The shame of reducing the difficulty

[@Cyberlisk]

Me at the beginning: "That's unusual, why is Rowan playing the dark lord, not Hamish or Ben?" Me when he has no armor in easy mode: "Ok that makes sense..."

[@antenant9294]

Lol.. he never misses a chance, does he!

[@JawadKhan-gc6du]

My thoughts were the same...then it happened.🤣🤣🤣😂

[@colestros997]

LOOOOOL

[@VivaLaDirtLeague]

Gotta get his kit off

[@chefkochjay]

Same though process :D

[@I3oozeAddict]

This video just confirms my suspicions: the wooden spoon as a weapon of choice, the eyesight, the arthritis and chronic cough - my grandma is a Dark Lord General.

[@zaelan1319]

Oh man, i didn't expect this xD Thx you made me laugh so hard

[@Aggoroth]

You must save the people of eldritch then hero,It may be a difficult nay!Impossible to do but you must defeat the villan lurking amongst you,Go hero may your boss slaying go well!

[@paddington1670]

looooooool

[@libertyprime1614]

And you must be playing on the easy mode, shame on you. 😔

[@Beer_Wolf]

Is she Irish too?

[@NaudVanDalen]

Imagine if the reward was the boss's weapon and instead of the awesome glowing sword, he gets the wooden spoon.

[@kliersheed]

underrated

[@DARKthenoble]

Image the shame of beating a man to death with a wooden spoon

[@rajurizqi3878]

And the wooden spoon named "Tough man spoon" with 100 bad karma points

[@doomsday3130]

@@DARKthenoble "i had to beat an old lady with a stick to get this"

[@DARKthenoble]

@@doomsday3130 "I had to help two old ladies in front of a truck to get this one."

[@devilmaycraft6811]

If that was the spike from easy to normal....now I wanna know what this boss looks like on hard

[@stircrazyvidz8530]

He'll probably just walk up to him, and then the boss will swipe his sword from a distance that he would never be able to reach and he'd just die instantly

[@antoniomontero4989]

He teabags you to dead...

[@bestliutr]

the boss would probably have two hunchman healers, two melee fighters and two archers (he's a general after all). It sould take an epic hero or a fully equiped squad to beat, not a random adventurer with a sword and mail armor.

[@lonestar4233]

Miyazaki enters the chat

[@stevenlee3240]

Idk, maybe a huge ass health bar that takes 30 mins of blood and tears to draw it down only for the cutscene to occur and a completely new health bar appears for an immensely more difficult second phase, while the epic orchestrated Latin screaming theme blasting in the background.

[@cynicalpsycho5574]

Whoever did the effects on the sword did an amazing job!

[@ku8721]

Forget the sword who made that spoon???

[@VivaLaDirtLeague]

Shout out to our special effects wizard!

[@LawsOnJoystick]

Saber!

[@TheIceThorn]

@@VivaLaDirtLeague all hail the VFX Wizard! HAIL! HAIL!

[@MightyJonE]

@@VivaLaDirtLeague I’m more impressed that an actual wizard creates the special FX

[@The0Mann]

"Feel tough? Big tough man huh?" Imagine a game where the npcs are this ashamed of you and talk down to you for playing on easy.

[@adams13245]

I think there might be a few. I know Wolfenstein has some rather insulting names for easy mode. "Can I play Daddy?"

[@proxy90909]

Chicken hat Metal Gear solid V

[@damusdeshi622]

Lost Planet has that, the NPC be like, "The hell you thinking choosing Ultra setting!? Set it down at once or your PC doomed!" Me : ಥ╭╮ಥ

[@ethribin4188]

Why did they even offerbthe quest? XD

[@EmilWall]

Suicide rates would skyrocket 😥

[@Desopolis]

What’s worse is when the game itself prompts you: “Maybe try it on a lower difficulty level?” With a big X: Easy

[@argentechgames]

Ugh how many times I've gotten something like that

[@VivaLaDirtLeague]

Big shame moment there 🥺

[@bendunster8859]

Yeah, just what I need when I’m already getting my ass kicked and totally pissed off, “hey buddy, looks like you suck at this game, you wanna play on an easier difficulty you noob?”

[@k.s.l3w158]

The first God of War shamed me with that message too many times to count. It's so humiliating.

[@cobra29935]

Devil may cry did it the best. When you died enough times you'll eventually get a prompt on the gameover screen that replaces the gameover text with "easy mode has been unlocked"

[@lawlietriver8869]

I like how it becomes so easy that the hero becomes the villain and the oppressor despite people still recognizing that it was indeed a Dark Lord.

[@joelrobinson5457]

Like the emperor of the United States, he claimed the title and gave laws, but people just went along with it because they liked this man, they even gave him donations they called taxes so he could buy food, he became so well known they were making action figures of him. When a new police officer joined the local officers, he tried to have him committed, and the social backlash was immense. Then after being released, the emporers first decree was to pardon the man. Samo'nella did a good video about this

[@2boredtowatch2003]

​@@joelrobinson5457The U.S. is a constitutional democracy.

[@nicholastauiliili2665]

⁠@@2boredtowatch2003it was a homeless man who proclaimed himself emperor hence the police iirc. Ppl went along enough to be somewhat known in history but you ain’t gonna hear about in class because it’s self proclaimed

[@vladivosdog]

@@2boredtowatch2003 r/woooosh

[@Xenithn]

I honestly want to see the one where they "Increase" difficulty, because the game is 'too easy'.... only to find out that the enemy is only using a fraction of their 'true power'.

[@insaincaldo]

Or be disappointed that it only turned them into damage sponges.

[@Xenithn]

@@insaincaldo True tho...

[@glebanufriev]

Yeah would be nice to see the 'Hard' difficulty for the Dark Lord General, could have adds for example (he's a general after all), some mount (horse probably), in a dark setting (self explanatory) and even add a handicap to the hero instead (bleeding, weakness, etc.)

[@Aeon8354]

They would need a cameo by the Emotional Damage guy.

[@DustinBarlow8P]

And then he uses his Ultimate Ability "LOCK THE SAVE FILE TO THE HIGHEST DIFFICULTY" MUHAHAHAHA BETTER GET GUD!

[@FF2Guy]

I was kind of expecting a “you must complete this quest on a higher difficulty to claim your reward” message to appear.

[@ThePandoraGuy]

Is that a thing?

[@jaypetz]

@@ThePandoraGuy Achievement on steam I believe on some games.

[@yosirin5697]

@@ThePandoraGuy It is a thing

[@Ruffster]

When loot is involved, I guess that cool looking sword would been more awesome than that spoon..

[@blablup1214]

@@ThePandoraGuy Many games have something like "better loot drops only on higher difficulty"

[@fatercoelho7476]

i was expecting him to "sneakily" change dificulty back to normal only to be told you couldn't take it back up again and have to live on easy for the rest of the game XD

[@TravisFabel]

This is exactly what I was expecting as well... kill him, look around, then move the slider back up.

[@Dargoneth]

This is actually true. I think you can't make it higher in God of War for example. Only lower (by 1 i think) or back what it was. This is so people dont just raise it for the last fight and need to play the whole game on insane for an insane finish

[@joshuafox8856]

I hate games that let you change difficulty on the fly. I mean what's even the point?

[@TheAdriyaman]

@@joshuafox8856 To give people a good experience? Not everyone wants a "challenge" or "acheivement". Some people want to be able to raise the difficulty if it feels easy and lower it if it is too hard.

[@alex10294]

@@TheAdriyaman That's exactly why Bernie Sanders gets votes.

[@phoephoe795]

I honestly though he was going to give the Dark Lord a pat on the back to help his cough and accidentally defeat him...

[@winxclubflora8446]

😂😂😂

[@eradaalmasi7590]

Underrated comment

[@JBob08]

Would have been a solid option

[@GodlikeIridium]

Lololololol 😂😂😂

[@futuriafantasia7642]

I'm cryyyiiing

[@adammullarkey4996]

Thankfully, I've never had to suffer the indignity of having to lower the difficulty, due to my genius move of always playing on the easiest difficulty anyway because I suck at video games.

[@Rysarod]

Amen to that.

[@itdobelikedattho8112]

Only at video games? 😩

[@guitarmama06]

@Adam Mullarkey I *suck* at video games also. So I ALWAYS play at the lowest difficulty. I'd rather play a breeze through than have a complete meltdown at not being able to defeat a quest boss...like *NEVER*! Even the lowest difficulty in a video game is tough for me.

[@Dominick789]

You monster!

[@Yorikoification]

Ain't no shame in that, ignore the folks who make fun of you for enjoying it casually. We're all good at different stuff but that shouldn't keep us from enjoying the same games.

[@Vermouth_19]

Man, Adam is way too good at portraying that desperation. 10/10

[@VivaLaDirtLeague]

The scream of frustration comes from a very real place 😅

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@VivaLaDirtLeague LMAO

[@keithrogers6876]

Perhaps they made Adam play a game like Dark Souls on max difficulty for a few hours before filming..

[@Vermouth_19]

@@VivaLaDirtLeague there there 😂

[@danielled8665]

@@keithrogers6876 or they just made him shoot the same scene over and over again, repeatedly telling him it wasn't good enough, they needed one more take, while his sanity slowly erodes on camera in real time.

[@ddrakcorviss9166]

*Adam: has completed the quest and has been afflicted with the "Easy slayer" title debuff* Reputation: Honeywood: -80% > hated Darkwood: neutral

[@chefcc90]

Oh I love it. No way to cure debuff either until he completes in on normal or above

[@ddrakcorviss9166]

@@chefcc90 then has to rep grind to stop the guards from attacking him.

[@Not-an-Alien]

last witness killed

[@theeditor9352]

If my reputation is like that, I'll up the ante by stealing buckets and punching or stabbing rando NPCs.

[@jackalhead7433]

That's why before you engage in a boss battle you rise your level by doing side quest just like Alan's character did

[@Zaxares]

That's what I was thinking throughout the entire skit. XD "Dude... Just go grind out another 5 or 10 levels and come back again!"

[@Puschit1]

And our favourite NPC had a yellow question mark above his head which means at least 1 completed quest.

[@AtlantisStuart]

Then it's time to welcome the infamous dynamic difficulties🙃

[@battlesheep2552]

Also you know all those potions and wands you've been hoarding "just in case"? Yeah, this is the case.

[@belenjayson3332]

Or call a friend like "Let me Solo Her" to beat that boss for ya, If this game is reliant on REMEMBERING the boss' attack pattern then you can beat it despite being low level (If you're that kind of player that likes it risky XD I fought and killed King Hrolf Kraki of God War Ragnarok XD and yes I died numerous times, but I was to lazy to level up so I fought him knowing full well it won't be easy because of my level.)

[@rydermccall3590]

“Beating up a physically disabled Dark Lord General!” One of the greatest lines ever.

[@cotocoyerakson8195]

Elden Ring players watching this

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

Meanwhile in Souls games: physically disabled boss is the hardest

[@proto-type3201]

@@akechijubeimitsuhide *cough cough* malenia*cough cough*

[@disturbedpyro4511]

“Bet you feel like a big ole hero!?” 😂😂

[@iche9373]

With or without Disability, what’s actually wrong about it when the Dark Lord is evil after all?

[@tekkalord]

I would love to see an actual game do this. Set it to easy and all the enemies actually LOOK weaker and stuff.

[@snoopyslu]

That would be interesting gameplay. I think I would like to see that too

[@MrKotorX]

Id play through every difficulty just to see the differences

[@tomfromtartu9706]

Yes!!

[@The0Mann]

And the npcs are ashamed of you playing on easy but your biggest fans when you're playing the hardest difficulty.

[@titaniumwolf1123]

@@The0Mann pretty sure there is a game I recently played that shames the hell out of you for choosing easy

[@fantasew]

"Bet you feel like a hero! I don't wanna hear it. Take your gold and get out! Get out of my sight!" If every NPC treated me like this after easy difficultt kills I'd feel equally as guilty.

[@widebroadcast6812]

No thats why you kill the npcs

[@ThunderTheBlackShadowKitty]

No guilt. I am superior to the NPC. They didn't go fight and die several times. They don't know the struggle. If an NPC said that to me, they die instantly.

[@calronkeltaran493]

@@ThunderTheBlackShadowKitty obviously each NPC, that insults you this way, is even stronger than the boss you just struggled with

[@michaellatta7699]

@@widebroadcast6812 not Honeywood NPCs. They are pretty tuff.

[@michaellatta7699]

And whatever you do, don't kick the chicken.

[@puzzlingcentaur]

This is exactly how I felt after reducing my difficulty settings in Witcher 3-Hearts of Stone. I managed to complete everything else on Death March, including final boss in Blood and Wine, but for some reason, no matter how many times I've tried, I could not defeat "Iris worst nightmare" . I suspect it was something about my build that made it harder than normal or maybe I was just terrible at it. I lowered my difficulty to easy....oh, the shame....the shame! I felt like a loser afterwards. Then again, I do have a busy life and I wanted to see what happens next before I die of old age.

[@glorykun]

the only time i lower the difficulty mid game is Far Cry 4 - Rakshasa Boss battle.i hate a closed area boss battle without my own chosen weapon

[@lilsamurai9977]

You know it’s serious when you start getting mad at npcs wishing you luck 😂

[@krampusklaws2238]

It's that cutscene before a difficult mission energy. When you see it over and over and over and over ....

[@Xiph1980]

@@krampusklaws2238 though, the skills you develop escaping out of that cut scene before the first frame even displays are next level. That skill in itself should cut 20% HP off of the boss. 😁

[@Rychleji]

@@Xiph1980 you got skippable cutscenes?

[@NeonyRicey]

@@krampusklaws2238 it's not a cutscene. it's the long trek back to the boss. arguably even worse than a cutscene.

[@krampusklaws2238]

@@Xiph1980 If you are even lucky enough to be able to skip it. Some game developers are dicks. In all honestly with the shit that goes on in Azerim I doubt they would have skippable cutscenes.

[@ryutheslayer123]

If easy mode takes away his armor and replaces his giant sword with a wooden spoon, imagine the epicness that would be hard mode

[@yep1486]

true, I can imagen dual wielding laser beam swords while fireing projectile swords that has laser beams too

[@zenogias01]

Hardmode is the same geriatric model, but you get the added humilation of being reduced to your component atoms by a wooden spoon wielded by a blind, arthritic invalid.

[@Toshinben]

Boss gets a second form once you beat him once. Dragon that breaths dark flames, has 25x the health of the first phase, and periodically summons multiple copies of its first form. Reward for winning: wooden spoon which is used on an 'odd box' in the middle of the game to give +10 to all skills, effectively maxing them all out, and the item can be selected as a perk when starting a new game.

[@Dewani90]

hard mode includes latin chanting boss music and a whole castle you have to traverse to reach said dark lord.

[@dekippiesip]

​​@zenogias01 hard is the same guy as easy, but with the fighting skills of Elden Rings 'let me solo her'.

[@BeddoMakuramaru]

Ah yes the three difficulties: -a man shaped baloon that pops after one hit -hard till you farm some lvls -hard till you sell your soul to the dark lords and ascend your mortal vessel

[@fireblade295]

Or doing everything before you even do the 2nd main mission: Still easy.

[@amyhoard1222]

Or you buy microtransactions that give you all the best stuff making "hard" difficultly far to easy without the grind...

[@Just_a-guy]

So you play on normal and go to yt for some tips how to beat him and there someone beats him on hard with stick using steering wheel as controller

[@ThatAnArchyDude]

@@Just_a-guy My experience with BotW. lol

[@mermidion7552]

I already tried to make the Deal three times but the Dark Lords always refuse my soul. i dont know why, its barely used :P

[@waldoman7]

It'd be amazing to make a game where difficulty actually affected plot this way

[@freddykabuffke461]

I mean.. There are games calling you out when you play on easy

[@MikeTheEnforcer]

​@@freddykabuffke461 Ninja Gaiden.......

[@GLITTER_GUTS]

Haha for sure!! I know if Eldon ring had an easy mode, they’d happily roast you.. they should do that next 😂

[@waldoman7]

@@F1rstNameLastName yeah, but beyond that

[@АнтонГлебов-ь6д]

@@F1rstNameLastName на сеге такое встречалось: Golden Axe, Bare Knuckles

[@alexhamer4762]

That feeling when you're finding a boss suuper hard but after much trial and error and struggle, you finally get on top of it, slowly reducing its health with several near misses on your part on the way. When the boss is on its very last legs, one more strike will finish it off at long last......the temptation is too much. You abandon your incredibly disciplined strategy in your rush to finally, finally kill this fucking boss. You get sloppy. And dead. But you take heart. You were only one hit away from victory. If you've done it once, you can do it again. For the next half dozen attempts....you don't even get close. And so it continues.

[@BlazedShadow]

Sounds like a fromsoft game, love it.

[@maryjoyspohrer256]

Where is the part where he quests to get better armor and weapons? No buffs, potions or poisons? Even granny knows that you level up some before going in again...and I'm just a social quester!

[@dappy6262]

So dark souls?

[@stevengreen9536]

@Alex Hamer Yeah when it comes to tough bosses always stick to the game plan.

[@Sotanaht01]

@@maryjoyspohrer256 Nope. Leveling up more is admitting defeat.

[@Serenity_Dee]

the most annoying "you're dying a lot, would you like to lower the difficulty?" message I ever got was in the very first God of War, which has these really obnoxious precision jumping sequences (which, thankfully, they didn't repeat in later games) that I kept dying to because of a slightly mistimed jump. it was annoying because the difficulty setting had no impact at all on the moving platforms (near the very end of the temple) or the Hades Blades.

[@dmitc01]

I actually remember this as well. It was infuriating

[@THEPELADOMASTER]

Yeah that game had you jump platforms and like, in the middle of the jump it changed camera angles and made you twist and go fucking nowhere all through the game

[@cymond]

I remember those towers of spinning blades! One of my other big pet peeves was the scripted knife fight with Krauser in RE4.

[@tfk2328]

@@cymond That is until you learn you could press all the buttons and still pass.

[@cymond]

@@tfk2328 Nope, I never knew that, but I'll try it the next time I replay RE4. Because seriously, F that scene.

[@BeazleyStudios]

Love this. Especially the "walk of shame" in front of the other players.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

Funny thing is they all lower level than him so its not like they beat it themselves either

[@Verboten_Joey]

How would they know he beat the boss in easy?

[@AqEva]

@@Verboten_Joey They don't, it's just how the player feels their eyes on him.

[@bloodbansheee5219]

Isn't it usually only one difficulty in mmo quests?

[@Dargoneth]

I would rather take the shame of google for a hint than lowering the difficulty

[@itchykami]

Could be worse, easy mode could change monsters to be actual children. And all dialogue in the game is changed to shame the main character.

[@zach11241]

That would actually be Impossible Mode since the children would probably be invulnerable.

[@marcfoster715]

Wolfenstein on Easy-mode: "can I play, daddy?"

[@jabberjaw4289]

Someone should do this

[@tags7202]

Oh

[@HermeticJazz]

This should be a thing in elden ring tbh. All the npcs shun the player and is rail roaded into the chaos ending.

[@frankiejfields7740]

Well, it's official. Lowering a game's difficulty grants all enemies five stacks of the "Osteoporosis" debuff.

[@maryjoyspohrer256]

🤣

[@rdiv]

Plot twist and on the other side of the spectrum: You turn the game to hard or nightmare mode and the boss looks just like it does in easy mode but this time around, your attacks do slight scratches on it's skin, then it hits you with the wooden spoon and you die. lol Now that would be humiliating. Then a window pops up sort of shaming you for being that "korean skills guy"(alternatively a pitiful guy that wants to get the sense of accomplishment and achievement from beating a hard video game boss A.I/bot, because it's the only thing or from the few things that bring joy and make him proud about himself in his life) stereotype whom complains all the time that the game is too easy. "How do you like THAT for a difficulty? emO tio nal dA mage".

[@arn3107]

@@rdiv bru what did you write

[@dansmith6300]

@@arn3107 I think he's referring to the "If chinese is a difficulty setting" video by Stephen He.

[@manofthetombs]

lmao!

[@guilhermeaugusto512]

I was expecting Greg to yell "Yuck!" several times at Adam. Also, huge mistake of Adam not doing the sidequests before going to the Dark Lord.

[@חפרקריסטל]

(I am sorry if it was meant as a joke and I didn't get it) Maybe... but why make it such a big difference, he didn't come down from 'extreme' all the way the to 'easy', just one level of difficullty down becuase he just wanted to past this boss already. It is on the designers of the game more then anyone. I'm afraid to imgine how the 'hard' difficullty be like...

[@ab-rw9jk]

Maybe he did all sidequests, got maximum level he can, but his character sucks in combat because of wrong levelling...

[@t.estable3856]

@@חפרקריסטל The side quest thing is because you can see Greg has a complete quest that hasn't been handed in, and usually completing side quests is a good way to boost your power before a final boss. (Also, some games DO actually make fun of the player for going down to easy.)

[@guilhermeaugusto512]

@@t.estable3856 This makes me remember of God of War: the game suggests you to change to easy mode if you died to many times in the same part.

[@pIayingwithmahwii]

That’s Dark Lord General to you!

[@cheesus7672]

Bodger: "Here is a weapon fitting you level" Dark lord General: "This is a wooden spoon" Bodger: "Yeah, see that's quite a menacingly spoon"

[@uladzimirdarozka3882]

I mean, I wouldn't dare to challenge Gaunter O'Dimm and his wooden spoon. Like, really the worst idea (:

[@_Noolan_]

Ha ha, good one!

[@lornkjewlsvar6283]

that reminds me of the murderer with the very inefficient weapon. Could have worked, would be a slow death then

[@AldorEricsson]

The spoon is of excellent craftsdwarfship. The spoon menaces with spikes of wood.

[@kaltaron1284]

Do you know the manga/anime "History's strongest disciple Kenichi"? A spoon can be very menacing depending on the person wielding it.

[@johnwalshe]

I actually had tears in my eyes laughing at this so hard. It was a phenomenally embarrassing situation - earned a support, outstanding work.

[@PolinaLee94]

Ha, that is actually a good game. In most modern games the dark lord would look like the "easy lord" both times, but at higher difficulties the spoon would do +10 000 damage when the dark lord waves it in random direction

[@jinx9603]

when 'difficulty' is just massive bonuses and nothing else

[@fuchsmichael93]

I liked it a lot in Sekiro, Bell or Charmless, where you get Chip Damage when you block forcing you to perfect parry. Makes you learn the Game a lot better.

[@Ben-rz9cf]

I would love to see a game actually do this and add different voice lines for the easy mode.

[@Target850]

As a Bonus on "easy difficulty" the Boss should drop just garbage Items, like its Unique Spoon of Shame instead of the Legendary Sword of Chaos. Imagine getting only trash loot on easy difficulty and epic stuff on hardest difficulty, so in the end the game is on easy just as difficult as on hard.

[@capnbobretired]

@@Target850 Am I the only on here who empathizes with the hero who did not read the cheat and puts a lot of time into the final encounter and thusly arrives to meet doom after doom because he did not have a duck of dodge, a watch of time stop, and a cloak of invincibility?

[@Simon-ph1nf]

The meta in this episode is very high, well done. also VLDL need to release an actual "dark lord spoon" merch for stirring my tea and asserting dominance over the lands one side of the spoon says "Dark Lord", the other says "Shame on you"

[@FaultAndDakranon]

I'd love that. Limited edition hand carved wooden spoons.

[@Pharaoh_Tutankhamen]

made of wood

[@claudiolentini5067]

"Nothing gets me ready for a long day devouring souls like a fresh cup of tea"

[@MNbenMN]

69th like.. noice

[@MNbenMN]

awwww.. two more likes while I was replying :(

[@u.m.1101]

I love how the whole town and all the players shun him for using easy mode. Feels like real life, you know, when your just living life normally and the world shuns you no matter what.

[@GeardoGaming]

I get the humor of the video but I disagree about your analogy to real life, living normally does not mean you are shunned.

[@yukimarusword]

This should be implemented in games.

[@bbbbende]

Incorrect, actually. He was living his life easily, not normally.

[@XX-sp3tt]

Imagine all the crying ten year olds being told they're a horrible person for playing on easy mode.

[@BURNaJAE]

@@GeardoGaming unless you don’t have a job and mooch off someone.

[@AdrianColley]

You forgot the bit where McShooty1030 gets a succession of lucky blows, and cuts Dark Lord's health bar down to 1%; but then, as he's about to deliver a triumphant coup de grâce, the Dark Lord grows a _second health bar_ and swipes away the last of McShooty1030's hit points with a backhand.

[@bustergundo516]

I hate that.

[@Sebby_Nineteen]

I love the fact that the others players glaring at him are in the SINGLE digits.

[@DenoGameplay]

69 likes

[@Sebby_Nineteen]

@@DenoGameplay not anymore

[@Shamanteng]

Smurfs probably if not they wouldn't care :p

[@zachryder3150]

Can't feel ashamed when reducing the difficulty if you never have faith in yourself to ever try a difficulty other than the easiest one.

[@gamer4ever838]

i always play on easy. i am here for the gameplay and story. not dying over and over again

[@eriklindbergs5017]

I resemble this remark.

[@zema9401]

@@gamer4ever838 Challenge is part of the gameplay.

[@malazuth3306]

@@gamer4ever838 had you try books..?

[@vukkulvar9769]

"I play for the story"

[@BrokenEyes00]

I’m not gonna lie it would be absolutely hilarious if there was a game that did this if you changed the difficulty settings during a boss battle.

[@Mikeztarp]

It feels like a Toby Fox kind of move.

[@Mikeztarp]

@Michael Hamm Yes, that is what I said, word for word. And since we're on the subject, can I interest you in joining the Foxian Church?

[@kexruss]

@Michael Hamm genius reading comprehension 10/10

[@ericromano8078]

Set the game to impossible, and the enemies all float up in the air just out of reach of your ranged attacks.

[@Bluberyline827]

i can just imagine if he put that on hard mode that instead of rowan it would have been a body builder with a lot more magic effects around him.

[@Cludnugget]

But he got a body builder on easy mode..... 😜

[@riderox2026]

I would have loved it if Alan said "skip!" when Adam tried to explain himself haha

[@Mythraen]

He didn't try to explain himself. Alan is a shopkeeper. Adam said, "do you have a..." He was probably trying to buy something.

[@Relinque9]

@@Mythraen or asking if Alan had another quest, as he still had the yellow exclamation mark

[@UFRooster]

I do miss the old Epic NPC Man sign off. Something about Rowan’s singing put my soul at ease. Great production y’all put in, thanks so much!

[@SimonAshworthWood]

Perhaps you can use the Dark Lord’s spoon to stir your soup?

[@UFRooster]

@@SimonAshworthWood shit, soul not soup! Ugh DAMN MY FAT FINGERS!!!!!

[@avgoustinos_ms]

YEAH! I feel you dude

[@medexamtoolscom]

Epic NP Seeemeeeeeeen!

[@UFRooster]

@@medexamtoolscom good try but not the same😞

[@stormthrush37]

This is why I'm a big fan of five difficulty levels rather than just three. Too often easy is too easy while hard is just too hard. More choices is always a good thing.

[@JM.....]

Especially when all the difference is a health/damage/armour/detection range multiplier, its just a different number, easy to do

[@yincimaster8530]

Did someone say Halo? You'll still need to sell your soul to the devil to complete LASO but yeah, at least you got choices!

[@alondor8157]

I'm a bigger fan of just good game design and 1 diffculty level. Dark souls is a great example, it's designed where everyone can learn to overcome (or cheese it). But doesn't devalue your accomplishment with a lame slider.

[@rosshaikenleonen1416]

then there's AC valhalla, where you can literally customize every party of the difficulty.

[@fcold9402]

@@alondor8157 Yeah i didn't think i would like it but after Elden ring I do. I beat Melania and know i did it at the same difficulty as everyone else (even if i used summons). Now i just beat another game and am watching a streamer but cannot compare my strategy as he is playing hardest difficulty and i just played Standard/normal. Still I dare not play a game at hardest difficulty until i beat it at least once because i assume standard was what the game is tuned for and hard is what they created just to stop suoer pro gamers from saying "It's too easy" (which is exactly what some do with Elden ring).

[@MarijnvdSterre]

I suspected him before sliding into shame to manage one time blocking the big sword and getting a strike in, right across the throat. Only to see the health bar going down just 1%.

[@cookiemaster4925]

That's hard mode.

[@Bell_the_Cat]

I really expected Adam to start crying “ahoo…ahoo…ahoo…” during his repeated attempts.

[@TheOriginalDarkGlitch]

That would've been hilarious 🤣

[@SamLun]

pathetic cry.wav

[@nelsoncoelho1]

Makes me wonder how the "hard" difficulty for this boss would be.

[@EfraimTzimisce]

He will be completely naked!

[@wgacrazy8245]

This was my thought also. Will he have dual wielding swords? Will he have a dog? Is it "Manager Rowan" from "Bored"? :D

[@bezerkeyturkey8847]

@@wgacrazy8245 Manager Rowan would be Nightmare difficulty, let's be honest.

[@juliebradley]

Dual wielding the sword and the spoon and avoid getting coughed on at all costs

[@doshka13]

Oh, they already covered it in the "souls logic" series :)

[@SaltStorm007]

Lmfao!! This was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS....AS USUAL!! The only thing missing was everyone shouting ‘shame’💯😂Those ‘Harry Potter’ glasses were the ultimate touch! How could Adam do that to a physically disabled ‘Dark Lord’....HOW COULD HE... The costumes and VFX were AMAZING as well...the ‘Dark Lord’ voice was great too! Almost seemed like he could’ve been a ‘Darth Lord’ as well😁TBH it’s impossible to find anything I don’t like or even a single flaw when it comes to a Viva video. They are basically as close to perfection as one could get nowadays. Glad I was super busy this week and missed this one...it’s like find treasure. Hope you and the families all have a great weekend💯🙏BTW...the new series looks like it’s going to be PHENOMENAL!

[@VivaLaDirtLeague]

Thanks SaltStorm! You're making our heads too big - we won't be able to fit through the door soon! :P

[@panda4247]

how is it that you can write a custom comment with the superthanks? I have there just the prefilled "thanks" with no option of editing

[@realityextractor1956]

Haiyaa! and reference to cooking youtubers with wooden spoon is awesome!

[@xacharon]

Love this. In the (very old) game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, if you used a hack/cheat code to give yourself full powers at the very start (as I tried, just for fun) they actually had NPC dialogue for that situation! Nice touch.

[@SophiaAphrodite]

"Just for fun".....ok Rowan

[@xacharon]

@@SophiaAphrodite Yeah, well...I'm just gonna....have to...do some...stuff...work... *wanders off*

[@damonekstrom4363]

I like to play a game at the end of the day as a way to unwind, and the last thing I need is to be getting steamrolled over and over. There's certainly nothing wrong with switching it to easy mode and just enjoying the story. Plus it's nice feeling like the badass that you're supposed to be. At the end of the day though it's your game, so play it how you want.

[@littleman6950]

I lower if by session two I'm still failing and stop having fun. If it's a choice between quitting or lowering the difficulty, I'm lowering the difficulty.

[@peterbelanger4094]

It is after all, just a game. We have a 1001 reasons for playing. Not to mention single player and multiplayer attitudes are completely different, and if you have a circle of friends who share an interest in that game. For some of us gaming just isn't so dominant in our lives, either from a casual attitude, or years of too much gaming has done carpal damage and we HAVE to slow down. Games are very different, not everything is an MMORPG. With mods, "cheating" becomes a grey area and in many cases it's just making a new game out of a stale one. And, not everything is a competition.

[@jayhovah5621]

Completely disagree, there's no good reason to play on easy. If you just want the game to be streamlined just watch a playthrough on KZbin. My friend plays on easy and tries to talk to me about the same games I play and we just can't even talk because we have such different experiences.

[@damonekstrom4363]

@@jayhovah5621 I'll play my games the way that I want to, and you'll play your games the way that you want to. To suggest that there's an underlying rule that everyone must adhere to is just stupid.

[@5paulo]

I love how Shadow Warrior described its difficulty levels along this way.

[@Mrmghz1]

This game has everything. Realism VR that lets you feel pain and emotion, MMORPG, near-living AI, adjustable global difficulty slider

[@nalim27]

What game are you talking about?

[@bjornstevens9582]

@@nalim27 Whoosh

[@bobc821]

@@nalim27 r/woooosh

[@jchatman5763]

Also an excellent modding scene if you want some nude NPCs

[@Yorick257]

@@nalim27 it's called "Epic NPC Man". A very good game, 10/10

[@pw3829]

This is my all time favorite vivaladirtleague video. It’s what I send to friends to introduce them to the channel. This is the best work you’ve ever done

[@IAmBael]

Rowan: "I have a new idea for a video, guys!" Alan: "I swear, if you're naked in this one as well I'll--" Rowan: "Okay okay but hear me out! What if my armor... disappears... because... the player lowered the difficulty!?" Also plottwist: Greg's question mark above his head was already yellow. Adam had already completed this quest but forgotten about it; Greg tried to remind him every time he walked past, but he kept telling him to shut it. 😂

[@Mikeztarp]

"Skip!"

[@ArissXAS]

Not really, question mark becomes ! when it's completed, and the first time he told him "Good luck with the Dark Lord, adventurer"

[@lawtamim]

@@ArissXAS in some games its the opposite, like if im giving you an example of a recent game there is lost ark which works like that aswell

[@Pizzagulper]

@@ArissXAS The only reason that it becomes a !, is because he had another quest. I have played many games where the completed symbol is the yellow question mark. You can actually see that it is still a yellow question mark while he is turning it in at 3:21, so it might be actually intended.

[@Screm]

Ye gray question mark usually marks a quest that's been accepted but not ready to turn in, yellow question mark is a quest ready to turn in cause the objective has been completed & yellow exclamation point is a quest that has yet to be accepted (In a lot of games)

[@firstpersonwinner7404]

I would love a game where the difficulty did change the loadouts of the enemies and made the NPCs treat you different

[@MyName-Jeff]

Right? If the game literally shamed you for playing on easier modes that would be hilarious

[@puliverius]

Some games rewards you with more experiences on higher difficulties.

[@Pharaoh_Tutankhamen]

and the game's difficulty changes with da weather

[@timemage88x13]

Play south park????

[@TheDarkbluerock]

I think some games have better loot or higher chances for rare drops on higher difficulties

[@rnailo]

I feel like this should be a feature in games that bosses and mobs behave differently & have different lines and looks based on difficulty :)

[@calronkeltaran493]

some games used to have something similar. I think in Doom your charakter was put into diapers and a pacifier, when you play on the easy difficulty and splinter cell did something similar as well

[@Daymyan22]

Changing the appearance of enemies would fit well since they go from aggressive to swinging at you once then waiting for you to wail on them.

[@mermidion7552]

MGS5 had a hat that you could wear to be better at sneaking past opponents.....it was a chicken hat that really looked ridicolous xD

[@ipohertroyanov464]

Hades.

[@Misakyz]

In the original Devil May Cry, the enemies would have different skill sets depending on the difficulty setting.

[@mikhailromanovskii1338]

To be fair, that's EXACTLY the treatment you'll get in most MMOs from other players if you cheese/cheat through the challenges.

[@Lanoman123]

Uh… not really

[@Finwaell]

as it should be

[@iharshbrown6689]

Dont know about "most MMOs" but games that are even somewhat challenging will have tons of backseaters and people looking down on others who cheese challenges

[@vatarants]

Not everyone wanna play under the stress though.

[@Millwork1075]

When has this ever happened in Mabinogi? You get this treatment for NOT going through the challenges.

[@cloke3076]

I’ve always wanted this to be a feature in my game if I was a game developer. The armour and npc change because of difficulty, how npcs treat you and etc. Love how you’ve portrayed it, guys. :D

[@wolfhunter98]

Yeah, think the biggest issue / reason devs don't is the extra time. You're more or less having to do 3+ sets of each NPC. 3+ sets of reactions on top of any different branches / different options in the story (like say, Mass Effect has), etc. More power to you, and not hating. Just lot more time sadly. Maybe a set few or something to meet in the middle. Like the boss(s).

[@Account.for.Comment]

Hades had the features for the endgame with its pact of punishment.

[@thecomorbiditycurator8018]

If you ever make this happen, please don't give the enemies disabilities. It sends a weird message that toes the line between humor and harm. No armor, less damage, less muscular aesthetic, less intimidating facial expressions, slower reaction times. those are all great ways to accomplish this. but giving the enemies a disability like they gave Rowan's character here only when the game is on Easy mode is ableist and uncomfortable.

[@jek__]

I mean one big issue is that you dont want to alter the game experience just based on the skill level of the player. Like that forces hardcore players to play through on easy if they want to see all the content, and it excludes people with lower skill from seeing all the elements of your game. Thats kinda why difficulty sliders exist in the first place

[@cloke3076]

@@jek__ good point. Never thought about that.

[@HerrFinsternis]

😂 "I may be visually impaired but I can still defeat you". The ladz from Monty Python couldn't have done it better, awesome sketch.

[@TheEvilBere]

Yeah it has a bit of "Tis but a scratch".

[@Lewkis01]

*Dark Lord rasps as Adam walks away* "Alright... We'll call it a draw.."

[@thomassmith6232]

Love the look of helpless appeal he gives Greg when he goes to report the quest achieved.

[@raven4k998]

he took the easy way out should have level up some more before continueing

[@tru3toxicgaming509]

@@raven4k998 If he was the right level for the fight and everything, he should be seen as fine in that regard. If he was underleveled and had weak gear for it, he should do some other stuff first.

[@DaiMie]

I want this as a game mechanic.

[@AnubiraiPlus]

That was fantastic. I love Rowan's armor in Normal Mode. I'd love to see a glimpse of Hard Mode. Adam you were perfect in representing the frustration of an unbeatable quest. We all get there and the red hot rage takes over lol. Rowan you played the disabled Dark Lord Beautifully. Alan I love how you shamed Adam after he "beat" the quest lol. Well done all the way around. You're all just fantastic.

[@sojus7929]

Hard Mode is when the Dark Lord General has a mirror ability and can create more versions of himself who are just as powerful as he is.

[@mhyc22]

@@sojus7929 and when you hit him you take poison damage that takes 1% of you're hp until you are at 1% hp and he has 10 times hp

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

I quite miss the old musical outro, with the singing. But the sketches are still hilarious 😄 Subtitles are _super_ broken though, I hope you can update them soon for us hearing impaired fans 💜💜💜

[@MNbenMN]

Unfortunately, the general youtube audience attention span and the algorithm pushed toward jumping straight in with no intro... I miss the "eeEepppic NPC MaaAaaannnnn!" intro, too!

[@silverfireVRgaming]

You're right. The subtitles do need a bit of work in this video.

[@UFRooster]

I just put this same comment! I miss it as well.

[@CuriosityRocks]

They should do an episode about needing subtitles for the characters because you mishear everything they say 😁

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@CuriosityRocks yes, that would be _awesome!_ Vulcan high five! 🖖😁

[@alkaholic4848]

They got together and said "Let's think of some ideas how to make the Dark Lord appear weaker." Before they'd even finished the sentence, Rowan was half naked.

[@jocosesonata]

"Oh, sorry, don't mind me. It just got a little _hot_ in here." **starts posing like a model**

[@tristankuzio9724]

Too funny 🤣🤣

[@marktaylor6553]

Rowan ALWAYS winds up naked. The man has issues. LOL

[@cymond]

What really sucks is when changing the difficulty doesn't fix the problem. For me, it's those "quick time" reaction events that were popular for a while.

[@iambicpentakill]

As someone who plays games in a second language sometimes, QTEs can eff right off.

[@Gallahad767]

This reminds me of dying so much to Vergil in DMC3 only to be told that I've "unlocked" Easy mode. And there is nothing more humiliating than that.

[@KitaKat00]

I would never turn the game on again because that is crazy disrespectful lololol

[@jnoneya184]

I enjoy easy mode some of these games are made so difficult they’re not even fun to play

[@Szadek23]

Ninjs Gaiden is the worst about that. Ask you every few deaths.. "Are you really, really sure you don't want to play on easy?"

[@KitaKat00]

@@Szadek23 omfg I would throw my controller lol

[@jacobfaro9571]

Idea: remember how oblivion had a major problem with efficient leveling and under leveling? What is it like for a player who neglected his combat skill and thought they could rank up things like trading and medicine, then decided fight some rats to level up combat later. You Only now they are anthro rats with armor and chainsaws.

[@conduit64]

God I hated Oblivion's leveling system, I ended up playing the entire game with the slider like halfway to the left so I didn't have to worry about how many stat points I got each level up.

[@LittleDanny9899]

Yhea that a big Reason why i hate level scalling in General (slightly yhea sure but not to much) especialy once there are any non Combat skills is basicaly means your difficulty no longer is the difficulty but instead your Difficulty setting is decided bye the build you play Also i remember my Unarmed Playtrought Damn that was just insane and probably the strongest non Cheese thing you could do vs Humans Like gathering a whole bunch of bandits together and beating them up no problem a wolf (that would struggle vs any of the bandits in 1vs1) Freaking Hard

[@getsueinaito]

It was especially bad with how undead were such health sponges. Often turned it down when I knew I was going to fight zombies or liches

[@astrotecn]

@@conduit64 how say you are a shitter without saying you are a shitter

[@Prownilo]

Oblivion had major and minor skills, your major skills are the ones that level you up. The trick was to set your major skills to things you didn't actually intend to level up, or hard to level skills. This meant you could be rocking around at destroying things with high combat skills, but technically because you didn't level up your "Major" skills, you are still low level. If playing normally, what you need to do is level up your minor skills with your major ones, so that you get the max +5 attributes every level. So if you have a major in Illusion, and minor in destruction and conjuration, you level all 3 of them at the same time so that you get +5 int when you level.

[@muhammadlucky4251]

In my opinion, the best of all latest episodes. Alan's acting is very perfect as he very ashamed with the player's act of killing a disable Dark Lord 😂. LOVE IT.

[@Edgso]

Just imagine the Dark Lord General in Hard mode, just one breath and he'll kill the hero.

[@Naraku-no-Hana-WE]

Pretty sure he was already breath one shotting him somewhere in that death montage. Hard mode is where you die the moment you turn around after accepting the quest, and then realize the devs can't actually program challenging fights and are just bsing you.

[@rookieanimatormakingaviation]

3:05 lol that LOOK ON HIS FACE. PURE GOLD

[@DulyDullahan]

I’m a little freaked out that this video was recommended to me after changing the difficulty level to casual mode on a game I’m currently playing 😀

[@UltronImperative]

They know

[@Smitty-hr2mg]

Filthy casual.

[@NAMI20207]

Title of the game?

[@bgill6623]

What u play?

[@someone6170]

Pathetic!

[@Linerwood2000]

This is my favorite VLDL. Genius. It seems like Rowan lost his balance when he turn around and doesnt look planned, that makes me like this video even more. It's perfect! And when i'm working and it's physical and i'm tired, i say Hiya!

[@dominic.h.3363]

As a physically disabled dude I'd just shrug and take the gold... being embarrassed about having to use accessibility features - like this easy mode - is so 20 years ago for me, I'd just finish the game on Very Easy and shrug or laugh at every feature supposed to guilt trip me for going easy! :D

[@Doubleranged1]

Exactly. 100% agree.

[@vojtechjanda9684]

The most fun I've had playing FPS games was playing multiplayer Serious Sam with a couple of friends on Tourist difficulty. The name speaks for itself, but there's just something about ripping through hundreds upon hundreds of alien invaders without getting killed every dozen or so seconds like on Normal, Hard, Serious, or the aptly-named Mental difficulties (Mental is like Hard, except all enemies turn invisible and back to visible again in brief pulses, IIRC).

[@emenalus]

I appreciate games which have a wide variety of difficulty settings, including on the easier spectrum since playing the game in its intended difficulty is not a possibility for everyone. In your position I wouldn't be ashamed of playing games on easy mode either, instead just be happy that I get to finish those games in the first place :D

[@dominic.h.3363]

@@emenalus I usually begin on easy to get my bearings, then increase the difficulty gradually as I am more familiar with the mechanics. When people complained about Witcher 2 being hard even on the easiest setting I found nothing insurmountable about it. When Fallout 4 released, I needed to make my own difficulty harder than Survival through the console (before they patched it to make it more difficult by default). At the same time, I couldn't finish any souls-like game on the easiest difficulty to save my life. Never played, nor do I ever intend to play Elden Ring for example.

[@emenalus]

@@dominic.h.3363 Glad to hear that there's still some challenge that you can seek for yourself, keep on going buddy and crush those games! Not too surprised about the souls games though, they're indeed ridiculously tough :P

[@Paladinbaroque]

A fun one, I adore the concept of a game changing physical pieces rather than just health and damage numbers. Is a lot to explore there. The fast cuts to different ways Adam was killed and the special effects was awesome :3 I think the real shame is the wider perceptions that turning down difficulty is a shameful thing when there are plenty of reasons for folks to do so. Like in this case to stop the frustration and save time. I used to play most games on max difficulty but now it just takes so long that it's no longer a default. Sometimes I wanna chill ^^ Much love folks, stay safe and take care ^^

[@aohige]

Nah more than the appearance I like the idea of NPCs changing their attitude depending on what difficulty you set the boss on lol. I think it was Shin Megami Tensei IV that you could only lower the difficulty after your second game over, at which point the entity that revives you mocks you for choosing to lower it lol.

[@NekodaArvin]

Changing armour is the same as increasing enemy HP, I would say making the enemy have more special attacks and better AI on higher difficulties is way better. Changing from max difficulty to a lower one is fine but he changed to easy, like come on man normal should be the limit.

[@flamerollerx01]

Since video games are meant to be fun, playing them when they cause significant frustration is rather strange behavior. Masochistic is what it is. I wanted to beat elden ring, but I just can't handle the frustration and anger it gives me. Since I couldn't make it less so, I just had to quit. Maybe some day there will be some glitch to max a character out like ds1 dupe trick, but until then, fuck it, I quit lol. (I got about 3/4 though)

[@jayhovah5621]

@@flamerollerx01 Elden ring isn't hard though, you didn't take the time it takes to learn the systems and mechanics. It's not masochistic to want something complex to feel smart for overcoming the obstacle. Jigsaw puzzles are a form of entertainment too, it's no different.

[@NekodaArvin]

@@flamerollerx01 yeah, if you don't enjoy it, just find another game, for me a game is an escape, I have plenty of shit I don't wanna do irl.

[@vibhumrajtripathi4276]

Imagine how he looks on HARD difficulty.

[@stanpikaliri1621]

👀🤧♿️

[@DarkeaterMidir]

A heavy slash proof armor maybe?

[@davidoliver7510]

Maybe the same as the easy dark Lord. But with the same sword as normal. And minus the glasses. Just to taunt you that you are being beaten by a disabled guy. 😂😆🤣

[@DudeDiggler01]

Fully naked Rowan lol!!

[@davidoliver7510]

@@DudeDiggler01 fully naked Rowan dangling his sword about. Lmfao. 😆😂🤣🤣😂👍 That's A good one.

[@fixeddice1982]

It would be awesome if games actually did change the boss' equipment to match difficulty level. Or at least the appearance. That's super cool.

[@sabastianleisek396]

I do love it when a game actually changes the enemies with the difficult setting, rather than only changing some damage values and hp bars.

[@raven4k998]

easy mode is just putting him out of his misery makes sense🤣

[@forgottenson100]

Lmfao. The npcs disappointment got me laughing so hard.

[@sharkdentures3247]

100% agree. The garlic farmer ripping into the adventurer who already felt ashamed of himself was hilarious! The "GET OUTTA MY SIGHT!" at the end was just the icing on the cake.

[@thebenforever]

I just re-watched the Hamish as Grand Vizier Zane Shadowsoul episode where his essence is in the floating orb. His laugh trailing off every time Rowan points his bow at the orb is priceless. Might be time to make an episode with multiple dark lords!

[@fredriksvard2603]

Those are the best bits. Also when the puzzle has remained unsolved for thousands of years in the "puzzle" skit.

[@thebenforever]

Hamish slays every skit!

[@Ashystar067]

I got to the "back of the throat hurts" level of laughter from this skit 😂😂😂🤣

[@Davidbruun]

Missed opportunity for the other players to go full on Game of Thrones "Shame, shame, shame" on Adam.

[@dial-upking]

I'd still take this over a random quest telling you to defeat a simple enemy you've beat hundreds of times, but then the game gives the enemy an insane HP pool, defense buff, and attack buff. Looking at you, Blue Reflection "A Kind World" quest. It will one shot your party if you aren't near max level even on easy.

[@ChineduOpara]

Poor game design, is what that is

[@mnArqal93]

I actually started Blue Reflection the other day, looks like something for me to look forward to. It's really annoying when games force you to be have your character/party be a certain level before being able to complete stuff.

[@dial-upking]

@@mnArqal93 it's just that one side boss is really tough. Far worse than the end boss. There are soft level barriers regularly, but it's not terrible. You can usually get through them with only two or three small quests.

[@IHMyself]

Played that game for a bit, but the performance was so poor on Ps4 (at the time at least). I absolutely despise bosses that can oneshot an entire party, unless there's a fairly simple way to avoid the attack...

[@dial-upking]

@@IHMyself I played on PC. My RTX 2060 really cranked the fans, but it managed solid frame rates. The key to this boss was take every opportunity to debuf him. On top of making the attacks non-lethal and slowing him down, He often would waste turns trying to shake the debufs and allow you to heal and get damage in.

[@MatsJPB]

I just embrace being a casual and turn the difficulty down before I even start playing. Then turn it up little by little untill I reach that sweet spot where victory is all but assured, but I can still pretend combat is challenging. Life's to short for constant reloads.

[@julianr.7186]

Exactly! I just want to have a good story, not learning endless button combos. Just flail my sword or axe or bat until everybody is dead.

[@mr.random2297]

@@julianr.7186 lol ez i use game trainers just to fast forward the gameplay and learn its lore.

[@kamelkadri2843]

Having fun is the true end game

[@Vik1919]

I mean normal mode is called normal for a reason but you do you.

[@MatsJPB]

@@Vik1919 That's fine. I don't need to be like everyone else to be happy =)

[@joshuayork8362]

The correct answer is to get the dark lord general to 1 hit then crank it back up to hard.

[@00Jaxs013]

...jokes on you, that tactic just activates the "Anti-wuss" protocol, which includes the two phases hard mode has by default, but 3 more phases on top of that. Plus, you lose gold, loot, self-respect, and exp the longer the fight drags out, and every time you lose 1 hp, your sword gets smaller.

[@devonm042690]

@@00Jaxs013 Is that last part a dick joke?

[@TheMstrydude]

@@00Jaxs013 sadly it's bugged at the moment. While it all activates the boss then just stands there and does not fight at all. Also his voice lines switch to the joke ones they used while testing. It dosnt do anything but it is amusing hearing him sing "The garlic is the answer to life" song.

[@amyschildgamerlive4519]

Name one game that allows you to change difficulty mid battle.

[@joshuayork8362]

@@amyschildgamerlive4519 I think the OG baulders gate would let you do that if I'm not mistaken.

[@francisty139]

And again. Rowan has an excuse to show off his muscles that most of us don't have. Outrageous! I was expecting Pad Armor.

[@Justin-hc3pu]

This is so relatable and right after I finish the boss I was stuck on I turned the difficulty back

[@neon-rust]

Yeah, I was expecting him to do that.

[@SomaelTentacleHair]

@@neon-rust me too

[@murray821]

They should lock out difficulty sliders after the choice. Start over if you want to change it 😂

[@LordEmperorHyperion]

You should play Elden Ring

[@Iffy50]

@@LordEmperorHyperion Why Elden Ring? I haven't played it, but it's on my list to buy.

[@deeps6979]

"You're making me do this," says the player who obviously isn't leveled enough to see the boss level. lol

[@SF-li9kh]

So he should basically grind ? Instead of a more steady calculated story

[@battleon81]

@@SF-li9kh Grinding is the easy way out. He just needs to learn how to DODGE.

[@phobos97]

@@battleon81 he needs to ask Solaire about git gut

[@jayhovah5621]

@@SF-li9kh or use buffs, consumables, look for weaknesses like elementals, environment traps... levels in games just tell you what enemy you can kill by just hitting the basic attack button

[@OpXarxa]

@@SF-li9kh side content=/= grind. If the game is balanced around bumrushing the main story, then if you DO engage in sidecontent, you'll be hilariously overpowered instead. Ideally it's about finding a balance where doing -some- sidecontent balances the story, but if you bumrush it, it's very hard but borderline doable.

[@jlogan2228]

I have no shame in admitting i would change difficulty to kill a boss just to get the loot or to get past them and then come back another time and do it the "right" way on Hrd

[@jlb4685]

Be real you never come back or you would have done it the hard way the first time.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

JLB is right. You’re not being honest.

[@Velerium]

When the loot is based on the difficulty though... Enjoy your spoon, man!

[@proto-type3201]

You'll come back in ng+

[@jackcumins6320]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 wow you guys must know everyone in the universe

[@MsLilly200]

Wow, the difficulty slider in this game is _really powerful!_ He was so under-leveled he couldn't even see how strong the Dark Lord General was, but he still beat him just by lowering the difficulty!

[@minimumpoint]

I remember playing The Elders Scrolls 4, which has a continuous difficult slider, and just cranking it all the way to harder and getting my ass kicked by the rats at the very beginning of the game. Man, the shame of have reduce the difficulty because of rats, that mortally wounded my ego until now.

[@ZarkowsWorld]

Why not just say 'Oblivion'?

[@sebastiancoar1991]

@Cipriano. So, I guess you missed out on fighting a Netherlich; starting out in the tutorial level... 🤣.

[@lanceknuth5300]

I once broke my sword on a slaughterfish in that game. I had to turn the difficulty down after that as I couldn't afford the repair hammers necessary to keep the weapon functional.

[@BlackyMox]

I die to rats in elden ring even with lvl 300 + "the wall"-Build, so dont worry. Rats are OP in every game

[@sebastiancoar1991]

@@BlackyMox Some of those From Software Dark Souls rats are bosses 😏.

[@cyanidesapphire4816]

I have silently lurked for many moons... and my day has finally come. My greatest shame has visited:4 hours+ refusing to bow to that scale. I was going to prove to my friends I was a real gamer. One left, 3 hours in because he couldn't watch the sheer struggle anymore. But I did not do the walk of shame that day, I eventually got it. And then the NPC says, "that was an easy one wasn't it!" gave me a statue, and broke the rest of my soul. Regret follows me more than the shame.

[@nerodelacroix9281]

Dark Lord General Rowan is so badass

[@jotheunissen9274]

'What happened to your armor?' Rowan wanted to show off his model bod again, that's what happened

[@FlauxT]

Hard mode is fighting Rowan the Store Manager, and he just lectures Adam until he cries and becomes "that" NPC that we know and love today.

[@Madashell1200]

I feel this one in my bones. I only did it once! It was in Oblivion. I was low level and managed to get to a place with great loot that I didn't want to lose, a distant save file and an unfortunate autosave that put me in it. The daedra had ass kicking on sale that day. So I lowered the slider. It got me out of the jam but did I really deserve to be? Idk

[@Ryvaken]

Remember that the difficulty slider in real RPGs is little more than a "how much of a multiplier do the enemies get against you?" and in most cases "normal" already gives you a small penalty against the numbers the game actually reports, because the AI needs some kind of an advantage to be a threat at all.

[@GeekRedux]

Remember, games are supposed to be fun.

[@HilaryPea]

-"Ow ow ow ow ow" and "Mommy" LOL! Wow, you went there! -OMG, the frustration of being defeated and having to do it over and over again, never being able to succeed. You showed that exact level of frustration perfectly! Thank you! Although I've had it before, I remember the first time was in 1990, when I was 10 years old. I couldn't go after Wendy O'Koopa. Those #^&$%@ rings in Level 3 of Super Mario Bros 3. She was fine, but the rings were impossible. I never did get past her, so I never did get, even close, to flipping the game. I've never played Level 4! Apparently, his hearing was going out, too, because he couldn't even identify McShooty's location just by voice alone, either.

[@anubis63000jd]

This is genuinely how I feel adjusting difficulty in a game. I could turn it down... but could I look myself in the mirror?

[@sauriel596]

I found a good unique friend in a mmo that doesnt judge, that alone can make you turn up the difficulty again to tackle other challenges, not just limited to that one mmo. The society scorn is counter productive to help people get better at something but it requires alot of understanding of course.

[@Puschit1]

If the game throws something unfair at me or it would need stupid amounts of boring grind to beat a certain level, I have no qualms adjusting the difficulty for that particular encounter. The thing is: Trying to overcome obstacles is part of these games and also the fun in many cases - but once you don't having a good time anymore, why not adjust the difficulty level? Of course, if that also makes you feel bad, then you are stuck somehow. But don't let anyone guilt-shame you on this! You yourself are the only judge here.

[@lorenzocassaro3054]

​@@Puschit1 I have to do it! 😭 *You're not having a good time

[@rogacz962]

To each their own. I play to have fun, not to appease others.

[@anubis63000jd]

@@rogacz962 It's not about others. It's about how it sits with you.

[@MrR0ch]

I played Doom Eternal recently and chose “it’s too early to die” difficulty level. And you know what, I still manage to die there 😂😂😂

[@Brother_O4TS]

That's usually because of our own overconfidence or stupidity

[@TheKueiJin]

Then just play games that do not have a difficulty setting.

[@captainflame3838]

@@TheKueiJin yeah like Elden ring or dark souls

[@trueredpanda1538]

@@captainflame3838 no thanks, I played trough dark souls and blood born, thats enough soul games for me 🤣 Good games, very frustrating, more fun to watch I feel like. 😅

[@captainflame3838]

@@trueredpanda1538 I was just trolling a bit, guy said try games without difficulty settings but those are usually harder hence why mentionned the soulsborne games, but I guess it is a matter of preference sometimes I will alt+F4 out of the game out of frustration and sometimes I'll feel like trying again. I totally get that those games aren't for every one

[@darkreflection9087]

2:55 I love how the music changes

[@rafgik]

Dude the way Adam screaming in frustration is so hilarious. 😂

[@Magus1299]

I have watched this video 5 times now, and every time I watch it, it keeps getting funnier. That's how you feel if you do drop the difficulty in any game. Rowan did a great job playing an old disabled dark lord.