Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General which difficulty do you recommend?

hi all,
I am gonna get BD tomorrow and was wondering whether to choose action or strategy difficulty? I really want the game to be very challenging, but not to the point where it becomes frustrating...

I am not a newbie at this kind of game, I finished DD and found the demo really easy, so I guess strategic would be the best choice?

oh yeah, is there any way to disable being able to change the difficulty in-game? I really hate being tempted by it, it feels like cheating and it takes all the fun out of difficult situations if I know I could simply lower the difficulty...

the easy answer is to try it on tactical for a while and then make a decision based on your experiences.
i personally started on tactical and then switched to hardcore (where i play now).
with the ability to change difficulty settings while in-game, it truly doesn't make much difference anymore.

I played my first game on Tactical and had no real problem going through the whole game.

I'd agree with lego, but only if you are confident in your experience playing RPGs. Otherwise I would recommend playing the first part of Act I (maybe up to where you find the first Battlefield key) on Very Easy, then switch to Tactical once you are in the swing of things.

Well, I have a question about that - as I have seen, on easy you start out with two skill points from the beginning, and get a third one at the first level up, which comes fairly soon.

On action you start with one skill point and get one at level up.

On tactical you swtart with zero skill pointe, and get one at level up.

I feel like I could play tactical, but I hate starting out without the advantage of those two extra skill points.

Is there a penalty of any kind if you start out with the easy, get those extra skjill points, then switch to tactical? Like, will the next level ups get zero poiints to compensate for the bump up in difficulty? Or do you get to keep the extra skill points? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

Only by your self-discipline or by installing an earlier version. This slider has not been there from the very start. (exists since 1.44). Check out the versions and their fixes, please. I think, 1.43 already allowed BF entrance and exit. <sigh> some wanted this slider and now ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />

Judee => I don't know, I never tried this, but why don't you and then report? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Well, since I already killed Fergus I might do that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Play it on Hardcore. You know you want to. I finished it and had about 500 restoration potions, so it's not that tough <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> Of course I probably used about 200 potions on the final battle, but then I never learnt magic so I was making it tough on myself.

I would play at a minimum the next harder level than action. I am playing action and it is way to easy.

How the hell can you guys play on anything harder than action ?! . I play on very easy and I still have too use potions after every fight (almost) and im level 18 on act 2 (both my characters are warriors) . Very easy is the closest thing to resemble the gameplay in devine divinity wich I have completed and done every quest in .

Beyond divinity is a great game but in my opinion it way to difficult . Ive played many rpgs like baldurs gate 1 & 2 , nevewinter nights + the expansions , planescape , arcanum and so on . And BD its the first rpg that I had to lower the difficulty in

i play it on easy. Thats what works best for me. I think if i had it on any higher level. I'd be screaming because. i'd be so pissed off that i kept dying.

What i said earlier was only for the main quest . The battfield levels are far more balanced and enjoyable . On those levels I can cut thru hordes of enemys without bothering about potions (not much anyway . The developers should have made the main quest as balanced as the battlefield levels .

I don't consider being able to cut myself through hordes without trouble => "balanced". It would bore me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> - therefore I left out the BF. Ok, I played on tactical due to a clicking error (and not on my first run) - but I survived. As I'm not a combat crack, it was difficult - and challenging at the same time. I only had real probs in Act 3, in a certain area, where I increased my cussing vocabular (I hate Earth elementals).
And it was my own pride not to use the difficulty slider - I know, childish... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

Currently playing Hardcore in act 3 , and it's quite difficult sometimes but it's doable, I have no idea how I managed to slide from Tactical to Action and finally to hardcore in game <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Then I suppose you've cheated through them.
Arcanum and NWN are very easy games anyway.


Just use a trainer and give yourself God-mode. Would spare you from using potions.

Playing tactical.
Excellent, I see they fixed the overpowered barrels. I died while battling Fergus while trying to smash him with some barrel before I decided to throw the Hunting Knife instead <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />.

Well I was after the gameplay that existed in devine divinity . But you´ll have too agree that BD is one of the hardest rpgs out there . And as I said before , this is the frist rpg ive lowered the dificulty level and ive played a lot of rpgs .

BD more of a action rpg and is to limited to be enjoyable as a tactical rpg

I should almost see that as a personal attack . Ive would never ruin the gameplay in a rpg by cheating and I think lowering the dificulty is kind of a cheat too . But BD got to frustrated after a while so I had to do it and im not proud of it either <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" /> .

I can't say "hardest" as I don't play action RPG, but is definitely more difficult to survive - OH YES! You see, I take combat as a side part, I'm more interested in solving quests - and if I hadn't made my error and obviously chose "tactical" instead of "easy" - I'd still play it in that mode. Don't be sad (your smilie to Death's post) - if you like this game and give it another try after your first run, you'll get a knack how to survive. This game needs a lot of concentration, patience (at least I did, as I'm not a good fighter)
and a nervous finger on the pause button <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

I'll give you a small tip:
Use the F... I mean the Barrels!
Build barricades, throw them in your enemies (actually it's better to throw sharp, pointy stuff at your enemies but heavy packets are useful too), store stuff in them and keep throwing.
Lure you enemies to your barrels...
And I am not kidding. I've beaten 3 guards with a barrel by the kichen on the first floor of the citadel <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />.

Tip: Break the barrels if you want to throw them: they take more space.

Most of the rpgs ive played are turn based . If BD was turn based like bauldurs gate it would be a lot more enjoyable . But as a action rpg with its limited tactical interface its more frustrating .

I guess Larian tried to go away from the simple hack & slash gameplay in DD and make it more tactical but according to me it wasnt really a good idea . And thats also the main complaint from fans of the original game . But i still think this is a good game and the improvments clearly overwheight the disappointments . I´ll just have concentrate more <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> , but i also hope that Larian will make a more balanced gameplay in the next divinity game

Wasn't Baldur's Gate real time? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />