How difficult is Grounded Mode?

[ONUOsFan]

Just go here and thank me later. This guy saved me so much heartache during my Grounded playthrough. You'll really want to follow it from the beginning, though, because there are things he does that rely on ammo he picks up (and saves) earlier in the game, so if you start following halfway through you'll run into some issues (not having 4 arrows where his walkthrough requires them, etc).

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvv1mA3UKy9PKSdR-MFfj2s-2kkkohM7j

[greeves96]

Yeah, it's fine. Having played normal, you'll be familiar with the missions and where to go to escape each encounter, which would be the main barrier to entry with Grounded mode IMO.

 

On grounded, pretty much anything will kill you in one or 2 hits. So gameplay is all about stealth; silent takedowns only, conserve your ammo and only shoot when there is literally no other option. There are pretty much no sections which cannot be completed using pure stealth, you just need to figure them out. Concentrate on upgrading the Bow, it's your best friend in the later sections of the game.

 

I really recommend Grounded mode. My gaming highlight of 2014 was my 2 playthroughs of TLoU:R on Grounded and G+.

Great, thanks for the reply.

[StrickenBiged]

Great, thanks for the reply.

 

No problem.

 

Pro-tip for any section with clickers or bloaters: Hold to aim and when you move Joel will automatically walk at his slowest pace, making no perceptible noise as far as clickers/bloaters are concerned. This makes sections with Clickers a cake-walk, for example the spore-filled dorms in the University. 

Edited December 22, 2014 by StrickenBiged

[ONUOsFan]

No problem.

 

Pro-tip for any section with clickers or bloaters: Hold to aim and when you move Joel will automatically walk at his slowest pace, making no perceptible noise as far as clickers/bloaters are concerned. This makes sections with Clickers a cake-walk, for example the spore-filled dorms in the University. 

 

Yeah, this is huge - I totally missed the boat on this during my first playthrough and hated that subway station, but using this made it sooooo easy, even on Grounded.

[greeves96]

No problem.

 

Pro-tip for any section with clickers or bloaters: Hold to aim and when you move Joel will automatically walk at his slowest pace, making no perceptible noise as far as clickers/bloaters are concerned. This makes sections with Clickers a cake-walk, for example the spore-filled dorms in the University.

Yeah I'm at my first clicker section now and this could help. Thanks again.

[daveman342]

Extremely hard

[yellowwindow7]

I beat both grounded and grounded plus already, from what I saw & experience, enemies A.I are the same as survival mode they just wonder or searching for you even more at some of the part.

Ammo is even lesser, though on my playthroughs I notice the ammo drop rate is kinda high when killing enemies especially infected.

most enemies now can kill you in one hit.

Your hud is now completely gone! You can't see your health or how much ammo on the weapon you're using unless bringing your backpack menu.

still-human Enemies can spot you even if you are far, if you walk in front of them, and their hearing ability got a bit high especially the darn clickers.

a boss battle like David at the winter part of the game where you control Ellie got even more frustrating as now David can easily hear you if you are crawling to get close to him to stab him.

the checkpoints now takes you even way back for an example: the hotel part where joel fall into the basement if an infected killed you or you restarted you will be going back at the part where you see the group of rats running at your way.

Edited March 30, 2015 by yellowwindow7

[AlphaKnightZee]

It's quite hard I completed it but I didn't know there was a difficulty glitch.

[ReverzerO-]

Grounded = Hard, because it surprise me especially on Ellie's part", 

Grounded+ = Easy, because I already know what to do",

[Syderalis]

I've played this game so many times I've lost count, but I really think that Grounded and Grounded+ mods are awesome. They just keep your attention vivid throughout the whole game, you can never relax and that's what I really like about this game (along with the story, of course). Anyway the hardest part imo were probably the first Bloater encounter (I ran short on ammo, it was my fault) and the cabin with Ellie + David. I've also noticed that in Grounded+ mode you can't hit the Clickers with the pipes or the baseball bats because they will intercept your movement and kill you. I was quite amazed by this change, because it never happened to me in any other mode I've played (and I've played them all, so...).

 

The absence of the health bar didn't make any change to me, since you're either alive or dead most of the time, because enemies can kill you so easily. I've died less than ten times on Grounded+ while I had more problems with plain Grounded, especially at the cabin part... that was so frickin tough and David is SO useless! Not to mention he was also so sensitive at the hide-and-seek part, when you have to stab him three times. That part gave me the chills.

 

If I have to be honest, I've noticed that the parts with human enemies were so much easier than the ones with the infected. I don't know why, they just seem less sensible to your movements. The infected are just perfect, a real challenge. I've also found out a great strategy to survive the sewers part without alerting any infected and making your way out to the ladder near the Clicker in the stealthiest way possible. But you will need some arrows and at least one shiv. If you need any help, I'm here.

 

Now I only need the last multiplayer trophy for the Platinum... I'm still not sure what to think of Factions. It's a good multiplayer game, but probably not my type of thing.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Ailisea

[Jak]

There are big notable differences from the other mode. Whether it's extremely harder or just harder than Survivors, there is no doubt overall that Grounded is difficult, a challenge, and prominently harder than Survivors. A well designed difficultly mode.

[Radebe78]

I am playing right now grounded +, went straight to it by skipping grounded.....Must say that this is very difficult, last night I barely managed to pass the sniper section. Now I am the Ranch house.

 

I know that most dreaded section is still to come, playing with Ellie....It will be painful experience

[Confon]

I am playing right now grounded +, went straight to it by skipping grounded.....Must say that this is very difficult, last night I barely managed to pass the sniper section. Now I am the Ranch house.

 

I know that most dreaded section is still to come, playing with Ellie....It will be painful experience

 

 I remember the sniper section as the most difficult in Grounded. Ellie's section was easy for me, because of THAT one-kill knife she has. Just throwing bottles and bricks to everyone to shiv them. Now, the part where Ellie and David are trapped by the infected, you can wait them to grab David and shiv them from behind and you will not lose a single bullet - only with the bloater, of course -

[MortalRikku]

It's not too that bad, the sniper section is the worse.

 

I found certain levels you could just sneak past everything.

 

Once you know where the enemies will be also helps

[Radebe78]

Yeah I know, some sections I just ran through (like first Bloater at generator room), other sections full sneak mode....But for example I lost a lot of ammunition on fights I couldn`t avoid....like escaping the city, cost me almost all shootgun ammo....Last night`s Sniper section, lot of ammo wasted, plus 2 Molotov and 1 smoke bomb....

 

Hope that I don`t suffer later on because of that.