Blades Runner
Posts: 616
Joined: Thursday, 25th October 2012, 03:19
Re: Difficulty vs XL
Instead of trying to use statistics and calculations, I think this sort of question can simply be more easily answered by asking players. As several other replies have pointed out, using data from Sequell is prone to errors and the data is complex. If you ask, you can get sophisticated answers from complex computers (human minds) that account for all those things and zero in on answering the core matter of the questions. You may get varied answers, but I think a number of things may be agreed upon.
But let me back up a bit, as for answering this question, first of all I don't think it's even the most relevant question to ask if you're trying to understand the difficulty levels of the game. I would say that the difficulty of the game is more based around the quality, quantity and relevance of items you obtain, which is random. If you find garbage, the game progressively can get worse or stay in the "most difficult" mode, but each time you find an item and based on how good it is, and how long until you find the next good item is what really dictates if it's going to be an easy or difficult game, more so than what XL you are at.
The other thing that matters is if you're going after an extended game or not, because these two goals would chart very differently. You can play in a manner to make a lower rune count game easier, but which leaves you in a position where a higher rune count game will be harder. You can also play in such a manner that the opening and mid game are more difficult but because you stuck to a more strict plan which was focused on preparing for later, the game is then easier later on.
Anyhow so if I were to answer (quickly at least) the first, most basic portion of the question which is generally asking how difficult is the game as we go along... I'd first refer to the two points I just made plus to give very large generalizations:
The first few levels are dangerous. The reason is that you'll for some portion of them not have found anything great yet. The other reason is that you're pretty weak and a pack of jackals or an unlucky encounter with an adder and dealing with poison can take you out, and you cannot run from them very well. After you reach level 3 or so, things get easier, until you run into ogres and orc priests. If you're careful and you know what you're doing they are usually manageable, but they are dangerous nevertheless.
After that, the game is all pretty easy IMO, with a few notable exceptions for early/mid game: paralysis can end you, monsters with wands of acid can be very unfair deaths, and monster cast crystal spears where you get a high damage roll against you, and getting sent to the abyss too early via banishment or distortion weapons. When I say all pretty easy, I consider this to mean everything in the game with the following other exceptions which come later on:
Orbs of fire, they can take down experienced players still, I consider them dangerous
Hell bosses, not at the top of my list for dangerous but they can be deadly
Pan bosses, again, not really awful but can be deadly
Hellion Island - you have to play it safe
Demonspawn with black mark if you're undead
Tzmitzles (sp?) if you're undead, thanks to silence hell effects and demon cast dispel undead
Tomb3 - the traps, the slow, torment, smite, taking damage on killing enemies - it's the most difficult part of the game and even some of the most powerful characters can slip up in here without care.
If I had to sum it up to be digested in a more simplistic statement, it would be to say that the opening (first few dungeon levels) and the finale (often tomb3) are the most deadly areas of the game, and correlated to XL that means 1-3 or 27.