taught me how much difficulty could really elevate a game. I wouldn't call myself particularly skilled, but something is really off when I can just breeze through a game. I like a little more challenge, so I'd always go at least one above normal.

I don't know, depends on the genre and time I guess.

For older games like Resident Evil I always play on normal cause that's just perfectly challenging for me, but for newer games I always do hard.

Also this. Growing up on those games just makes today's stuff a lot easier on default settings.
 

Altera

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
1,963
Action games I go normal or hard.

Stuff like RPGs I'll go easy since I'm more in it for the story and don't want to have to spend time level grinding.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,495
Hard on my first playthrough. Whatever's a step above that for my second go-around, if I really want that Platinum/1000G.

I can pretty reliably get Call of Duty and Halo games cleared on the highest difficulty, but I'd rather go through nice and easy on Hardened first, before I repeatedly throw myself at the enemy until I hit the next checkpoint on Veteran. Same goes for action games. I set fighters to easy, though; I'm a little baby who can't get combos right, in spite of understanding things like frame links and canceling into specials.
 

BrickArts295

GOTY Tracking Thread Master
Member
Oct 26, 2017
14,026
Easy on games I'm not that excited to play or I am not good at. (Fighting games, Horror, Strategy)
Normal on games on the ones I'm excited to play.
Hard on games I already played and I'm excited to give it another go.
 

giallo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,314
Seoul
Always normal, though I've been toying with playing on easy lately. I just have too many games to play, and too little patience these days,
 

kirbyfan407

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,145
These days, I'm not sure. Either Normal or Easy. I think it depends on the genre, what defines my interest in the game, if the game has systems that allow bad players to overcome skill barriers (e.g. leveling up/grinding), how frequent/punishing deaths are, and my baseline skill. I'm sure there's a pattern to which games I jump into on Easy versus which ones I stay on Normal, but I'm not conscious of it at the moment.
 

Ascenion

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,331
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
I go for the developer recommended difficulty first run. So it depends on what the game is balanced around. For example Halo is balanced around Heroic and Gears on Hardcore. God of War 4 was balanced around Give me a Challenege I'd say. Give me God of War was mostly bullshit.
 

Jubbe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,779
I hate difficulty options in games. Developers should balance the game how they want and if I don't like it that's fine.

Giving me the blind choice at the start when I don't have any real idea what the developer considers as "easy" or "hard" always frustrates me. If games really want to have options then they should just start you on a default difficulty and between missions ask if you want it to be easier or harder.

Having said that, I usually go for the hardest or second hardest depending on how they word it.
 

Zen

"This guy are sick" says The Wise Ones
Member
Nov 1, 2017
9,672
I don't care about trophies and I don't care about bragging rights equipment or perks or useless fetch quests or rng time wasting side content. Normal.
 

Nintendo

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,408
Mostly normal and easy.

Hard only for short linear games like Uncharted so that I don't finish them quickly.
 

Polioliolio

Member
Nov 6, 2017
5,406
I'd say normal but I expect most games' normal mode to be pretty easy these days..

But usually I do a google check before I start.
For example, I just started yakuza zero. People seem to agree that normal mode isn't very challenging. I started on normal, but you can switch at any time, no problem, so I switched to hard. It seems doable.

I don't want a nightmarish difficulty.. I guess if I really like the game I'll consider it, otherwise, I just want to be challenged to pay attention so that I have to actually get something out of the game in order to play it. I don't want to be bored.. If I wanted such a passive experience it wouldn't be playing video games.
 

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
Easy for sure. I primarily play games to relax and experience the story, I have absolutely no interest in feeling challenged while playing them.
 
Jan 7, 2018
840
Fire Emblem: Hardest difficulty (except bonus difficulties such as lunatic Plus or Reverse).
Everything else: Just hard.
 
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Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,948
Canada
850120-muramasa-the-demon-blade-wii-screenshot-choose-your-playing.png
 

Deleted member 25606

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
8,973
Usually whatever's default since I figure that's where it's been balanced unless the developers or game itself tells me otherwise. Unless it's a game with scores or ranking like Bayonetta or DMC or Housemarque arcade titles, then I start on easy and work my way up to the highest difficulty.
 

Deleted member 47843

User Requested Account Closure
Banned
Sep 16, 2018
2,501
Normal most of the time. Easy for grindy RPGs or games I find too hard and that I'm there mostly for the story anyway. Pretty much never harder settings.
 

Winston1

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
2,113
I almost always start with normal. If the game allows you to change the difficulty while playing than I'll switch to hard if it becomes too easy for me.
 
Feb 4, 2018
1,713
Most games I go with hard, unless I've heard it's a more difficult game. Like with Divinity OS2 I went with Classic (normal) and that's perfect for me. When it comes to somerhing like TLOU or KH though, I start with hard.