The Hardest Difficulty Settings In Video Games

Certain games take pleasure in their challenging nature and showcase it as an attractive feature for potential players. In fact, some of these games offer highly adjustable settings that allow users to crank up the difficulty level so high, it becomes virtually unplayable.

While some games offer challenge settings that aim to test your skills to the maximum yet remain conquerable, even for the courageous few.

The penalties they impose are such that there’s always hope for improvement, as long as you persist, yet it’s understandable if you decide to surrender along the way.

10. Full Dive Ranger Hardcore

Metro Exodus

In the Metro series, Hardcore mode initially offered the most challenging setting, reducing the resources at your disposal and amplifying the amount of damage you take.

In the downloadable content (DLC) for “Metro 2033” and “Metro: Last Light”, they introduced Ranger modes. The Ranger Hardcore mode specifically offers a challenging experience, as it sets both you and your opponents to take more damage, and strips away the Heads-Up Display (HUD).

In the latest installment, Metro Exodus, they’ve elevated the gaming experience with the Ranger Hardcore Full Dive mode. Initially, it might appear that this mode operates similarly to its counterpart in prior Metro games, stripping away the Heads-Up Display (HUD). However, it offers a more immersive and challenging gameplay experience by eliminating various additional on-screen elements for a truly raw survival journey.

Due to some distinct design elements in Exodus, like its semi-open world setup and absence of a Heads-Up Display (HUD), not having one presents a more significant challenge compared to other games.

9. Deity

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

In Civilization VI, the game mode known as Deity is intentionally imbalanced, giving your opponents an edge through abundant resources, quicker resource generation, and a superior military advantage from the get-go.

To surpass them, you need to continually outthink them, as making a handful of superior decisions against your rivals won’t suffice. You’ll have to maintain top-notch performance just to keep pace with them.

One challenging aspect of this game is that, until you begin to match pace with the most powerful civilizations, a hostile player could quickly eliminate you. It’s frustrating when you have to restart the game midway because an AI adversary seemingly developed a dislike for you at random.

8. Co-op Legendary

Halo 2

In the gaming world, I’ve found that the Legendary difficulty in Halo is a beast to tame – especially in Halo 2 where it shows no mercy during missions like Gravemind. It’s a challenge that pushes every gamer to their limits!

Progress is scarce as checkpoints are few, opponents are stronger and more heavily armed, the artificial intelligence is relentless and swift in its responses, and your shielding offers minimal protection. A covert Jackal Sniper could potentially undo numerous minutes of advancement with a single well-aimed shot.

In cooperative play, if either player perishes, both will be returned to the most recent save point.

Two heads might lead to double the chances of blunders, so tread carefully as we dive into this challenging journey together. Be aware that this complex path might test our bond and potentially strain our friendship. Here’s to hoping for smooth sailing!

7. Expert

Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock

Skilled player, taking on the toughest difficulty level in the “Guitar Hero” games, will find it a formidable test. In this setting, you frequently need to strum more notes than the track itself plays.

In “Guitar Hero 3”, Expert mode stands out as particularly challenging due to its song choices. Notably tough tracks such as “Through The Fire And Flames” and “Raining Blood” can bombard you with a staggering number of notes, reaching up to 26 per second.

Deviating from the intended path may lead to a challenging situation as you’re overwhelmed with information, and there’s always the risk of being met with disapproval or criticism, similar to being unexpectedly removed from a performance stage.

Straying from your course can cause problems since it floods you with information, and there’s always the possibility of facing criticism, much like being abruptly taken offstage during a presentation.

6. Legend + Ironman

XCOM 2

In the game XCOM 2, the Legend setting represents the maximum difficulty level. This means that the enemies become significantly stronger and more numerous, research progress is slowed down considerably, and various other challenges are intensified. Essentially, it cranks up the overall toughness of the gameplay experience.

The challenge comes when activating the Ironman mode because it disables manual saving and instead automatically saves all progress continuously. This means that once a mistake is made, you can’t revert back to a previous save file.

In the game XCOM 2, your characters can die permanently, so it’s crucial to take great care in keeping them alive as their survival helps maintain a level of competitiveness against the enemy forces.

As a player, I’ve learned that a single misstep during gameplay can escalate into a situation that’s tough to bounce back from.

5. Survivor Mode

Frostpunk

In the post-apocalyptic urban simulator game, the Survivor mode ramps up every challenge to its peak, encompassing economic issues, citizen requirements and reactions towards you, as well as harsh climate conditions. To add a layer of complexity, it removes the ability to manually save progress and pause the game.

Even when set on less difficult modes, Frostpunk can prove quite demanding due to the numerous potential issues that may arise.

In your role, it’s essential to manage multiple types of resources while addressing the wants and requirements of the citizenry. Giving priority to one aspect inevitably implies setting aside another, yet there are instances where this trade-off is necessary.

In Survivor mode, since there are no manual saves, making mistakes during gameplay could have significant consequences as they may last for the entire playthrough. Running low on resources, for example, could lead to a scenario where your entire town is left freezing and unable to recover. Moreover, you can’t pause the game to take a break or think about your next move.

4. Naked Brutality + Losing Is Fun + Commitment Mode

RimWorld

In RimWorld, there are numerous customization options that can make the game incredibly challenging. These include the initial situation, the AI-controlled difficulty level, and the save format.

In the “Naked Brutality” situation, you begin with just one bare character and no resources.
– The “Losing Is Fun” challenge level significantly increases the frequency of unfavorable occurrences happening to you.
– Playing in “Commitment mode” disallows manual saves, providing a more challenging and immersive experience.

One method of rephrasing in a casual and clear manner: Each of these settings by itself is harsh, but activating all three simultaneously guarantees a challenging experience. If you dare to do so, know that the world will be relentless against you, and when things go south, there’s no respite or chance to reload resources. Best of luck!

3. NG+7 + Demon Bell

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

In Soulsborne series, games are notoriously tough, and Sekiro is no different. The game encourages repeated failures, hoping you will learn from each one.

Soulsborne games have a reputation for being harsh, and that’s true for Sekiro as well. You’re supposed to fail many times, with the idea being that you’ll get better each time you do.

These games are tough when you play them for the first time. After finishing the game, you may find that there’s a challenging mode called New Game Plus (NG+), which is essentially starting over but with increased difficulty levels. In the game Sekiro, this can be done up to 7 times, taking the challenge level up to 7 steps higher than the regular gameplay.

Besides this, you’re given the option to engage an additional challenging mode whenever you wish by using the Demon Bell. Each ring of the bell serves to amplify enemy damage and their resistance to damage, effectively raising the game’s difficulty level.

2. Hard + The Lost

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

In the game The Binding of Isaac, the ‘Hard’ difficulty level presents a clear challenge. It introduces stronger adversaries in greater numbers, reduces the number of rewards, and increases the number of rooms per floor to add complexity and disorientation.

However, the real challenge arises when controlling The Lost. Although it may seem like an argument can be made that The Lost is a character rather than a difficulty level, the main purpose of this character lies in creating challenges. Notably, The Lost perishes with just one strike.

Obtaining the Holy Mantle as a starting item for ‘The Lost’ character provides a shield against damage in one room. But let me tell you, even after defeating Mom’s Heart to acquire the simplest additional item for The Lost, this is considered an incredibly difficult task, and that’s with the Holy Mantle’s protection!

1. Ultra-Nightmare

DOOM Eternal

In a nutshell, DOOM Eternal offers an intense, frenetic gaming experience that’s challenging, even on its easiest setting. Cranking up the difficulty to “Nightmare” mode only amplifies the chaos!

In Nightmare mode, enemies inflict more damage compared to the regular Hurt Me Plenty setting, and the AI behaves even more aggressively than in the challenging Ultra-Violence mode.

In Ultra-Nightmare mode, you face a merciless ordeal that lasts over 14 hours without any chance of dying or respawning. The name Ultra-Nightmare truly fits this challenging experience.

2025-02-06 20:40