Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon immerses players in a dark Arthurian world filled with formidable foes and mythical creatures capable of delivering devastating blows. This can make the game feel quite daunting for newcomers. Fortunately, the game provides several difficulty settings that allow players to tailor the experience to their preferred level of challenge, whether they want to focus on the story or test their combat skills.
Overview of Difficulty Modes
The game offers five distinct difficulty levels, each designed to cater to different playstyles and experience levels:
- Story Focus: This mode makes combat highly forgiving, ideal for those who want to explore the narrative and world without much resistance.
- Explorer: Designed for players seeking a relaxed journey, enemies are less aggressive, and resources are abundant, allowing for a more casual experience.
- Adventurer: Serving as the balanced default, this setting offers fair combat that demands attention and skill, where mistakes are penalized but recovery remains possible.
- Veteran: A more demanding challenge where enemies strike harder and resources are scarce, requiring careful strategy and preparation.
- Survival Mode: An extreme setting that restricts saving to bonfires only and features permadeath, recommended exclusively for the most dedicated players.
Notably, Story Focus becomes accessible when selecting Explorer, while Survival Mode is tied to Veteran difficulty.
Adjusting Difficulty Settings
Players can modify the difficulty at any point through the Options menu, specifically under the Game tab where a slider allows seamless switching. This flexibility lets players find the right balance as they progress.
Increasing the difficulty primarily affects how much damage enemies deal and how resistant they are to attacks. Higher difficulties mean foes take less damage and hit significantly harder, making combat encounters more punishing. Players must master defensive maneuvers like parrying and dodging without exhausting stamina. For magic users, managing mana efficiently becomes critical.
Additionally, maintaining a stock of healing items such as potions and food is essential, as is regularly upgrading weapons and armor to keep pace with tougher enemies. Equipping the right relics that boost defense and offense also becomes vital to survive.
Choosing the Right Difficulty for You
The Adventurer setting is the standard experience envisioned by the developers, providing a satisfying challenge that becomes manageable once players grasp core mechanics and optimize their builds.
New players or those less familiar with the genre will benefit from starting on Explorer, where combat is more forgiving and gear management is less demanding.
For veterans craving a serious test, Veteran difficulty demands cautious, strategic play. Enemies can potentially one-shot underleveled characters, so constant upgrading and fine-tuning of gear and skills are necessary.
Survival Mode, with its permadeath feature, is not recommended for first-time playthroughs due to its harsh consequences and lack of balance.