How hard is Grounded?

[zeitgeist_02]

How hard is it (NG+) compared to other games? Uncharted on brutal? Bioshock infinite on 1999?

[kanzenchaos]

I personally didn't have too much of a hard time with it, there are a few areas that are quite annoying though. Just remember to do the Grounded+ glitch on your first run just to avoid playing it twice.

[HaserPL]

You can't really compare it to Uncharted because you can complete Grounded without using guns for like 90% of the game. If you know supply spawns from the previous playthrough, enemy spawns etc, you can stealth your way through almost all the time. There are only a few situations where you will be forced to actually fight head-on. Follow a proper guide and you'll be fine. Grounded isn't like Crushing or Brutal, it's the way the game is supposed to be played to feel immersed in the world. I play on grounded each time I replay the game and I do it at least twice a year. 

[JoaLoft]

Not very difficult, aside from a couple of frustrating sections.

 

One tip above all else matters: stealth is your friend.

[Squirlruler]

NG+ is pretty easy, with all your previous upgrades, knowledge of the enemy locations, spawn locations etc. It is WAY easier than Brutal in Uncharted (if playing legit with no tweaks enabled), about the same with tweaks enabled. 

 

[dmland12]

I think it's definitely easier than Uncharted's Brutal difficulty.  On Brutal you can die so fast when you're out of cover, and it's not like that on Grounded at all.  If you're worried it's going to be like Brutal, don't.

 

Compared to Bioshock Infinite's 1999...  hmm, I don't know.  I didn't find either to be that bad, so it's harder to compare, but I might have to say that TLOU is a little more difficult, just because of the scarcity of resources.  That limits your options.  In Bioshock Infinite you can play 1999 basically like regular just more careful.  You can take fewer hits and deal less damage, but the same strategies work.  On Grounded, since you don't have the same resources you need to rely more on stealth and punching than you probably did on your first playthrough, so I'd give that the edge as being more difficult.

[BryBurgess]

Holding aim with bow or throw weapon is the best tip I got when doing this for clicker sections.

[El-Sublime-]

It's not really hard at all. It will give you some headaches in the way but nothing that can make the game impossible. In fact, almost all the game can be played in stealth, so as long as you have some patience, the game will be completed very quickly.

 

NG+ instead is a walk in the park. You know very well how to play against all of the enemies in those conditions so it will take you half of the time than normal NG.

[Beyondthegrave07]

It's like survivor mode but slightly less supplies and less checkpoints. I played it at a friend's house years ago.

 

It's pretty much a stealth playthrough for the most part. It's not hard if you know where the enemies are and save shivs on doors. I wouldn't compare it to the games mentioned. Too different imo.

[zizimonster]

It is a bit easier with the NG+ exploit. The hardest is Ellie's gameplay parts and Joel's sewer gameplay. Everything else is doable with stealth. It's 6/10 difficulty on grounded mode. I suppose.

[Strike-Runner]

If you are having trouble with grounded I remember that there is a glitch to get unlimited shives it should be easier to kill clickers and unlock closed doors that require a shiv to open and it have a lot of supplies 

[Omelette Paradise]

It's tough but fair, unlike Brutal difficulty in the Uncharted games which is frustratingly cheap.

 

The winter chapter with Ellie is tough in places (the cabin section in particular) but it's otherwise manageable and it really is the best way to experience this great game.

[Phase_32]

1 hour ago, Mila528 said:

How hard is it (NG+) compared to other games? Uncharted on brutal? Bioshock infinite on 1999?

 

it's honestly not terribly difficult. Especially if you watch a walk-through showing some of the best strategies to get through the more difficult parts of the game. Patience and timing is everything in Grounded/Grounded +, (I watched PS4Trophies complete it). 

[BlindMango]

It's not too bad, but I would recommend that you play the game first on a lower difficulty and get familiar with each level and get to know when to use weapons, when to hold back using weapons, moments to save supplies for, etc... Basically once you have a familiarity with the game and its levels, you should do well!

[EcoShifter]

It's challenging, which is to obviously be expected of the hardest difficulty in the game, especially one added after the previous most challenging difficulty. However, it's not as hard as brutal in the Uncharted trilogy. I'd give it probably something from a 6.5-7.5, something above average but below insanely hard.

 

Looking at your profile, if it's up date, I highly recommend not starting the game on Grounded difficulty—I don't remember or am not sure if there is anyway/exploit to start the game on Grounded without having beaten the game—if it's your first time playing the game, as it's not the best way to experience the game at all for a few reasons.

[steel6burgh]

watch the world record speed run and you will be good.  Keep in mind you are not always going to be able to do as he does because what he does requires practice but it will help you get through some sections in ways you wouldn't have thought of yourself.  it helps a lot.  If he does something in a way you can't do then pull up other videos for other methods.  Sometimes he fights through a section in a world record run because he is a bad ass and can where you won't be able to pull it off but if you pull from another video you may find it's perfectly easy to stealth through it just takes too long for world record run.

[Quink666]

Best tip for grounded is brick/bottle + melee = one shot, very useful for clickers you have to fight. Play stealthily and you will be fine. Enemy spawns are almost always the same, in certain areas enemies spawn differently depending on where you enter a building for example.

 

There is plenty of helpful glitches aswell. You can use the infinite shiv glitch to get extra resources from shiv doors. Keep any panic Molotov  and try to get a smoke grenade for the end of the sewer section, with a well placed/timed smoke bomb and you wont have to fight a single enemy before the door opens.

 

When playing as Ellie with David you can let him do all the heavy lifting and just stab the enemies that grab him. Speedruns have a ton of great tips and tricks for this game.

[Asmund]

15 hours ago, Mila528 said:

How hard is it (NG+) compared to other games? Uncharted on brutal? Bioshock infinite on 1999?

You'll be fine, I see you put in the prep work on easy first, so when you new game+ you should be okie doke. Watch a speed runner do it on youtube, they will show you strats you would of never thought would work, from rushing an area causing things to de-spawn, to plotting out kill locations so you can control where the reinforcements spawn for a nice molatov in a clustered group. They have figured out how to manipulate not just the AI of the enemies but the game engine itself.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Asmund89

[sapanga]

It’s a little frustrating at times but nothing you won’t be able to overcome. As said by everyone here: Stealth is key, but also, as Joel would say, make every shot count. Use your supplies wisely, and always make sure you have some fire (molotovs/flame thrower) for bloaters. Also remember that you don’t need to fight everything/everyone.

Don’t listen to all the exploit messages. It would feel like an empty victory to me. 

[ASSASS1NPL]

Watch speedrun strats if u gonna stuck somewhere. Those can be very helpful (u can skip a lot of fights in Pittsburgh for example).

 

 

[OmegaRejectz]

Fairly Easy. Since it's NG+ you'll have all your stuff from your first playthrough. There are a few difficult sections (

Spoiler

notably when with David when playing as Elie

). Just watched a "trophy" hunter come back to the game & beat it all (except for the mini sections that force you) without using any guns/bow.

[Paulie1313]

Just finished my Grounded + run. Hotel basement with the Runners/Bloaters was the hardest, followed by the David battle. Bricks/bottles, stealth and a lot patience will get you though this amazing game.

 

Apart from the 2 sections mentioned, this game was made to be played on Grounded, very limited supplies and finding ways to survive each section with the limited supplies given.

[Hvalpen]

I had to quit at first bloater in the gym hall. No ammo. But as long as you have some ammo you should be good, and stealth stealth stealth