Difficulty Mode

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List of difficulties in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

Each of the games in the Devil May Cry series include several difficulty levels, in order to increase replayability. Traditionally, a grueling but feasible difficulty is accessible from the start, alongside an easier difficulty that is sometimes unlocked by repeatedly failing in the standard mode. Successive levels of difficulty are then unlocked each time the previous mode is completed, all the way up to a "Dante Must Die" mode, where enemies also gain access to Dante's signature Devil Trigger, or in later games a "Hell and Hell" mode, where the protagonist will also die in one hit.

Overview

All games start the player on a "normal" difficulty, but, after fulfilling certain criteria, the player can opt to play through the story missions again on a higher difficulty. Enemies have more Vitality and deal more damage, making the main character seem weaker. In addition, enemy behavior is altered: lesser demons become more aggressive, bosses will utilize their special attacks more often, and in the highest mode enemies even gain their own Devil Trigger. Typically, difficulties above the default will also alter enemy waves, having powerful enemies appear much sooner than they normally would.

Some games in the series feature cheats, DLC or other methods that allow the higher difficulty modes to be unlocked immediately, and starting out on a higher difficulty with a "fresh character" is a common type of skill run for seasoned players.

The player is allowed to keep items and abilities gained from each playthrough when moving to a higher difficulty, with the exception of Easy Automatic in Devil May Cry.

Modes by difficulty

• Easy - Bosses and enemies have less health and deal less damage than normal. This mode is only available from the start in Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 5. In Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3, it must be unlocked by dying 3 times on Normal Mode, or in Devil May Cry by using a Vital Star on the first mission. In Devil May Cry it is directly tied to Automatic Mode, and is called Easy Automatic, while Automatic Mode is optional in Easy mode in 3. It is called Human in Devil May Cry 4, DmC: Devil May Cry, and Devil May Cry 5.

• Normal - The default difficulty setting for each game. Compared to other hack-and-slash games, Devil May Cry’s "Normal Mode" is difficult. It is called Devil Hunter in Devil May Cry 4, DmC: Devil May Cry, and Devil May Cry 5.

• Hard - Bosses and enemies either deal more damage, or deal more damage and have higher vitality, depending on the game. This is unlocked after beating the game on Normal. In Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 5, it is called Son of Sparda. In DmC: Devil May Cry it is called Nephilim.

• Very Hard - Difficulty in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition comparable to the unique "American Hard" difficulty in the original US edition of Devil May Cry 3. Strength and vitality of enemies is increased even more than in Hard Mode. However, it is still less than Dante Must Die mode. A similar intermediate difficulty called Son of Sparda is present in DmC: Devil May Cry.

• Must Die - Prefixed with the name of the playable character (Dante Must Die, Lucia Must Die, etc). All enemies gain access to Devil Trigger, which they enter after a set period of time has passed since the start of the fight. Strength and vitality for enemies is usually also increased.

Additional Modes

• Automatic Mode (Easy Automatic in Devil May Cry)- Simplifies combat by automatically performing varied and stylish combos regardless of input timing; however, there is no control over which combo is executed. For more information, see the article.

• Turbo Mode - Only available for Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (except PS2 PAL version), Devil May Cry 4 PC Version, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition and DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition. Makes the game run 20% faster. Not truly a difficulty mode, rather being a gameplay option. Can only be changed at mission select, not during a mission.

• Legendary Dark Knight - Only available for the PC version of Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition for PS4, XB1 and PC. The strength and vitality of enemies is comparable to those on Son of Sparda difficulty, but enemies spawn in hordes per encounter, and even additional enemies which are not originally present in that mission will spawn.

• Heaven Or Hell - Everything, even the player character, dies from one hit of any kind.

• Hell And Hell - Available in Devil May Cry 4, DmC: Devil May Cry, and Devil May Cry 5. Enemies adopt the difficulty of Son of Sparda Mode, but the player character still dies in one hit.

• Gods Must Die - Available only in DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition. Even more difficult mode than Dante Must Die, this mode makes enemies even stronger in addition to removing the ability to use items as well as replacing all Green Orbs with Red Orbs.

• Must Style - Available only in DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition. Enemies take hits as normal, but will not take damage unless the Stylish Rank is S or higher.

Modes by Game

Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is known for its unforgiving difficulty. There are four modes in total.

• Easy Automatic - This difficulty is unlocked if the player uses a Vital Star or Yellow Orb on the first mission, Yellow Orb on the second or 2 Yellow Orbs on the third mission. After the mission result screen the game prompts to switch to Easy Automatic mode or stay on Normal mode. Regardless of the choice the player makes, it will be added to the difficulty options when starting a new game. Many things are different in this mode. The combat system has simplified controls with various melee combos executed simply by repeatedly pressing the attack button, firing guns no longer requires manual lock-on and is done just by pressing or holding the shoot button (this does however render Charged Shots inaccessible outside of Devil Trigger). Some high-level enemies won't even appear in normal missions, like the Frost, Fetish, and Shadow. Dante himself gains greater resistance to damage, deals more damage, and starts out with 1.5 times the normal starting vitality and double the normal starting DT gauge (because of that the player can only purchase two Blue Orbs and four Purple Orbs from the store menu). The various enemies encountered also have less health. Dante can buy up to three Vital Stars instead of just one, and the same for Untouchables. The purchase limit for Holy Waters and Devil Stars is raised from 5 and 10 respectively to 999. Health in Devil Trigger is recovered twice the normal rate. Does not unlock anything, and only allows the player to proceed into New Game+ in Easy Automatic.

• Normal - Default difficulty, and the only one initially selectable. Completing this mode and reloading the completed save allows the player to proceed into New Game+ in Hard mode.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 100%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 100%

• Hard - Enemies deal 2.5 times more damage. In addition, enemy waves are changed, with powerful enemies appearing much earlier in the game, while weak enemies such as Beelzebubs and Sin Scythes appear less often. Health does not regenerate as quickly while Devil Trigger is activated. Completing this mode adds a "Character Change" section (this game's name for selecting a costume) prior to selecting difficulty when starting a new game, allowing the player to choose either Dante or The Legendary Dark Knight. It also adds Hard and Dante Must Die modes to the difficulty select when starting a new game. Loading the completed save allows the player to go into New Game+ in Dante Must Die mode.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 100%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 250%

• Dante Must Die - The hardest difficulty, Dante Must Die mode allows enemies to enter their own Devil Trigger state, granting them increased defense and damage output and making them more resistant to hit-stun, knockdowns and launches. Some battles also feature a timer which will allow all remaining enemies in the wave (including those which have not spawned yet) to enter DT if the wave is not defeated before it expires. Any room with a DT timer is a sealed-room battle, even if it was not in Hard mode. It otherwise uses the same altered enemy waves as Hard. Oddly, normal enemies in this mode have slightly less health than on Normal. Enemies have the same damage output as in Hard mode, but bosses and Kyklops now have 2.5 times more health. Devil Trigger does not regenerates health at all. Completing this difficulty adds "Super Dante" to the Character Change section: this mode uses Dante's standard character model, but grants him unlimited Devil Trigger. 

• Lesser demons health: 90%
• Bosses and Kyklops health: 250%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 250%

Devil May Cry 2

• Normal - This is the default mode of the game. It is a fairly easy mode: enemies are weak, and bosses are easily defeated and do not deal a lot of damage.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 100%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 100%

• Hard - This difficulty mode is unlocked by beating Normal with both Dante and Lucia. Enemies are more hostile and deal more damage. Bosses also deal more damage.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 100%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 200%

• Dante Must Die/Lucia Must Die - This difficulty appears once you have beaten Hard with both Dante and Lucia. Enemies have increased health and can now activate their Devil Trigger. Bosses are more aggressive and have more health.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 200%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 200%

Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 3 is said to be the most difficult game in the series, and the original release is often regarded as one of the most difficult games of all time. Enemies and Bosses generally get tougher while the player gets weaker as the difficulty increases. It's also worth noting that the style ranking has a direct impact on the difficulty of the game in terms of enemy patterns and aggressiveness on nearly all counts.

It should be noted that in the original North American release most difficulty levels were shifted by up one, making NA 'Easy' equivalent to Japanese 'Normal', NA 'Normal' equivalent to Japanese 'Hard', and NA 'Hard' being a unique difficult that would later be known in the special edition as 'Very Hard'. The Special Edition release returned to consistent difficult mode names across all regions.

• Easy - Easy mode is not available at the beginning. It is unlocked by dying at least 3 times in Normal mode. Enemies in this mode have less health and generally deal less damage. Bosses have less health and are more docile. Easy also has Automatic Mode a mode for players which allows them to perform complex combos by just repeatedly pressing a button without regard to timing.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 90%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 90%

• Normal - The default mode of the game. Enemies have more health. Bosses are tough and attack frequently. The player also takes more damage.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 100%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 100%

• Hard - Unlocked by beating Normal. Enemies have even more health and deal more damage. Bosses attack more frequently.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 175%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 175%

• Very Hard - This difficulty is only available in the Special Edition version of the game. It is unlocked by beating the game on Hard. Bosses attack even more frequently. The player deals less damage and takes more damage from enemies. It introduces the enemy waves and boss patterns used in Dante Must Die mode.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 200%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 200%

• Dante Must Die/Vergil Must Die - This difficulty is unlocked by beating the game on Hard. Enemies are hostile and deal more damage. They also have access to Devil Trigger and activates it after a certain period of time. Vergil Must Die is only available in the Special Edition version of the game.

• Lesser demons and bosses health: 250%
• Lesser demons and bosses damage: 250%

• Heaven Or Hell - New to the series is the Heaven Or Hell mode. It is unlocked by beating the game on Dante Must Die. In this mode, all Enemies and Bosses die in one attack. However, the player character also dies in one attack.

Devil May Cry 4

With each rise in difficulty, enemies and bosses generally get tougher and the player gets weaker. There are 6 modes for the console versions of the game with an additional mode for the PC version.

• Human - This is the equivalent of Easy difficulty. One of the default difficulty modes of the game. Enemies have less health, deal less damage and are quite docile. Bosses take more damage. The player deals more damage and takes less. Clearing all the missions on this difficulty unlocks the special artwork "The Two Heroes," and 29 character images for viewing in the Gallery.

• Damage to enemies: 150%
• Damage to player character: 50%

• Devil Hunter - This is the equivalent of Normal difficulty. One of the default difficulty modes of the game. Clearing all the missions on this difficulty unlocks the Bloody Palace, Son Of Sparda difficulty, and the special artwork "The Cast".

• Damage to enemies: 100%
• Damage to player character: 100%

• Son Of Sparda - This is the equivalent of Hard difficulty. It is unlocked by beating the game on Devil Hunter. Enemies have more health, are more hostile, deal more damage and tougher enemies appear early on. The player deals less damage and takes more. Some of Nero's levels have more complicated paths. Clearing all the missions on this difficulty unlocks Dante Must Die mode, Heaven or Hell mode, and the special artwork "The Demons" and 12 additional pieces for viewing in the Gallery.

• Damage to enemies: 85%
• Damage to player character: 175%

  

  Scarecrow in Devil Trigger (DMD)

• Dante Must Die - This difficulty is unlocked by beating Son Of Sparda mode. Enemies get tougher and bosses utilize more attacks. Enemies also now have Devil Trigger and frequently use it. Clearing all missions on this difficulty unlocks Hell And Hell mode, the special artwork "Demon Invasion", and the Super costumes for Dante and Nero.

• Damage to enemies: 70%
• Damage to player character: 300%

• Heaven Or Hell - Unlocked by beating Son Of Sparda mode. Enemies and bosses all die in one attack. The player character also dies in one attack. However, the player character is given 3~4 lives to use whenever they die. Clearing all missions on this difficulty unlocks the special artwork "The Ladies of Devil May Cry."

• Hell And Hell - Unlocked by beating Dante Must Die. The player character dies in one attack, but is given 3 gold orbs to utilize whenever they die. Enemies and bosses in this mode do not die in one attack, and adopt their difficulty from the Son Of Sparda mode. Clearing all missions on this difficulty unlocks the special artwork "Light from the Demon Blade".

• Damage to enemies: 85%

• Legendary Dark Knight - This difficulty is only available in the PC version and the Special Edition of the game. It is unlocked by beating the game on Human or Devil Hunter mode and in the Special Edition it is unlocked by default. It is similar to Son Of Sparda mode, but with more enemies spawning than before. In this mode, it is capable of spawning about 20~30 Scarecrows in a single room, making this mode a little bit harder than Son Of Sparda. Clearing all missions on this difficulty unlocks the special artwork "Secret Festival of the Sword"

• Damage to bosses: 70%
• Damage to lesser enemies: 130%
• Damage to player character: 175%

• Automatic Mode - Although not listed as a Difficulty Mode in the Mission Menu, it is equivalent to the Easy-Automatic Mode, but can be used on all difficulties. This mode can be activated depending on the player's choice on the New Game section or in the Character Selection screen.

Devil May Cry 5

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• Human - Decreased difficulty, with less aggressive and less damaging enemies. Devil Breakers are extremely common in Nero's missions.
• Devil Hunter - Standard difficulty.
• Son Of Sparda - Unlocked by defeating Urizen in the prologue on Human, or beating Devil Hunter mode. Enemies gain new attacks, have more health, deal more damage and receive less. Devil Breakers are less common in Nero's levels, and growths containing Green or White Orbs are less common in all levels. Red Orb resurrection costs are increased. Some Extra Bonus rewards are increased by 50%.
• Dante Must Die - Unlocked by defeating Urizen in the prologue on Son of Sparda, or beating Son of Sparda mode. Enemies are extremely aggressive and gain the ability to Devil Trigger under certain conditions, including bosses, and in-level Devil Breakers and green and white orbs are practically non-existent. Red Orb resurrection costs are now extremely high, with a second full heal costing over 300,000 Red Orbs. Some Extra Bonus rewards are increased by 100%.
• Heaven Or Hell - Unlocked by beating Urizen in the prologue, or beating Dante Must Die. Player characters and enemies die in one hit. Gold Orbs are limited to three uses per stage.
• Hell And Hell - Unlocked by beating Urizen in the prologue, or beating Dante Must Die. Player character dies in one hit, while enemies are set to Son of Sparda difficulty. Gold Orbs are still limited to three per stage.

DmC: Devil May Cry

With each rise in difficulty, enemies and bosses generally get tougher and the player gets weaker. There are 7 modes for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, 3 of which are selectable from the beginning.

• Devil May Cry/Vergil's Downfall - A category for the default difficulties.

• Human - One of the default difficulty modes of the game. Enemies have less health, deal less damage and are quite docile. Bosses take more damage. The player deals more damage and takes less. This is equivalent to the Easy mode difficulty

• Devil Hunter - One of the default difficulty modes of the game. This represents the Normal mode of difficulty in the game.

• Nephilim - One of the default difficulty modes of the game. This mode of difficulty is harder than Normal but easier than Son of Sparda. Clearing all the missions with a SSS rank in this mode will unlock the Jackpot award for Xbox 360 and PS3.

• Son Of Sparda - This difficulty mode is the equivalent of Hard. It is unlocked by beating the game on Human, Devil Hunter or Nephilim difficulty. Enemies have more health, are more hostile, deal more damage and tougher enemies appear early on. The player deals less damage and takes more. Clearing all the missions on this difficulty unlocks Dante Must Die mode, Heaven or Hell mode, and Son of Sparda costume for Dante.

• Dante Must Die/Vergil Must Die - This difficulty is unlocked by beating Son Of Sparda mode. Enemies get tougher and bosses utilize more attacks.

• Gods Must Die - Available only in DMC:Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition. Even more difficult mode than Dante Must Die, this mode makes enemies even stronger, spawning them in Devil Trigger state, in addition to removing the ability to use items as well as replacing all Green Orbs with Red Orbs.

• Heaven Or Hell - Unlocked by beating Son Of Sparda mode. Enemies and bosses all die in one attack. Dante also dies in one attack. However, the player is given 3 Gold orbs to use whenever Dante dies.

• Hell And Hell - Unlocked by beating Heaven or Hell. Dante dies in one attack, but is given 3 gold orbs to utilize whenever he dies. Enemies and bosses in this mode do not die in one attack, and adopt their difficulty from the Son Of Sparda mode.

• Must Style - Available only in DMC:Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition. This mode is unique in the fact that you cannot damage enemies unless your Style Rank is S or higher.

Further notes

• The name "Dante Must Die" could potentially have been based on the 2000 film Romeo Must Die.