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Difficulty Settings
Published: 10 May 2016 | Category: Uncharted 4
You can access the game options and change the difficulty anytime you wish. The difficulty modes are Explorer, Light, Moderate, Hard, and Crushing.
To understand Uncharted 4’s difficulty settings, you should first understand that the game is designed in such a way that the more you struggle through an area (resulting in multiple deaths), the more the game implements incremental stages of assistance to make the challenge a little easier. This assistance complements the game’s difficulty setting. For example, the stages of assistance could be triggered after 6, 9, and 12 deaths, and possibly after 4, 6, and 8 deaths on an easy difficulty setting.
Each stage of assistance tweaks certain aspects of combat to make the task progressively easier. These include changes such as reducing enemy accuracy and enemy rate-of-fire, or increasing ally rate-of-fire, etc. Here is an overview of what is adjusted in gameplay, depending on what stage of assistance is implemented.
Details of Auto Assistance Stage 1
After struggling through an area and dying multiple times, the first stage of assistance will activate. These are the slight changes you can observe:
Details of Auto Assistance Stage 2
- Enemy Accuracy slightly reduced
- Time between enemy grenade throws slightly increased
- Time until enemies attempt to flank increased
- Enemy shotgun damage reduced
- Enemy shotgun delay between shots increased
- Enemy sniper target acquisition time increased
- Enemy sniper fire time once locked on increased
- Enemy grenade launcher delay between shots increased
- Enemy RPG delay between shots increased
- Time before ally can apply lethal force reduced
- Time before ally can melee lethally reduced
- Ally melee damage increased
- Time between Checkpoints reduced (45 seconds)
A second stage of assistance activates if you still continue to struggle through an area (that is, die a few more times). This stage further increases those features that were increased in Stage 1 and further decreases those that were decreased. These are the additional changes you can observe in Stage 2 of game assistance:
Details of Auto Assistance Stage 3
- All of Stage 1 assistance features slightly increased or decreased (accordingly)
- Ammo drops increased
- Enemy allies can no longer interrupt player melee to save each other
- Enemies can only land two combo melee hits and enemy melee damage is reduced
- Enemies can no longer melee you when grappled and your melee damage is increased
- Minimum stomps to kick you off a ledge increased to 3
- Enemies can no longer execute a double armbar (holding Drake by both arms and allowing other enemies to melee you from the front)
- Time between Checkpoints further reduced (30 seconds)
A third and final stage of assistance activates if you still continue to struggle through an area. This stage further increases and decreases (accordingly) the features from Stages 1 and 2. The additional changes applied in Stage 3 are as follows:
Difficulty Setting Differences
- Enemies can no longer shoot bursts while suffering hit reactions
- Allies can no longer be grappled
- Enemies can no longer execute melee combos or counter your melee
- Time between Checkpoints further reduced (15 seconds)
- Combat Checkpoints can now trigger after you kill any six enemies
Now that you have a grasp of how the game adjusts to help you through difficult areas (by implementing stages of assistance), the following section lists the differences you can experience by changing the difficulty settings. Although the guide is written for Moderate game players, the list of features that are increased or decreased are based on the default values of Hard mode—that is, everything is tuned relative to how it compares to Hard.
Explorer (Very Easy)
It is almost impossible to die when the game is set to Explorer mode. Health regeneration is set to 1000% and enemy accuracy is at 5%. However, explosions and melee can still hurt you. Camera and Aim assistance settings are enabled by default.
Speedrun
If you want to get through the game in less than 6 hours to get the Charted!-Speedrun trophy, we highly suggest you do this with the difficulty set to Explorer. For more tips on the Speedrun, see the Extras chapter.
Light (Easy)
Gameplay features that are tweaked depending on the selected difficulty level are listed here. These features are either increased or decreased accordingly as the game difficulty progresses:
Moderate (Normal)
- Gameplay Assistance triggers after 4, 6, and 8 deaths
- Enemies take longer to acquire you as a target
- Successfully “sneak away” from enemies more easily
- Ammo drops increased
- You regenerate health faster
- Enemies are significantly less accurate
- Enemies can no longer shoot bursts while suffering hit reactions
- Enemies wait much longer before attempting to flank
- Enemy shotgun damage reduced, and shotgun delay between shots is increased
- Enemy sniper: damage reduced (no longer one-shot kills); target acquisition time increased; sniper fire time (once locked on) is increased
- Enemy grenade launcher and RPG delay between shots increased
- Enemy movement speed reduced
- Time before allies can apply lethal force reduced; allies can no longer be grappled; ally melee damage increased
- Minimum enemy stomps to kick you off a ledge increased to 3
- Enemies cannot counter melee (Heavies and Brutes are the exceptions); enemy support can no longer interrupt your melee to save each other
- Stealth Checkpoints can now trigger after any 2 stealth takedowns
- Breakable edges take much longer to crumble (3x)
This is the mode used to write this guide. The list of gameplay features that are tweaked depending on the Moderate difficulty setting is the same as those features listed in Light mode. However, if something was made easy in Light mode, it will be more difficult in Moderate mode and so on. We have listed the unique Moderate mode differences here:
Hard
- Enemies can shoot bursts while suffering hit reactions (allows fire back hit reactions)
- Enemy sniper can achieve one-shot kills
- Enemy movement speed is the same as on Hard mode
- Enemies can grapple your allies
- Stealth checkpoints can now trigger after any 3 stealth takedowns
Hard mode is the baseline where all other modes’ features are made easier or more difficult. The list of gameplay features that are tweaked depending on the Hard difficulty setting is the same as those features listed in Moderate mode. However, if something was made easy in Moderate mode, it will be more difficult in Hard mode and so on. We have listed the unique Hard mode differences here:
Crushing
- Successfully “sneak away” from enemies less easily
- Slightly higher enemy accuracy, target acquisition, and aggressiveness
In Crushing mode, the hardest of difficulty settings, there are no automatic gameplay assistance features. Here is what else to expect in Crushing mode:
http://megapanda.net/14-uncharted-4/778-difficulty-settings
- Your slide speed is increased (3x)
- Enemy target acquisition time is heavily reduced
- Enemy vision distance is increased
- You no longer have a grace period to land a stealth kill when an enemy first sees you
- You no longer see enemy Threat Indicators
- You can no longer mark enemies
- Successfully “sneak away” from enemies is less easy
- Ammo drops reduced
- Your health regeneration rate is slower
- Enemy accuracy increased
- Minimum accuracy required for enemies to hit you is heavily reduced
- Time between enemy grenade throws is heavily reduced
- Time until the enemy attempts to flank is heavily reduced
- Enemies no longer stagger from explosions
- Enemy shotgun damage increased to the max
- Enemy sniper target acquisition time reduced
- Enemy sniper fire time once locked on is reduced
- Enemy movement speed increased to max
- Time before an ally can apply lethal force is heavily increased
- Enemies can now perform up to 15 hit melee combos and their melee damage is increased to maximum
- Checkpoints no longer occur during encounters
- Time before breakable handholds crumble is reduced to the minimum
I do enjoy trolling the Shoreline guys with grenades, makes me feel like:I liked the stealth combined with chucking grenades all over the place.
That's true for all of them, they've made them far more lifelike. Just look at this comparison:Really enjoyable so far.
Although haven't they changed Elena a bit too much? She had more of a "regular" face earlier if I remember correctly.
No, it's primarily based around trivia regarding 19th century Russian literature. If you haven't read up on Dostoyevsky you're fecked.Really excited to play this. Silly question perhaps but am I right in assuming it's similar in structure to the other 3? Crushing difficulty, 60~ treasures to find, kill challenges etc etc..
Have you never played any of them?So having finally managed to tear myself away from Witcher for a bit, I bought this yesterday along with the first 3 in a bundle. Do the first ones stand up a decade later or is it worth just going for number 4?
Graphically beautiful, a new series when everything else was remasters or a continuation of a series, decent storyline iirc.Ok finally got round to playing the first one, planning on going through them in order. I know its an old game, but I don't understand why Uncharted was so exceptional at the time. It's just a decent third person shooter.
I don't think many people thought the first one was exceptional. The second is far betterOk finally got round to playing the first one, planning on going through them in order. I know its an old game, but I don't understand why Uncharted was so exceptional at the time. It's just a decent third person shooter.
The story and characters are brilliant in all the gamesOk finally got round to playing the first one, planning on going through them in order. I know its an old game, but I don't understand why Uncharted was so exceptional at the time. It's just a decent third person shooter.
Its strength were cinematic storytelling, believable characters and great animations, all of which were pretty great back then. Even so it wasn't considered exceptional, just very good. It was the second one that really blew people away and cemented Uncharted's status. If you just reduce it to its gameplay, none of the games really stand out though.Ok finally got round to playing the first one, planning on going through them in order. I know its an old game, but I don't understand why Uncharted was so exceptional at the time. It's just a decent third person shooter.
Agreed, the graphics were also exceptional for its time as well.Its strength were cinematic storytelling, believable characters and great animations, all of which were pretty great back then. Even so it wasn't considered exceptional, just very good. It was the second one that really blew people away and cemented Uncharted's status. If you just reduce it to its gameplay, none of the games really stand out though.
Got the platinum. It was a good game, but not the groundbreaking 10/10 everybody was giving it. Too much sections walking around for me, which isn't fun.
UC2 was comfortably the best Uncharted for me.
Certainly one of the best games of the modern generation. I'd pick The Last of Us over it, though.I still think it's the best game ever made.
Here's the thing. I bought "The Last of Us" since August of 2015. It's still on my PS3 waiting to be played.Certainly one of the best games of the modern generation. I'd pick The Last of Us over it, though.
SameHere's the thing. I bought "The Last of Us" since August of 2015. It's still on my PS3 waiting to be played.
Here's the thing. I bought "The Last of Us" since August of 2015. It's still on my PS3 waiting to be played.
Ugh, you awful, awful people.Same
Haha you went crushing first go? Kudos! Yeah that pirate ship graveyard was tough going, though there's something I find extremely satisfying about going through the slog of trial & error, figuring out the optimum route and timing of kills and then having to execute it to near perfection to get through an area.bit late to the party on this, good to see some others still playing
Have to say the crushing mode on this is by far the most difficult of the series, some of the set pieces toward the end border on being just unfair for the sake of it
just at the pirateship graveyard now and it's ridiculous the complete lack of safe spots, the speed at which you get surrounded and the almost instant death from any hit you take. Wish i'd done an easy run through to start with now as its somewhat tainted my enjoyment of the game
go hard or go home brother - that's my mottoHaha you went crushing first go? Kudos! Yeah that pirate ship graveyard was tough going, though there's something I find extremely satisfying about going through the slog of trial & error, figuring out the optimum route and timing of kills and then having to execute it to near perfection to get through an area.
I usually just go normal difficulty 1st time out so the flow/pacing of the story isn't affected too much then try out hardest difficulties if the game is good enough to play through multiple times. Naughty Dog games on hardest difficulty just seem to click with me where its punishing but enjoyable I enjoyed doing the Last of Us so much on Grounded I did it another 2 times. I'm still gonna do another playthrough of Uncharted 4 and TLOU on easy just to get a speed run done and pick up the few trophies I've left to get in those two. Not usually a trophy hunter but when you get within touching distance of a platinum its hard to ignorego hard or go home brother - that's my motto
oh it can definitely be satisfying i was jumping around the living room like a madman when i finally did the elevator section
i think its the lack of checkpoints that's the biggest issue, like you say working things out is great but when you spend 45mins carefully plotting your way through only to die at the last its disheartening to go back to the very start. Sections of this were tougher than the average Dark Souls area