Choosing a difficulty
For a console trophy run, the easiest difficulty is sufficient: PowerPyx's roadmap says difficulty does not affect the platinum. Choose a tougher mode for the combat challenge rather than to unlock a required difficulty trophy.
What I checked
The trophy advice is specific to the console roadmap. Steam lists additional achievements, so a console platinum rule should not be treated as a complete PC achievement audit.
Pick a mode for your goal
For a first run focused on story, puzzles or missables, use a setting whose combat and save rules you are comfortable repeating. Chase failures and missed collectibles can require replaying earlier sections.
Read the mode description before starting. Exact damage multipliers and Save Token costs are not established by the cited roadmap, so this guide does not assign numerical values to them.
- Console platinum: the easiest setting is allowed.
- Completionist route: preserve manual saves before one-way transitions.
- Combat challenge: learn dodge timing and resource use before choosing stricter conditions.
- PC achievements: compare the Steam list separately.
Hard versus Hellraiser: player-reported differences
A Steam guide's author reports completing both Hard and Hellraiser. They describe similar physical loot locations, fewer enemy drops on Hellraiser, and ordinarily no autosaves on that mode. These are community observations rather than measured multipliers.
The guide records eleven Save Token stops, including merchant purchases, for its Hellraiser run. See the saving guide for the initial locations and the author's illustrated route. Choose this mode only if you are comfortable planning limited saves and replaying failed sections.
Make a harder run more manageable
Try crouched knife kills on isolated cultists to preserve ammo and melee durability. Repair a useful blade before it breaks, buy needed recipes and use storage at Zora's shops. These route preparations help independently of unverified difficulty multipliers.
Questions
Is the hardest difficulty required for platinum?
No. PowerPyx says the console trophies can all be earned on the easiest setting.
Are save rules identical on every mode?
This guide does not establish that. Read the selected mode's description and use the save points on the route.
Keep reading
Sources
- PowerPyx roadmap — Difficulty does not affect console trophies.
- PowerPyx walkthrough — Resource preparation.
- Steam Hellraiser difficulty player guide — Author's Hard/Hellraiser runs; community observations, not official calibration.