Kena: Bridge Of Spirits difficulty: what difficulty level should you play on, and how to unlock Master
Learn how to change difficulty level and unlock Master Spirit Guide
Want to know about the four difficulty levels in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits? Or perhaps you simply want to figure out which difficulty is right for you before you get stuck into playing? Kena: Bridge Of Spirits offers a choice of four different difficulty levels which change the game up in various ways to make Kena's journey safer or more perilous, depending on which you choose. Keep reading to find out how to change the difficulty level before and during a playthrough, and what each of the difficulty levels change about the game.
What difficulty level should you play Kena: Bridge Of Spirits on?
There are four different difficulty levels in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits, and each one has an effect on how you build up (or lose) Courage, which is what powers Kena's abilities. Each level of difficulty also increases the challenge by making enemies more aggressive and deal more damage to Kena, meaning you'll need to be careful and clever and make use of all your attack types, from Rot Hammer to Spirit Bow, in order to survive the more dangerous encounters and boss fights on the higher difficulty levels.
From easiest to hardest, the four difficulty levels in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits are:
- Story Mode: Rot abilities recharge passively and when dealing damage. Enemies are less aggressive and deal less damage.
- Spirit Guide: Rot abilities recharge when dealing damage. Enemies are aggressive.
- Expert Spirit Guide: Rot abilities recharge when dealing damage. Enemies are very aggressive and deal more damage.
- Master Spirit Guide: Courage is lost when taking damage. Enemies are even more aggressive and deal even more damage. Cannot lower difficulty.
How to unlock Master Spirit Guide difficulty
To unlock Master Spirit Guide you must first beat the game on any difficulty level. Be warned though: not only does it provide the greatest amount of challenge, but it also prevents you from lowering the difficulty later on in the game, so be sure that you want the greatest challenge before committing. To put it in perspective: the first enemies you encounter in the tutorial can kill you in two or three hits on the hardest difficulty.
If you're wondering how long it'll take to unlock the Master difficulty, check out our page on how long it takes to beat Kena: Bridge Of Spirits. Of course, much of it depends on whether you're beelining the main story quests or if you're going for all the achievements and collectible locations.
How to change difficulty level in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits
When starting a new game you choose the difficulty level you want to play on. But don't worry, you can change the difficulty level at any time while playing just by pausing the game, heading into "Settings", then "Game", and changing the difficulty at the top. Just be aware that doing so will force you to restart from your most recent autosave.
The only exception is if you're playing on Master difficulty, which you cannot change after choosing at the beginning of the game.
That's everything you need to know about the four difficulty levels in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits, and how to switch between them on the fly. If you're struggling a bit with the game but don't want to lower the difficulty, be sure to check out our Kena: Bridge Of Spirits tips and tricks to gain an edge. Alternatively, if you're looking to understand more about the different secrets you can come across in the game, check out our primers on Spirit Mail, Rot Hats, and Hay Piles while you're here.