Should I choose Storyteller or Survivalist difficulty in Windbound?

Windbound may look like a game that is easy to complete but don’t let its quaintness or painted graphics fool you. 5 Lives Studios’ survivalist-adventure title isn’t shy about being challenging, especially on its harder difficulty setting.

Unlike traditional games, Windbound only has two difficulty modes. Storyteller and Survivalist are easy and hard modes, respectively, and each caters to gamers who want a different experience from their playthrough.

If you’re undecided about where you should pick Storyteller or Survivalist difficulty in Windbound, allow us to help. Our rundown shows you what rules are in place for each mode, which will help you decide what difficulty to play on.

Storyteller mode

Storyteller mode is the ideal option for those who want to focus on Windbound’s story. You’ll still be presented with a challenging playthrough, but it’s more forgiving than Survivalist mode is. In terms of what rules are enforced, you can read them below.

• Your full inventory is kept upon death
• Chapter progress is retained even if you are killed
• Combat difficulty is reduced, so enemies are easier to defeat

Survivalist mode

This option is Windbound’s hard mode. If you want the full gameplay experience, you’ll want to select this difficulty setting. It will be challenging and potentially rage-inducing, but it’s more rewarding when you complete Windbound this way. Survivalist mode has similar rules to Storyteller, but you have bigger setbacks if you do end up dying.

• Only items in your “Held” inventory slots are retained upon death
• You return to chapter one if you die, and have to start the game over
• There is standard combat difficulty

Can I change the difficulty setting during a Windbound playthrough?

Yes. If Survivalist mode is too tough, or if you find Storyteller too easy, you can switch to the opposite mode at any time.

To do so, open up the pause menu, scroll down to “Options,” select “Gameplay,” and then scroll to “Difficulty” in this tab. Cycle left or right to choose a different mode, and then tap the confirm button to complete this action.