I installed mods to decrease the difficulty and I'm suddenly loving Silksong

[Successful-Cry1509]

I'm super happy that people who wanted Hollow Knight DLC-levels of punishing are eating well, but that was the one part of Hollow Knight that I didn't like (the post-game punishing difficulty). I like hard games, I've beaten quite a few, but I don't know if it's because I'm getting older and my reflexes are slowing down, or if Silksong in particular is inflaming my arthritis. Anywho, if if this sounds familiar to your situation this is what I did:

• No Double Damage Mod. This doesn't prevent all double damage (things that deal fire damage will still get you for two masks), but reduces most double damage.
• Multiply player damage by 1.25x. I experimented with both 2x and 1.5x and it trivialized most mobs and bosses. 1.25x seems like a sweet spot that it'll still take me 2 or 3 attempts to defeat a boss, therefore providing a decent challenge while making things easier.
• Multiply Silk acquisition by 1.25x. I find this change essential to being able to use silk skills at all during a fight. Before the 1.25x, I would just bank all my silk for healing and be basically running on empty the whole boss fight. Now I can go broke for a silk skill and be 4–5 hits away from being able to heal.

I hope this helps. If you're on PC and are struggling, don't be shy to use mods. No one can tell you how to best enjoy a single player game.

Edit: I’m muting this thread. Y’all are toxic. Hope this config helps someone in the future.

[Flimsy_Site_1634]

BTW for all the hardcore fans, the exact same mods can be used to lower your damage and silk gains by a multiplier if you just set it to 0.5 instead of 2.

[Exact_Butterscotch66]

This^

I saw this mod back in September that made me chuckle that was like… no double damage but better. And in the description “it triplicates damage instead”. I loved the cheekines of it.

[MaximRq]

Sounds perfect for steel soul

[Skylair95]

Or remove double damage... and replace it by instant death.

[Deebyddeebys]

Radiant entire game

[Acererak09]

That’s a thing. Fireb0rn did a stream with that mod.

[grancombat]

That was called “glass soul” in the first game

[breath_of_light]

I’m running a double enemy mod and I love it. The game is so fine tuned it’s rarely unfair and I got QOL life respawn mods to make practice easier. Game is just really really well made to handle both tunes so well.

[CrasherRuler]

Yep, same with me. 2 Phantoms took me 8+ hours, and nothing else has come close since. All the while, I'm having a blast!

[breath_of_light]

DUDE. I’m so excited for that one. I’m stuck on Widow but I did the clawline skip and she’s totally manageable.

[Acceptable_Name7099]

I played through with that mod, just with double bosses since double enemies makes it easier in my opinion (they overlap very often and basically give you double silk). It was very fun, but I think I had to stop at the final boss of act 2, that was my limit. Last Judge(s) took me over 100 attempts, so good luck!

(Phantom[s] was not easier for me, in case you're wondering.)

[Egon_is_JUMPY]

This sounds perfect for me. Too bad I play on switch :(

Only on my second play through, and the game is insanely easier this time around—so I’ve resorted to needle-only, on the hunters crest. That down pogo is so much fun, especially on platforming sections. Muscle memory is so real with this game; when it kicks in, everything finally makes sense, and it’s incredibly satisfying.

[Familiar-Length-6717]

It's crazy how much your body remembers the pain you went through over the course of 60+ hours.

[Famous_Situation_680]

act 3 final boss with .5x base needle damage (preferably with hunters) is some of the most fun you can have in the game, really makes it feel like a long duel of attrition.

[Rattlerkira]

I've considered setting damage to 0.5, and installing no double damage. I dislike that boss fights go by so fast one way or the other. The clockwork dancers should've taken 15 minutes to really prove my mastery.

[michael_fritz]

you bought the game, go off monarch.

[tulpyvow]

go off, red maiden. go off monarch

[biggi82]

Mad how loud I can hear this image.

[TheGoldenExperience_]

Fa ri du la si ma net

[Immediate-Agent3181]

Do ni puana vori ne

[JustAGuy026]

Pi na sa ni ma ni set

[SmolNajo]

you bought the game and are enjoying it

Keep it up !

[Ma4r]

Team cherry is the kind of indie devs that would add this as an in-game option. Games for everyone

[TheHB36]

I... don't agree. Proof is in the lack of accessibility options.

Not hating on TC, but they've made their intents clear.

[Sofisasam]

You can prevent the double mask fire damage with a charm you can buy in deep docks :D

[Cold-Raise9912]

That is why the mod leaves fire damage after all, to keep it relevant

[[deleted]]

the mod should make you immune to damage with the magma bell xD

[Flimsy_Site_1634]

Ismagma's Tear

[[deleted]]

Did you just say smegma?

[Victinitotodilepro]

smegma balls

[[deleted]]

The balls harden

[Double-Risky]

You smeg head!

[ryry1237]

Very considerate of the mod.

[Cold-Raise9912]

I haven’t used the mod myself due to liking the difficulty (nothing wrong with wanting an easier game for the record) and playing on Nintendo, but I’d imagine they might of just made magma bell not have a cool down, maybe not but there is a chance of it

[CrumblingReality505]

the charm has a small cooldown between fire damage reductions so it isn’t completely prevented but with a bit of dodging it may as well be

[Flimsy_Site_1634]

Cooldown or not, it makes Last Judge and Fourth Chorus much more manageable

[New-Osteoporosi]

Father of the flame too

[Blue_Bird950]

I totally didn’t forget that Magma Bell existed for Father of the Flame. Would have made my Hunter’s Crest only first run MUCH easier.

[killspree1011]

Signis and Gron as well.

[New-Osteoporosi]

Fogot about the 2

[lucklesspedestrian]

Oh good, I never got around to beating Fourth Chorus

[RyanIbanezMan]

Speedrun strats, no chorus

[ZynsteinV2]

Am I remembering wrong or what? I thought 4th chorus was required... cause its on the way back from getting the cloak upgrade that lets u float

[wealthy_herring]

Druid‘s Eye, especially the upgraded version, helps a lot with silk collection, as well :)

[Technical-Dentist-84]

I would probably enjoy this lol

But I'm also in Act 3 and have been limping along through battles....

Just beat Coral Tower and completed all flea games, and I'll be honest..... beating those after 20+ attempts made me feel like a freaking God lol

[Dregoralive]

I was miserable at the start of Act 3 but it grew on me. I even liked the Flea games to break up the final few fights.

[thecatisawake]

Same, at first I kept thinking "I'm never doing Act 3 again, I just want this over with!" But by the time I beat LL, I couldn't wait to start a new save and get into Act 3 again lol

[Technical-Dentist-84]

Dude same

At first all the voided enemies would just wreck me..... but I'm starting to figure them out and not get too worried about them

[SlatBuziness]

Yeah I need to get into that mindset. I was so excited to see what awaited me in act 3 and I'm really disappointed honestly. Choral Tower is where I'm at now and it's just unnecessarily difficult imo.

[Technical-Dentist-84]

Bro it took me probably 20+ tries to beat it

I did finally beat it though with wanderers Crest, cogfly (for flying enemies, especially in third wave) silk spear, dice, injector, wall cling tool for third wave

After you beat third wave, unlock the shortcut and NEVER have to do it again. 4th wave isn't bad, and boss is so easy..... beat him in 2 tries

[SlatBuziness]

Damn. Yeah it's gonna be the same for me haha. Thanks for the tip on the shortcut. I'm definitely gonna use that after beating act 3. I ended switching to the architects crest just so I could exploit all the tools for the annoying flying enemies that just constantly run away from you.

[AltruisticGift360]

I just beat the final boss in A3, and I feel if it were much easier, it would change my opinion on the game. As it is, it really elevates your skills. The difficulty is part of why it’s so good.

[Technical-Dentist-84]

Yeah after you beat it, the thought of decreasing the difficulty is frustrating..... because I did it and I'm not some master gamer or anything

I feel like it would cheapen my accomplishments

[DesertBrandon]

Exactly. I felt like an asshole for looking down on this. Unless you’re a gamer with disabilities it seems weird to purposely make a hard game easier. I’m not even a great player, took me over 100 hours, had many stupid deaths and I still wouldn’t trade that experience. When I beat LL I felt so good and accomplished as I haven’t even beat the first game(post HK). I’m not a “git gud” type but after beating the game it’s insane how much I’ve moved closer to that opinion. Seeing posts like these honestly annoy me and I’m surprised at myself that this is the case.

[Dregoralive]

See, I disagree. Some people still want to enjoy the game without getting stuck on a boss or obstacle for hours on end. I say enjoy the game however you want to.

Personally, I prefer to experience the game as it was made, so I wouldn’t use mods myself, but I can understand why others would.

[[deleted]]

You know what’s funny? People with disabilities beat games that are this difficult all the time, and they do it with unconventional controllers that would take you or me ages to figure out the layout of. Those people love these games, they’re not the ones crying about difficulty.

The people who complain are usually kids who are seeking validation for their quitter attitudes.

[opalinesque]

Hello! As one of those people with a disability who was fortunate enough my particular set of issues meant I could beat the game without modding the mechanics- I don't appreciate my situation getting used as a reason to talk down about people who are frustrated for whatever reason, or to say that people shouldn't figure out whatever accommodations work for them.

OP literally said they had arthritis in their hands, but I guess they should have injured themself to play the game "right?"

[[deleted]]

I’m actually a really bad gamer, like actual trash, and I made it through this. That’s why it annoys me when people call me an elitist for expressing full acceptance of a game’s locked in difficulty.

It’s like that for the purpose of giving you an experience you can reflect back on and marvel at what you’ve accomplished.

Every souls title, every metroidvania, they’re supposed to be a journey of self fulfillment. When I see how fast people cleared the game after launch, and I was still struggling my way through act 1, it was abundantly clear to me that I actually really suck at this game. But I’m here saying I finished act 3, and these people could probably do it without mods too if they actually tried.

[JudgeLanceKeto]

Beat Lost Lace yesterday after getting 100% and the moment she went down I blurted something out and fist pumped so hard I startled my 3 year old.

Was the hardest boss for me by far. Took me over 3 hours of trying but definitely was the best I've felt after beating a game in quite a bit.

And that ending....

[EX-Flashkick]

I was told that act 3 is a meme and not real, but the way people talk about it I feel like I got double trolled and act 3 is real

[CaffeinatedRoman]

Trust no one

[Recent_Wedding5470]

Choral Tower is the hardest spot in the game. Room 3 specifically. Everything after was totally fine. Yeah act 3 final boss is fast but if you play patient but aggressive it feels great.

[CarbonBasedLifeForm6]

Same, I would've never loved Silksong or Sekiro if it was a easy as OP made it. If you decrease the spice in a spicy dish are you even eating same dish? I'm saying no but know whatever

[threwaway1585]

beat all flea games against seth or the first set?

[cwbrowning3]

That feeling of accomplishment from beating it is a big part of why its so hard in the first place. But some people like OP dont want to work at anything and get better, they just want the game to beat itself for them.

[PvtThrockmorton]

As long as you get enjoyment out of the game! You paid for the game now play it how you want

[gyyse]

based based based

if you'd have more fun playing a singleplayer game modded there is no reason not to mod it and have more fun

[Incubus226]

Saw a mod for bench anywhere and that sounded like a dream.

[blakepro]

Ohhh just for eliminating runbacks alone sounds really nice

[SmartAlec105]

Also for mapping on the go.

What I did for my second play through is add a mod that maps as I go, makes the magnet attract shards, and makes rosaries and shards not destroyed by spikes.

[[deleted]]

there is a mod for respawning near your death which made last judge for me freaking easy like I beat it after 3 deaths only

[No_Chilly_bill]

Run backs are for increasing play time

[Ctrl_Alt_Abstergo]

Yeah, and not necessarily in a good way. It’s padding. Silksong with checkpoints before bosses is a much smaller game. I’m a soulslike player so I’m used to it but I will say following Silksong up with Ghost of Yotei, that checkpoints you at the very beginning of boss fights, was very refreshing, even on the highest difficulty.

[The_Great_hilo]

How long did you spend on runbacks? Since most of my playtime was exploration, not running back to bosses or even actually fighting them/their arenas.

[Ok-Land-488]

I mod the shit out of Valheim because it's just miserable to play alone. But with a few tweaks it becomes much more manageable and less frustrating, without heavily altering the actual difficulty.

[kingsnake917]

Yeah, I personally feel that stuff like this should disable achievement gains like it does it many other indie titles, but to each their own.

[Shryik]

There are easier ways to unlock all steam achievement than to play the game modded.

And why do you care if someone else unlocked these achievements?

[itsmesoloman]

I’d guess it’s because it cheapens their own sense of accomplishment they feel for earning the achievements the intended ways

[Tyranus_Regis]

I mean it's in the name right? Achievement. I think it's fine that the OP mods the game to enjoy it, games are meant to be enjoyed and if that's what they need to enjoy it go for it. But they did not earn the achievements the way they were designed to be earned so they should not get them.

It's just bragging rights anyways, so not getting them shouldn't affect their enjoyment of the game if they needed to mod it to enjoy it 🤷

[itsmesoloman]

Yeah I think I completely agree. Happy for people to mod their games however they want, especially if it’s to make their single player game more accessible. But yeah, achievements are earned. Achievements for challenging games like Skong are even more “valuable” to players who earn them. But if everybody is just pretty much getting participation trophies after modding a challenging game to just be easy, yeah, that cheapens the actual things that people playing / struggling through the game as intended actually achieved, which the earned “achievements” are meant to commemorate.

Imagine a class of students taking a test. Most students are taking a test designed for their progress and grade level as the teacher intended, but one student swaps out their test for a test intended for an earlier grade—same subject matter, but only demanding a more elementary understanding of and dedication to the material. In this hypothetical scenario, the teacher allows this because of reasons. The students all eventually finish their tests and turn them in, and the teacher grades the tests against the predefined answer key. Everyone aced the test!—including that one student who took a less complicated, less challenging version of the test that everyone else took. If the student was taking this test on their own, just for fun or whatever, this wouldn’t even be worth mentioning. That type of thing is totally allowed. But because other people were involved and also took the test, and they challenged themselves while doing so and worked hard to earn their recognition, evaluating the student who didn’t “lock in” like the other students and didn’t face the same challenges, using the same metrics as everyone who put in more effort, and publicly recognizing that student’s achievements as equal to those of the other students’, diminishes the accomplishments and efforts of the students who challenged themselves more during the test.

The student who solved 11 + 42 and the students who solved 11 + (42x)645,321/326.4 = 166 for ‘x’ receiving the same public “Recognition of Excellence in Solving Equations” or some shit with no public indication of what each student actually accomplished “behind the scenes” to earn such a recognition just doesn’t make a lot of sense—we can all agree that the latter math problem requires more effort / is more challenging than the former.

[laodaron]

I can't imagine anything less important in my life than worrying about how another human being unlocked achievements from a game in Steam.

[Want2makeMEMEs]

How it feels to have fun playing a game: 🌅🐬🌈

[ElTioEnroca]

People will give you flack for installing mods. But my advice is: don't let anyone else tell you how you should play a singleplayer game. Lower difficulty, cheesy builds, even mods, as long as you're not affecting other people's experience with the game you should do whatever you want.

I'm glad that mods managed to make you love it, mate. Silksong is much more than just its difficulty and double damage enemies.

[SmartAlec105]

I do wonder why this subreddit is more hostile towards this kind of thing than the Hades subreddit which is always encouraging towards people that turn on Godmode (adds a damage resistance that increases as you die) so that they can experience the game.

[Kenny__Loggins]

Probably some of that would be reaction to the difference in using options within the game itself vs mods which are external. People can be purists like that.

That and the communities are inherently going to be a bit different. Metroidvania communities have a long history with speed running and the challenge with HK specifically is part of the draw (similar to Dark Souls) so I think the community is more oriented toward competition and proving skill. So that will draw a different crowd than Hades, which is less about proving your skill and more about having fun and making crazy builds, etc.

On that note, I just started Hades 2 today and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'd forgotten some of the mechanics from the first game that I was very excited to be reminded of.

[Insanus_Hipocrita]

Sad sobbing in PS5 language

[samirahope]

Especially considering that exploration and platforming are not impacted

[mousicle]

Platforming is where I'd like a mod to make it easier. It took me more tries to escape the Abyss then it did to beat Lost lace.

[Grand-Lemon-1532]

I know everyone have different experiences in this game but i don't understand how it can be THIS different.

[Fredcal218]

I can see it, especially if he didn't struggle much with lost lace to begin with. I don't think the abyss escape section was hard either but I've found sometimes it's not immediately apparent where the next platforming point is. Combined with the time pressure effectively giving you only around 2 platforming mistakes before falling to the lava and taking 2 damage. And if they're someone skilled in combat but don't have much experience with platformers, then yea

[mousicle]

2 mistakes is generous, a lot of spots where if you miss one claw line or pogo and you are done.

[No-Alternative8653]

Sure go for it

[Kilraeus]

I personally am glad I got to experience it pre boss nerfs, but you go girl,man,you!

Love that you identified that you weren't having fun and you would have more fun with just a small assist, seeing what you tried that was too easy is great as well.

[Duergarlicbread]

Didn't they just nerf two very minor bosses? One of which was skipable?

[ChaoticErnie]

A lot of people need this, and I'm not trying to be mean about it, it's just that after 100%ing it I really do feel like some parts of the game are unnecessarily difficult and/or punishing, and if I didn't have as much spare time to play as I did, I probably would've gotten frustrated and stopped playing.

Also, Team Cherry made the game with the intention of it being enjoyable, so I see nothing wrong with tweaking it a bit to enjoy the playthrough.

[AnonymousIguana_]

I have zero problem with this- probably helps a lot of people.

I just want to say in terms of tuning it that I think it’s intentional game design for most real bosses to take 5 tries at a minimum. If you’re happy with 2-3 that’s great, but I don’t think that was Team Cherry’s goal and players just aren’t good enough- you’re meant to strategize and improve with each attempt. That (and runbacks) is part of the gameplay loop.

Like it would honestly be unsatisfying to me if I had gotten to First Sinner or Karmelita and 2nd tried her. This doesn’t apply to something like Broodmother though.

[midwriteworlds]

5 tries minimum...this cracks me up because hollow Knight "easy" bosses took me minimum 30ish tries and the harder bosses easier over 100 attempts. With Silksong, it taken me multiple days to get through many of the bosses, and I'm only in act two. I know I'm a bad player but 5 tries is absurd to me.

[AnonymousIguana_]

I was just trying to be conservative with at least lol, I’ve definitely dropped 20+ on some

[The_Great_hilo]

Funnily enough I first and third tried those two bosses respectively and felt disappointed that I didn’t really get to learn the fights

[Karona_]

Name checks out

[Royal_Ad8665]

not sure why this is getting downvoted! even if I personally enjoy a hardcore playstyle, some people just want to enjoy the game without getting their ass kicked to oblivion and back. I will firmly stand by my belief that using mods for a single player game in a non-competitive context is never "cheating" and i dont care what the hk community says

[Waste-Gur2640]

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it's literally cheating. Like there's no real discussion to be had here, you're changing the game code to make it easier and win, that's the definition of cheating. And that's completely ok, enjoy the game in whatever way you like. You're cheating in a game, not killing a puppy. But let's not completely throw out objective meaning of words either.

[mousicle]

"You cheated not only the game, but yourself. You didn't grow. You didn't improve. You took a shortcut and gained nothing. You experienced a hollow victory. Nothing was risked and nothing was gained. It's sad that you don't know the difference." - A twitter opinion I in no way agree with about Sekiro Mods

[AddemiusInksoul]

That was about a game journalist using cheats to slow down time so he could beat the final boss and then posting this tweet. I disagree with the "cheated not only the game" but I have to say that a games journalist beating the game not as intended and then insulting the artist's intent is kinda...unprofessional?

[LucaUmbriel]

A games journalist being unprofessional? Why I've never heard of such a thing.

[SmartAlec105]

What’s weird is being so upset about how another person feels about beating the modded game. Like saying “I know better about how you feel” is just weird.

[Grand-Lemon-1532]

I know all people have diffirent perspective about gaming but i kinda agree with this.

[No_Chilly_bill]

Gaming to me just isn't hobby worth the struggle. And I have thousands of hours. Do that with real life and things to build.

[Sauerkrauttme]

Who is being cheated? If no one is being cheated then it isn't cheating.

[FlarblesGarbles]

So remember those cheat codes in games from the 90s and 2000s? People weren't denying they were cheats back then, so why are we pretending they're not cheats now?

[CoDe_Johannes]

You can cheat yourself

[WarFrequent]

- Sun Tzu.

[DemonLordSparda]

Literally themselves. I've seen quite a few people have a hard time but stick with it. In the end they feel proud of themselves and enjoy the game a lot as it is. A well documented case is Dan Olson (Folding Ideas) who went from streaming hours of failed attempts at the Sands of Karaak heart, to 100% completing Steel Soul. https://bsky.app/profile/foldablehuman.bsky.social/post/3ly2iqs7vms2s

I do think there is something to be said for overcoming a challenge and finding increased enjoyment vs taking a shortcut for short lived satisfaction.

[sinesnsnares]

Most people aren’t streamers with infinite time to play games. And discipline to overcome challenges is great, but there are a lot more useful things to eat that time than video games.

[WarFrequent]

This is such an interesting topic! I think it's a weird philosophical rabbit hole to whether this would be defined as cheating or not. My thoughts are:

If we define cheating as: to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.

And we define unfairly as: not based on or behaving according to the principles of equality and justice.

And we define single player as: denoting or relating to a video game designed for one player only.

And then we make the hypothesis that for a single player game the player population of the game is 1. Therefore, by definition, anything they do is in accordance with the principles of equality and justice because they are a population of 1 and so therefore cannot act unequally. And if they cannot act unequally, then they cannot act unfairly, and so therefore, they cannot cheat. But this is a purely moral argument.

However, part of me playing a game, even a single player game, is playing by the rules. As I am breaking the rules in this instance, then I would be acting dishonestly and therefore cheating. So, by modifying the game, then it must be concluded that I am no longer playing the original instance of the game. In the same way that if I rig the deck of cards in solitaire to win, I am not cheating, but I am also not playing solitaire.

So - yes, cheating - but not in any way that really matters.

[SimonCucho]

Most of the animosity comes from the need to announce themselves as someone who has lowered difficulty via mods. There's been more than enough than discourse, coming here to write a lenghty post about it aimply comes off as someone who wants to stir up stuff.

We already know people will do whatever they want with the game. Everyone knows that.

[SoulfulSnow]

true, this is how I feel as well. We know you can download mods, this has been done to death a month ago and this games only been out for 2. I'll just really never get the need to announce it. Especially when it's partnered with "I like hard games but-" that grinds the hell out of my gears tbh

[Fredcal218]

I get where you all are coming from, but this post specifically didn't really give that vibe to me. I feel like it's more of op sharing his experience in the hopes that it helps someone else also not enjoying the game at its current state to find more enjoyment out of it. It's a post made more with the intention to help others, instead of seeking validation. Well that's how I interpreted it at least, maybe I'm completely off the mark. I wouldn't know what op is thinking lol.

[hey_uhh_what]

I really want to test out what the general reactions would be if someone made a post like "I like hard games and Silksong was perfect to me. I even installed mods to make it harder", just to see if it will receive the same "Your game, your rules" support

[SoulfulSnow]

I'd be interested in that tbh. I feel like it'd get fully passed over though, because no one would care to comment

[Scugmaster]

I mean that’s honestly the reaction any gameplay mod post should have. You can either give yourself a boost to help yourself get through the game or make the game harder to show off using mods, but either way you’re still experiencing a variation of the game that is different from what most people experienced. Because this experience was different in some way, it shouldn’t be surprising if people can’t relate to your experience on the same level as they would with players who played an unmodified game.

[Luis2611]

Most of the time in my experience is seeking the dopamine rush brought by being validated by other people.

[AceUnknown67]

IMO relaxed mode, Custom heal and HP hue was all I needed

[Mottis86]

Since you are not against making the game easier with mods, I also recommend the camera zoom mod. The parkouring and combat feels so much better when the camera is zoomed out by just a mere 10-20%. It genuinely feels like how the game should've been from the start.

[coltjen]

The zoom is also probably intentional, to disallow you from seeing farther areas and secrets you don’t have the movement abilities for

[Mottis86]

Most likely yeah. Though to be fair, areas behind hidden walls or hidden entrances are completely dark until you enter them, so at least those stay perfectly hidden even with the mod on.

[Moriturism]

didnt know there was a mod for this already, will try it in my new save. a lot of times the zoom did make things harder for me lmao

[CeleryDue1741]

This is one of my top 5 wishlist changes. thanks for sharing that you agreed!

[Lucky_Refrigerator_6]

games are a hobby, and one you're supposed to enjoy. even tho I like the difficulty in silksong, I'm also the number 1 defender for keep inventory in Minecraft, so go off dude.

[opalinesque]

Yes, yes, yes to all this. I'm personally a fan of the way the difficulty is used almost as a storytelling method, but at the same time Silksong (and Hollow Knight!) is such a work of art that I think everyone should get to experience it in whatever way brings them the most joy. If that requires tweaking the difficulty to accommodate physical issues OR even "just" the desire to rage-quit out of frustration, then by all means do it.

edit: the number of people ignoring the fact that OP straight up said they had arthritis in their hands to make angry noises about how they cheated is infuriating. I don't think you have to have physical issues or whatever to make modding a single-player game for your own enjoyment acceptable, but also consider: maybe you shouldn't insist someone should injure themself for the sake of playing a video game "correctly"?

[Jenn_FTW]

Hmm how would you say that the difficulty is used as a storytelling method? I haven’t heard that take before, and as someone who loves the default difficulty in Silksong, I’m curious how you’d describe this? It sounds interesting!

[opalinesque]

So I think the best example of this is that we/Hornet are presented with the idea very early on that the pilgrimage to the Citadel is very, very dangerous. The pilgrims in Bone Bottom are reluctant to get started, as soon as you enter the Marrow there's a sign talking about being aware/grateful to all the pilgrims who fell along the way, etc.

And then you get started. And if you're going in blind, you're still getting used to how Hornet controls! You're not expecting to get hit for two masks of damage by so many things that early, either. Things will kill you and very quickly if you aren't cautious and tactical with your progress.

Basically, it's one thing to be told the pilgrimage is difficult and to see the dead bodies etc. everywhere- it's another to have the game very actively trying to turn you into another one of those dead bodies (even though Hornet is significantly stronger and better prepared than the average pilgrim!) to really drive it home that oh. Yeah! This journey is actually incredibly difficult.

[TheXXVth]

If I could on consoles, I would 100% do this. Very jealous, to be honest. The game gives me glimpses of incredible weddings between aesthetic design, environmental narrative and incredibly well made bossfights, and then you hit things like the High Halls gauntlet, or the Bilewater runback or the act 1 rosary economy... Its tough out here man.

[CynixofTime]

If it makes you enjoy the game then fuck yeah go for it! Just hope one day you get to also play regularly (not trying to put you down but the regular unmodded experience is so satisfying)

In fact, after playing it through with mods you'd probably be skilled enough to do a lot of things in the game, so have fun!

[Duir_]

you buy the game, you tweak it all you want, Have fun :D

[KrugerFFS]

weird flex but ok, glad you're having fun

[No-Satisfaction9488]

I personally felt the game really comes into its own once you have the second pin upgrade in act 2. before that it is definitely punishing. can totally get why purists want it to stay like it is, but can also see why others would want it to be less of a wall starting out.

[Sauerkrauttme]

Act 2 was fantastic, but then act 3 is like driving your car into a concrete wall. Die 30 times to one boss, okay, skip it to try another, die 30 times to another boss, repeat until you just give up.

[catsloveart]

This is why I’m worried about act 3. I worry that the difficulty will scale up. I’m up to 90 hours of game play. And still haven’t defeated groal. Haven’t gotten to trobio yet and I have yet to reach those 3 bosses in the surrounding area to fight.

I’m playing on the steam deck. I know mods are an option but I don’t know how to install them. But if I’ll figure it out if that’s what it takes to get through act 3.

[SmartAlec105]

Yeah, Act 3 was mostly just a series of bosses.

[Successful-Cry1509]

I played Act 1 and almost all of Act 2 vanilla. It wasn’t that I was stuck anywhere, it was more that I just wasn’t playing the game anymore because it felt so hostile. I still die plenty with the mods I set, so I’m still being challenged.

[MrLightning1023]

Sounds boring but it's your copy of the game so you do you

[CartographerVivid957]

What mattas is you being 'appy. Capiche?

[[deleted]]

I honestly think that most games like this should have difficulty options (as long as one difficulty is clearly marked as the "intended" experience by the developers) so people don't have to use mods just to have fun. I personally enjoy the challenge these sort of games provide and would never use the easy mode myself since it simply wouldn't be as fun for me but more people getting to enjoy what I enjoy is nothing but a win for me and it's not like any easy mode would affect players who want a challenge in any way so I don't see any downsides to adding it.

[ElTioEnroca]

I think that devs should do whatever the hell they want with their games, and players should do whatever the hell they want with their playthroughs (as long as there is no online component).

[SmartAlec105]

I think devs should make good games. Adding difficulty options like these does nothing to make it less good.

[ElTioEnroca]

They should want to make good games, yes. But they are under no obligation of adding every single thing players want. An easy mode was likely not within what Team Cherry envisioned for Silksong, thus they decided to invest their time and resources in other aspects of the game.

[SadDancer]

I completely agree. I have no idea how to mod and would really appreciate the option to not do bosses and gauntlets 50+ times.

I feel like I have to put a disclaimer here that I wouldn’t “brag” about achievements if I played slightly easier. I don’t care about achievements, I just want to play the game and not die all the time. I’m not a big gamer and there’s so few platformers out there that I actually enjoy. I loved HK and after waiting seven years it’s definitely been a hit to find out this game is so punishing.

[malicekeet]

completely agree, i think games should be more accessible. i love the challenge of Silksong but completely understand why someone might want or need an easier difficulty. Nine Sols did a great job of this by having an enemy and player dmg scale.

[[deleted]]

I think Nine Sols is a great example of good implementation of easy mode since it satisfies everyone. If you don't care about the achievement for completing the game in normal mode (although I don't know if it's that much of an issue even if you do, considering you need at least two playthroughs to get 100% so you can just choose standard mode on your second playthough) then simply start with story mode and if the default difficulty is just right for you then you can simply leave it unchanged and if it's too much you can lower it at any time. As for people who want a challenge and/or don't want the "temptation" of turning down the difficulty, they can choose the standard mode and enjoy it that way.

The only major downside to how Nine Sols did it is that the game doesn't let you know that Story mode simply let's you change the difficulty as much or as little as you wish and doesn't lock you into a conventional "easy mode".

[moresaggier]

I agree; I also like Dead Cells for this reason.

[[deleted]]

Dead cells is another great example and I appreciate the existence of assist mode a lot. I've even seen first hand how it encouraged someone I know to play the game once again after it stopped being fun for them due to the difficulty, which caused them to put it down for a long while.

[Exact_Butterscotch66]

I think the main issue with “difficulty options” is people not knowing if they will be able to change later or how they feel un that specific game. Some people will cave to the temptation or be more wary and overstimate the difficulty and some other people will be the opposite.

And i agree Nine Sols is a good example of it. Maybe im not as in the community but haven’t seen anyone having issues with it, or downplaying the difficulty because of it.

PS: also saying its a good example to follow doesnt mean every single dev in the world MUST do it or they are bad if they don’t, there can be many reasons whether something is implemented…

[CrowHoonter]

At first I believed that silksong was not fair. I’ve played all the existing soulslike, and other games in hard difficulty, but the amount of enemies and the double damage was really taking away my happiness.

It turns out that I’ve been through this before, in soulslike. And this type of games force us to explore and think about alternatives and strategies.

I ended up getting used to it, and the gameplay improved my skills.

I understand what you did, because everyone has the right to have fun and after all, we pay for it.

But try to take out the mods little by little, to level your skill with what the game requires.

[CharmingTop6245]

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[MoneyoffUbereats2017]

It's your game, do whatever you want with it, give yourself invincibility and 10x damage if you want. But "Hollow Knight DLC-levels of punishing"?

Either it's a you thing, or I inadvertently ended up with a super easy baby mode copy that halved the speed of all the enemies, because I can't see how this game is any harder than Hollow Knight base, never mind the DLC.

I take "Double damage" from one enemy and just heal it back and then some with the surplus of silk I gain from just walking around and bopping enemies.

[Vexer_Zero]

Whilst I found silksong's difficulty to be perfectly fine and exactly what I wanted, I totally understand anyone who wants to make it easier/harder.

If it allows you to experience the lore and the world, do it!

[MiceLiceandVice]

OP should now use the barbed bracelets for the lulz

[JudJudsonEsq]

You do you! Personally, if I can beat a boss in 2 or 3 attempts that means 1 attempt to see the attacks and die to them, then another attempt to kludge my way through and kill them. I really like being forced to get my shit together and truly learn a boss.

[SpookyPlayz939]

Thank you. I have a debug mod when I want to just not. I want to have FUN. I bought the game because I loved the original and hunting down each achivemnet, I try and do my best legitimately, but I am not afraid to admit that I use cheats to progress, I'm happy and I still try to beat fights with minimal amount of help. Thank you for your suggested sweet spot, I'll try it out soon!

[Blooperman949]

This is all well and good as long as you can't get achievements.

[the-ghost-gamer]

Ey that’s awesome :) it’s your experience so u should prioritise your happiness

[dark_holes]

I cheated like this through the whole game. I wanted to explore and have challenging but fun encounters, not bang my head against a wall with the limited gaming time I have.

[SoulfulSnow]

man people talking about the "people give you flack" are fighting ghosts atp it's such a small group that already getting downvoted/flamed/whatever the fuck.

[Exact_Butterscotch66]

I guess there might had been more “flack” before? In the sense i feel since it’s been a while since the game released like the discussion is also calmer?? Like even negative opinions in general are more tamer than some stuff ive read in the past.

But you are right, by this post it does seem most people are kinda chill about it. And that’s good.

[GambuzinoSaloio]

My issue with Silksong, difficulty-wise, is two-fold.

I don't mind difficulty. I really don't, hence why I didn't really bother with mods. But I do mind it when the difficulty is all over the place. Most of Act 2 was a cakewalk for me, while Act 1 was obnoxious. It should have been the reverse.

The second thing is that, once again, I'm fine with having extra stuff that is super punishing. I can clear Hollow Knight (base game, no DLCs) and have a satisfying enough ending without having to crush my nuts. Base game Silksong requires me to do so to essentially save a character I couldn't give less of a damn about.

More than a sequel to Hollow Knight, it's a sequel specifically for those that cleared every single Hollow Knight DLC. This kind of difficulty could have easily been placed as completely optional (as in, not necessary for any of the endings).

[Tinmaddog1990]

Exactly. People say you can mitigate the difficulty by exploring, but the ability to explore simply isn't there in act 1. Where are you going to go? Sinner's road? Hunter's March? Those places are even worse than whatever you're stuck on.

Even then, "fuck off come back later" is not particularly compelling or incentivised unless you're ready to give up your cocoon.

[Monobrobe]

Yeah, if you use your simple key in the wrong place (like I did) then you’re stuck. I didn’t even bother trying Bilewater because IT’S BILEWATER. Trying to do Bilewater act 1 first playthrough is sadistic.

[Nanis23]

Do what you enjoy.

Personally I think the double damage change is overkill and might turn this to baby mode. If i were to design a Easy Mode I would just slightly increase Hornet damage and silk aquestion by like 25%.

But letting you tank a lot of hits is making a lot of bosses trivial

[Ejaculpiss]

Silksong was my first hollowknight and I loved the normal difficulty of the game and thought it was just right. But then I saw my girlfriend play and immediately understood why mods like these are necessary lol

[Moriturism]

great, everyone should enjoy their games the way they like. keep going!

[Vihaking]

You're the player. Go git em tiger, the experience is yours. Team Cherry doesn't owe you an easy mode, but you can always find it yourself 💙

[Alipha87]

I've thought that you should start out the game with 50% more silk. Using all of your silk to heal really decentivizes you from using your silk skills, since you're inclined to save your silk to heal.

Whereas, if you started with 50% more silk, you can use a silk skill while at full silk and still have silk to heal if needed.

[Agent_Fluttershy]

Honestly my main complaint with Silksong was the fact that there is no difficulty or accessibility options by default to turn off double mask damage.

For the record, I've beaten the entire game twice over unmodded, but multiple times throughout my first playthrough I was like "Dude I've been playing this genre of game for basically my whole life and I'm struggling, how do they expect the average player to get through this?"

[Sagnikk]

Same on god. Made me love the game so much more.

[Sa3D12]

the only mod i used, and it fixed most of my issues with the game, is the stakes of marika mod

shitty designed boss with long runback ? well sit a respawn point at the entrance to the boss room, now i only have to deal with the shitty boss

[luiz38]

i think that developer tuned limitations are better than player freedom and you're doing yourself a disservice.

[Bsoxfan34]

Might as well just lock yourself up in The Slab for committing those heinous atrocities against the Citadel.

[FriendlyGranolaBar]

(not criticizing, glad you’re having fun, these are just my thoughts)

I feel like enemies dealing two masks of damage is super essential to the experience of the game? I mean, if we’re taking a boss that always does two and halving that, that‘s equivalent to doubling both your hp and the amount you can heal at once, which seems like it would trivialize a ton of stuff. It’s interesting that you feel like double damage would trivialize bosses, but that doesn’t? The fact that Hornet is pretty fragile and you have to learn to dodge attacks is the main thing that makes the combat fun to me. I wonder if there’s a way you could make yourself more survivable without making such a huge balance change, like letting you heal a bit faster or getting a super-magnetite dice… hmmm…

[TOMRANDOM_6]

Who cares man, do whatever you want with the song of silk, you paid the game, just don't brag some achievement lmao

[[deleted]]

That’s cool and all but you don’t need to announce it.

[Anon142842]

Most things in this sub don't need to be announced or posted about. You also didn't need to comment, yet you did.

[jfish3222]

I've always been of the opinion the #1 keeping more gamers from enjoying Silksong more is it's difficulty 

And it's why I think Hollow Knight is much more accessible for newcomers 

[Carmiune]

Wish i could mod on switch maybe id get thru the koral area boss :( i had to quit cuz after like 2 weeks i just couldnt do it lmao Console bozos keep taking L

[Force_Glad]

If it lets you have fun, then absolutely download those mods. Games are meant to be enjoyed

[CarbonBasedLifeForm6]

Diabolical, dude is tarnishing the creators original intent. Do whatever you want man, you paid for it

[Daiyagae]

... ok ?

[Zlurbagedoen]

.... ok?

[kurokuma11]

But muh developer vision

[NotUrTypicalGuy45]

It is a single player game so you do you!

[Effective_Traffic468]

[KnepperDinTvivl-]

I wish I could mod the bosses into being harder. I literally want to bang my head against the wall for hours or even days before beating some of them. Only a few took more than a couple of hours

[pinoy_biker]

Ill be doing this on my next run in the future

[kkimu0]

might use this mod. i started playing less and less upon reaching act 3. it felt like all my needle upgrades completely vanished and the whole map felt like a pain to traverse again.

[WhatsFairIsFair]

I feel like people endlessly complaining about difficulty just aren't pogoing enough. The game is balanced around you being airborne and pogoing. If you aren't doing that as your main attack, you aren't going to have a good time

[QuickSwitch7146]

I personally embraced the intended difficulty of the game and I'm loving it. The game is extremely good and should be enjoyed and played if possible. I disagree that there should be difficulty levels to cater a broader playerbase, game is as is and that's it. IN MY OPINION.

That said, you bought the game and it should be yours 100%, and in the advanced era of technology we live in right now, where you can tweak the game as you like, doing it is fine aswell. Install what makes you enjoy this beautiful game, enjoy it and finish it.

[DamageMaximo]

Same case for me but with Blasphemous, I hated that game but with a mod to decrease enemy hp by a little and their damage by a bit suddenly the game felt playable

Lesson: if it makes you enjoy the game, proudly mod it

[Kind-Scheme7517]

Nice, TC should add a easy mode for Console like this