We don’t yet have any info about difficulty modes as far as I’m aware, but it would be extremely surprising if there weren’t any. Personally, I’m not fussed about an Ironman mode, and though I confess I did it the first couple of playthroughs I no longer find any problem avoiding save scumming when that’s going to spoil my immersion. But I know it’s something that comes up reasonably frequently, so while I’m not quite sure how you’re envisioning it working, if there were a mode that people could use to disincentivise reloading on a bad dice roll then there could well be a demand.
With respect to illlithid powers, I’m happy to wait and see what consequences Larian have in mind for the full game. It seems to me that they must be planned, and if we wish to avoid becoming a True Soul then we’ll probably need to ration use of the powers even more over the course of the full game. I feel that there’s enough indication that using the powers might be problematic that, from a roleplay perspective, it makes sense that many of my characters would use them only infrequently if at all, and as each character can use them only once per day then unless we long rest spam there’s a limit in any case. I personally like that we have plenty of options to use the powers so we can pick those occasions which make most roleplay sense for our characters, and don’t have any problem not using the powers when I don’t think it makes sense for my PC. And I definitely want options for solving problems without combat wherever possible to give me the flexibility to play the game in multiple ways. So as long as there are appropriately interesting consequences for either using or not using the tadpole in the full game, I wouldn’t want the game to limit opportunities to avoid combat.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. It's interesting to see different players' perspectives on Ironman Mode and the Illithid tadpole mechanics.
While I understand that some players can avoid save scumming without issue, I do think that having an Ironman Mode would be a very welcome and most presumably inevitable addition for those who want to further challenge themselves and enhance their immersion in the game. It's good to read that there's demand for this feature and the potential for it to work for hardcore players.
Regarding the Illithid tadpole, I agree with you that it's essential to wait and see what consequences Larian Studios has in mind for the full game. It's a relief there are indications on that the abuse of these powers might have negative consequences, making players think twice before using them. Having multiple options to solve problems without combat is also an essential aspect of the game, and I appreciate those values for this as well.
It's great to see people engaging in thoughtful discussions about mechanics and sharing their perspectives. I look forward to seeing how Larian Studios addresses these concerns in the full game.
