Some players will always choose the hardest available difficulty setting in every game they play, pushing themselves to the brink, and only turning it down if the experience ends up feeling cheap rather than strategically challenging. Others will often opt for the easiest mode - no shame in that - because their time is limited, or they simply want to breeze right on through.

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Atlas Fallenoffers three difficulty modes, but rather than the conventional ‘Easy/Normal/Hard’ naming scheme, developer Deck13’s settled for more lore-savvy terms. We break down each one so you can make an informed decision on your playthrough experience.

Unnamed’s Story

They kind of give it away in the name with this one, but then again, it’s not like they’re trying to hide it -Unnamed’s Story is essentially story mode, which meansall enemies' stats are lowered.They’ll be less capable of taking a hit, and conversely, you’ll be more capable of taking plenty.

This isn’t quite the full-fledged, press-button-to-win, story mode seen in some games. Atlas Fallen can be a hard game, especially as you’re learning the ropes. Unnamed’s Story mode doesn’t negate all that, it merely provides a buffer.

The very start of the Atlas Fallen character creation with a female character model selected and more variations to select from on the left side.

In our time with the mode,we’d liken it tosignificantly easing the effects of the Momentum Gaugein your favor, which is to say, it basically feels like you do even more damage when it’s high, and take far less damage simultaneously.

Holding The Glove

Holding the Glove isnormal mode, or at least, Deck13’s approximation therein. Normal, in Atlas Fallen parlance, is comparable to hard in many other action-adventure titles. But Atlas Fallen isn’t really a Soulslike, nor does it set out to be one, sowhile this can be difficult, it’s nowhere near the toughness of Dark Soulsand its peers.

You need to make every effort to build your character, so keep an eye out forEssence Stones, Formula Scrolls, Anvils,all the good stuff. Armed with the best, you’ll handily survive Thelos' test.

Atlas Fallen’s Gauntlet Menu

Thelos' Scourge

First, a note!You can change difficulty in Atlas Fallen at any time, simply by venturing into the menu and doing so. With that out of the way, don’t feel too overwhelmed if you want to try out Thelos' Scourge, which, as you’ve doubtless surmised, is equivalent tohard mode.

Remember how we described Unnamed’s Story as affecting the Momentum Gauge rather visibly? The same thing happens with Thelos' Scourge, except in the other direction.Even when the gauge is fairly low, you’ll get hit for what feels like a high-gauge amountin Unnamed’s Story, and somewhere around the center in Holding the Glove. At the same time, when your gauge is quite high, your foes willtake less damagethan they would elsewhere.

Wraith lunges at the main character in a cave, in Atlas Fallen

Suffice to say, then, the amount of damage you receive when your Momentum Gauge is high is quite well enough to end you in a couple of hits if you aren’t powerfully-equipped. Here, more than ever,you must not just gear up as powerfully as possible, but master the game mechanicsincluding basics like parry, lest the elite wraiths end you forever.