Difficulty Feedback - Cruelty should not feel easier than normal

I understand that there is a point when the player should feel godly, but I think the obvious choice for that point is after beating the final story boss.

While playing Act 1 on Normal, every level, every skill/support felt like a meaningful upgrade. Every rare piece of gear was a decision to be made, because the content was challenging enough that I was consciously looking for ways to give myself an edge.

Act 1 Cruelty is a walk in the park. I can wipe hordes with a single skill and most bosses drop in seconds with the bigger ones, like Geonor, taking upwards of only ten.
The consequence is that leveling up feels like it doesn't matter. I dump most of the drops I get without giving them a second thought. I don't even spend my support gems because I don't feel like I need them. I just need to get from point A to point B and there's really no challenge in between.

This is when I start to think, "Yeah, it would be great if I could just skip this", because there's nothing meaningful to do outside of going through the motions.

To offer an example from the grandaddy of the genre - Diablo 2 - beating Baal for the first time on Normal felt like you were on top of the world, then Nightmare Act 1 was a gut punch back to reality when it took several hits to kill an ordinary zombie. "Yeah, I'm gonna need better gear!"

Obviously this is a delicate balance, but I'm hoping the examples help a little. Looking forward to see how things change after the first reset!

(P.S. This is with 0 trading and 0 farming, so very average gear and playing a Monk)
Last bumped on Jan 25, 2025, 1:34:12 PM

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