Have you ever wondered just how hard DMC can be?

Devil May Cry is known to be one of the most difficult game franchises ever to be published. I don’t mean difficult in the sense that it goes to Dark Souls level, but I do mean it takes some time and skill to successfully complete.

What adds to the difficulty of the newest installment is the fact that you should always keep your style meter up. That means combos, air time, switching up weapons, and even positioning in combat. What makes it all the more exciting are the unique and terrifying demons trying to get you.

But DMC doesn’t just have one black and white, easy and hard, difficulty scheme. It has multiple ones that require a certain level of skill. You go from the vanilla, best-for-beginners Human mode all the way to literal hell (in Hell and Hell mode).

Some people like to jump right in and get frustrated, that’s why in this article we’ll be running through the different difficulties and which one to choose. They’ll be ordered by preferred difficulties, from the least advised to the best one to get into.

Now let’s begin.

6. Hell and Hell

The first difficulty on our list is the fabled Hell and Hell mode. This is the very last difficulty that makes sure the milk in your cereal is spoiled. You can unlock this mode after you’ve completed all the other modes before it, which, mind you, aren’t a walk in the park either.

Hell and Hell is just like its name states. It’s literal hell, but not just any hell - HELL AND HELL. Here, the enemies one-shot you and show absolutely no mercy. It’s either you sneeze on them, or you get sneezed at.

No one’s a chump in this mode. You’re better off playing hardcore Minecraft than going into Hell and Hell if you’re not prepared, both mentally and physically, for the horrors that this game mode gives. 

How It Works

• Unlocked by clearing Dante Must Die (DMD) mode
• Players die in one hit
• Enemies are set to Son of Sparda (hard) mode
• Only 3 orbs limited per stage

Choose This Difficulty If…

• You’re prepared to get one-shot by enemies
• You have some gamer juice on hand for an all-nighter
• You’ve mastered or have a pretty good grasp on combos and skills
• Your characters are pretty levelled up (although it still depends on skills)

5. Human

On the other side of the spectrum, we have the easiest game mode known as Human. This is the mode that holds the player’s hand. It guides you, caresses you, makes sure you’ve burped and gone to the bathroom at least once today.

Human mode is essentially easy mode, meaning, the enemies aren’t at all tough and you’d get away with spamming buttons and less refined combos. It rewards you all the same, just not as much as the other levels.

This is the best difficulty to get into if you haven’t played the game before nor have you played a DMC game ever. It lets you enjoy all the aesthetics and combat design, without giving you a headache. It also helps people master a few combos they’ve created or to refine their battle skills.

Overall, Human is a great way to get into the franchise and start your demon-hunting business.

How It Works

• All enemies are set to the lowest difficulty, meaning they don’t hurt
• You’re rewarded for less technically-taxing combos
• Enemies aren’t as aggressive as in harder difficulties
• Damage to enemies is set to 150%

Choose This Difficulty If…

• You’ve recently gotten in DMC 5 (or the franchise)
• You just want a good time without doing hard combos
• You’re more into the story than combat

4. Heaven or Hell

This game mode is both the easiest or most difficult one. Everything here explodes in one touch, so it’s either you kill the enemies with one shot, or they kill you. There are many ways to go about Heaven or Hell, but usually people utilize the ranged weapons more.

This difficulty also forces you to stay away from the enemies, rather than go completely ham on them like others. It trains you to be more careful about your decisions and whether or not you have the capability to get closer.

The gold orbs in this mode are also more limited. If you thought that they were scarce in other game modes, you’d be surprised by the amount of orbs in this one. My biggest advice is to get into this game mode once you’ve had an appreciation for the armed weapons. Might I suggest our lovely Kalina Ann?

How It Works

• All enemy attacks are set to one-shot you
• You also have abilities that one-shot you
• Go for more powerful ranged weapons and try to level those ones up first
• First one to get a hit wins!

Choose This Difficulty If…

• You’re prepared to be one-shot out of nowhere
• You have keen senses and can spot an attack from anywhere
• You just want to have fun without complicated techniques or skills

3. Dante Must Die

If you want a mode that is completely nuts, you can choose Dante Must Die. This is unlocked by stylishly clearing the Son of Sparda mode (which is arguably the hardest mode in DMC). Enemies are even more aggressive than before, with player damage to enemies having a crazy 50% (only).

Some enemies even gain the ability to use the Devil Trigger when under certain circumstances. Bosses are included in the Devil Trigger usage mix too. Devil Breakers and green and white orbs are also practically non-existent. 

What’s worse is that Red Orb resurrection costs have now gone through the roof, with a second full heal costing over 300,000 Red Orbs. Some good news though, is that extra rewards are increased by 100%. Hopefully that makes up for all the stress you’d experience in this mode.

How It Works

• Enemies are more aggressive and harder to hit
• Player damage is only 50% despite being levelled up a lot
• The enemies have access to the Devil Trigger ability (bosses included)
• Extra rewards are guaranteed

Choose This Difficulty If…

• You want a really good challenge
• Ordinary enemies don’t cut it for you anymore
• You want an interesting game mode to play around with
• You’re prepared to get your fingers bleeding

2. Son of Sparda

In the DMC franchise, the Son of Sparda difficulty is considered the equivalent of Hard difficulty. You can unlock this by clearing any of the default difficulty modes (meaning Human or Devil Hunter). 

If you want to make sure you’ll never be happy ever again, you can test your might with this mode. It is definitely one that will make you scream into your pillow and throw a fit every five minutes. The enemies here could be considered cheap but it definitely trains you to be level headed and calm. 

The opportunity to become a true Son of Sparda is high with this mode since it is high-risk, high-reward. You’ll be compensated well for your efforts with some extra bonuses when you clear a level. Just be sure to keep your style points up and you’ll definitely be seeing those numbers flow in.

How It Works

• Enemies have new attacks, deal more damage, and receive less damage
• Devil Breakers are less common in Nero’s levels
• Green and White orbs are less common in all the levels
• Red Orb resurrection costs are now higher
• Player damage to enemies has now become 75%

Choose This Difficulty If…

• You have some experience with DMC or are confident in your skills
• Want to be challenged, but not to the point you want to rip your hair out
• You’ve honed your skills and techniques
• You want to feel the pressure, but at the same time have a good time

1. Devil Hunter

Now we get to the big boy of DMC difficulties. This isn’t the hardest difficulty, since we’ve mentioned Hell or Hell and Son of Sparda - but it has become the default for many players (newbies and veterans alike).

Many people, both those who have just gotten into DMC, as well as those who’ve stuck around since the beginning usually start out in this mode. It’s a great mode to first get into because it isn’t too hard nor is it too easy.

The enemies are a bit challenging, but not enough to make you get a spoon and gouge your eyes out. It’s definitely a great difficulty to balance both combat and getting the feel of both the story and overall game.

Devil Hunter is the best mode to pick if you’re a beginner who just wants a good challenge without it completely kicking you in the face. It’s also great if you’re a veteran who just wants to go through the game again, mainly relying on your muscle memory. This is usually the default game mode. So if you were to get into a new game, I’d highly recommend giving this one a try.

How It Works

• This is the normal difficulty, enemies are standard and not too powerful
• Move sets and skills for enemies aren’t too difficult, but not too easy as well
• Damage to enemies is a full 100%
• Stylish rankings aren’t too punishing, with standard rewards and orb drops

Choose This Difficulty If... 

• You want to be challenged, but in a good way
• You just want to refine your techniques and air-combos
• You want to farm a bit, for future difficulties
• You want to learn more about the story without combat being a pain

You're now probably raring to go for the harder difficulties like Hell or Hell. Don't worry, I don't blame you. If you’re interested in reading up on more Devil May Cry / Hack and Slash stuff:

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