discussion Is playing with DLC easier?

[Ghurcb]

If you pay for the Tales from the Far Territory DLC, the content you get so far includes

• New Clothing Variants
• New Tool Variants
• New Food Items
• Cooking Recipes
• Travois
• Ptarmigans (you can eat them, and you can craft insulation or improved bedrolls)

So far, it's just more stuff to use for your survival, and no new dangers. Of course, there are new and challenging regions, and if you explore them you can encounter toxic waste, toxic wolves, glimmer fog that causes insomnia, not to mention the cold. But, if you choose to explore these new regions you will find even more loot than you'd be able to find in base game and unique equipment.

The only DLC-exclusive threat that applied to all of Great Bear was the Cougar, and even it was optional (and currently it's not in the game, so I have no idea how it's going to affect difficulty in the end).

What I'm getting at, having the DLC seemingly makes the game easier. I don't know if the tool, food, and clothing variants exist in addition to what would spawn without DLC, or if they replace that loot. If it's the former, then having the DLC installed would definitely make your game easier. But even if it's the latter, you have more options and useful items you can craft.

So what do you think, is Stalker with DLC as difficult as without, or not? What about Interloper?

 

[DIA]

It seems to me that the new clothing items perfectly compensate for the added "hazards" (puma damage, low temperature of new regions) If anything, I play on the "stalker" difficulty level.

[Serenity]

The only long term clothing items that are flat out upgrades are the Aviator Cap and the Technical Balaclava, and they're only marginally better than a toque or Rabbit Skin Hat. The Tactical Gloves are nice, but they are roughly on par with the Rabbit Skin Mittens, but like the Aviator Cap they need leather to maintain. So it's a tradeoff at best.

The Improvised Insulation and the Down Bedroll are nice for the extra temperature, but it's not a huge change and they need some maintenance. Ptarmigans are also not available in coastal regions. That's a good balance.   

The Spelunker's Lantern is really great, needing only half the fuel.

Other stuff is sometimes nice to have or situationally useful. Sometimes useless. It's good to have the variety, but the items don't change the way I play the game.

New regions bring new resources, yeah. But that's the same for any free new map. That was true even early in game development when Coastal Highway was released and survival was suddenly extended a great deal. Forsaken Airfield and Sundered Pass are also pretty difficult maps and you have to work a bit for your loot.

 

On paper it's easier maybe. But in practice the difference isn't that great.

[ThePancakeLady]

Everything seems to balance out- the new stuff is balanced out by how much more challenging the Far Territory regions are.

1 hour ago, Serenity said:

On paper it's easier maybe. But in practice the difference isn't that great.

But yeah, this. ^^^

For me, my playstyle(s), and my preferred mode(s)- everything balances out, but feels a lot fresher with new stuff to do- a reason to try new things and change my strategies instead of "I *only do this and only go there*".

Ask again after the DLC is actually finished and all of the new stuff is added, and all of the changes are made, maybe, and any and all bugs (and some of the exploits they allow) are patched?

[conanjaguar]

I'd say the DLC is easier, if only because of Frontier Cooking. Thanks to the ingredients, there's much more food to be found around the map.

[Rusty]

I think there is more to do, but it's not particularly easier or harder with the DLC.  The end-of-tale rewards are nice but not game-changers.  As Conan points out, the Frontier Cooking opens up a lot of new possibilities; when meat is scarce, e.g., you can really stretch your calories by making stews, but that requires finding flour, finding or making broth (which in turn requires finding salt and hunting ptarmigan), and longer cooking times.  It is, like so much else in TLD, a set of trade-offs to balance.  I like it - even the parts that I dislike 🙂. 

[AdamvR]

I agree with the above posts, that it is about the same for difficulty, but you have a lot more content and variety to the game - which is appreciated above 4 digit hours roaming in GBI.
The Travois is really cool though. I actually forgot that I can craft it also on the mainland in my current run I started a few days ago. It always brings a smile on my face as suddenly all that weight can be carried with relative ease. Or packing up the entire bear in one go.

[Talavaj]

I'd say it definitely makes the early game easier, especially stuff like ptarmigan bedroll, oats and rosehip pies, but it eventually evens out in the late game where better alternatives are present.

The only thing that's really strong over the base game is the travois, because it lets you carry an entire bear or like 30 fish without smelling.
That being said, I think the smell mechanics are waaay too overtuned (and the travois needs constant maintenance), so I'm not mad about it at all.

[Looper]

Objectively since it only adds food, tools etc. it makes the game easier. By how much is a matter of perspective and playstyle.

I would recommend it since it adds diversity to your game.  

[I_eat_only_wolf_meat]

I would certainly say the game is easier with the DLC.  Ptarmigans make great clothing and an easy to catch food source.  Also, the fatigue reduction and condition restore recipes can be really useful and could even save your life.

I always carry around a ruined prepper's pie in my interloper runs and have three or more rose hip pies for long trips.

However, the difference in difficulty is probably less on lower difficulties.  Extreme cold isn't really a problem even on the "stalker" setting, given the excellent clothing loot, and there's also plenty of coffee  and stims around to fix your other troubles.

[past caring]

As has been said, I don't know about 'easier' one way or another, but I do think the DLC has changed the game. For example, I previously prioritised getting guns and improving my shooting over archery. Now, the insulated bedroll is such a must have that though I prioritise getting a gun for protection, I prioritise gaining archery skills just as much - no real way of getting the ptarmigans otherwise. Consequent to that, the bearskin bedroll has now become more or less redundant - I can't think of the last time I crafted one. Consequent to that, I no longer hunt bears - I will kill one if needs must (e.g. if the one around PV Farmhouse has spawned and I need a base there) but otherwise I avoid them. So for me at least, the DLC has definitely changed the way I play the game....

[Leeanda]

8 hours ago, past caring said:

As has been said, I don't know about 'easier' one way or another, but I do think the DLC has changed the game. For example, I previously prioritised getting guns and improving my shooting over archery. Now, the insulated bedroll is such a must have that though I prioritise getting a gun for protection, I prioritise gaining archery skills just as much - no real way of getting the ptarmigans otherwise. Consequent to that, the bearskin bedroll has now become more or less redundant - I can't think of the last time I crafted one. Consequent to that, I no longer hunt bears - I will kill one if needs must (e.g. if the one around PV Farmhouse has spawned and I need a base there) but otherwise I avoid them. So for me at least, the DLC has definitely changed the way I play the game....

One noisemaker will take out a flock of birds ,if they're available on the difficulty you play... Or you can craft them early on.

[Lexilogo]

I don't think the difference is massive either way, but Ptarmigans & Frontier Cooking do definitely make the game slightly easier than basegame IMO. The down bedroll is quite strong and cooking bolsters your food supplies a little.

It doesn't effect optimised play that much, but it is present.

 

Sidenote: I actually think the Big Cat Killer Feat has some potential to be very strong, especially for the game's best players. Most people haven't been able to test it because of the Cougar's temporary removal, but it's 50% reduced detection radius against every animal in the game. That makes aiming your shots against Bears, Moose, etc much easier because you can get closer before taking the shot, and it also makes avoiding Wolves/Timberwolf attacks far easier. If you're crouching or using the crouch-tapping exploit to reduce your detection radius even further, you can become borderline invisible to many animals.

That's a big deal for long term Interloper runners trying to hunt every Bear/Moose on the map while avoiding Wolves like the plague. It massively lowers the margin of error of that endgame hunting.

I genuinely think Big Cat Killer might be second to Cold Fusion for strongest Feat in the game, and if it is, that could make the game noticeably easier. I could also see expert players still end up preferring Snow Walker or etc because they'd rather get out of the cold faster, but we'll see once the Cougar returns and people end up using the Feat for themselves.

[The Feng Hunter]

On 9/5/2024 at 6:08 PM, Lexilogo said:

sidenote: I actually think the Big Cat Killer Feat has some potential to be very strong, especially for the game's best players. … it's 50% reduced detection radius against every animal in the game. That makes aiming your shots against Bears, Moose, etc much easier because you can get closer before taking the shot, and it also makes avoiding Wolves/Timberwolf attacks far easier.

Or you could just use the Curator’s Rifle and bag a moose from an elevated position at more than 100m. 

Does this DLC make the game “easier”? I think it does for people who want to go hard, go risky, and who also wish to ignore the dangers of the Island — opting out of Survival and making it into a Hunting Sim. 

But anyone who thinks Sundered Pass (my favourite Region!) is “easy content” is lying.

[hozz1235]

On 8/30/2024 at 2:48 AM, Ghurcb said:

Travois

I would argue that this one item makes the game "easier".

[Ghurcb]

On 9/9/2024 at 7:58 PM, The Feng Hunter said:

But anyone who thinks Sundered Pass (my favourite Region!) is “easy content” is lying.

For sure! But it's also *optional* content (like all the content in the game, really). And if you choose not to take the risk and not to explore the dangerous new regions, you'll miss out on the extra loot and tales-exclusive items, but you can still benefit from the travois, ptarmigans, and the new cooking recipes.

[Lexilogo]

On 9/9/2024 at 2:58 PM, The Feng Hunter said:

Or you could just use the Curator’s Rifle and bag a moose from an elevated position at more than 100m. 

That isn't an option on Interloper, though! There are definitely loper players good enough to shoot a moose or bear at that range even with a bow, but my point is that the margin of error is so much lower thanks to Big Cat Killer, it stands a good chance of shaking up the current Feats meta, once people get a chance to use it more.

On 9/9/2024 at 2:58 PM, The Feng Hunter said:

But anyone who thinks Sundered Pass (my favourite Region!) is “easy content” is lying.

I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that, The Far Territory as a whole has been more challenging to survive than main Great Bear. The ZOC & Forsaken Airfield are maybe not as bad as Blackrock or something, but still much harder regions to live in than the average.

However, it's worth noting any new region, no matter how dangerous, makes the game overall "easier" because it adds more stuff to loot. The amount of extra Cat Tail Plants or saplings added to the game via new regions has definitely made us stronger over time.

 

To be clear, I don't think this is a bad thing. The intent of TFTFT has clearly been to make the player stronger in certain ways, while also introducing more elements that potentially make the game harder, both through paid and free updates. That really isn't a problem and what should be expected from a DLC, we get stuff that makes some older elements of the game easier, and new challenges to balance that out.

[The Feng Hunter]

I see what you’re saying, @Lexilogo, about additional resources available.

This said, as someone else noted just before you, it’s optional content.

Let’s say you’re a homesteader who doesn’t like exploring and you NEVER LEAVE Coastal Highway or Mystery Lake.

In this case, I’d argue that YES, TLD has been made “easier” because of the DLC, insofar as with the addition of the travois, you can load up the entirety of that Bear you shot with an arrow and let bleed out as you cowered in the Firetower and butcher it for WEEKS. I agree with this.

I’d also argue that homesteading isn’t the most fun way to approach TLD … it’s suboptimal in strategy and works counter to the (increasing number of!) long-term pressures one faces. Is it “the wrong way to play?” Of course not. There IS no wrong way to play — it’s your game, you own it. Play as you like.  You can ABSOLUTELY live off Beachcombing, trapping, and cowering in a Firetower once a month.  

At the same time, however, as this game has always been about risk and reward, I would say that for nomadic or multi-base players, it’s become more risky, because of the multi-day trek it takes to cross region to region. Sure, after the end of a Tale, you are rewarded with a piece of gear … but you have to take a LOT of actual risk to finish the Tale and secure the gear in the first place.

Personally, I hope @Raphael van Lierop and the team retroactively gate things such as the Crampons and Technical Backpack behind a Tales-like mechanic in the base game. This could erase this notion that “better gear = easier game” by engaging the Survivors to immerse themselves in regions outside of the safest. Moosehide pack? That’s fine. HRV is dangerous enough if you’re winging it and that’s your starting region … or even if you’re NOT starting there.

As Great Bear Island continues to expand, I would like to see things such as set bonuses (Aviator Jacket, Cap, and [third Aviator themed clothing gated behind a Tale]), so that when all three items are equipped at the same time, a small bonus in [whatever stat] is granted.

That would be an outstanding way to get people out into the world and maybe even acclimate to newer Regions — after all, that set bonus would be applicable to that specific Region.

So, I’d say agree AND disagree with the premise “it’s made things easier” … because for some style of players, DLC has made life easier. AND THATS OK — not everyone wants to run high stress games all the time. Turn it around though — if you’re risking everything for something of great value and you fail in that endeavour, the game only gets harder from there.