Lords of the Fallen Difficulty Settings and Game Modifiers

Lords of the Fallen has no easy, normal or hard slider. Instead, as of November 2026 it gives you two base modes, Legacy and the tougher Veteran Mode added in Version 2.5, plus seven optional Advanced Game Modifiers introduced in Version 1.5 that can make a run easier, harder or just different. Both are chosen when you start a new game, and on top of them sit softer levers such as NPC summons, co-op and New Game Plus cycles.

We built this from CI Games' official patch notes for Version 1.5 "Master of Fate", Version 2.0 and Version 2.5, the developers' 2023 difficulty recap, and Fextralife's New Game Plus page, all checked in November 2026.

Legacy Mode vs Veteran Mode

Since the final major update in December 2025, every new save starts in one of two modes. Legacy Mode is the base experience, and Veteran Mode is what CI Games calls the ultimate test of skill and endurance. You pick when starting a new game from the main menu.

• Legacy Mode: the standard game, but not the launch version. Version 2.5 gave bosses updated timings, better behavior trees and rebalanced cooldowns, and normal enemies were made faster and more deliberate. Some fights became more readable instead: the Hushed Saint's attacks are now mostly parryable, and the Congregator of Flesh and Sundered Monarch lost health in Legacy.
• Veteran Mode: many bosses get faster transitions, new attack patterns and more aggression, most gain health and damage, and every regular enemy gets higher stats plus global cooldown adjustments. Pieta gains a quicker mid-combo grab, for example, and the Hollow Crow fight adds a Kinrangr Guardian in phase two.

Three rules come with the choice. Veteran Mode cannot be switched back to Legacy on the same save; returning to the standard experience means a new save file. Co-op partners must be on the same mode to connect. And clearing Veteran Mode earns the Veteran of the Veil warplate, a high-end armor set with a passive that boosts item drop rates, along with a separate set of trophies and achievements that does not interfere with earning the platinum.

The Seven Advanced Game Modifiers

The Advanced Game Modifier System arrived on 24 April 2024 with Version 1.5, "Master of Fate", which also concluded the free content roadmap announced after launch. It lets you combine any of seven modifiers, and the official descriptions are below.

• Ironman: dying in the Umbral resets your playthrough and you wake at the start again. World progression resets, but your character's progression and inventory are kept. Certain scripted moments are excluded.
• Pre-Upgraded Loot: weapons, shields and catalysts you find on enemies or in the world come pre-upgraded based on your player level.
• Randomized Loot: enemy drops and world loot are randomized. Quest and progression items and unique boss items are not affected.
• Randomized Enemies: enemies in the world appear in a random order. Named bosses are not affected.
• More Enemies: the world contains significantly more enemies.
• Withered Healing: all healing you receive arrives as withered health, which you must confirm by dealing damage to enemies.
• Vestige Decay: four levels, from None (every Vestige available) through Minor and Extensive to Tremendous, where all but a rare few Vestiges have withered away.

Only one of the seven, Pre-Upgraded Loot, is clearly an easier option; CI Games' own beginner tips recommend it to players tired of farming upgrades. Randomized Loot and Randomized Enemies mostly change the experience, while Ironman, More Enemies, Withered Healing and the harsher Vestige Decay levels all add challenge.

How to Turn the Modifiers On

Modifiers are set at the start of a playthrough, not toggled mid-run. CI Games published the exact sequence when Version 1.5 launched.

1. Start the game and choose New Game.
2. Pick your class and customize your character's appearance.
3. On the final screen of the character creator, move to the Advanced Game Modifiers button on the right and enable it.
4. Choose a name and press Play.
5. The Game Modifiers screen appears. Select any combination and confirm.

If you already finished the game with a character, you can apply modifiers from any Vestige by selecting "Restart Game", which begins a new playthrough with that character. If you have not finished the game yet, you need to complete the current run first; the modifiers become available when the next run starts. Remember that Veteran Mode is a separate choice made from the main menu, so you can combine it with any set of modifiers on a fresh save.

Before you pick a class for a modifier run, it helps to know how each one copes with pressure; our starting class comparison is a good reference, particularly for Ironman, where a sturdy start pays off.

How the Base Difficulty Changed Since Launch

If you played in October 2023 and bounced off, the game you return to is noticeably different. The developers adjusted difficulty in both directions over more than 70 updates.

• November 2023 recap: enemy density was reduced by up to 30 percent in some of the hardest areas, enemies were leashed so they stop chasing you as far, long-range enemy accuracy and firing distance were cut, NPC boss summons were buffed, and Grievous Strikes became instant kills on beasts such as hounds and sparrows. At the same time, weaker bosses got new movesets and more aggression, because players asked for harder boss fights.
• Version 1.7, December 2024: more responsive combat with better animation cancelling, improved invincibility frames, more intuitive dodges and a stamina recalibration, plus the ability to beckon NPC helpers before your first attempt at a boss.
• Update 1.7.106, February 2025: confirmed NPC helpers from the first boss encounter and added Dynamic HUD options.
• Version 2.0, April 2025: Lamp Guidance, which reveals the path to your next Vestige, a dedicated jump button, a revamped tutorial and Shared Progression co-op.
• Version 2.5, December 2025: the Legacy and Veteran split described above.

New Game Plus is the other built-in difficulty ramp. Each cycle removes more permanent Vestiges, until by NG+3 only the Vestige of Ethryg in Skyrest Bridge and the Vestige of Betrayed Eliard at the Shrine of Adyr remain. Since patch 1.1.224 you can also replay at your current NG level instead of advancing, which keeps the difficulty flat.

Ways to Make Lords of the Fallen Easier

If a section is stopping you, you do not need modifiers at all. These options work on any save.

• Summon NPC helpers. Most bosses let you beckon an NPC from a figure of moths near the fog wall, and since update 1.7.106 they are available on the first attempt. Equipping the Braided Ring doubles their projectiles, per the 2023 recap, and Version 1.7 added the Hallowed Sentinel Hound as a summon.
• Bring a human partner. Two-player co-op shares progress and lets both players revive each other; our co-op guide explains setup, and the Free Friend's Pass means your partner does not even need to own the game.
• Upgrade your flask. Every Saintly Quintessence you give Pieta adds healing, and the Sanguinarix reaches 9 charges at +10.
• Use salts and the right damage type. CI Games' tips single out Fire Salts against Pieta and Holy Salts against Umbral enemies.
• Turn on Pre-Upgraded Loot for your next run if gear progression is the problem.

Finally, use the Umbral Lamp's Soulflay in tough fights. The developers describe it as a way to rip an enemy's soul out, opening a window to stagger it and interrupt its attacks, and near a ledge it can drag the enemy over the edge entirely.

It also helps to know what is coming. Our boss order guide lists every fight area by area so you can prepare salts and summons in advance.

Ways to Make It Harder

For veterans of the genre, stacking the options builds a genuinely punishing run. One of the harshest combinations available is Veteran Mode with Ironman, Withered Healing, More Enemies and Tremendous Vestige Decay, which removes nearly every checkpoint and sends you back to the start when you die in the Umbral. Add New Game Plus cycles on top and the Vestige count drops even further.

A more balanced challenge is Veteran Mode with Randomized Enemies and Randomized Loot, which keeps checkpoints but makes every area unpredictable. Because a Veteran save cannot return to Legacy, consider a separate character for experiments so your main save stays flexible. If you are going for every ending as well, our endings guide shows which runs need careful choices, which matters when a death under Ironman costs you the world's progress.

Skipping the Grind on a Hard Run

A Veteran or Ironman run is about skill, but farming gear for it is just time. The store's Complete modded save loads you in with all weapons, armor, rings, spells, runes, pendants, emotes and Umbral Eyes, most tincts, 99,999 consumables and upgrade materials, all ammunition except arrows, and a bonus of 30 billion or more Vigor. It is PS5 and PC only, not PS4 or Xbox, and it is applied through account share, so you need to own the game and provide your login at checkout.

The Lords of the Fallen hub lists the store's other options, including a Vigor drop that works on Xbox too.

Frequently Asked Questions