Starfield hardcore mode – all differences

Want to learn about Starfield hardcore mode? Previous titles from Bethesda have featured survival modes with additional modifiers and challenges. And while the Starfield doesn’t currently include the mode, the developer has hinted at its existence.

There’s a possibility that such a mode will come after the launch of a story expansion like Starfield Shattered Space. With a solid reputation for RPGs thanks to Fallout New Vegas and The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Bethesda has a legacy to uphold. If you’re done looking at Starfield ship customization and Starfield armor options, here’s what you need to know about Starfield’s hardcore mode.

Starfield difficulty levels – hardcore mode explained

Bethesda games typically have similar difficulty settings to one another. There are five different settings, which are Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard.

Each difficulty alters the amount of damage that you deal to enemies, as well as the amount of damage you receive from them, with Very Easy having you deal x2 damage and receiving x0.25-0.5 the damage, while Very Hard will see you deal x0.25-x0.75 damage and receive x2 the damage. This makes it simple for players to choose a difficulty that lines up with their skill level and the amount of challenge they’re looking for.

What is hardcore mode?

At its core, hardcore or survival mode would provide the same changes that all other difficulties do, with altered damage dealt and received. However, they also typically add other unique challenges for players, with Game director Todd Howard promising ‘a lot of the things that older hardcore RPGs, something we used to do, doing those again in a new way.’

Higher difficulty tiers could do more than scale enemies with bigger health bars. Adding smarter AI and more unique enemy attacks in Starfield would be a good start. But a survival or hardcore mode would be incomplete without additional modifiers like hunger or thirst. Here are some things a Starfield hardcore mode could cover:

• Hunger and thirst meters add even more inventory management into the mix. Letting these stats drop could result in debuffs and even death.
• Not resting could lead to your character developing fatigue, weakening them until they sleep at a safe location. This would make sense as you go planet-hopping.
• Slower healing from items and scarce ammo would also make combat encounters more challenging.
• Bethesda and Microsoft could also make resources scarce to make it difficult to craft items. You might have to parley with factions like the Freestar Collective and United Colonies for them.

That’s all we know so far about the Starfield hardcore mode. Clearing quests across the galaxy won’t be a simple feat in hardcore mode. The Fallout games are a testament to that. And while some people may see these modifiers as a fun killer, others like a challenging experience.

For help starting your cosmic travels, check out our Starfield tips and tricks, the best Starfield ships, the best Starfield reactor, the best Starfield spacesuits, where to get the Mark 1 spacesuit, and our Sabotage, Alternating Currents, Delivering Devils, Absolute Power, and High Price to Pay quest walkthroughs.