My thoughts on the Pilgrim mode


TarjaS

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I'm currently playing in Pilgrim mode as I wanted to find and explore Pleasant Valley without interruptions (except ones caused by weather). I did the same with Coastal Highway when it was added and, comparing the two, it's better this time. There's still plenty of loot to be found, but it's not a ridiculous amount like last time.

Last time, I had to start leaving stuff behind very soon, because there was so much of it everywhere. This time, I've gone from Jackrabbit Island to the farm in Pleasant Valley and only now have so much stuff that I will need to leave some of it at the farmhouse. Of course, I have harvested a lot of extra clothing to decrease the weight of the inventory.

Also, I have found one of each of knife, prybar, hatchet and can opener, which is good as those should not be too plentiful. Haven't seen a dead deer anywhere so far, which was actually a bit of a concern when I had boots in 20% condition and no leather, but then I found some leather and also shoes you can use for harvesting leather, so that problem was solved.

Come to think of it, I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't found another pair of boots. Did find cargo pants, though. Not too many jackets/vests around either.

In all, I think the balance is quite good this time. Plenty of food, but not too many of the items that should be scarce. I'm sure this mode is enough of a challenge for some players, and there can be some scary moments as well, although the wildlife won't attack you.

I was walking up a ridge, not knowing what was behind it. As I got to the top, the wolf coming up from the opposite direction did the same. Being oblivious to all wildlife actually made it a real jump scare.

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I really enjoy pilgrim mode as well. I do however find it to be way to easy in some specific regards. I was surprised that the rate at which your condition deteriorates, (cold, hunger, thirst, etc) was significantly slower than on voyager or stalker. I had thought that it would be just the wildlife that was different, but still a pretty cool game mode.

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IMO this game mode shouldn't exist, they should just rename it "debug mode" and let the alpha playtesters wander around finding glitches and stuff with max condition no matter what happens.

Why would you take something away from other people who enjoy very much??? Pilgrim players aren't eligible for the leader boards (AFAIK), so its not costing Stalkers and Voyagers anything for it to be there.

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IMO this game mode shouldn't exist, they should just rename it "debug mode" and let the alpha playtesters wander around finding glitches and stuff with max condition no matter what happens.

Why would you take something away from other people who enjoy very much??? Pilgrim players aren't eligible for the leader boards (AFAIK), so its not costing Stalkers and Voyagers anything for it to be there.

leader boards?

What?

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leader boards?

What?

No survival times in leaderboards for Pilgrim mode and no achievements either. And, as was already pointed out, why would you want this mode to not exist? It doesn't take anything away from you. It's a good way to practice other game mechanics before facing the wolves. It's also nice for sightseeing and exploring new areas without getting killed just when you find something interesting. I normally play in Voyageur and have even considered trying Stalker, but I still enjoy occasional wanderings in Pilgrim mode just for those reasons.

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Pilgrim mode may just be the best thing about TLD alpha sandbox. It completely changes the nature of the experience. I understand those wanting a regular game will be annoyed by it, but if you play through a few weeks in game, it starts to really get weird. You start to hope something attacks you. You start to hear things in houses. I once thought I saw the deer walking upright in the distance. The mind starts playing tricks. And in that sense it's actually much closer to real life solo wilderness survival. Ultimately you get an oppressive sense of gloom and isolation instead of the running-and-looting of Voyageur and the dying-and-dying of Stalker. To amp up the difficulty, eliminating game respawning would work just fine. But really the point isn't about the rush of running from things. It's about realizing you're alone and going to die that way.

It would make a truly excellent setting for a gradual psychological horror mod.

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...Pilgrim mode and no achievements either.

I got the 10-day achievement yesterday, on Pilgrim mode.

That's changed then, because I remember it was said before that you get no achievements in Pilgrim mode. I'm only missing the hardest ones (Silent Hunter, exploration and harvesting 10 deer carcasses), so haven't got to test that as I haven't played in this mode long enough.

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