Which Difficulty Should You Pick?
The right answer depends on what you're playing for, not a single "best" setting:
- Casual / story-focused players: the source recommends Story mode for more stamina and slower enemies. Its Auto Block description concerns choosing the wrong block direction: the block can still connect at a stamina cost. This is not a claim that mistimed blocks or unblockable attacks become safe.
- First-time players who know action RPGs: Fair gives a balanced, default experience. If you want more of a test while you learn the systems, Challenging raises enemy aggression and tightens stamina management without going all the way to Duelist.
- Players considering a faster combat setup: Game8 recommends trying Duelist's RPG setting for lower enemy health with Story's Action setting for slower, less aggressive enemies. This is a third-party recommendation, not a timed benchmark or a guarantee of the fastest route. It is not the full Duelist preset required by the trophy description below.
- Veterans wanting a real challenge: Duelist. No directional attack indicators at all — you read enemy animations instead — on top of tougher, faster, harder-hitting enemies and much less of Coen's own stamina.
The Four Presets
| Difficulty | What Changes |
|---|---|
| Story | Easiest. Enemies are weaker and slower; Coen has more stamina. Good for a narrative-focused playthrough — turn on Auto Block if directional combat feels frustrating. |
| Fair | Standard. All of Coen's and enemies' stats sit at default values. |
| Challenging | Hard. Enemies are more aggressive and hit harder; Coen has less stamina. |
| Duelist | Hardest. No on-screen directional attack indicators at all — you read enemy animations instead. Enemies have less health but are far more aggressive and hit much harder; Coen has much less stamina. |
Custom Difficulty
Beyond the four presets, the Gameplay settings menu lets you mix and match: RPG Difficulty (enemy health/damage and Coen's stamina) and Action Difficulty (enemy attack speed and how hard perfect blocks are to land) can each be set independently using the same four preset names, plus separate toggles for the directional attack indicator, damage numbers, Auto Block, mid-combat consumable use, simplified special-attack inputs, combat finishers, and the perfect-block slow-motion effect.
Does Difficulty Change the Story?
The recorded Game8 guide says the difficulty choice does not change the story outcome. It gives two conditions for Uphill Battle: completing the entire game on the Duelist preset and saving the people of Laslea. This site has not independently tested trophy eligibility or which individual custom toggles affect it.
Change the setting that matches the problem
Use Settings → Gameplay, then find Difficulty Preset under the Combat heading. For a custom profile, change one factor, try another encounter, then reassess. The suggestions below follow the documented setting effects; they are not performance benchmarks.
| What is going wrong? | Inspect first |
|---|---|
| You cannot read attacks in time | Action Difficulty and Directional Indicator |
| You read the attack but choose the wrong block direction | Auto Block; it trades a wrong-direction block for Stamina |
| Damage or Stamina feels punishing | RPG Difficulty |
| An inventory healing item is unavailable in combat | Use Consumables from Inventory; Off restricts combat use to equipped quickslots |
| Special-attack input is awkward | Instant Special Attacks: On uses Attack + Block together; Off also requires the correct attack direction |
Auto Block concerns direction, not every timing error. An unblockable attack still needs an appropriate evasive response. Source: Game8’s settings descriptions.
Before an Uphill Battle trophy run
- Start and finish a qualifying full ending on the Duelist preset, saving the people of Laslea. An early ending’s ordinary story trophy does not establish eligibility.
- Leave Auto Block and Directional Indicator off. PowerPyx reports that these changes switch Duelist to Custom and invalidate the trophy. Switching back later does not turn the run into an uninterrupted Duelist playthrough.
- Keep an earlier manual save. The source author has not confirmed whether reloading a pre-change save restores eligibility.
Lower difficulty for cleanup only after earning the trophy. Sources: PowerPyx’s trophy roadmap and ending distinctions. This site has not tested trophy conditions in-game.
When the problem is performance
Difficulty changes the challenge being measured. For a graphics or frame pacing problem, continue with the PC settings and repeat-scene guide instead of treating a lower combat preset as a performance fix.
FAQ
What's the hardest difficulty in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
Duelist removes directional indicators. Enemies are more aggressive and hit harder, but have less Health; Coen has much less Stamina.
Does difficulty affect the ending?
Game8's guide says the difficulty choice does not change the story outcome. Its Uphill Battle trophy description requires the entire game on the Duelist preset and saving the people of Laslea. That trophy condition is separate from the general story claim.
Can I change difficulty mid-game?
Open Settings → Gameplay and find Difficulty Preset under the Combat heading. For Uphill Battle, its stated conditions are the entire game on the Duelist preset and saving the people of Laslea. Switching away conflicts with that entire-game condition. PowerPyx identifies Auto Block and Directional Indicator as disqualifying Custom changes; see the trophy-run steps above. This site has not tested trophy eligibility.
Sources and coverage
- Game8: Best Difficulty Settings — Community settings descriptions, recommendations and trophy conditions; not a benchmark by this site.
Coverage date: September 5, 2026. Counts describe this site’s recorded entries, not a complete in-game total. Community summaries may omit conditions; check the source and your current game version before relying on an exact value.