Two host settings in 0. General (host decides) set how hard progress is. Difficulty changes prices, XP and how strong upgrades are; Balancing changes how many levels upgrades have and how the skills are tuned. As of version 0.8.0. Both apply at once, also in the middle of a run; rpg info and the RULES tab of the skill menu (K) name each one that is not the default (Difficulty other than Normal, Balancing other than Standard).

Difficulty

• Easy: prices ×0.7, XP ×1.5, upgrade effects ×1.2.
• Normal (default): the values from the settings.
• Hard: prices ×1.4, XP ×0.75, upgrade effects ×0.9.

Inventory slots and the tuning of the unique and ultimate skills are not scaled.

Balancing

Standard

The default: the levels, prices and skill values from the settings (1. Body, 2. Tools, 3. Unique, 4. Ultimate).

Generous

Up to three times the levels (e.g. Stamina 15 instead of 5), but only as far as levels still do something: never above 20, upgrades that reduce something stop at their MaxReduction, Crouch Walk at walking speed. The strongest effects stop at a cap, so Generous is a longer progression rather than a power fantasy:

The caps limit the effect, so on Easy (effects ×1.2) Generous stops earlier; it never ends below Standard. Hard keeps the levels of Normal, with its weaker effects. All other upgrades keep up to three times their levels.

• Brawler's half points add up over the hits on the same monster: at +2.5 a shovel deals 3 and 4 damage in turn, and rpg brawler shows "3.5 dmg/hit". On Generous, Concussive Blows needs Brawler 4 and Coil Breaker needs Brawler 6. On Normal that is the damage of Brawler 2 and 3 on Standard. On Easy they need Brawler 2 and 3.
• Prices rise more slowly per level, so the last level costs what the last level costs on Standard.
• Skills are tuned up: lockpicking, hacking, shutting down a coil head and the Medic delay take half as long; Concussive Blows stuns longer and twice as often; Coil Breaker keeps a coil head down 50% longer (45 s) and recharges twice as fast; Blast Shield deals half the damage; Rallying Presence reaches 50% further; Second Wind has one more charge per day.

Strict

40% fewer levels (5 become 3). Lockpicking, hacking, shutting down a coil head and the Medic delay take 50% longer; Concussive Blows stuns shorter and less often; Coil Breaker keeps a coil head down 25% shorter and takes 50% longer to recharge; Blast Shield deals a third more damage; Rallying Presence reaches 25% less far.

Levels above a cap

A skill never asks for a higher level than an upgrade can currently have. Levels a save holds above a max level (after the host lowered MaxLevel, or bought on Generous before 0.8.0) stay in the save, but only work up to the max level until it is raised again:

• rpg <name> and the skill menu's info box say so, e.g. "Level 15, effect capped at 8 by Generous", and so does the saved build ("Vitality 15 (capped at 8)"). The pages, rpg stats and the crew view show the level and the effect that work.
• Brawler levels bought on Generous before 0.8.0 count half a point each now: Brawler 9 works as 8 (5 damage per hit), Brawler 7 deals 4.5 damage per hit.
• There is no free refund for them: rpg refund gives back RefundPercent (50% by default) of what you paid, as for any level.

Too strong, too weak or too expensive? Use the Balance feedback form, see "How to report a bug".