Sons of the Forest difficulty levels, explained

Like many survival games, Sons of the Forest comes with a variety of difficulty settings, tailored to every kind of player. There is an option for everyone, be it a survival horror newbie, or a seasoned veteran. For the more adventurous players, there are even custom options that will allow you to adjust the difficulty exactly the way you like it. Here is how the difficulty levels in Sons of the Forest work.

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What are the difficulty levels in Sons of the Forest

Upon starting the game, players will be given the option to pick a difficulty level. There are 4 difficulty levels available, Peaceful, Normal, Hard, and Custom. The difficulty level of a save cannot be changed, so pick wisely.

Peaceful Difficulty

Sons of the Forest’s Peaceful mode focuses on allowing players to explore the game’s storyline, with far less enemy encounters. It puts more emphasis on exploring, crafting, and survival rather than combat, making it perfect for players who are just starting out on their first survival horror game, or for players who are far more interested in the game’s plot.

Normal Difficulty

A perfect balance between Peaceful and Hard, the Normal mode will challenge players to fight for survival, while also giving them a reasonable amount of breathing room to figure their way around. More enemies will spawn, and will attempt to come after the player, but it is nothing too crazy. Players will also be given access to a decent amount of resources to fend off the cannibals and mutants on the island, making the difficulty level manageable for the average player.

Hard Difficulty

Not for the faint-hearted, the Hard mode kicks the difficulty level up by quite a bit. Not only are your resources limited, enemies will spawn more often, and deal increased damage to you. This difficulty level is truly a battle to survive, as you will have to rely on your wits and surroundings in order to make it through the numerous attacks. This is the ideal mode for seasoned veterans or players looking to experience a challenge.

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Custom Difficulty

For players who want to edit the difficulty to their liking, the Custom difficulty will allow you to change various parameters that affect the game’s overall difficulty. This includes, but is not limited to, resource spawn rates, enemy stats, and starvation rate. This is a great option for players who want an in-between for the game’s existing difficulty modes.