Bravely Default II difficulty guide – how to change difficulty, what difficulty to play at, and more

Bravely Default II is not an easy game, even with changes that have been made since the original demo launched. The release version makes the screen more readable and gives important information that players need in fights, but it is still a difficult title.

This is important to note, as difficulty might become a major issue for some people if they don’t understand where it stems from and how to change it. Thankfully, changing difficulty is very simple, and you can jump up or down in difficulty at any time. Players can hit the – button to open the menu, go to Settings, and then change the difficulty at the bottom of the next screen.

There are three different difficulty settings, Casual, Normal, and Hard. Despite being the easiest mode, Casual will still have you on your toes in combat, and you can’t make silly mistakes. Normal is actually quite tough, and Hard is definitely a test that even stalwart players might shirk from. As such, don’t be afraid to drop down the difficulty if you are struggling, and then pop it back up again when you gain a greater understanding of the game.

The root of the difficulty is the game’s combat system, featuring Brave and Default options. Brave allows you to spend future actions, while Default ups your defense and allows you to bank your current action for use in the future. Cashing in all your Brave charges allows you to attack multiple targets in the same turn.

Where it gets interesting is in the enemies you face and when. Sometimes you will just run into a tough enemy who clowns your squad and sends you to the Game Over screen. It can often be worth scanning large, new enemies to learn about them and take advantage of their weaknesses.

You may also need to have a Default race with them, as they will bank their own moves, allowing lesser creatures to do damage while they charge up some fight-ending damage to inflict upon your party. It can be a good idea to build charges, then unleash them all on the large enemy before he can do anything, hopefully getting him out of the fight.

Bravely Default II is all about learning, making an educated guess about enemies and what they will do, and being will to admit when you are smacking your head into a while and need to take a step back on the difficulty front.