Hard Mode offers a brand-new challenge for all die-hard survivors. You choose the difficulty level when you start a new game and you can change it anytime along the way.

First of all, Hard Mode makes night gameplay even more challenging than before. Nights are now twice as long and the Volatiles’ don’t show up on the minimap anymore.

As a rule, fighting is a much riskier endeavor in Hard Mode. Not only are enemies stronger, but they’re also harder to kill. Noise attracts more Virals, while Rais’s men arrive at air-drops sooner than they used to. On top of that, melee combat now requires greater precision on your side.

Remember to watch your health closely. Your energy regenerates at a much slower rate and it takes some time for your medkits to heal you.  

Finally, Hard Mode makes the gameplay even more realistic. There are no hints, going into the inventory doesn't pause the game anymore, and the use of Survivor Sense is limited to dropped weapons and Volatiles. There are also other numerous tweaks and nuances to make your life just a little bit harder.  

Apart from that, the Hard Mode patch features heaps of additional content. There are around 20 new outfits, including national clothes unlockable at Survivor Rank 3. For completing the game on Normal, you will receive two new outfits – the Bully and the Punk. For Hard mode, you’ll now get the Trick-or-Treater and the Zombie Wannabe outfits. We’ve added dozens new weapons, too. And among them such badass zombie destroyers as Bone Splitter and Rune Hammer. Last but not least, we introduced the highest weapon rarity level – the Gold tier. Keep your eyes open, as those Gold-tier weapons are extremely rare.