What's the best difficulty to select in Stellar Blade? Choosing the right difficulty can be crucial to having a positive experience in games, and so you may be wondering which is the right level of challenge for you in Shift Up's console debut. On this page, as part of our Stellar Blade guide, we're going to answer the question: what's the best difficulty to select?

What's the Best Difficulty to Select in Stellar Blade?

Stellar Blade: What's the Best Difficulty to Select? 1
Image: Push Square

There are 3 difficulties to select in Stellar Blade, although initially you'll only have two options. Hard Mode is unlocked once you've completed the main campaign once, on either Story Mode or Normal Mode. Here are the official descriptions of all difficulties:

Story Mode
Enemies are weakened. Recommended for players who want to focus on the story.
Normal Mode
Features tense battles. Recommended for players who enjoy challenging combat.
Hard Mode
The combat is far deadlier and more challenging. Recommended for players who enjoy a difficult challenge.

If you enjoy games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring, we'd recommend starting on Normal Mode, as you'll find a compelling level of challenge for your first playthrough. If you struggle with more difficult games, especially when it comes to combat timing, then you may prefer Story Mode, which makes enemies easier to kill.

As mentioned previously, Hard Mode is only unlocked after completing the campaign once, and so you'll likely know whether you want to experience a greater challenge in New Game + by the time you've unlocked it.

What Is Action Assist in Stellar Blade?

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Action Assist is an optional feature in Story Mode in Stellar Blade which can be toggled on and off in the Settings menu. Effectively, the feature slows down the gameplay during certain moments in combat to give you additional time to react. This makes it easier to dodge and parry. While it makes the game easier, it's important to note that you still have to press the right buttons at the appropriate time, so nothing is automated. It's a great option to enable if you're struggling to get to grips with the rhythmic combat.


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