Deadly Obsession Difficulty

[xRudinx]

I’m a decent chunk through my first playthrough which is DO. I’m not finding too hard at all. I got the ability to never slip on grabs which make it so much less stressful. And once your out in the world just keep visiting camp fires regularly. I find it very manageable and recommend DO for first playthrough.

 

i also have a question. Do the upgradable survival instinct features appear on DO, since here is no instinct to start with?

[Maverick-DBZ-]

10 hours ago, xRudinx said:

I’m a decent chunk through my first playthrough which is DO. I’m not finding too hard at all. I got the ability to never slip on grabs which make it so much less stressful. And once your out in the world just keep visiting camp fires regularly. I find it very manageable and recommend DO for first playthrough.

 

i also have a question. Do the upgradable survival instinct features appear on DO, since here is no instinct to start with?

I agree, once you upgrade to the no slip skill, which is 1 skill point I believe, there is less added stress when playing.

 

Survival instincts don't appear on Deadly Obsession difficulty. The skill tree is there for upgrading them, but they have no affect on gameplay and will remain "off" during your DO play through. I suggest upgrading everything else, and upgrading survival instincts last, just before finishing the game. Then, if you plan on doing New Game Plus mode in the future, do it on easy difficulty to clear up any missing achievements or 100% the game. That's what I'll be doing. ?

[Pirelli913]

I've always had a habit for jumping in the deep end on difficulty with games. That said, Deadly Obsession is tough. It's basically for those obsessed with platting it. You don't get any white paint or markings to show where you're supposed to go, BUT! If you're familiar with the series and have played at least one of the two previous titles, puzzles and platforming won't be that challenging. What WILL kick your ass is combat and stealth.

 

Try to do stealth as long as possible and if you get seen, switch to your assault rifle and acquire the high ground or a narrow area where enemies will line up to squeeze through. The trees and bushes won't help conceal you. These guys will move in groups so there will be no way to take them out stealthily anymore.

 

Despite its challenges, I find it fun, because I'm not gonna blitz through it in a day...

[spncryn]

On 15/09/2018 at 10:02 AM, xRudinx said:

i also have a question. Do the upgradable survival instinct features appear on DO, since here is no instinct to start with?

Nope, none of them do anything.

 

In regards to the general topic, I finished my Deadly Obsession run in about four or five hours (maybe a bit more; but it was much shorter than my first run, and it was in the span of one night), skipping all cutscenes and extra content (tombs, collectibles, side missions, etc). I went for the 100% run (ended up at 99.88% due to a glitch, but effectively 100%) on an easier difficulty (Smart and Resourceful, the easiest one) the first time just so I could enjoy the story and get the collectibles at my own pace. That being said...

 

Deadly Obsession was, for the most part, not too bad. The combat sections, of which there were not too many, were not that bad at all, and I actually found them more fun, since the more punishing enemy detection made stealth and creative solutions much more necessary. I found myself actually making extensive use of the alternate fire modes, especially the Fear Arrows, which I'd previously not used at all except on the rare occasion where a puzzle or trophy required them. However...

 

Platforming was a total nightmare, especially on

Spoiler

Trial of the Eagle

and in several of the sections where you have to escape an area. Part of me really enjoyed that, because on easier difficulties, the notion of dying while climbing was a non-issue so I felt more encouraged to take risks. The lack of any visible markers, combined with the fact that death results in a setback that's usually at least ten minutes or so prior to what you died on (and the loading screens are ridiculously long!) made platforming in certain sections some of the most frustrating experiences I've had in recent memory. Be ready to get really, really frustrated, and curse the game's absolute lack of care for your time and effort.

 

Ultimately, I think Deadly Obsession's a really good idea, and it genuinely made me feel panic and anxiety in certain situations -- combat, hurtling through disintegrating environments, climbing up overhangs, etc -- that I otherwise felt completely insulated from previously because of game padding. If anything, for all its frustrations and annoyances, it's given me a lot more appreciation for just how truly strong of a person Lara is herself, and how goddamn resilient and lucky she is.

[cirifionas]

I've beaten the game today but I'm currently working on my 100% completion. If I wanna start NG+ which skills do carry over? The ones I've got in my 100% completion or everything before I've finished the story?

 

EDIT: I've found out all skills carry over before you start NG+.

Edited September 16, 2018 by kishoukan

[MonsieurPuzzled]

Personally, the true spirit of the game, is playing on DO from the start, it's what I did and I stand by it. It's tough, and it's challenging, and I've had to redo a few sections, but damn if it isn't tense and satisfying and immersive.

DO wouldn't be anywhere near as fun if it was safe and you could skip all the extra content. A first time challenge tomb in DO is excellent. You can't get that on a replay.

[FranciRoosters]

Deadly Obsession is so tough in certain points. I've been stuck in the Mission of San Juan after discovering the crypt for I don't know how many hours.

[SuperSaiyan3985]

Yeah you definitely do NOT want to start your first playthrough on DO. Do yourself a favor, complete a "Smart & Resourceful" run getting all combat trophies and collectibles THEN come back and try DO. That way, you can focus solely on beating the game the second time and not re-collecting everything else.

[PhyrxianLibrarin]

Bumping this as I'm finally going through a Deadly Obsession play through and this SUUUCCCKKKSSS. The game was clearly never designed to be played this way.

 

Dark Souls is laid out so that it's a fight to get from one bonfire to the next, but you can open up short cuts to make navigation easier, and the only things in between bonfires are enemies. This game, on the other hand, has LONG platforming and story and cutscenes (only some of which are skippable?) in between every fire, and not enough tight controls to not inevitably die from a missed jump. Did your axe fail to register on the overhang? Boom, you lose an hour of gameplay. The oil fields are a perfect example; 3-4 stealth sections, 1 big combat, and a chaotic platforming part where you can barely see what you're meant to grab. And if you screw up, you have to do the entire thing over again.

 

The game isn't more challenging than hard difficulty, it just gives you a big middle finger whenever you slip up. 

[sword_of_omens]

On 6/27/2020 at 10:42 PM, PhyrxianLibrarin said:

The oil fields are a perfect example; 3-4 stealth sections, 1 big combat, and a chaotic platforming part where you can barely see what you're meant to grab. And if you screw up, you have to do the entire thing over again.

 

yeh..i made the mistake of clearing out the first group and second group, then running back to the campfire to save...i died shortly after and when i loaded the save, the groups respawned but i was still out of all my items i used...so definitely do not save a second time...at least that way you get back your items used if you die...

 

i also remember spending 2 and a half hours on that stupid eagle statue climb..because of the stupid jump grab/fail right after you get all the way up and past it...

[Despo_X]

I just got the plat for the game with my final trophy being the difficulty-based one.

Like the previous posters, I don't think the fighting is that difficult, hell even the final boss was pretty weak even on Deadly Obsession. But missing the same grabs or jumps over and over again after playing for like 15-30 minutes is just heartbreaking and annoying if it happens several times. The removal of checkpoints really hurts the experience I think. It's not always your fault either - especially the grappling axe missed SO many times for me ...

 

glad this is over lol

[Xylobe]

On 7/3/2020 at 10:55 AM, sword_of_omens said:

 

yeh..i made the mistake of clearing out the first group and second group, then running back to the campfire to save...i died shortly after and when i loaded the save, the groups respawned but i was still out of all my items i used...so definitely do not save a second time...at least that way you get back your items used if you die...

 

I did the same thing and they didn't respawn for me. It was a big help when trying to figure out what the game wanted me to do during the climbing section at the end.

[Brightblade76]

I'm about to face DO, any recommended weapons/outfits from the DLC? I've cleared them all. I just see Howlers Trop suggested in the walkthrough but don't know which bow comes with it, Heart Of The Eagle? Regardless, I know it will be a frustrating pain, especially some platforming sessions.

 

Edit. Disregard the question about the bow skill, I remembered it was a tree specific skill and not a unique bow skill.

Edited October 6, 2020 by Brightblade76

[GraniteSnake]

45 minutes ago, Brightblade76 said:

I'm about to face DO, any recommended weapons/outfits from the DLC? I've cleared them all. I just see Howlers Trop suggested in the walkthrough but don't know which bow comes with it, Heart Of The Eagle? Regardless, I know it will be a frustrating pain, especially some platforming sessions.

 

Edit. Disregard the question about the bow skill, I remembered it was a tree specific skill and not a unique bow skill.

Don’t worry about DO, it’s actually really easy. The enemy AI are completely braindead even on the toughest difficulty. It’s all about holding your nerve during some of the longer platforming sections. Just don’t rush through and you’ll be fine

[sword_of_omens]

yeh...DO difficulty isn't too bad as far as enemies go...there are few spots where enemies try and overwhelm and outflank you but if you play it smart, and stealth your way through as much as possible it's not bad at all...the real problems i had were the wonky jump/grab mechanics, where Laura would just jump at a random angle off a wall or bounce and not grab like she is supposed to...those instant deaths were rage-inducing...i spent over 2 hours on the stupid Tower of the Eagle...and not because of the platform jumping while climbing, but because of the stupid jump and grab transition immediately after you pass it....she would not grab the ledge and simply hit and fall into the spikes every time...so back down to the bottom of the tower i would go...and once when i did grab the ledge it glitched and would not allow move at all....so i had to reset...

[Brightblade76]

Enemy encounters have been easy so far but savepoints and camps placement (or removal) are BS at its finest. I went from the hidden city all the way through belly and head of the serpent, then I got distracted due to boredom while I was skipping cutscenes before the chase sequence when you get back in the hidden city and died instantly from a couple spear throws, I've been sent back all the way to the camp before the serpent dungeon. I can understand the removal of checkpoints but the removal also of several camps its developers' pettiness ? ??

[HellcoreFire]

It's not that hard. I'm far from being a good gamer, so if I can do it a 3 year old can.

[Brightblade76]

I'm not saying it's hard, at least not so far, but that makes it even more annoying if you get sent back 20-25 mins due to a distraction.

 

PS. I keep dying in the freaking chase sequence after the serpent puzzles, I'll just copy paste the route of the video in the guide and get done with it.

Edited October 6, 2020 by Brightblade76

[sword_of_omens]

Only one that really frustrated me as far as chase scenes go was the one at the end of Cenote...it does a stupid camera transition right at the beginning of the chase and the input from the controller during the panaround had me turn right back into the enemies and get insta-killed....

[Brightblade76]

I've managed to do the Cenote section and return to hidden city on first attempt, that's a huge relief. The last platform and underwater section seemed to last forever.

[sword_of_omens]

iirc there was somewhat of a shortcut you could take in Cenote to bypass some groups of enemies...

[Brightblade76]

The last chapter is horrible on DO, I've made it before the final fight but missed a jump, I've been sent all the way back to hidden city. Instead of artificially inflating the frustration by removing checkpoints, they should have put more effort into making the fights actually interesting.

 

PS. Done, first time I've completely missed the camp after the machine gun section, that camp made the last mission much more manageable.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Brightblade76

[sharkyaya]

It’s difficult but doable. The most frustrating part is that there are less checkpoints so if you die, you’ll have to redo everything again from your last save point (campfire). Also, there are no markers for walls to climb etc. And survival instinct won’t be enabled which will make searching for collectibles extremely tedious. 
 

I advise you play it on normal difficulty first, get as many of the trophies then do a NG+ playthrough on deadly obsession. 

[Swotam]

On 2020-10-06 at 4:16 PM, sword_of_omens said:

Only one that really frustrated me as far as chase scenes go was the one at the end of Cenote...it does a stupid camera transition right at the beginning of the chase and the input from the controller during the panaround had me turn right back into the enemies and get insta-killed....

This is definitely one of the more annoying parts, it’s pretty straightforward up to that point. Not having a hidden checkpoint at the beginning of the chase after you open the temple door is incredibly dumb, especially when you consider that the previous checkpoint is at least 20 minutes earlier and before you deal with the whole “after getting the shotgun” fight, plus the temple door puzzle and associated crap. I died just after the start of the chase because Lara stumbled due to an explosion exactly when I went to make a jump, so of course she went headfirst into the void instead, thanks game. I loaded back at the previous campfire and I’ll have to do all the camp to temple opening nonsense, again.

 

I don’t mind if I die because I screwed up, something I’ve done twice so far, but I really dislike it when a game kills me (3 times already) because of stupid reasons that are out of my control. It disrespects my time and really annoys me. Having to do a hard-mode replay isn’t something I want to do anyway. I’ve already played the game once, I have no desire to play it a second time, so when you throw in multiple game inflicted deaths and the time wasted replaying the same crap I just did, it makes me feel like the whole thing isn’t worth another second of my life. Maybe it isn’t...

 

 

[dieselmanchild]

Why is it that in every game there’s always that one bloody trophy that makes you want to go outside in your backyard, eat a bunch of datura pods, and then walk out into traffic on the freeway and end it all?