Difficulty selection interface when starting a new game
In Deus Ex, the difficulty level (also known as combat difficulty level) is a game setting that is selected by the player at the start of a new game. The player may select from four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Realistic.
Description[]
Effects[]
The sole effect of the difficulty level setting is that on higher difficulty levels, the player takes increased damage from the following damage types:[1]
- Shot – Damage caused by bullets and lethal melee weapons.
- AutoShot – Damage caused exclusively by automated turrets.
Damage is increased in accordance with the multipliers listed below.[2]
| Difficulty Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| Easy | No adjustment to incoming damage (the value of the combat difficulty multiplier is 1) |
| Medium | 1.5x multiplier to all Shot and AutoShot damage taken by the player |
| Hard | 2x multiplier to all Shot and AutoShot damage taken by the player |
| Realistic | 4x multiplier to all Shot and AutoShot damage taken by the player |
The difficulty level setting has no effect on damage types other than "Shot" and "AutoShot." Therefore, there are no differences between difficulty levels as to the damage that the player receives from other common types of damage, such as "Exploded" damage (caused by rockets, LAMs, and exploding objects), "Poison" damage (caused by tranquilizer darts and Greasel spits), "Flamed" damage (caused by the flamethrower), and "Burned" damage (caused by plasma bolts and the on-fire effect).
Difficulty level also has no effect on the durability of enemies, whether against damage inflicted by the player or by another NPC. Enemies take the same amount of damage (and die in the same amount of hits) on "Realistic" as they do on "Easy."
Console commands[]
Changing the difficulty level mid-game[]
The difficulty level can be changed mid-game by using the following console command:
set DeusExPlayer combatdifficulty {multiplier}
where "{multiplier}" is the damage multiplier. For example, to change the difficulty level to "Realistic", the corresponding command would be "set DeusExPlayer combatdifficulty 4". It is also possible to set the damage multiplier to any arbitrary value desired. Cheats do not need to be enabled in order to use the "set" console command.
Checking the current difficulty level[]
The current difficulty level is not displayed in-game, but can be checked by using the object properties interface. Place the game in windowed mode (Alt + Enter). Then, use the console command "EditActor Class=Human" (or an equivalent) to open the properties list for the player character. The value of the multiplier (combatdifficulty) indicative of the difficulty level will be listed under the group "none".
If the difficulty level has been manually readjusted by the "set" command described above, the console command "get DeusExPlayer combatdifficulty" can also be used to check the current difficulty level. However, if the difficulty level has not been readjusted, then the "get" command will only return the default value of 1, and will not return the value that was set at the start of the new game.
Notes[]
- In Deus Ex, the "Realistic" difficulty level is a misnomer because it only increases damage to the player, and does not affect damage taken by enemies. As a result, the player becomes less durable than common NPCs. In Deus Ex: Invisible War, the "Realistic" difficulty level was revised such that the player and enemies both take increased damage. For further information on Invisible War's difficulty settings, see Difficulty level (DXIW).
- A comment in the game files indicates that at one point, the developers planned for a difficulty level that would have resulted in a reduction of damage.[3] This was not implemented in the final game, since the lowest official difficulty setting, Easy, merely takes the base incoming damage with a multiplier of 1. However, with the use of console commands, it is possible to set a custom difficulty level in which incoming Shot and AutoShot damage is reduced.
- The game files indicate that the difficulty level was intended to affect the noise volume caused by the player's jumping and landing,[4] which would have made stealth more difficult at higher difficulty levels. However, this feature was not implemented in the released game.[5]
See also[]
- Difficulty level, for difficulty levels in other games
References[]
- ↑ The effect of the difficulty level is handled by the function DXReduceDamage for the class DeusExPlayer, in DeusEx.u. This function includes the line "newDamage *= CombatDifficulty;" under the condition "if ((damageType == 'Shot') || (damageType == 'AutoShot'))".
- ↑ These multipliers are set by the difficulty selection interface and can be checked in-game using the methods described on this page.
- ↑ DeusExPlayer.DXReduceDamage includes the comment "Reduce or increase the damage based on the combat difficulty setting" and code that sets the incoming damage to be at least 1, presumably for the case that the damage multiplier may result in a decimal value less than 1.
- ↑ See DeusExPlayer functions Landed and DoJump, which refer to the variable "Level.Game.Difficulty".
- ↑ See MenuScreenNewGame.SetDifficulty, which only sets the player's "combatDifficulty" variable and not the game's "Difficulty" variable. The game's "Difficulty" variable remains at 1 regardless of combat difficulty that is selected.
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