So Normal is the only starting difficulty available, because the higher difficulties seem tuned to replaying the game with a high level character. But it's too easy in my opinion! I died for the first time in Act 3 (as Barbarian), but it was more of a fluke than anything. I killed the Act 3 boss in seconds flat. It seems like the difficulty is tuned for people who have never played one of these types of games before. Or am I just really good at videogames?

I wanted to add a poll but don't know how. :( Fail.

I just got done playing a long co op session with a guy and we died probably 10 times. There are these mobs in act 3 that drive their arms into the ground and spread a poison cloud that does so much damage so if you get 2 or more of them on the same spot you're pretty much instantly dead. Even worse if they are champion versions. So yeah, it can get pretty tricky. We had to switch around our skills a bit and eventually we were able to get past them consistently so they aren't broken or anything, just a decent challenge if you aren't prepared.

Edit: Well then, I didn't read your entire post, I'm an idiot. Seems like you had an easier time with those guys than we did. Barbarian is just overpowered :P. I haven't tried taking on those guys solo so maybe they get crazy in co op.

I've died twice in Act 1 with my wiz, once during the skeleton king boss fight (wasn't paying attention and playing with a random) and the second time was when 5 of those giant trees in the plains of misery ambushed me while opening a chest.

It's a progression. Yes, Normal is relatively easy as it is the easiest mode. Nightmare will be harder. Hell will be harder. As of about a week before release, Blizzard mentioned that no one on Blizzard's staff that was playing through the game naturally had managed to beat Inferno yet.

This is a game that is going to demand dozens if not hundreds of hours for the average player to see to completion. The difficulty curve was balanced very deliberately to reflect that. Enjoy your sense of power now. It's not going to last.

Really depends, I got some pretty sick gear from the crafting and I wreck groups, but judging by the amount of damage they're doing to me that's solely a gear thing because they still hurt.
 
I think if you really spend time exploring/sidequesting you will overlevel/gear the content pretty quickly.
Some of the bosses indeed got nuked in seconds.

I've gotten my witch doctor to level 20 and a fair bit into act 2, and I've pretty consistently found myself challenged, so far. Haven't died yet, but I don't see that as a prerequisite for something to be challenging.

My friend is on Nightmare already and he says all enemies have a LOT more health. He also showed me some of the average gear he was getting, like a normal Targe, and it was almost stronger than my hard-earned magic shield at the end of Act 3.

Why care if Normal is easy. It's only the beginning. I'd worry if Nightmare/Hell are easy.

It's perfectly fine. It's a small challenge, it should be nothing more. There are THREE higher difficulty levels.

Having just started Nightmare and spending around an hour-ish on it, I can safely say that normal is pretty easy. It gets more tough by act IV, but nothing unreasonable. I felt pretty confident through my entire playthrough on normal, but I think I have died more in this first hour of Nightmare than in the entirety of my normal campaign. I imagine it will logically get worse for Hell and Inferno. My gold supply is preemptively weeping.

Yes easy. I've died only once so far and that was in the third act as a witch doctor and that only happened because I was trying out a new build which turned out to be a really bad build.

Normal is meant to be a casual friendly difficulty level. Blizzard has said this many times before. I think it is fine because it gives you time to learn your class, tinker with builds, etc. Which is really good considering that Nightmare spikes up in difficulty and you will get demolished if you are just dicking around.

I'm halfway through the second act and so far it has been very easy, I don't mind feeling overpowered though, so it's not really an issue for now.

I'm currently at the business end of Act 3 normal and my wizard feels rather squishy, any lapse of concentration and I die vs. rares and champions. This is partly due to me using the Glass Cannon passive skill (+10% dmg received) and the fact that i've only really pumped +Int as my stat of choice, so hp is a bit low. Regardless I don't think the game is too easy at this point in time and am very much looking forward to trying out nightmare and beyond.

It starts ramping up in Act 2 but Christ the first 5-6 hours are a snoozer. Completely terrible way to start a game, and the start should be the coolest part of your game. Because it's the only part you know everyone is going to see.

It kind of goes up and down. But overall I'd say yes, it's too easy. I don't know why they didn't give normal mode and one harder difficulty. I'm sure they'll do fine with me playing their game 3 times through instead of four. Or alternatively just shift them around and add one more or something

I think it hits the sweet spot. I've died only once so far, but the enemies are ramping up and constantly keep me on my toes. Dying isn't really a good hallmark of if the game is hard. If I feel like I'm constantly having to use my tactics to survive then that's perfect for me.

@wmaustin55 said:

I think it hits the sweet spot. I've died only once so far, but the enemies are ramping up and constantly keep me on my toes. Dying isn't really a good hallmark of if the game is hard. If I feel like I'm constantly having to use my tactics to survive then that's perfect for me.

The first time I died was on Belial, and I died maybe 4 times since then (in act 4 now). Considering I've played through Diablo 2 on Normal Difficulty without dying, I'd say it's more difficult.

Act 2 boss was the easiest of all the fights.  I died more to trash packs in act 3 and 4 than I did to some bosses.

@Pinworm45: Because it's a linear progression. You have to have beaten Normal mode to stand a chance on Nightmare because Act I enemies on Nightmare start at around level 28.

@StarvingGamer said:

@Pinworm45: Because it's a linear progression. You have to have beaten Normal mode to stand a chance on Nightmare because Act I enemies on Nightmare start at around level 28.

Yes, but they could have simply scaled it. IE +10% enemy HP and damage if you're playing on the mode that is between normal and nightmare.

Right now it's just way too easy and extremely boring. My guy is simply invulnerable and it just feels like a chore 20 hours in

@Oni said:

It seems like the difficulty is tuned for people who have never played one of these types of games before. Or am I just really good at videogames?

Yes and yes.

In my eyes, Normal is Tourist Mode so I can see the story and get to know the different areas. Harder difficulties are more gameplay and tactics-oriented.

Think of Normal as your stretch and warmup routine before a triathlon.

@Pinworm45: Hmmm, only took me 10. If you've already logged 20 hours you should be able to snap the end off and get cranking on Nightmare.

I prefer it this way myself. It lets me really get a feel for the skills and abilities of the myriad enemies and bosses in a controlled environment so that when I face them on Nightmare, I won't simply die and be confused.

I've found it's much harder with more people, because they hit so much harder that if I get caught up in a bad group I pretty much get 1 shot. Solo however is a cakewalk so far.

Is easy too normal?

To me, commenting on Normal difficulty being too easy is pointless. Whatever the game's final patch designation is, in 2020, Normal will still be too easy. The difficulties have always been on a finish one unlock the other basis in all Diablo games.

In the past, once I finished Normal, Nightmare was too hard for me without a lot of grinding. I did finally get a character to Hell in D2 though so I am ok. I can't wait to get to Nightmare in D3, the gear should be fricken nuts.

Don't worry. I was playing nightmare with two other people, and certain random unqiues were BRUTAL.

Diablo franchise have always been easy games.

I am still in act one and I have died a couple of times.

I'm at the end of Act III in Normal, playing as a Monk, and I have died a dozen times. This is my first Diablo, and also I kind of suck. Playing strictly solo, though, so I'm not dragging anyone else down with me.

I'm finding a decent amount of challenge in Act 2. I actually don't like dying in games at all, and don't find the frequency of me dying to be an indicator of difficulty. If I am generally forced to use broad tactics in order to survive instead of just clicking wildly, which is the case so far with my DH, then that's difficult enough for me.