Starting a new game in Red Dead Redemption begins with choosing a difficulty that best aligns with your play style. The game offers two distinct difficulty options: Normal and Hardcore. While the normal difficulty presents a decent challenge, the hardcore mode raises the stakes in combat encounters and tests your survival skills.
However, the difficulty selection screen does not explain how both difficulties differ from each other. This lack of information could lead you to choose a suboptimal difficulty setting that could either end up being too easy for your skill level or unexpectedly hard. So, if you’re unsure about which difficulty option will best suit your play style in Red Dead Redemption, the following guide will resolve that dilemma by breaking down both difficulty options and how they impact your experience throughout the game.
Red Dead Redemption 1 is Already a Big Hit on Steam
Following its long-awaited release for PC, the original Red Dead Redemption is celebrating an incredibly positive launch on the platform.
Core Gameplay Differences Between Normal & Hardcore Difficulties
In Red Dead Redemption, the difference between normal and hardcore difficulty goes beyond just simple tweaks to the damage multiplier. Experiencing the game on hardcore mode provides a distinct gameplay experience, with permanent changes to weapon aiming mechanics, tightening the economy, and altering deadeye generation. The following sections provide a detailed breakdown of what to expect when opting for the hardcore mode over the normal difficulty.
Combat & Survival Mechanics
In hardcore mode, the combat is significantly modified in a way that it affects aiming, adjusts the health system, and restricts deadeye meter generation. These changes demand a tactical approach to combat and fighting in the open will often result in quick death. Here's how combat and survival mechanics differ between the normal and hardcore modes:
|
Gameplay Mechanic |
Normal Difficulty |
Hardcore Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
|
Aiming System |
Enable/disable aim assist |
Permanently disabled |
|
Maximum Health |
Default |
Reduced to half |
|
Health Regeneration |
Quick regeneration |
Slow regeneration with longer delay. Health regenerates quickly when taking cover |
|
Dead Eye |
Automatically generates over time |
Generates only upon scoring kills or using items |
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Horse Management
In Red Dead Redemption, your horse is an important companion that lets you explore the open world with ease. Poor treatment of your horse will not go unpunished in hardcore mode, with changes made to the horses' mortality system and significantly increasing the cost of acquiring new horses. Here's more on how horse management differs between the two difficulty modes:
|
Horse Mechanic |
Normal Difficulty |
Hardcore Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
|
Horse Deeds |
Default price |
Double price, but still unlimited |
|
Horse Mortality |
Respawn after dying |
Horses die permanently |
|
Horse Replacement |
Whistle to respawn a dead horse |
Purchase or break a wild horse. Broken horses must be hitched to a post before gaining the ability to call them with a whistle. |
|
Warhorse Price |
Default price |
Doubled price |
Economic Change
The economy, in the hardcore mode, is also adjusted to emphasize survival and strategic use of resources. You'll need to be thoughtful about how you choose to restock ammunition and essential items, as opting to purchase them could quickly create a hole in the pocket. Here's how the hardcode mode overhauls the economy in Red Dead Redemption:
|
Economy Feature |
Normal Mode |
Hardcore Mode |
|---|---|---|
|
Store Prices |
Default |
Increased |
|
Selling Price |
Default |
Reduced |
|
Loot |
Default |
Reduced ammo and money drop |
|
Mini-Game Buy-Ins |
Default |
Lowered to match scarce economy |
|
Pardon Letters |
Default availability |
Rarer to find |
Progression & Rewards
In Red Dead Redemption, honor and fame levels indicate John Marston's morality and notoriety, respectively. Playing the game on the hardcore mode affects the rate at which John earns honor and fame points, and how quickly he progresses through the game. Here's a breakdown of how general character progression works in normal and hardcore modes:
|
Progression Aspect |
Normal Mode |
Hardcore Mode |
|---|---|---|
|
Fame Gains |
Default |
Reduced |
|
Honor Gains |
Default |
Reduced |
|
Item Stack Limit |
Default (5) |
John can stack up to 10 items. Stacking limits for deadeye items are also doubled. |
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Players should do their best to tame these particular horses in Red Dead Redemption.
Which Difficulty Setting Should You Choose In Red Dead Redemption?
As you can see, the hardcore mode in Red Dead Redemption isn't just a simple spike in difficulty; instead, it overhauls the core gameplay mechanics. While it's undoubtedly a more challenging experience, it also rewards daring players with increased item capacity and a more authentic Wild West experience.
Every bullet that's fired must be accounted for and money must be spent wisely to gear up John for unknown dangers. However, if you choose to play Red Dead Redemption on mouse and keyboard, you won't have to worry about missing out on aim assist, as it's a feature relevant to only controllers.
With that being said, if you've previously played Red Dead Redemption 2, and have some experience with third-person shooters, it's recommended to choose the hardcore mode over the normal difficulty. However, if you're new to the Red Dead franchise, or if your goal is to experience the story without having to worry about surviving every combat encounter or managing resource scarcity, the normal difficulty will offer a satisfying experience without overwhelming you too much with decision-making.
Red Dead Redemption
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 73%
- Released
- May 18, 2010
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- rockstar advanced game engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Red Dead Redemption
- PC Release Date
- October 29, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 17, 2023
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- How Long To Beat
- 18 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
