The Last of Us Part II is tough at the best of times, let alone when you jump into No Return mode and mess with the challenge. So that you know what to expect from each one, here’s a run down of the differences between the No Return difficulty settings.
All No Return Difficulty Settings
When starting a run, you’ll get the chance to choose your character, and then the difficulty you want to play on. For the most part, they’re the same as the difficulty options you’ll find in the Last of Us Part II story mode, with some key differences.
They all alter the aggression and effectiveness of enemies, how much there is in terms of resources in each encounter, and your own crafting abilities. Then, each has its own score multiplier that increases as the difficulty does. If you’re after high scores, you’ll need to play on higher diffiulties.
Below are each of the seven difficulties, what they change in each run, and the score multiplier they provide.
| Difficulty | Description | Score Multiplier |
| Very Light | Experience No Return with a lighter combat challenge. | 1.00x |
| Light | Less Challenging then Moderate. Resources are more common and enemies are less dangerous | 1.20x |
| Moderate | Provides a balanced experience. Resources are limited. | 1.50x |
| Hard | For those looking for a greater challenge. Resources are very limited and enemies are more dangerous. | 1.80x |
| Survivor | An intense, demanding challenge. Resources are extremely scarce and enemies are deadly. | 2.00x |
| Grounded | The most challenging and realistic experience. Listen mode, HUD, and other gameplay elements are altered in this mode. | 2.50x |
| Custom | Customize your difficulty settings to create your own challenge | N/A |
Custom Difficulty Mode Options
One of the No Return difficulties is a little different to the others, letting you mould the experience to how you’d like it to be.
You can choose one of the six difficulty settings for each of the following options, mix and matching them to create your own experience.
- Player – Amount of damage the player takes from enemies
- Enemies – Accuracy and aggression of enemies. Movement speed of high level enemies. Complexity of enemy melee combos.
- Allies – Aggressiveness and effectiveness of allies in combat.
- Stealth – Enemy perception abilities, grace period before they alert others, and conditions for grabbing enemies.
- Resources – Quantity of ammo and supplies. Durability of melee weapons. Yield of crafting recipes.
That’s all there is to know about the No Return difficulty settings. For more tips and tricks on the new survival mode, check out the guides below.
