Lords Of The Fallen Will Receive No Changes To Address Its “Artificial Difficulty”

Update:
Despite the initial claims of having no interest in changing enemy density and placement, the developers have updated several aspects of NG+ in the recent patch notes.

In a recent Q&A livestream held on Twitch, the head of the studio, Saul Gascon, confirmed that the devs have no plans to make changes to some of the core aspects of Lords of the Fallen despite many complaints (thanks, u/supercakefish). Although the devs are considering other complaints from a vocal majority, some elements like mob density, enemy placement, and New Game Plus will remain the same, with only minor changes.

Some new information provided in the Live Q&A session today
byu/supercakefish inLordsoftheFallen

During the livestream, Gascon was asked many questions, but only a handful appeared to be interesting in this narrative. Upon being asked whether the mob density and enemy placement will be adjusted, as it has been part of many players’ woes, Gascon emphasized that this aspect of the game is intentional game design and the goal is to make players more mindful of their surrounding and how they approach each area tactically.

Hexwork’s debut soulslike has become somewhat notorious for having several areas with clusters of enemies. This has created a sense of “artificial difficulty,” discussed extensively in our Lords of the Fallen review. But seeing as how this is intentional, players will need to strategize accordingly when traversing or retraversing different areas.

too many fking enemies
byu/EducationalLadder535 inLordsoftheFallen

Speaking of retraversing, Gason was asked about any potential adjustments to the New Game Plus in Lords of the Fallen, specifically the lack of ancient vestiges that make it impossible to fast travel and exponentially increase the game’s overall difficulty. For the uninitiated, vestiges are checkpoints in the game where players can rest and warp to other vestiges for fast travel. Essentially, these are similar to the sites of grace in the Elden Ring.

According to Gascon, the negative responses to this feature come from a vocal minority, and most players love having no ancient vestiges in NG+. To adhere to both sides of the Lords of the Fallen community, we may see the addition of challenge modifiers to give players a more tailored experience. This means that players might have the option to turn vestiges on or off when jumping to NG+. 

Aside from that, the devs also appear to be uninterested in adding elemental weapon infusions or the ability to alter weapon scaling. They believe that a similar function is possible via Salts, and they prefer the current game design’s flexibility. Despite that, there are numerous other features or aspects in Lords of the Fallen that the devs are considering after receiving vital feedback.

Gascon confirmed that the parry mechanics will receive some adjustments in an upcoming patch, and it appears that the update in question has gone live at the time of writing this. Parry Guard protection has been increased to 80% in the recent patch notes. The livestream contains even more questions and a lengthy discussion, which we advise you to watch if you want to see all of the aspects that devs are currently considering or working on.

Related Reads:

• Lords Of The Fallen v1.1.207 Fixes Even More Bugs & Improves Performance
• Lords Of The Fallen Secures Top 5 Spot On UK Boxed Charts
• Lords Of The Fallen Patch v1.1.199 Adds Multiplayer & Gameplay Adjustments

If you have just started the game and don’t know where to begin, then learning about Lords of the Fallen starting classes might be the perfect fit for you. If you struggle to choose the best weapon for your class, our guide about Lords of the Fallen’s best weapons will prove even better. Lords of the Fallen was released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 13, 2023.