Can You Change the Difficulty in Tears of the Kingdom?
There are typically not many options to choose from in the difficulty settings in any of the mainline Legend of Zelda games, and Tears of the Kingdom is very likely to be the same. Usually the most Nintendo developers will officially offer is a Normal and Hero/Master/Hard mode. While some hardcore players will want the extra challenge, most players will have to solve puzzles and face enemies large and small on the same level of difficulty.
Generally, the difficulty of a game is meant to progress slowly upwards, so that as the protagonist character grows stronger, they continue to face challenges. It can be a tough thing for developers to balance, as different players have different skill levels. The Legend of Zelda developers tend to ‘thread the needle’ quite well, but even so, sometimes players get stuck.
Read on below for some tips and tricks to help you progress past that obstacle!
When the Going Gets Tough
Here are some helpful hints and tips for when you feel stuck on your game progress.
- Check your food – You’ll find ingredients to harvest all across Hyrule and with some experimentation you can discover recipes which will give Link certain stat boosts or health recovery. Having a quick snack may be just the edge Link needs to get past that raging Lynel.
- Gear Up – When going against a major boss and struggling, let survivability be the name of the game. When choosing Link’s armor, don’t assume that gearing for high DPS will let you blow past the difficulty. Put on something with higher defensive stats. The fight will take longer, but you’ll have a better chance of living through it.
- Shrine of Trials – If food alone isn’t giving you enough of a health boost, you may need to get Link something a little more permanent. This is where the Shrines come in. The rewards you get for completing Shrines will help increase Link’s Heart and Stamina gauges.
- Stealthstrike – If you’re having a lot of trouble facing an enemy head on, you might try sneaking up behind them in stealth. A successful first strike will seriously damage an enemy’s HP.
- Use your Head – Puzzles can sometimes be even more frustrating than challenging boss fights. Zelda games are usually pretty good about building on what mechanics players have learned in game or whatever new ability Link has picked up. Did you just loot a particular weapon or arrow type? Odds are that will be used to some effect in the next puzzle area. Also remember what puzzle mechanics have been introduced previously, as they are sure to pop up again in other places.
When all else fails, check out one of our many Tears of the Kingdom Guides. Once the game launches we’ll be regular posting updates including gear and weapon lists, helpful recipes, Shrine solutions, boss strategies and more!
Looking for more Tears of the Kingdom?
Thank you for reading our Tears of the Kingdom Difficulty Settings article! We’ll provide the latest news and create guides for the Tears of the Kingdom in the future. Additionally, be sure to check out our website for the latest guides on other games. Come watch me play ESO/Destiny 2/Redfall on Twitch to ask questions or visit my YouTube channel!
