Games are not always creative when it comes to presenting different difficulty settings, but it looks like Square Enix is going the extra mile with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with highly customizable difficulty options designed to make the game more accessible to all kinds of players.
This new system will allow players to choose specific difficulty settings for the three main gameplay elements, which are combat, exploration, and puzzles. For the most part, players can change any of these settings whenever they want to, but there’s a catch. If you choose the Deadly Obsession difficulty, it applies to all the gameplay categories, and you won’t be able to change the difficulty setting for the rest of the playthrough. This freedom to customize your experience means that every player can get exactly the specific challenges that they crave while simultaneously making things easier during other parts of the game.
You can check out below the entire list of difficulty options that you will have at your disposal. If you want to know what we thought of the game when we went hands-on with it, you can read all about that here. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is set to release for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 14.
COMBAT
Easy
- Aim assist enabled
- Enemies have lower health and do less damage
- Ammunition boxes are plentiful
- Enemies have illuminated silhouettes
Normal
- Enemies have normal health and damage
- Ammunition boxes are rare
- Enemies have illuminated silhouettes
Hard
- Enemies have increased health, do more damage and locate Lara more quickly.
- No health regeneration in combat
- Ammunition boxes are rare
- No hit markers on the reticle
- Enemies are not highlighted in Survival Instincts
Deadly Obsession
- Same as hard
- No HUD icon when Lara is being detected by an enemy
EXPLORATION
Easy
- Obvious white paint on critical path
- Longer saving grab timer
- Base camps are lit
Normal
- Discreet white paint on critical path
- Normal saving grab timer
- Base camps are unlit
Hard
- No white paint on critical path
- Reduced saving grab timer
- No Survival Instincts during exploration
- Base camps are unlit
Deadly Obsession
- Same as Hard
- Base camps are unlit and require resources to light
- Game only saves at Base camps
PUZZLES
Easy
- Lara gives direct hints on next action to perform
- Interactable objects are highlighted in Survival Instincts
- Objects necessary to progress highlighted in blue during Survival Instincts
- Longer window of opportunity for timed mechanics
Normal
- Lara gives general hints on the next action to perform
- Interactable objects are highlighted in Survival Instincts
- Normal window of opportunity for timed mechanics
Hard/Deadly Obsession
- No hints are given by Lara
- No Survival Instincts
- Shorter window of opportunity for timer mechanics