Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne (SMT Nocturne)

Differences Between Difficulty Settings

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This is a guide to the different difficulty settings of Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster (SMT Nocturne) for the Switch, PS4, and Steam! Learn the differences between difficulty settings, effects of each difficulty setting, and which difficulty is the best setting for you!

Overview of Difficulties

Merciful Normal Hard
Player Damage x2 x1 x1
Enemy Damage x1 x1 x2
Enemy AI More docile; rarely uses offensive abilities. Uses mixture of attacks; uses offensive skills sparingly. Smart; takes advantage of weaknesses and spams effective skills.
Encounter Frequency Low Normal Normal
Store Prices x1 x1 x3
Post-Battle Rewards (Macca & EXP) x3 ~ x4 x1 x1

Merciful Difficulty

Merciful Combat Double Damage

The Merciful Difficulty is recommended for players who want to experience the story without having to endlessly grind Macca and EXP.

Enemies are weaker and encounter rates are lower. To compensate, experience gained is higher than normal so you won't be weakened in the later stages of the game. It can only be accessed if you downloaded the Merciful DLC pack (which is free!).

List of DLC and Pricing

Normal Difficulty

Forneus Boss Battle

The Normal Difficulty is recommended for players who want to experience the full SMT 3 experience.

Normal maintains a steady pace of gameplay, alternating between farming, recruiting, and experiencing the story.

Hard Difficulty

Hard Mode Game Over

The Hard Difficulty is recommended for more veteran players of SMT 3. Only choose this difficulty if you want a seriously hard challenge.

All player stats and rewards remain the same, but enemies and store costs are doubled. You will always be at a disadvantage.

How to Change Difficulty

SMT3 Difficulty Settings Menu

Players can easily change their game difficulty at any time during their playthrough. There is no need to restart your game to change difficulty!

Game difficulty can be changed from the main menu or from the command menu. Simply select Config, navigate to the Game tab, and look for the Difficulty option.

Which Difficulty Setting to Choose

Merciful for people that plays casually

The Merciful difficulty greatly (and we mean, GREATLY) reduces the game's difficulty. It takes out the joy of the game which is best known for its intense difficulty and tough boss fights so we highly suggest avoiding this difficulty unless you really just wanna see how the game works or are curious about the story.

Normal for 1st timers and people that wishes to feel the true SMT Nocturne Experience

Normal difficulty is the game's base difficulty and is the intended game difficulty for all players. It sports an intermediate amount (for an rpg) of random encounters and normal damage modifiers. Boss battles will still present some trouble if you tackle it unprepared and areas you're not supposed to go to will really prove difficult.

Hard for the Veterans and JRPG experts

This is the difficulty that truly separates the hardy and experienced players from the uninitiated/inexperienced. The game will be truly unfair and even shop prices will skyrocket without providing additional benefits. Enemies are stronger and also smarter and a gameover will always be sneaking up on you.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Related Guides

Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks

All Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks
How to Get Raidou How to Get Dante
How to Heal and Revive Demons How to Recruit Demons
Fusion Calculator Guide How to Farm Lucky Tickets
Rag's Jewelry Shop Build Guide: Best Demi-fiend Stat Builds
How to Fuse Demons Mystical Chests Guide: List of Mystical Chests
What is the Kagutsuchi List of Evolving Demons
Best Leveling Areas How to Unlock the Compendium
Joining the Mantra: Gozu's Question List of Trophies and Achievements
How to Get Deathstones How to Return to the Amala Labyrinth
Fiend Bosses List and Locations How to Open All Kalpa Doors
Burial Chamber Guide List of Shady Brokers
Junk Shop List New Game Plus Features : How to Unlock NG+
Beginner Guides
Press Turn Battle System Guide Differences Between Difficulty Settings
How to Swap Demons How to Talk to Demons
How to Change Voice language How to Save Game
How to Remove Curses How to Farm Macca
Stat Guides
Stat Guide: All Stats Explained What Does Strength Do
What Does Magic Do What Does Agility Do
What Does Vitality Do What Does Luck Do
Faqs
Where to Find Bill Should You Release Pixie
Jumping from Mantra Headquarters Demi-Fiend Canon Name
How to Open the Door in Ikebukuro Four Oni Locations

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