In my attempts to prove myself as a “true” gamer, I used to shy away from easy difficulties in games so that I could test my mettle. But nowadays, I shamelessly choose easy mode where possible—and these are the reasons why.
1 I Have Limited Time for Gaming
As you get older, you often have less time for gaming, which is why your gaming habits may change over the decades. Between work, chores, and errands; I don’t have as much time to play games. I usually slip in two to three hours a day, depending on how I’m feeling. And sometimes even then, I’m actually playing a game for a review and not because I’m gaming casually.
With this limited time, I want to make sure my experience isn’t frustrating or too time-consuming. While it took me 150 hours to get through Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Story difficulty, my friend spent considerably more time bogged down in fights when he chose Tactician.
RPGs are my favorite game genre, so I’m often sinking hundreds of hours into games. Playing on an easy mode helps me get through the game more quickly with my limited time. I found this particularly useful when I replayed Dragon Age: Inquisition in preparation for the release of the sequel.
2 It Allows Me to Enjoy the Story More
There’s a reason that easy difficulty in RPGs is often dubbed Story Mode—an easier difficulty places less focus on combat, allowing you to focus more on the story.
For example, in God of War: Ragnarok, I found myself stressed out by combat encounters when I was just exploring and trying to complete quests. But once I switched to the easier difficulty, I was able to happily explore without the same stress around my health level and whether a random encounter would set me back.
Meanwhile, in a game like Divinity: Original Sin 2, I can get through the main story beats without having to worry about how challenging encounters are. The game has a rich combat system and friendly fire, but the Story Mode allows me to appreciate these systems without combat becoming the main focus of my journey.
I’ve avoided playing Soulslike games due to their difficulty. While I’m sure I’d have a great time piecing together lore and encountering interesting enemies, the difficulty level would ultimately pull me out of the narrative and make me frustrated.
3 I Have More Freedom When Choosing Builds
I hate having to stick to certain builds to complete a game. I like to choose my abilities based on my own playstyle, rather than based on whether it’s the most likely to find me success.
Rather than spending ages on a character sheet deciding which ability will maximize my damage the most, I can choose abilities that I find interesting. It also gives me more freedom when it comes to my party composition—while balance is important, winging it a little will only hamper me slightly.
The freedom easy modes give me, along with the ability to appreciate the story while failing less at combat, allows me to enjoy a game without getting bogged down in combat systems and difficult gameplay. While I appreciate that some gamers enjoy a challenge, I shamelessly choose easy mode whenever I can.
