Difficulty

The game has 5 difficulty settings:

Easier

Provides an easier game experience. Use it if you feel uneasy tackling the harder modes.

• All damage to the player decreased by 30%
• All healing for the player increased by 30%
• All detrimental status effects durations reduced by 50%
• Player starts at level 1 with 15 gold

Achievements are not granted, and thus any unlock dependent on an achievement cannot be obtained. Specific unlocks affected are mentioned on the unlockables page.

Normal

Provides the normal level of challenge.

• Player starts at level 1 with 0 gold

Nightmare

Unfair game setting

• All zone levels increased by 25% by the time Player reaches level 10
• All creature talent levels increased by 30%
• Unique (fixed) bosses advance in bonus classes 30% faster
• Rare creatures are a little over three times as frequent. (4% spawn rate in Normal to 12.5% spawn rate in Nightmare)
• Stairs can not be used for 3 turns after a kill.

Player can earn Nightmare version of achievements if also playing in Roguelike or Adventure permadeath mode.

Insane

"Easy is for the weak! Normal is for the weak! Nightmare is too easy! Bring on the true pain!"

• All zone levels increased by 50% + 1 by the time Player reaches level 10
• All creature talent levels increased by 80%
• Unique (fixed) bosses advance in bonus classes 80% faster
• Rare creatures are far more frequent and random bosses start to appear
• Stairs can not be used for 5 turns after a kill.

Player can earn Insane version of achievements if also playing in Roguelike or Adventure permadeath mode.

Madness

"Insane is for the weak! Bring on the true mind-shattering experience!" Absolutely unfair game setting. You really like pain and want to feel the wrath of DarkGod to play this mode!

• All zone levels increased by 150% + 2 by the time Player reaches level 10
• All creature talent levels increased by 170%
• Unique (fixed) bosses advance in bonus classes 170% faster
• All enemies have 200% more life
• Rare creatures are far more frequent and random bosses start to appear
• Stairs can not be used for 9 turns after a kill.
• Player is being hunted! Randomly all foes in a radius will get a feeling of where she/he is.

Player can earn Madness version of achievements if also playing in Roguelike or Adventure permadeath mode.