Should I Play the Last of Us on Easy or Normal

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• #1

Basically I bought TLOU on launch but I dropped it after a few hours because I found the stealth gameplay frustrating and tedious on Normal and it made me anxious in a bad way.

I really love the world and storytelling though so I want to give it another crack before TLOU2. I will try on Normal again but I might just drop it down to Easy to give it a "story mode" playthrough. Is it still worthwhile or will it just be an hilariously neutered experience? Cheers.

• #2

I think there is a decent amount of challenge for you. One type of enemy is a one hit kill but there are only a few. I think it's worth it.

• #3

It's perfectly fine. Much less frustrating, for sure.

Here's a tip for clickers: throw a bottle into a central area so they all crowd around. Then, chuck a molotov. Especially useful in that early subway area.

• #4

Who's giving you trouble, humans, clickers?

• #5

I personally can't say I would enjoy it. TLOU is a game about survival so making it a walk in the park kinda goes against the theme

• #6

Basically I bought TLOU on launch but I dropped it after a few hours because I found the stealth gameplay frustrating and tedious on Normal and it made me anxious in a bad way.

I really love the world and storytelling though so I want to give it another crack before TLOU2. I will try on Normal again but I might just drop it down to Easy to give it a "story mode" playthrough. Is it still worthwhile or will it just be an hilariously neutered experience? Cheers.

The game is best played on the second hardest difficulty, IMO. I would just watch the story on YouTube if you just want to have a basis for TLOU2.

• #7

It's great to me. The shooting is the last thing I care about in TLOU.

• #8

If that's the only way you can play the game, then go for it. As you get used to the mechanics, you may be able to change the difficulty level (I don't remember if you are able to change it on the fly).

• #9

Even on Easy, there are still some sections that are a bitch. Looking at you, Philly.

• #10

If that's the only way you can play the game, then go for it. As you get used to the mechanics, you may be able to change the difficulty level (I don't remember if you are able to change it on the fly).

you can change on the fly.

• #11

at easy it becomes a bit too much of a shooter imho

• #12

The gameplay at that level is negatively juxtaposed with what the story is trying to present you. I've beaten the game on Grounded, which can be very frustrating. I think the perfect balance of difficulty without too much frustration, that gels with the gritty story, is Hard mode.

• #13

learn to love the brick toss + melee combo.

• #14

It's still frustrating dealing with one hit kill enemies. I really didn't enjoy the gameplay at all in TLOU, I played through it anyway because I loved the storytelling so much, but toward the end it was a real slog to get to the next cutscene.

So IMO any mode that calls itself Easy shouldn't include OHKO enemies at all, much less to the extent that TLOU does.

• #15

Don't let people try to shame you if you want to play it on Easy, OP. If you want to give it a go on Easy, do it.

• #16

That's how I played it. Thought it was great, story is fantastic so thats all I really wanted to see.

• #17

It was the first difficulty I played it on. On a replay I did normal.

It is fun and cool to watch and play. With Uncharted or LOU... if you want to play with the easiest mode to see it, please do so. Nothing wrong with that. I think the Uncharteds are chill on exploration mode. They are my preferred way of playing through them. No challenge at all, just fun exploration and maneuvering around enemies. One shot kills.

• #18

learn to love the brick toss + melee combo.

This, it's straight up busted with how frequent bottles and bricks are presented to you.

• #19

Easy mode is a lot of fun. Gathering resources is basically a non issue cuz you'll have so much of it, but that doesn't mean you won't be using them to progress. There's still some brainpower to use on your part.

• #20

Watch youtube videos on how to stealth and also some gameplay tips, IMO the game has to be challenging for you and if normal is challenging then go for it because survival horror is supposed to be difficult and this make you more immersed in the game .. However I found the game 100x better on survivor on 2nd play through 6 years later, the gameplay is really good and tight.

• #22

I've never personally played it but you might as well try it and see if it helps you enjoy the game more.

Sirhc

Hasn't made a thread yet. Shame me.

• #23

It's still frustrating dealing with one hit kill enemies. I really didn't enjoy the gameplay at all in TLOU, I played through it anyway because I loved the storytelling so much, but toward the end it was a real slog to get to the next cutscene.

So IMO any mode that calls itself Easy shouldn't include OHKO enemies at all, much less to the extent that TLOU does.

Pretty much this, play it on easy if you like, you're playing for the story, the gameplay portions are average TPS fair at best. Just sit back and enjoy yourself.

• #24

Normal is the worst because it's a bad mix of difficult and not engaging.

Easy is probably OK cos you can walk through it.

Best way is Survivor, or Hard without Listen mode. The game makes you FEEL the intensity and challenge of survival on those difficulties and it becomes very intense.

That said, if on Normal it made you feel anxious and you didn't enjoy that anxiety, maybe rethink. Play it at a later date. It's an intense, anxiety inducing experience. That's the point. To put you through what THEY are going through.

• #25

Health wise it's not really too different, you just get significantly more resources spawning. If you are finding it too stressful it should help a lot, but I do think it's a much better overall experience when resources are much more limited and you basically have 3 bullets, a brick and 10+ fuckers infront of you, some of my favorite moments where when I successfully got through them unseen or even the times I'd just barely survive.

• #26

Good thread. I fell off the wagon a long time ago and it was because of stealth section difficulty. I may try it again on Easy now.

Hopefully TLOU2 has a forgiving Easy mode for folks like me.

• #27

Btw, I love how you come back so fast when you die in ND games.

Having to backtrack in games sucks.

• #28

It's my preferred means of playing the game because I hate the analog stealth in the game. I'd love an option to increase the difficulty in other areas, but there's no option.

• #29

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the item scaricity go up with difficulty levels? I could have sworn nothing changed with enemies.

• #30

Hard with listen mode off is the essential way to be experiencing the game in my opinion, the game feels really clunky on lower difficulties where you start feeling comfortable running around aimlessly.

• #31

TLOU is in general badly balanced at low difficulty levels tbh. Just more resources with no notable enemy behavior changes, if you hate stealth like me even easy won't really do much.

• #32

I have played a couple times on normal and the first hours have some annoying stealth parts that do feel like a bit of a speed bump. Once you get more equipment the difficulty smooths out. I recommend pushing through on whatever difficulty you like. You can always change it later.

• #33

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the item scaricity go up with difficulty levels? I could have sworn nothing changed with enemies.

I think stuff hit a little less hard, you have no listen mode and they spot you much quicker too, but the majority of the difficullty is definitely in how much you have to resource managed, at times literally every bullet matters and you'll always be needing to think about what you make.
Grounded has less checkpoints too I believe.

• #34

Don't let people try to shame you if you want to play it on Easy, OP. If you want to give it a go on Easy, do it.

yeah. if you aren't having fun and want to experience the story then easy is totally valid

• #35

The game is best played on the second hardest difficulty, IMO. I would just watch the story on YouTube if you just want to have a basis for TLOU2.

Agreed. I went through half the game on one level harder and was not having fun. Too little margin of error and barely any ammo. Taking it down one notch really made appreciate the game and design

• #36

easy is great learn what you can do about the enemy encounters mechanics-wise since you get so much crafting materials and ammo that you can go relatively nuts and just try out different approaches. Autosaves are plenty too.

You will still need patience though. You can't play this game without it. Uncharted on easy/story mode is pretty much brute-forcing without stakes. TloU seemed very different to me.
I dropped the game a couple of times and left it unplayed for years before coming back, starting on easy and eventually finishing it in a couple of days. Now I'm playing on normal and I'm motivated to try the two hardest modes after that.
What I'm trying to say is: if this isn't generally your type of genre (survival horror) just come back at a later time and it might click while easy mode will help ease you into it, it did for me at least

• #37

I found it exceptionally boring and difficult to get invested in due to how easy it was. I went back years later and beat it on grounded with the hud turned off and that was one of the best times I have ever had playing a third person shooter.

• #38

play it on easy, learn the game/mechanics and then jump back in on the hardest and enjoy the game even more.

not grounded but the difficulty before that. It's so good.

• #39

I struggled with it on normal early on too. Got stuck on one of the first areas with clickers, lost interest and left it for a while. A year or so later, came back to it but this time, used a spoiler free guide that basically helped with the location resources. That basically solved all of my issues with the game and I had a blast with it. I'm gonna try the remastered version but on a harder difficulty this time.

• #40

Thanks for the replies everyone :) I will start on Normal I think, drop it down to Easy if I struggle and then maybe try and work back up.

• #41

I personally can't say I would enjoy it. TLOU is a game about survival so making it a walk in the park kinda goes against the theme

Yeah, different people enjoy different difficulties though. Whats hard to someone, might be insanely easy to someone else. I would say if they want to drop the difficulty so they can enjoy the game, that's more important than keeping it tedious and unfun. It's all about finding what's right for each person. :)

• #42

If you're just looking for story or want to show someone easy is perfectly fine.

I personally got the most enjoyment out of the harder difficulties, the survival aspects of the gameplay really shine

• #43

This, it's straight up busted with how frequent bottles and bricks are presented to you.

Nah, brick melee kills are the best. It takes 3 swings for a kill on any enemy that's not a bloater, the 3rd hit immediately breaks the brick but it saves your actual melee weapon for when you need it in a pinch. You have to be aware of how many times you've meleed someone with a break though, as it doesn't have the other melee weapon's "health bars". And it's not advised to do this on a clicker as their movements are too erratic to get a clean first hit and they're likely to immediately bite you in the neck when you miss, but it's possible.

This is how I beat the game on Grounded. I might have been too conservative with all of my stuff while playing but Tommy and co should be glad to know Joel and Ellie's bringing back almost all of the ammo and supplies they found on their journey cause I ain't used none of that.

• #44

Yeah, different people enjoy different difficulties though. Whats hard to someone, might be insanely easy to someone else. I would say if they want to drop the difficulty so they can enjoy the game, that's more important than keeping it tedious and unfun. It's all about finding what's right for each person. :)

Thanks, Ray. This is the whole crux of the Easy Mode controversy that's been playing out for ages, isn't it? Some folks, me included, just want to spend our limited gaming time enjoying a story without wanting to throw a controller through the TV in frustration.

• #45

Its not super difficult as there's a lot of stealth, but some enemies are one hit kills. As in they grab you (think like zombies in resident evil) but they insta-kill you when they do if you don't have a disposable "shiv".

I'm assuming the one hit kills carry over into easy anyway.

• #46

Thanks, Ray. This is the whole cry of the Easy Mode controversy that's been playing out for ages, isn't it? Some folks, me included, just want to spend our limited gaming time enjoying a story without wanting to throw a controller through the TV in frustration.

Yeah man, enjoy any game how ever you want! :)

• #47

My girlfriend that never ever plays games beat it on easy and I only helped her like two times I think. I hope 2 is the same way.

• #48

Doesn't easy mode change the game a bit/ eg bloaters encounters? Obviously playing on easy is better than not at all but a normal play through would be more of the full experience...

• #49

Doesn't easy mode change the game a bit/ eg bloaters encounters? Obviously playing on easy is better than not at all but a normal play through would be more of the full experience...

Nope, Bloaters are still there and are a bitch.

• #50

Playing on normal now with easy fresh in mind and honestly it feels pretty much the same (two thirds in)

hoangwhiso1977.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/how-is-the-last-of-us-on-easy-difficulty.197160/

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