Difficulty

You can choose between several different difficulties in Against The Storm. This page summaries their differences.

Base Difficulties

Name	Embarkation Point	Number of Forest Mysteries		Hostility Multiplier	Max Hostility
		Negative	Positive
Settler	0	1	2	x1	6
Pioneer	-1	3	2	x1.5	9
Veteran	-2	4	1	x2	16
Viceroy	-2	4	1	x3	31

Prestige Difficulties

Description		Modifier	Explanation
1	More Reputation required to win.	Prestigious Expedition	Only the best Viceroys can embark on a Prestigious Expidition,. You'll need to earn 4 additional Repuation Points to win. Reputation rewards are distributed differently, and Orders are harder.
2	The Storm Season lasts longer.	Prestigious Expedition	One of the seals is loosening its grip, leaking darkness upon this land. Storm Season lasts 100% longer.
3	Blightrot appears every 3rd Clearance Season.	Blight Swarm	Large swarms of Blightrot migrate accross the realm. Every third Clearance Season, 10 Blightrot Cysts will appear in the settlement.
4	Blueprint rerolls cost more.	Expensive Lottery	The Archivist assigned to your settlement is fiercely loyal to the Loyal Court, so bribing him will be more expensive. Blueprint rerolls cost 10 Amber more.
5	Villagers with low Resolve leave faster.	Higher Standards	Villagers are less understanding than they used to be. They're probably getting a bit spoiled by now. Villagers are 100% faster to leave if they have low Resolve
6	Buildings costs more.	Wet Soil	It's particularly hard to build anything in this region. Buildings require 50% more materials.
7	Higher food consumption.	Parasites	One fo the villagers was sick, and infected the rest of the settlement with a parasite. All villagers have 50% chance of eating twice as much during their break.
8	Villagers consume more luxury goods.	Consumerism	Villagers have forgotten what a modest life looks like. They want to enjoy life to the fullest. Villagers have a 50% chance to consume double the amount of luxury goods.
9	Villagers work slower on Events.	Procrastination	Villagers are reluctant to venture into Dangerous Glades. Scouts work 33% slower on Glade Events.
10	Goods are worth less to Traders.	Guild of Thieves or Traders?	Traders gossip about you doing pretty well lately. All your goods are worth 50% less to traders.
11	Blightrot has a stronger impact.	Sinister Blight	The Blightrot's impact is stronger. [[Cyst generation rate is now increased by 100%, the Hearth corrupts +50% quicker than normal and all effects that spawn Blightrot now add twice as many Cysts.
12	Fewer Blueprints to choose from.	Less is More	The greedy Royal Archivist sold most of the Blueprints to Traders and fled the Citadel. You have 2 fewer Blueprint choices.
13	Fewer Cornerstone choices.	Restrictions	The Royal Envoy comes to you with bad news. The Queen has restricted your Cornerstone choices by 2.
14	Queen's Impatience reduced less upon gaining Reputation.	Higher Expectations	The Queen expects a lot from a Viceroy of your rank. Impatience falls by 0.5 points less for every Reputation Point you gain.
15	More Resolve needed to gain Reputation.	Malcontents	You took a very peculiar group of settlers with you. They seem perpetually dissatisfied. The Resolve threshold at which each species starts producing Reputation increases by 1 more point for every Reputation point they generate.
16	One fewer Blueprint to choose from.	Budget Cuts	The Queen has visited the Obsidian Archives in person, and was dissatisfied with the amount of funding spent on expeditioins. You have one fewer initial Blueprint.
17	Stronger Hunger penalty.	Famine Outbreak	Famine outbreaks in your previous settlements have made the villagers particularly sensitive to food shortages. Every time villagers have nothing to eat during a break, they will gain two stacks of Hunger instead of one.
18	Sacrifices in the Hearth costs more.	Hearth Defect	The Ancient Hearth seems to have a defect. No matter how hard the firekeeper tries, sacrificed resources are burning 35% quicker.
19	Pay tax for each discovered Glade	Land Tax	Taking advantage od the riches of this new land will cost you. You must pay 2 Amber every time you discover a small Glade, and 6 Amber every time you discover a Dangerous or Forbidden Glade. Otherwise, 2 Villagers will be recalled to the Citadel
20	Higher penalty from losing Villagers	The Queen's People	For the Queen, nothing is more important than her people. Losing Villagers will add 0.5 more points to her Impatience