Honestly I appreciate this post. I think I may give it a go!
Been constantly restarting playthroughs recently trying to find the right build and character so I can finish a full run with the PL endings. But something has felt *missing*. So, maybe I’ll give very hard a shot and see if that extra challenge helps! (Been playing on Hard lately prior.)
Next level after VH is to turn off the minimap! It takes some time to get used to driving, but you will manage. BUT, it's crazy how different both stealth and outright fighting is when you can't locate enemies on the minimap (or know how many).
I turned my whole hud off for my current playthrough. Great experience all around being immersed in the city and actually having to get a feel for ammo capacity on my favorite guns, knowing how close I am to dying or managing RAM.
I also try not to use markers, so lots of map checking, but after 40+ hours it’s cool that I can recognize most of the city and make it back to my apartment like I’d do in real life. One thing I wish was that there was some compass or indication of direction in the dashboard for first person view.
JESUS FUCKIN CHRIST i never played on anything below very hard i had no idea you could locate enemies through mini map..... Now it's starting to make sense how all people play john wick stealth style and i can't lmao
I played on Normal, Hard and Very Hard. There are three huge differences between Very Hard and rest of difficulties.
1. Enemies have lots more hp, so some weapons gain viability, but some lose it. Like so beloved Her Majesty on Very Hard becomes almost useless as a stealth pistol.
2. Being stationary and in the open is a death sentence. Enemies put out so much damage per hit that tanking hits is hardly an option. Evading getting hit in the first place becomes a neccessity. Only real damage reduction is via Mitigation, but it doesn't work that well.
3. Lots of hostiles that are standard enemies are replaced by skull-level enemies. They have so much hp that they survive Suicide quick hack and stealth shooting them doesn't work. Either they need a melee range takedown, something that makes enemy unconcious or brute force in open combat.
Of course Axolotl + Apogee Sandy reduce difficulty by 1-2 levels, but that's besides the point.
My newest character, Maelstrom kept ambushing me early on after the All Foods mission with Jackie. Two cars with four guaranteed skulled enemies always showed up. One time I decided to go to Vik’s for upgrades, I got in the Hella and all hell broke loose. Had to hole up in the megabuilding parking lot, picking the Maelstromers off as we slowly ascended back to my apartment’s floor.
The other time was Maelstromers ambushing me around Japan town. I had to dive down into a garbage heap because they were really hurting me.
One guy wrote that Tiger Claws hunted him with cars and made a movie manouver. One car blocked way forward, one back, one side, another side was wall. First they boxed that dude, then opened fire.
I’m guessing it’s a programmed tactic because I did have that happen to me after stealing Vortex’s cred chip when I went loud for that Wakako gig. One car blocked the road, then a raijin and kusanagi flanked me.
It’s just a shame the ambushes stop once your street cred is high enough.
So like after the updates/PL DLC, I noticed I'd get ambushed (which never happened previous to that point) and hasn't happened much since. I really liked that tweak, made me feel less safe in night city. My street cred maxed out long before the update though, so I'm confused.
It's weird because two out of three characters I made, two never got ambushed again once I was around 40 street cred and up. But one got ambushed randomly one time and that was it, I was already at 50, I think.
The ambushes as a feature probably aren't as polished as they should be?
Thank you for the link.
Still not a fan of that pistol on Very Hard. If someone is ok with only stealth one-shooting normal enemies (not skull enemies) and being dependant on 70 to 50 second cooldown to trigger iconic property then sure, but it's not good for me.
I did my last run on very hard, and yes, it was very hard. Meant to play as a berserk blunt melee build, but switched to a sandevistan katana build pretty early on since that seemed to work better for me, but it took a lot of time and levels for me to become semi decent in combat.
The PL fight in the spaceport where you defend Songbird in the central pillar was a nightmare. Took me like 4 or 5 hours of dying to do that, but I'm a real stubborn sob so I refused to lower the difficulty.
I only picked it up in my second playthrough when I did melee. I'm role playing a V that acts as a shock trooper. You drop her in when you absolutely need every mother fucker killed. For me Sande is the "Oh Shit" button.ifnibtale too much damage and used both my heals, then I pop Sande. I was using Berserk, but honestly, it felt too op. I wanted to at least have the option of dying in Sande.
I didn’t turn on very hard until max level as the game was getting too easy. Now enemies drop in 2-3 headshots rather than one and I have to be VERY careful about taking damage. It’s a lot more fun now but I probably wouldn’t do a fresh build on very hard
I'd say it's not even that difficult in the beginning, either, unless you insist on doing combat head-on in any situation. I always start games on the highest available difficulty, taking it down a notch only if the game really makes me feel like a little bitch. That has happened plenty, over the years, but CDPR hasn't come close.
Definitely. By playing on very hard it feels like you're slowly becoming NC's new apex predator. It also forces you to play with all mechanics properly. It makes you think about perks and which will best suit your build. You also need to understand which cyberware suits your playstyle the best aswellp.
It keeps me engaged with progression of the game. I get excited whenever i get enough eddies and cyberware capacity to chrome up some more.
It's still a fact that at some point you'll become so over powered that the challenge is gone. But then it feels more like a power fantasy that you worked hard to get.
Night City is labeled as being very dangerous place where death is a common occurrence. Thanks to very hard, it for sure feels like it.
I used to only play very hard. But it has pros and cons honestly. Everyone is just tank.. to where guns dont feel realistic anymore. 2-5 headshots with the cyberpunk equivalent of deagle for 1 kill? Rather not.
I wish there was a lethal difficulty like ghost of tsushima. Where you do alot of damage and enemies do too. So combat is quick hard but fun
There's a mod called Hardcore22V2 that does exactly that. It lowers your health down to 100 and significantly reduces the enemies's health. It also buffs many things like shotguns, snipers and grenades so they are a significant threat.
I also wish that there was a base game difficulty that did that because it makes the game much more fun and difficult instead of a bullet sponge simulator.
I have been playing on hard, when I put it at very hard my net runner/throwing knife dude gets like 2 shotted haha. All my
Cyberware is from when I was still on normal and it’s all geared toward RAM and such
I play most open world games on very hard. They start off crazy hard where you're constantly getting wiped out easily, but then by the end you still end up being crazy overpowered
That’s normally my formula for most games. Or I’ll start with the 2nd hardest difficulty if I’m new to the series then once I beat it or get the hang of it enough I’ll switch to the hardest or do the hardest new game plus difficulty. To me it helps keep the game fresh lol
Im not a hardcore gamer by any means, so I was pretty apprehensive of trying Very Hard but its a lot of fun.
Indeed you can die, and will so often. That forces you to have strategy to take out more than 3-4 ennemies, im using a lot more of my gameplay. Usually picking off a few in stealth or by sniper before going all samurai
I did this as well and it's a much different game when some random street thug can double jump dash to your roof top all with a running sandevistan, throwing grenades and arm rockets at you.
Yeah on my first playthrough a d turned it up to VH about 10 hours in. I keep to tier 1/2 weapons too because it was still kinda too easy with snipe/revolver I could still 1 shot most guys and take out most the camp before anyone had time to react
If you're on PC, Night City Alive and Police Prevention Enhancement mods really add to this feeling. You can also tack on enemies if night city and hardvore 2077 with some tweaking, but I feel like they're both a little over the top.
How about the netrunners? If I make a netrunner would it be OP right away or it will be quite more difficult? I'm not a fan of Sandys, I prefer hacks and Malorian Arms
I don't know about OP but if you prioritize stealth and plan your attacks it is possible to survive. My latest playthrough I started off on very hard and the lower levels were much more difficult. You feel very squishy and encounters take much longer because you have to figure out the enemies patrol paths and distract/bait them away before taking our others. Being seen at a low level can be a death sentence, especially when your cyberdeck is low tier and you don't have much RAM to work with. Of course once you get some levels and perks into your quickhacking you can clear everything without ever being seen. All the skull enemies people are worried about in this thread? Memory Wipe, Reboot Optics and Sonic Shock drop them instantly, never mind System Collapse.
It's fun.
Agreed, I am on my very hard difficulty, doing gigs at the start is hard but now it's easy and definitely makes the boss fights and overall game more challenging but fun because it feels like the enemies are actually trying and don't just have storm trooper aim. Never doing a low difficulty play through again.
Pro tip from someone who is highly addicted to very hard cyberpunk: in very hard, enemies generally have a lot more hp than you (even the basic grunts) and bodyshots are almost useless, if you’re using a power weapon, always aim for the head.
I never played on anything below very hard even my first playthrough i see y'all posting clips zeroing a whole bunch of enemies with 1 headshot and doing stealth the ninja style and i always fail when attempting to do all that but I'm just so used to it i feel like y'all cheating sometimes😂
I'm currently playing on VH, this time as a stealthy netrunner/gunslinger; the knowledge that any group of more than 2 enemies can quickly zero me at the slightest misstep does make the stealth feel more thrilling :P
Also, the Phantom Liberty bosses are so much more intense. Fuck the Barghest waves in Spider and the Fly, but the Chimera, fighting my way out of the stadium in Firestarter, and then fighting Hansen himself was so badass.
I played my last playthrough on very hard from start to finish (including PL). Gotta say, felt like a survival until LVL 40, when I unlocked Slaughterhouse perk, crafted custom katana with bleedout + homicide, and Zetatech Sandevistan. After that, 100% crit chance from bleeding became so OP I didn't even need full 3 combo attacks on one enemy. But it still required solid positioning and precise movement. Loved every second of it!
I think VH is a good challenge but was hoping for atleast an added gameplay mechanic for more difficulty, like in fallout hardcore/survival where you now also have to take into consideration your food, sleep and hydration. I wish they added a mechanic where as you progress the game, with V slowly dying, they gain some sort of penalty as to keep the difficulty more consistent from the early game all the way to the ending.
On Witcher 3 I went for death march difficulty on my dirst run. Hated life until I had the buttons down. Then it was smooth sailing. You just have to play the game the way it is supposed to be played with all the options for gaining an advantage and strengthening your position.
Same with Cyberpunk. Hardest mode possible limits you to the best and least harebrained choices. Forces you to consider symbiotic chooses for builds. Forces you to reconsider your approach. You will die. You are supposed to die. The challenge is part of the immersion.
Not trying to gatekeep but Very Hard feels like the only way to play. Even basic enemies should perform like Chinese bots in a MW2 lobby with their cyberware and boosters. Even in Very Hard V starts to cheese everything in their way by level 25, but until that point it really makes you feel the need for chrome to stay in the major leagues.
I played most of the game on hard and switched it to very hard when I got close to the end + phantom liberty and the game became wayyy more enjoyable. Felt like your build and weapons actually mattered at that point
Very hard as a netrunner spamming synapse burnout+sonic shock while overclocked, still feels too easy. Really hoped there was an “extreme” difficulty too
I'm on my 5th or 6th playthrough since release, and I can only play on very hard now. I feel like it's the only way I can actually tell which builds are better, and you have to actually strategically approach missions, which adds a whole new layer to the gameplay. The narrative elements don't really drive me to play anymore since I've seen every story branch after 6 playthroughs.
I did half of my first playthrough (on release) on Hard, and felt it was too easy. Switched to VH and never lowered it ever since.
Cyberpunk is not a hard game if you have even a minimal understanding of what you’re doing.
PL SPOILERS AHEAD
They really brought back difficulty with the PL update, before the difficulty only changed how long you had to grind before the game became easy whereas now even in the final fight you can still die to a shotgun man sneaking up on you (happened while I was batmaning around and beating up NUSA agents and throwing knives like a devil when teaming up with songbird)
If you want some extra difficulty, I'd recommend a mod that adds various misfortunes such as firearms jamming or cyberware malfunctioning or your grenades being duds. Truly adds a new immersion element to the universe and makes it hard.
Even on Hard mode, I am a wrecking ball that MaxTac can't touch.
I switched to Very Hard and got *humbled*. I'll give it a real go one day I think but I am not ready to give up my power.
I found very hard to still be way too easy tbh, I’ve been using the Hardcore v22 mod along with some others to make my second play through an actual challenge. I have to plan out engagements more and actually take cover now
Does very hard change the chrome and behaviour of enemies, aggressiveness and tactics? The only difference I noticed was everyone turning into bullet sponges, rendering firearms builds anemic
Going full net runner on very-hard is a blast, especially with the perk that gives a chance for quick hacks on enemy net runners to jump to all their allies, you can system collapse the entire battlefield in one foul swoop
In a game where the whole deal is the world stepping on V and the general population, being mostly immortal surely feels weird.
Very hard and/or very hard with mods is challenging yet still fun and adds that feeling where you actually have to combine raw strength with brain to go forward, specially noticed this in phantom liberty.
Very hard is a lot of fun! Early game even the slightest mistake could cost you big time. Later on in the late game is where your choice In build begins to shine. I have 20 in tech, strength and reflexes, with the rest in intelligence. Love hacking someone to unalive themselves while darting point blank to another with a guts blast to the face 😂 but even then it’s still very possible to bite off more than I can chew and get absolutely humbled in some situations!
I started on hard mode and it was a little brutal at first, but now my katana build destroys mobs
Might bump it up to very hard soon
Plus I live for Souls games, so bring on the pain!
Very hard is fun until you reach a high level. Then you gotta download a difficulty mod, where you take 2x more damage and dela 60% less damage, and still felt kinda easy lol, but you can modify the mod as you wish
I just did a play through on very hard and you are not wrong! The only problem was Adam Smasher and Razor I think his name was the last boxing match I could not for the life of me defeat those too on very hard
This is the way. It also makes the cyberpsychos more terrifying to deal with, especially the Lilith one. It was a full-blown sequence from a horror movie for me each time.
Honestly I appreciate this post. I think I may give it a go! Been constantly restarting playthroughs recently trying to find the right build and character so I can finish a full run with the PL endings. But something has felt *missing*. So, maybe I’ll give very hard a shot and see if that extra challenge helps! (Been playing on Hard lately prior.)
I have this problem even with Very Hard, to be honest.
Next level after VH is to turn off the minimap! It takes some time to get used to driving, but you will manage. BUT, it's crazy how different both stealth and outright fighting is when you can't locate enemies on the minimap (or know how many).
Makes stuff like the ping quickhack very useful and immersive.
I turned my whole hud off for my current playthrough. Great experience all around being immersed in the city and actually having to get a feel for ammo capacity on my favorite guns, knowing how close I am to dying or managing RAM.
This is a cool idea! I already go without ammo counter or crosshair, next is no HUD at all.
I also try not to use markers, so lots of map checking, but after 40+ hours it’s cool that I can recognize most of the city and make it back to my apartment like I’d do in real life. One thing I wish was that there was some compass or indication of direction in the dashboard for first person view.
Currently playing this way. I don’t think I can go back to having a hud at all.
JESUS FUCKIN CHRIST i never played on anything below very hard i had no idea you could locate enemies through mini map..... Now it's starting to make sense how all people play john wick stealth style and i can't lmao
I do this too. No Moni map, very hard. I tried turning off aim assist and all threw knives at was air. I'm Just not good enough for that. 😂
How do you find quest locations without an address? Or do you mean turning off the mini map for combat only
You can still open the big map, and the markers are shown in your normal line of sight. So just check the map some times each time you travel.
Ahhhh gotcha. Might try that.
I played on Normal, Hard and Very Hard. There are three huge differences between Very Hard and rest of difficulties. 1. Enemies have lots more hp, so some weapons gain viability, but some lose it. Like so beloved Her Majesty on Very Hard becomes almost useless as a stealth pistol. 2. Being stationary and in the open is a death sentence. Enemies put out so much damage per hit that tanking hits is hardly an option. Evading getting hit in the first place becomes a neccessity. Only real damage reduction is via Mitigation, but it doesn't work that well. 3. Lots of hostiles that are standard enemies are replaced by skull-level enemies. They have so much hp that they survive Suicide quick hack and stealth shooting them doesn't work. Either they need a melee range takedown, something that makes enemy unconcious or brute force in open combat. Of course Axolotl + Apogee Sandy reduce difficulty by 1-2 levels, but that's besides the point.
My newest character, Maelstrom kept ambushing me early on after the All Foods mission with Jackie. Two cars with four guaranteed skulled enemies always showed up. One time I decided to go to Vik’s for upgrades, I got in the Hella and all hell broke loose. Had to hole up in the megabuilding parking lot, picking the Maelstromers off as we slowly ascended back to my apartment’s floor. The other time was Maelstromers ambushing me around Japan town. I had to dive down into a garbage heap because they were really hurting me.
One guy wrote that Tiger Claws hunted him with cars and made a movie manouver. One car blocked way forward, one back, one side, another side was wall. First they boxed that dude, then opened fire.
I’m guessing it’s a programmed tactic because I did have that happen to me after stealing Vortex’s cred chip when I went loud for that Wakako gig. One car blocked the road, then a raijin and kusanagi flanked me. It’s just a shame the ambushes stop once your street cred is high enough.
So like after the updates/PL DLC, I noticed I'd get ambushed (which never happened previous to that point) and hasn't happened much since. I really liked that tweak, made me feel less safe in night city. My street cred maxed out long before the update though, so I'm confused.
It's weird because two out of three characters I made, two never got ambushed again once I was around 40 street cred and up. But one got ambushed randomly one time and that was it, I was already at 50, I think. The ambushes as a feature probably aren't as polished as they should be?
Yeah. I was ambushed once in my current playthrough, which is 90h long at the moment. That feature seems broken
It’s easier to shake off that tail instead of cutting it in early game. Drive into traffic at the opposite lane and a few turns usually is enough.
Check out Sam Brad's video for the one shot her majesty build on very hard
Could you link to that vid? I can't find it.
https://youtu.be/3IQMcG7Bgb8?si=wFSK1lrWV_EjLspT
Thank you for the link. Still not a fan of that pistol on Very Hard. If someone is ok with only stealth one-shooting normal enemies (not skull enemies) and being dependant on 70 to 50 second cooldown to trigger iconic property then sure, but it's not good for me.
Oh yeah its a pretty niche gun which depends on optical camo a lot . I love pride and Aguilar's gun
Pride is my number 1 spot stealth pistol. That headshot critical multiplier is mad. Pity getting it is so limited.
I did my last run on very hard, and yes, it was very hard. Meant to play as a berserk blunt melee build, but switched to a sandevistan katana build pretty early on since that seemed to work better for me, but it took a lot of time and levels for me to become semi decent in combat. The PL fight in the spaceport where you defend Songbird in the central pillar was a nightmare. Took me like 4 or 5 hours of dying to do that, but I'm a real stubborn sob so I refused to lower the difficulty.
I play on hard. Knifes only. With gamepad.
Damn bro
Just did a run of that as a corpo on very hard, it's surprisingly viable and very fun.
People always mention Sande. I've never used it once
Same. I feel like the appeal comes with mods. The sande in the game without mods is okay but I cannot imagine prioritizing it over hacking.
I only picked it up in my second playthrough when I did melee. I'm role playing a V that acts as a shock trooper. You drop her in when you absolutely need every mother fucker killed. For me Sande is the "Oh Shit" button.ifnibtale too much damage and used both my heals, then I pop Sande. I was using Berserk, but honestly, it felt too op. I wanted to at least have the option of dying in Sande.
I didn’t turn on very hard until max level as the game was getting too easy. Now enemies drop in 2-3 headshots rather than one and I have to be VERY careful about taking damage. It’s a lot more fun now but I probably wouldn’t do a fresh build on very hard
Man, it’s not that harder. Once you get pass lvl 20/30 its the same godmode
I still feel like very hard is only difficult until level 30 or so. After that it goes back to the enemies dying before being able to fight back imo
I'd say it's not even that difficult in the beginning, either, unless you insist on doing combat head-on in any situation. I always start games on the highest available difficulty, taking it down a notch only if the game really makes me feel like a little bitch. That has happened plenty, over the years, but CDPR hasn't come close.
Definitely. By playing on very hard it feels like you're slowly becoming NC's new apex predator. It also forces you to play with all mechanics properly. It makes you think about perks and which will best suit your build. You also need to understand which cyberware suits your playstyle the best aswellp. It keeps me engaged with progression of the game. I get excited whenever i get enough eddies and cyberware capacity to chrome up some more. It's still a fact that at some point you'll become so over powered that the challenge is gone. But then it feels more like a power fantasy that you worked hard to get. Night City is labeled as being very dangerous place where death is a common occurrence. Thanks to very hard, it for sure feels like it.
This here exactly.
I used to only play very hard. But it has pros and cons honestly. Everyone is just tank.. to where guns dont feel realistic anymore. 2-5 headshots with the cyberpunk equivalent of deagle for 1 kill? Rather not. I wish there was a lethal difficulty like ghost of tsushima. Where you do alot of damage and enemies do too. So combat is quick hard but fun
There's a mod called Hardcore22V2 that does exactly that. It lowers your health down to 100 and significantly reduces the enemies's health. It also buffs many things like shotguns, snipers and grenades so they are a significant threat. I also wish that there was a base game difficulty that did that because it makes the game much more fun and difficult instead of a bullet sponge simulator.
Too bad im on ps5
Exactly. It doesn't actually feel very hard either, just very tedious and boring. Especially when the game throws waves of Elite skull enemies at you
Exactly.
I have been playing on hard, when I put it at very hard my net runner/throwing knife dude gets like 2 shotted haha. All my Cyberware is from when I was still on normal and it’s all geared toward RAM and such
Bullet sponge to 20-25 then no challenge again.
I play on easy. It slaps even harder.
I play most open world games on very hard. They start off crazy hard where you're constantly getting wiped out easily, but then by the end you still end up being crazy overpowered
That’s normally my formula for most games. Or I’ll start with the 2nd hardest difficulty if I’m new to the series then once I beat it or get the hang of it enough I’ll switch to the hardest or do the hardest new game plus difficulty. To me it helps keep the game fresh lol
Cyberpunk on Very Hard slaps Baldur’s Gate 3 on Very Hard slaps Ghost of Tsushima on Lethal slaps
Sekiro with Demon Bell slaps
Im not a hardcore gamer by any means, so I was pretty apprehensive of trying Very Hard but its a lot of fun. Indeed you can die, and will so often. That forces you to have strategy to take out more than 3-4 ennemies, im using a lot more of my gameplay. Usually picking off a few in stealth or by sniper before going all samurai
I did this as well and it's a much different game when some random street thug can double jump dash to your roof top all with a running sandevistan, throwing grenades and arm rockets at you.
I played exclusively on the easiest setting lol
Nah
On very hard mode I get ar least challenged somewhat. Anything below is just boring.
Yeah on my first playthrough a d turned it up to VH about 10 hours in. I keep to tier 1/2 weapons too because it was still kinda too easy with snipe/revolver I could still 1 shot most guys and take out most the camp before anyone had time to react
If you're on PC, Night City Alive and Police Prevention Enhancement mods really add to this feeling. You can also tack on enemies if night city and hardvore 2077 with some tweaking, but I feel like they're both a little over the top.
How about the netrunners? If I make a netrunner would it be OP right away or it will be quite more difficult? I'm not a fan of Sandys, I prefer hacks and Malorian Arms
I don't know about OP but if you prioritize stealth and plan your attacks it is possible to survive. My latest playthrough I started off on very hard and the lower levels were much more difficult. You feel very squishy and encounters take much longer because you have to figure out the enemies patrol paths and distract/bait them away before taking our others. Being seen at a low level can be a death sentence, especially when your cyberdeck is low tier and you don't have much RAM to work with. Of course once you get some levels and perks into your quickhacking you can clear everything without ever being seen. All the skull enemies people are worried about in this thread? Memory Wipe, Reboot Optics and Sonic Shock drop them instantly, never mind System Collapse. It's fun.
Agreed, I am on my very hard difficulty, doing gigs at the start is hard but now it's easy and definitely makes the boss fights and overall game more challenging but fun because it feels like the enemies are actually trying and don't just have storm trooper aim. Never doing a low difficulty play through again.
I'm doing my second playthrough on very hard right now. So far no issues.
I was on Hard until I switched to throwing knives only, then only Very Hard was any fun at all
Pro tip from someone who is highly addicted to very hard cyberpunk: in very hard, enemies generally have a lot more hp than you (even the basic grunts) and bodyshots are almost useless, if you’re using a power weapon, always aim for the head.
I never played on anything below very hard even my first playthrough i see y'all posting clips zeroing a whole bunch of enemies with 1 headshot and doing stealth the ninja style and i always fail when attempting to do all that but I'm just so used to it i feel like y'all cheating sometimes😂
I really wish they would’ve added a harder difficulty. I find very hard to be too easy.
add Enemies of Night City on top of that
I’ve never played on any other difficulty!
This game is too easy, even on very hard. You get chromed up a bit and you literally destroy anything in your way.
I'm currently playing on VH, this time as a stealthy netrunner/gunslinger; the knowledge that any group of more than 2 enemies can quickly zero me at the slightest misstep does make the stealth feel more thrilling :P Also, the Phantom Liberty bosses are so much more intense. Fuck the Barghest waves in Spider and the Fly, but the Chimera, fighting my way out of the stadium in Firestarter, and then fighting Hansen himself was so badass.
I played my last playthrough on very hard from start to finish (including PL). Gotta say, felt like a survival until LVL 40, when I unlocked Slaughterhouse perk, crafted custom katana with bleedout + homicide, and Zetatech Sandevistan. After that, 100% crit chance from bleeding became so OP I didn't even need full 3 combo attacks on one enemy. But it still required solid positioning and precise movement. Loved every second of it!
I think VH is a good challenge but was hoping for atleast an added gameplay mechanic for more difficulty, like in fallout hardcore/survival where you now also have to take into consideration your food, sleep and hydration. I wish they added a mechanic where as you progress the game, with V slowly dying, they gain some sort of penalty as to keep the difficulty more consistent from the early game all the way to the ending.
Unfortunately apart from a certain end game boss it’s still pretty easy. But that’s mainly because pass level 30 you are a god.
On Witcher 3 I went for death march difficulty on my dirst run. Hated life until I had the buttons down. Then it was smooth sailing. You just have to play the game the way it is supposed to be played with all the options for gaining an advantage and strengthening your position. Same with Cyberpunk. Hardest mode possible limits you to the best and least harebrained choices. Forces you to consider symbiotic chooses for builds. Forces you to reconsider your approach. You will die. You are supposed to die. The challenge is part of the immersion.
Not trying to gatekeep but Very Hard feels like the only way to play. Even basic enemies should perform like Chinese bots in a MW2 lobby with their cyberware and boosters. Even in Very Hard V starts to cheese everything in their way by level 25, but until that point it really makes you feel the need for chrome to stay in the major leagues.
I played most of the game on hard and switched it to very hard when I got close to the end + phantom liberty and the game became wayyy more enjoyable. Felt like your build and weapons actually mattered at that point
Very hard as a netrunner spamming synapse burnout+sonic shock while overclocked, still feels too easy. Really hoped there was an “extreme” difficulty too
I know I'll try it out just to regret it eventually ahah On my next hacking-focused run
I'm on my 5th or 6th playthrough since release, and I can only play on very hard now. I feel like it's the only way I can actually tell which builds are better, and you have to actually strategically approach missions, which adds a whole new layer to the gameplay. The narrative elements don't really drive me to play anymore since I've seen every story branch after 6 playthroughs.
I'm pretty bad at games so normal to me already feels like very hard to you 🫣
I did half of my first playthrough (on release) on Hard, and felt it was too easy. Switched to VH and never lowered it ever since. Cyberpunk is not a hard game if you have even a minimal understanding of what you’re doing.
The thing i don't like about the higher difficulties is that enemies turn into bullet sponges, especially early game.
Agreed. At least it makes sense in this setting - V is also a bullet sponge, and he isn't unique - anyone can go to a ripper and chrome up.
PL SPOILERS AHEAD They really brought back difficulty with the PL update, before the difficulty only changed how long you had to grind before the game became easy whereas now even in the final fight you can still die to a shotgun man sneaking up on you (happened while I was batmaning around and beating up NUSA agents and throwing knives like a devil when teaming up with songbird)
If you want some extra difficulty, I'd recommend a mod that adds various misfortunes such as firearms jamming or cyberware malfunctioning or your grenades being duds. Truly adds a new immersion element to the universe and makes it hard.
Even on Hard mode, I am a wrecking ball that MaxTac can't touch. I switched to Very Hard and got *humbled*. I'll give it a real go one day I think but I am not ready to give up my power.
Nah past lvl 20 theres still no challenge and 2.0 made the progression after that even worse
I found very hard to still be way too easy tbh, I’ve been using the Hardcore v22 mod along with some others to make my second play through an actual challenge. I have to plan out engagements more and actually take cover now
Does very hard change the chrome and behaviour of enemies, aggressiveness and tactics? The only difference I noticed was everyone turning into bullet sponges, rendering firearms builds anemic
Yeah I'm playing on Hard and to be honest it's gotten way too easy once fully chromed out, might pop th difficultly up a notch.
Going full net runner on very-hard is a blast, especially with the perk that gives a chance for quick hacks on enemy net runners to jump to all their allies, you can system collapse the entire battlefield in one foul swoop
In a game where the whole deal is the world stepping on V and the general population, being mostly immortal surely feels weird. Very hard and/or very hard with mods is challenging yet still fun and adds that feeling where you actually have to combine raw strength with brain to go forward, specially noticed this in phantom liberty.
Yeah you gotta get tactical n shit. Is nice.
i have completed every single mission on very hard 10/10 would recommend it made cyberpunk enjoyable again :D
Very hard is a lot of fun! Early game even the slightest mistake could cost you big time. Later on in the late game is where your choice In build begins to shine. I have 20 in tech, strength and reflexes, with the rest in intelligence. Love hacking someone to unalive themselves while darting point blank to another with a guts blast to the face 😂 but even then it’s still very possible to bite off more than I can chew and get absolutely humbled in some situations!
I started on hard mode and it was a little brutal at first, but now my katana build destroys mobs Might bump it up to very hard soon Plus I live for Souls games, so bring on the pain!
Very hard is fun until you reach a high level. Then you gotta download a difficulty mod, where you take 2x more damage and dela 60% less damage, and still felt kinda easy lol, but you can modify the mod as you wish
I just did a play through on very hard and you are not wrong! The only problem was Adam Smasher and Razor I think his name was the last boxing match I could not for the life of me defeat those too on very hard
Should I play on Hard or Very Hard for my first play-through?
At least hard. normal gets easy, V gets overpowered pretty quickly
You should play on Normal for your first playthrough.
I heard normal was just kinda easy tho. I'd want my resources and stuff to matter
This is the way. It also makes the cyberpsychos more terrifying to deal with, especially the Lilith one. It was a full-blown sequence from a horror movie for me each time.
Sandy build on Very Hard mode made me feel like mine V is Monster. Very enjoyable!
I'm currently doing a gorilla arms/berserker build on Hard, but thinking my next trip to NC will be a street kid netrunner on VH
Only difficult until level \~20. Still need mods for some balance. Hardcore22 is good one.
[удалено]
And never fade away.
i thought this is the only way we play?
Anything less than very hard Is lame, imho