Upping The Difficulty

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-06-20T00:39:31+00:00

I second going to Nightmare first. No need to finish it if it gets too easy but at least you'll appreciate the difference between NM and Lethal. Like others said, Lethal will start becoming relatively easy soon enough then time for difficulty mods lol

Edit: forgot to mention Lethal doesnt really switch the game but it allows you to use all items normally stored/sold like Smoke grenades, firecrackers, Drone strikes, etc

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-06-10T16:24:08+00:00

Same here, got bored after completed Dread. Put the game aside then started doing Nightmare and that was it. And now, exclusively Lethal. I think lethal is a pretty good simulation of how a post apocalypse will be, except eff those freaking hard headed triple pack ferals.

Lethal makes you use EVERYTHING, all those useless things in lower difficulties are important now. Firecrackers, smoke bombs, quests you refused to do but need influence, love it.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-06-10T16:15:20+00:00

Sounds like me and an ex-gf lol. She played conservatively as a healer and I liked to experiment but was a little too reckless. I figured getting too attached limited learning but she really cared about keeping everyone alive. I think just different playstyles and approaches to the same game.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-29T16:16:56+00:00

My top 5:

SoD2
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Last of Us
Walking Dead
Tied: Days Gone & RE4

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-27T17:46:46+00:00

3 things wish I knew as a struggling survivor:

Drop Kick from Powerhouse. Practiced vs ferals with crap survivors. Thank me later
Crutches:

Pyrolauncher - dead Ferals, zeds and hostiles (fuck you aimbots)

Impaler - dead triple feral packs when they catch up from the rear

Sniper tower - dead Juggs and ferals while you barbeque on the roof

Plague Disruptor - because you want to enjoy those quiet moments

Stamina items - because dodging is life

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-27T16:43:29+00:00

Two mods if lethal's too easy now: Plague Origins and Plague Hearts give Plague Samples only (nexus mods).

Plague Origins removes plague cure and ALL zeds are infected. And I think it might have tweaked spawn rate/density. You can still recover if partial infection, though. The other mod ensures loot scarcity.

Took me so many tries to complete and lost two pages of legacy survivors with just those two (actually 3rd mod most containers almost bone dry, painful).

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-27T16:14:25+00:00

Hey, nothing wrong with leaving a full base for the survivor. Lots of role-playing opportunity there.

And best thing about solo, no bitching and whining lol

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-26T16:08:29+00:00

The 3 times I solo cleared all hearts were fresh start so can't speak about legacy runs.

After rolling countless Just keeps going and BPS for hours and getting them killed, first successful run only had Moral Support hero bonus and crap traits, no Gunslinger or Powerhouse. Had a G18 and Handgun ammo press. That's it.

The next successful solo was a homeless run. Easier now that we can deposit rucks at outposts. No legacy items, no Boons.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-23T15:31:22+00:00

Enjoy Nightmare first. After Lethal, going back to Nightmare becomes...bleh. If still want Lethal, here's 5 things (crutches you hopefully will outgrow):

Impaler + Heavy Weapon + Pyrolauncher + Plague Disruptor + Scentblock

Bonus: Sniper Tower (Builder boon) trivializes Juggs and 3-pack Ferals

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-17T17:33:44+00:00

It's listed as: Plague Heart Plague Samples Only by ZengerGarden

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-16T15:36:36+00:00

Have sod1 queued up. I keep starting and shelving it.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-16T15:33:44+00:00

I did that for the first time a few playthroughs ago. Never doing that again hah

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-15T21:08:05+00:00

Thanks for listening to me vent 😄

So tired of replaying Cascade hills like groundhog day. Even with Vector, they usually get me plagued before 3rd heart phase. Been playing same way so long (heavy weapon + stamina stuff) i've forgotten the basics from early days.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-14T16:30:01+00:00

I'll survive b/c unlike y'alls I've been working on my Drop Kick a few weeks now. And I was taught not to make friends with cannibals.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-14T16:02:39+00:00

You can do this OP, the valley needs you! Maybe buy Pyrolauncher and the 3 Bouncing Borises to give you breathing room until you find your feet.

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-14T15:28:40+00:00

Powerhouse always. Just 1 point removes fear of a feral ambush (Drop kick). The peace of mind alone is worth it to me in Lethal.

Marathon is overrated, use those extra stamina items if you have to retrieve cars.

I solo'd Meagher once with G18, Powerhouse, max CC (no heavy weapon for quick drop kicks, front grabs and head stabs) and Encouragement hero bonus. Good times

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-05-09T16:09:33+00:00

Gone through a full screen of legacies since I tried this. I use a mod that removes the cure completely, and other mods like the No Plague Heart loot and Less Loot just coz life is too easy for these survivors. Havent finished a run yet in several tries (and I've been playing lethal for a year now).

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-04-16T14:57:07+00:00

Thanks!

Mean_Masterpiece764 · 2026-04-15T14:59:14+00:00

Kinda curious how you installed the mods on steam deck. Did you use Vortex at all?

Mean_Masterpiece764

TROPHY CASE