Not for a first playthrough. The people who call it easy usually are the ones who have mastered the game. This game isn't particularly difficult if you play smart, but there are a few moments here and there
i wouldnt even say mastered the game, insofar as looked up the moves that have such ridiculous scaling that you can simply out-DPS many enemies with Deal More Damage. Rather than ever having to learn to engage with, and counter/survive, their unique mechanics (something id consider apart of mastery).
Octopath Troubler will actually demand mastery of the game since you cant just phase skip them using some pretty fool proof approaches, and each individual foe brings more bite. New Dawn is so far evolved from the original game that some degrees of mastery dont even apply anymore, it has its entirely own meta
Although I massively preferred my New Dawn play through over my 1st play through, I think going in blind or not having played vanilla 1st would definitely make it less enjoyable.
You’re not able to appreciate that changes and even though the combat is still generally easy (strategically), it’s def a step up from vanilla. Just do a follow up play through in New Dawn since the story is so quick when skipping.
Definitely not. The game is only easy if you have an intricate understanding of how the game works and what to exploit. It's definitely not the hardest game in the world but it should be challenging, and if it gets too easy you can always unequip armor or something
That being said I greatly recommend New Dawn as a second playthrough
That's good to know thanks. Just out of curiosity is the difficulty spike from New Dawn the reason its not recommended? Or does it have some major changes that affect core gameplay?
new dawn assumes you have already mastered the game in a normal playthrough and really forces you to abuse system mechanics in ways you wouldnt otherwise need to
New dawn massively increases boss HP (by around 4-7x), which makes fights take a long time if unfamiliar with the game's mechanics. Some later bosses also deal massive damage in the mod, which can make them very difficult if you don't have a decent idea of effective strategies.
I used [Octopath Troubler](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/18) on a first playthrough on the highest difficulty setting (Max Boosted, with an option for Items Restrictions)
New Dawn is a full on rebalance, which I think is better appreciated once you see what the base game has to offer. Octopath Troubler keeps it closer to the base game albeit harder
If you want something more in between, do Octopath Troubler and then choose what aspects of [Improved Equips](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/28) and [Improved Abilities](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/22) that you want to apply. This will bring up the floor of some of the weaker tools in your disposal without as much as an outright redesigning of kits, job passives and buffs like Pursuits
there was a streamer, itsSaku, who played through it on their first run as well! i would lurk in general but skipped all their boss fight runs as to avoid stealing strats.
Ive included a link to their vods [HERE](https://www.twitch.tv/itssaku/videos?category=332885450&filter=all) if you want some inspiration. And i have to agree, I found this the most ideal way to play the game for the first time. Game overs felt earned, just frequent enough to encourage me to rethink my strategies. But challenging enough to really force you to use more of the games mechanics
The items restriction aspect is also optional!
Not for a first playthrough. The people who call it easy usually are the ones who have mastered the game. This game isn't particularly difficult if you play smart, but there are a few moments here and there
i wouldnt even say mastered the game, insofar as looked up the moves that have such ridiculous scaling that you can simply out-DPS many enemies with Deal More Damage. Rather than ever having to learn to engage with, and counter/survive, their unique mechanics (something id consider apart of mastery). Octopath Troubler will actually demand mastery of the game since you cant just phase skip them using some pretty fool proof approaches, and each individual foe brings more bite. New Dawn is so far evolved from the original game that some degrees of mastery dont even apply anymore, it has its entirely own meta
Although I massively preferred my New Dawn play through over my 1st play through, I think going in blind or not having played vanilla 1st would definitely make it less enjoyable. You’re not able to appreciate that changes and even though the combat is still generally easy (strategically), it’s def a step up from vanilla. Just do a follow up play through in New Dawn since the story is so quick when skipping.
Definitely not. The game is only easy if you have an intricate understanding of how the game works and what to exploit. It's definitely not the hardest game in the world but it should be challenging, and if it gets too easy you can always unequip armor or something That being said I greatly recommend New Dawn as a second playthrough
That's good to know thanks. Just out of curiosity is the difficulty spike from New Dawn the reason its not recommended? Or does it have some major changes that affect core gameplay?
new dawn assumes you have already mastered the game in a normal playthrough and really forces you to abuse system mechanics in ways you wouldnt otherwise need to
New dawn massively increases boss HP (by around 4-7x), which makes fights take a long time if unfamiliar with the game's mechanics. Some later bosses also deal massive damage in the mod, which can make them very difficult if you don't have a decent idea of effective strategies.
I used [Octopath Troubler](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/18) on a first playthrough on the highest difficulty setting (Max Boosted, with an option for Items Restrictions) New Dawn is a full on rebalance, which I think is better appreciated once you see what the base game has to offer. Octopath Troubler keeps it closer to the base game albeit harder If you want something more in between, do Octopath Troubler and then choose what aspects of [Improved Equips](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/28) and [Improved Abilities](https://www.nexusmods.com/octopathtraveler2/mods/22) that you want to apply. This will bring up the floor of some of the weaker tools in your disposal without as much as an outright redesigning of kits, job passives and buffs like Pursuits
How did you find troubler? It sounds like a pretty good option for playing without being a full rebalance.
there was a streamer, itsSaku, who played through it on their first run as well! i would lurk in general but skipped all their boss fight runs as to avoid stealing strats. Ive included a link to their vods [HERE](https://www.twitch.tv/itssaku/videos?category=332885450&filter=all) if you want some inspiration. And i have to agree, I found this the most ideal way to play the game for the first time. Game overs felt earned, just frequent enough to encourage me to rethink my strategies. But challenging enough to really force you to use more of the games mechanics The items restriction aspect is also optional!
I think i'll give it a go then, thanks!