The mod that rebalances various aspects of the game while making it more challenging.

The mod also alters the companions for easier control over their builds.

Four players hired companions support.

Player movement out of combat increased 30%.


Source Difficulty 1.12


You can use this mod on your first play-through If you have a lot of experience with RPGs.


Easy mode lowers Enemy HP 50%. So don't hesitate to use it if an encounter is too much for you.


Read the Hints and Tips Section! It does not contain any spoilers.


Is the mod not challenging enough for you?
Download the optional version of the mod that lowers Player HP by 35%.

I hope you enjoy!



***** Important Warnings *****

Don't be ashamed to play on Normal or Easy. This is a difficulty mod after all.

Compatible with Divinity version 1.0.252.0.

The mod requires starting a new game to work.

Make sure this mod is on the top of the mod list when you activate it in game.

The Character Creation Screen may take a long time to load (over 30 seconds).
The rest of the game Saves and Loads normally afterwards.

This mod is not compatible with any mods that alter companions, stats, and skills.



***** Multiplayer Warnings *****

If you are playing in Multiplayer make sure all players have the mod installed and enabled.

The 3rd and 4th players should only join when you have recruited companions for them.

If you are still experiencing crashes in Multiplayer you can find the solution under the:
"Experiencing Game Crashes in Multiplayer" section in the description below.



***** Game Changes *****

**NPC Changes**
1) Increased the Bodybuilding and Willpower by 2 for NPCs that had at least 1 point in either.
2) Gave 1-2 Bodybuilding and Willpower to some NPCs that had neither.
3) NPCs with 4 or more Speed given 2-4 Speed.

4) Some Enemies now have 1-3 more Skills. (No player disabling skills that knock down or stun).
5) Some Enemies now have 1-4 Talents. (Ex: Archers have Quickdraw and Sidestep).
6) Rats now have lower HP & FOV so they are easier to kill.

7) NPC FOV buffed from 90 to 180.
8) Sentinels FOV nerfed to 30.
9) Each point in the Sneak ability now decreases NPC FOV by about 30 to 50 degrees.

10) NPCs Level 10+ given 2 Leader, Armor, & Luck.
11) NPCs Level 16+ given 4 Leader, Armor, & Luck.
12) Certain level 6 side quest enemies give less EXP on kill.


**Player Changes**
1) Player Health and Accuracy set to the default 100%.
2) Summons -2 Constitution, but given Swift Footed , Stench, Sidestep, and Comeback Kid.
3) Each Player starts with 8 Large Potions, 2 Resurrect Scrolls, 2 Fireball Scrolls.
4) Each Player starts with 10 Gold Plates. Each sells for about 300 Gold.


**Difficulty Modes Changes**
1) Enemy-Hit-Chance for all difficulties at +20%. (Same as Vanilla Hard).
2) Easy Mode gives NPCs -50% Health.
3) Hard Mode gives NPCs +50% Health.


**Extra Changes**
1) 4 Players Companions Support. (Allows the 3rd and 4th players to control Companions).
2) Player movement speed is increased 30%. Animations look natural & do not affect combat.



***** The Four Companions Changes *****

The companions have been set to level 1 and have been given various changes.

The companions will Auto-Level to the same amount as the player that recruits them.

They were given 5 free ability points to compensate for not having traits like the 2 main heroes.

You will choose an additional attribute, 2 abilities and 1 talent by the time they reach level 3.

Companion weapons/utility ability points have been replaced for more control over specializations.

**Level 1 Madora the Paladin**
1) Attributes = STR 8, DEX 5, INT 5, CON 6, SPD 6, PER 5
2) Abilities = Man-At-Arms x3, Bodybuilding x2, Willpower x1
3) Skills = Default Skills
4) Talents = Opportunits & What-a-Rush.


**Level 1 Jahan the Mage**
1) Attributes = STR 5, DEX 5, INT 8, CON 5, SPD 7, PER 5
2) Abilities = Aero x2, Hydro x2, Bodybuilding x1, Willpower x2
3) Skills = Default Skills
4) Talents = Elemental Affinity & Far-Out-Man


**Level 1 Bairdotr the Ranger**
1) Attributes = STR 5, DEX 8, INT 5, CON 5, SPD 5, PER 7
2) Abilities = Marksman x3, Bodybuilding x1, Willpower x2, Tenebrium x1 (Hidden)
3) Skills = Default Skills
4) Talents = Bully & Stench


**Level 1 Wolgraff the Rogue**
1) Attributes = STR 5, DEX 8, INT 5, CON 5, SPD 5, PER 7
2) Abilities = Scoundrel x3, Bodybuilding x2, Willpower x1
3) Skills = Default Skills
4) Talents = LightStep & Back-Stabber


All four start with 4 Large Potions, 2 Resurrect Scrolls, a Fireball Scroll and a Backpack.



***** Hints and Tips *****

NPCs gain 1-2 more action points per turn so they are likely to attack an extra time per turn.

On average a point in Bodybuilding / Willpower increases resistance to status effects by 10%.

Consider getting as much Bodybuilding and Willpower as you can on everyone.

Leadership at 4 gives +10 Initiative which helps more than you expect.

To increase the chance of a status effects increase the attribute that is related to that skill.
(Ex: For Crushing Fist every point in Strength after 8 increases knockdown chance by 5%).

Buff and Debuff Skills are very useful (Ex: Fortify & Divine Light).

Divine Light warrior skill lowers both BB and WP by 2 (even though it says it only lowers WP).

Enemy Archers carry 2-4 special arrows, but they will use them on their first few turns.
Archers are easier than the rest to disable, but it won't work all of the time.

Your Summons have half their default HP. Use them for flanking not tanking.

If you encounter enemies two or more levels ahead of you then you are in the wrong place.

You may feel a difficulty spike on some enemies that are levels 5 to 6.



***** How to Install *****

This is if you download the mod outside of the Steam Workshop.

C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/ Divinity - Original Sin/

Copy the Data folder from the Mod in to that location.

Disable all mods. Click Activate. Restart the Game. Put it on top. Enable mods. Click Activate.

If you don't do this all your character skills may be missing on New and Saved games.

If you make any changes to the mod yourself then you must also do this.

You need to start a new game for the mod to take effect.
However there are two alternate solutions for continuing your saved game.
Read about them below.



***** Experiencing Bugs? Updating to a New Version? *****

Make sure to pay really close attention to these steps!

Delete all the old version files.
... /Data/public/Source Difficulty
... /Data/mods/Source Difficulty

YES DELETE THEM. JUST OVERWRITING DOES NOT WORK.


Follow the installation guide like normally.

After you put the new mod files in the right folder you must:

Disable all mods. Click Activate. Restart the Game. Put it on top. Enable mods. Click Activate.

If you don't do this all your character skills may be missing on New and Saved games.

If you make any changes to the mod yourself then you must also do this.



***** Experiencing Game Crashes in Multiplayer? *****

It seems the latest official patch (1.0.177.0) is causing the game to crash for some players.

If you are experiencing this there is a small chance that the five steps below may fix this for you.

1) Host load the saved game then wait about 10 seconds after everything is done.
2) Host induvidually select each party member.
3) Host move each party member and then view their invetory.
4) 2nd player join, 10 seconds later have the 3rd, and 10 seconds later the 4th.
5) Wait 10 seconds and then Save the game.



***** Patch History *****

**Version 1.12 - 2-14-2014**
Decreased the action points on archers levels 1-9.
Buffed Boars and Zombies slightly.
Buffed final boss slightly.
Buffed the slowest enemies, slightly nerfed the fastest enemies.
Gave companions 2 more ability points.
Gave a few enemies level 10 and higher slight stats boost.
Guards now have 180 Fov.
A few other small changes.
Updated to vanilla version 1.0.252.

**Version 1.11 - 9-15-2014**
Compatibility with the 2 new companions.
Buffed Boar Speed
Buffed Boreas
NPCs with 4 Speed also given Speed Buff.
Reverted armor colors to default. To make updating new versions easier.
Gave a few enemies some support skills (ec: Purifying Fire etc.)
Updated to vanilla version 1.0.169.

**Version 1.10 - 8-22-2014**
Gave a few enemies better gear and equipment.
Gave companions extra gear and alternate equipment.
Gave Summons SideStep and Stench.
Nerfed Braccus fight.
Buffed Astarte a bit more.
Limited the enemy Speed to at most 12.
Gave players 2 large poison potions at the start.
Reduced EXP kill rewards for a few side quest enemies.
Replaced 2 mysterious dyes with 10 gold plates.
Gave enemy archers the ability to evade attacks.
Removed enemy archers ability to nuke players on their first turn.
Gave tutorial enemies a large health buff.
Gave some enemies Headstrong.
Changed starting armour from red to black.
Optional Hardcore version Player HP debuff changed to -35%.

**Version 1.09 - 8-13-2014**
Altered NPC SPD to +4. Lvl 10 and up +6.
Leadership buffs to NPCs Lvl 10+.
Heavily altered 4 Companions to match Lvl 1 Vanilla.
Altered player summons gave them Stench and Comeback Kid.
Gave Astarte various Buffs.
Steam Workshop Auto Update feature now enabled from version 1.09 and up.
Released an optional Hardcore version (-40% Player HP).

**Version 1.08 - 7-28-2014**
Altered NPC +2 SPD to 2-4 SPD.
Enemies that had no Bodybuilding or Willpower were given +1 each.
Some enemies now carry 1-2 more potions.
A few minor undocumented changes.

**Version 1.07 - 7-27-2014**
Removed NPC gains+2 to (STR,DEX,INT, & PER).
Altered NPC +3 SPD to +2.
Removed 20% Movement Gain on NPCs with Opportunist.
May have added support for future companions Alfred and Frank.
Buffed Madora and Jahan attributes by 2 points.
Gave each Source Hunter 2 Mysterious Dies to sell for profit at the start of the game.

**Version 1.06 - 7-25-2014**
Player Summons -2 CON, but given Opportunist & +20% Movement.
NPCs gained +2 to (STR,DEX,INT) and +3 to SPD compared to default.
NPCs level 10 and higher gained an additional +1 SPD.
HP Settings for Easy Mode -50% HP, Normal +0%, Hard +50% HP.
Players now start with an additional 4 large potions.
Added Co-op compatibility between the Steam Workshop version of the mod and the Regular version.

**Version 1.05 - 7-22-2014**
Removed Staff of Magus Buffs. (No change if you update from 1.04 to 1.05)
Removed NPC Heal Buff and Resurrect Nerf. (No change if you update from 1.04 to 1.05)
Lowered NPC FOV from 270 to 180.
Some Melee Enemies now carry a Potion.
Mod released on the Steam Workshop as well.

**Version 1.04 - 7-21-2014**
User can now update to new versions of the mod and continue their save without crashing.
Mod version number in game now updates to correctly show current version of the mod.
I Gave Players more potions and scrolls to make the start of the game a little easier.
I Gave Madora and Jahan the same amount of potions and scrolls. Along with a Backpack.

**Version 1.03 - 7-21-2014**
Player movement speed increased 30%.
Added more skills for certain enemies.
Altered enemy heals and nerfed enemy resurrects.
Changed most NPC FOV to 270 and Sentinels to 45.
Enemies after level 10 gain +2 attribute points.
Increased player hit chance by an additional 10%.
Buffed Staff of Magus when before there was none.
Altered the 3 selectable difficulty modes. (Removed the -25% Player Health)
Gave Madora and Jahan 3 Free attribute points.
Removed the TypeA and TypeB variants of the mod.

**Version 1.02 - 7-19-2014**
Enabled for 4 players companion support.
All Generic Merchant Body Guards FOV changed to 350.
Easy gives Players +0% HP and NPCs +25%. Normal gives Players -25% HP and NPCs +25%.
Player-Hit-Chance changed to +10% (Hard Mode changed from -10% to 10%).
Hard Mode NPC-Health-Points changed from +25% to +45%.

**Version 1.01 - 7-15-2014**
Changed mod name from Simple Difficulty to Source Difficulty
Certain Orcs had no Bodybuilding or Willpower so I gave them +1 each.
Ghosts have no Bodybuilding or Willpower; however I did give Ghost Bosses 1 of each.

**Version 1.0 - 7-14-2014**
Public release of the mod. It only contained 2 changes.
Bodybuilding and Willpower +1 for certain NPCs.
NPC FOV buffed from 90 to 180.
Plan to slowly increment difficulty and balance changes with each version based on user feedback.

**Version 0.1 to Version 0.9 - 7-05-2014 to 7-12-2014**
Private version of the mod. I originally did not plan on releasing the mod publicly.
Testing various undocumented changes.
Some changes had no effect, too much effect, or caused bugs.



***** Current Plans *****

I do not plan on adding any more new features to this mod.

Although I might provide balance changes based on player feedback in future versions.


***** Conclusion *****

The mod was designed from player feedback, from players with very different skill levels,
playstyles, and party compositions so I was conservative with some changes. I tried to
take all opinions into consideration and tried to view them from many perspectives.

Various planned features and balance changes ideas I had were canceled because
I either could not find a way to implement them, they would cause crashes/bugs,
or those changes could break saved games when new official patches are released.