A note on difficulty

[Sildric Stormwind]

Does anyone else feel like this game may be too easy? I remember how difficult EOI felt and ever since then every game that comes out seems progressively easier... I really had my hopes up for this one (because of the casual mode option) that there would be more of a challenge in this game, but it seems to be going by faster than even EOIII. Am I the only one who feels this way?

[emailboxu]

Yeah I didn't feel that brickwall I hit in the first games, I think mostly because of the short mazes (only 3 levels each), but at the same time it could just be me knowing how the game works and returning to town often to heal up. I remember when I first played the game I'd just try to blitz through floors and then end up destroyed.

[Yoonah]

I think its just the games getting progressively more balanced
In this game, there seems to be less crap skills overall

[ZetaBladeX13]

Easiest game in the series, for sure.

[Soulerisn]

[Xtatica]

I have to agree, it feels to easy amd short. Still good though.

[Garlyle]

[emailboxu]

The post-game maze makes up for the easy difficulty in the game though... Most of the enemies one-shot you or close to it at level 70 :/

[Dangerus]

[Lord Zombie]

I don't know about easy...I've been having a hard time still stuck on the 3rd labyrinth..xD (currently working on the boss battle but grinding a bit before then)

Though it's more likely due to my party choice of being based around mainly my 2 nightseekers for damage...xD and im also playing on normal mode..haven't touched casual at all..not that it makes much difference except in my pocket...

my party is
F/N/N
M/S

I have thought about training a Landsknecht on the side but I love my nightseekers waiting to unlock bushi class after the boss fight to possibly sub one of my nightseekers to a more damage consistent build

But yea I was a bit amazed at how fast everyone else was plowing through the game...but yea you guys have more reliable forms of damage (I think).. So I'll keep doing it the hard way for now just to make the reclassing I'll be doing later on the nightseekers much more enjoyable when the damage becomes a lot more powerful..

[Katt]

I have to say, working at a certain game-selling retailer, i've already seen one copy come back in, some people just can't deal with a game series that is generally this hard in the non-hand-holding category....

But i do feel it holds veterans' hands a lot.

Dungeons broken up between the mini-dungeons and primary of area, if you didn't know to go questing, think about all the gear you'd be missing.. Newbies trying this game out would just dig straight in and have a terribly hard time since it seems broken up to make sure you're doing the 'optional' stuff. Everything seems set in stages of difficulty to make sure you grasp that even the FOE's are in balance and farmable immediately.

By far the easiest EO in the series to me, and yet.. I already feel a love for it. The skill system, while more simplistic, is a lot more balanced. I can't really find anything SUPER broken (sub skills mitigated, no really wasted tree branches, its actually easy to plan out but hard to decide which path to go due to actual usefulness), and the fun is there the whole way even though i know how to blitz through it.

All the superficial enhancements are nice, but didn't take ANYTHING away from the game (thank god), and the addition of enemy lines is amazingly good challenge which i found myself reminiscing on from games like Wizardry and other early titles. Lands to explore is radically different, and gives you a better feel for the different areas so they don't really feel disjointed or out of place, so there's just an awesome exploration of the overland you can see freely (but can't always reach!) to give some added anticipation while giving you a reason to go back.

It seems well paced, but shorter, though there is more to do with the different dungeons strewn about, and they really innovated ways to scatter more items to farm (and that whole change is wonderful although i'll miss abusing leveling with my farmers to no end). And without having to waste time for most FOE's farming is a LOT faster, but that's still just a limited for a game you need to reset your characters on multiple times.

I can't complain at all on the difficulty, it seems so well balanced for what it is- I'm just handling it better, although i CAN reminisce about it not being like the previous ones.... but... i don't think its a bad thing. I'd love to see this game's sequel....

[Ex-Lurker]

Well as an Etrian imbecile who can barely make his way through any of the games (ok, so I haven't at all. What? I'm new here aren't I?) I think the difficulty right out of the gate is way easier. The skill trees... At first I was nervous, wondering if they lost some balance by being in tiers. I'm almost certain I was wrong, and more importantly, planning builds and synergies ahead of time doesn't mean buying 20 notebooks and scrawling notes all over the walls in blood! My point being, skills are more stream lined.

But even the skills the skills and characters are less overwhelming, I feel the game trusts me a little bit less than it used to. Going from level 1 of the first dungeon to level 2 is no longer a death sentence all newcomers must face... But a slightly more challenging training zone that you'll be safe in by the time you find it, if you've been building your characters and doing everything your told.

I agree with Katt. If you didn't know to go questing you'd be missing a lot... I don't remember there being too many quests I could feasibly accomplish in Etrian Odyssey 1. Get a Landsknecht to level 20? That's not a quest, that's just telling me to put a Landsknecht in my party! I was ready in EO4 for the second floor by the time I got there because I neurotically did all the quests I could before exploring deeper; every quest was doable for anyone smart enough to place skill points.

Last thing I've got to say? I've been playing for a couple of hours now and Game Over'd twice. The number of Game Overs I've gotten should be ungodly by now.

Oh yeah! Okay, real last thing.
Reviews and recognition are off the charts for Etrian Odyssey! Maybe it's because I'm looking at more sources, but I think it's getting alot more notice than I remember for EO3, certainly more than the first 2.

[Doktor_Q]

Yeah, I'd honestly agree that EOIV is the easiest so far. Having doubled back to play 3 for a bit, I can also say the Exp per level is so so much easier to meet, the FOEs mostly lost their bullcrap respawn setups, and, among other things, they've got the caves as basically designated training areas to suit up for each new floor of the labyrinth.

Also, no newbie killer in the first dungeon as a random encounter, just the baboons.

[Shousa]

Yep, definitely easiest one.

It's gotten to the point were I get ambushed in events (post game) and just slaughter through whatever comes with ease. Killed the ice dra...lizard on my first try, too.

Heck, I knew this one was going to be easy, so I prepared by choosing my party only on their looks and I made sure not to take a Medic with me and still... it's fun and all but I don't feel challenged playing it. Couldn't even quest at my pace, because questing only made my party stronger xD

I'm a little sad that there is no hard mode available.. you know.. for that pleasure of having some butterflies pop up to kick your ass. (Appropriately, though, monsters from the very first floor of EOI pop up on the 5th/6th maze in EOIV.)


My party for reference:



PS:I ♥ Nightstalkers.

[Shousa]

Nope, my Dancer doesn't know a single Tango. She's pretty much my healer. Regen (Healing Step), Refresh, Chase and (Auto-)Revive is basically all she's good/used for. Energy Tango would be a waste of a perfectly fine Buff-Slot, since my only member running out on TP is my second Nightstalker and for that, there's items. Not that there are many bosses that last that long, mind you. Only used it once on the IceLizard, because he kept healing himself, which dragged the battle out.

N/A, N/L, D/M
A/R, R/I

First Nightstalker inflicts ailments, second Nightstalker deals damage, Dancer heals, Arcanist helps out with ailments/binds/healing and elemental debuff on enemies and the Runemaster is for elemental damage. Only thing I'm missing is Def. My frontline is made of paper but their AGI is high enough to mostly don't care. I was thinking to change my A/R to A/M for post game and use D/M for something else,... but.. turns out that's not necessary.

Today I bested the ElectroLizard (Storm Emperor) on my first try. He would have made me want to use items to replenish TP, but I forgot to bring any.