All Nightingale Loadout difficulty settings: Which should you choose?

How prepared do you want to be?

Four different starting Loadouts in Nightingale.
Screenshots by Dot Esports. Remix by Kacee Fay

The Fae Realms are calling and you’re ready to set off and explore what Nightingale has to offer. But before you jump in, you have to choose which Loadout difficulty setting is right for you.

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This is one of the first choices you have to make in Nightingale, and it’s a super important one for overall character creation and your gameplay. Here are all the Loadout difficulty settings in Nightingale and which one you should choose.

All Nightingale Loadout difficulty settings

There are four different Loadout difficulty settings you can choose from in Nightingale, which are Easy, Medium, Hard, and Extreme. Each of these options drastically affects what your experience looks like when you start off the game and what your character’s backstory is.

  • Easy Loadout
    • Title: Survivalist Prepper

If you choose the Easy Loadout option, your character starts with great gear and is extremely prepared to face whatever is thrown at them. Regardless of what storyline you select, your character will have spent a lot of time preparing for the unknown, which is why they start with solid gear and are ready for what’s ahead.

The Easy Loadout option in Nightingale.
You’re ready for any challenge. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Medium Loadout
    • Title: Heedful Refugee

With a Medium Loadout, your character is decently prepared and has moderately good gear. This is the overall most balanced and normal experience since you’re not overly prepared or underly prepared, you’re just perfectly in the middle.

The Medium Loadout option in Nightingale.
Not too easy, but not too hard either. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hard Loadout
    • Title: Unprepared Civilian

You’re unprepared to face what comes next when you choose the Hard Loadout. This choice makes your overall experience in Nightingale harder as you venture out into the world in your travel clothes rather than gear ready for the fight ahead. So if a bit of a challenge is what you’re after, then this is the Loadout for you.

The Hard Loadout option in Nightingale.
Perfect for a decently tough gameplay experience. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Extreme Loadout
    • Title: Late Sleeper

If you choose the Extreme Loadout, your character is incredibly unready for what lies ahead and has nothing to work with. You literally enter the Fae Realms with nothing but your undergarments, which makes the journey ahead very difficult.

The Extreme Loadout option in Nightingale.
It’s a real challenge. Screenshot by Dot Esports

What’s the difference between Loadout difficulty settings in Nightingale?

The Loadout difficult setting you choose in Nightingale affects how much equipment you start with and a bit of what your storyline is. You can essentially think of the Loadout difficulty settings as determining how prepared you are for what you’ll face.

Harder difficulties will mean your character is less prepared, while easier ones mean they’ve spent a lot of time getting ready for exactly this. With an Easy or Medium Loadout, your character will have a solid amount of experience and knowledge that will grant them nice starting gear, while a Hard or Extreme Loadout means your character is super unprepared for what’s to come and doesn’t have much to work with.

A Medium Hermit Loadout option in Nightingale.
Your outfit changes to reflect your Loadout choice. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Loadout you choose directly affects what your character starts off wearing. If you opt for the Extreme Loadout, you go in with nothing as your character is in their undergarments, while the Easy Loadout has you fully equipped with a perfect explorer outfit.

Depending on what story you choose, the Loadout difficulty will change slightly to properly reflect your choice. For example, an Easy Loadout Academic is extremely well-read and knowledgable about everything, while an Extreme Loadout Academic spent too much time enjoying their fame to learn how to deal with the world around them.

Which Loadout difficulty should you choose in Nightingale?

You should choose the Loadout difficulty setting that best describes the kind of experience you want to have in Nightingale. There is no right or wrong choice here; it’s all about what you prefer.

If you’re looking for the most challenging experience possible, then the Extreme Loadout is the one for you. Meanwhile, more relaxed players will probably prefer the Easy Loadout, especially if you’re playing alone in single-player mode and don’t want to face tough fights on your own. The Medium Loadout is good if you want a decently balanced experience that’s neither too easy nor too difficult and the Hard Loadout presents a solid but not overwhelming amount of challenge.

The description page for the Loadout option.
The circumstances you’re working with will change as you progress, but your Loadout is where it all begins. Screenshot by Dot Esports

I went with an Easy Loadout for my first game since I generally enjoy a super relaxed experience where I can just enjoy the game for what it is without stress. Exploring the world Nightingale offers is incredible, especially in third-person mode, and I’m more interested in this than I am in taking on a challenge. For my second game, though, I’ll probably choose the Medium or Hard Loadout since I’ll be familiar enough with the game to enjoy a bit more of a challenge.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.