Best for: Balanced gameplay, small groups, standard experience
Normal difficulty provides the default Overthrow experience with balanced challenges across all gameplay systems. This is the intended baseline difficulty for most players.
Normal is the preset a campaign runs on unless a server says otherwise, so the figures below are the ones most other pages on this wiki mean when they say "by default".
- Starting Cash: 100
- Moderate Costs: 5 per respawn, 5 per fast travel
- Standard Pricing: 1.0x multiplier for placeable, buildable and vehicle costs
- Fair Trading: gun dealers pay 50% of an item's value, and base procurement runs at 80% of the vehicle price
- Steady Income: 30 per civilian in taxes, 5 per supporter in donations
- Recruits: 250 per fighter
- Buses: 5 per kilometre
¶ Standard Enemy Strength
- Moderate Patrols: 2-4 defense groups at radio towers, and up to 5 defense positions per base
- Standard Resources: each occupying-faction base starts with 750 resources
- Balanced Growth: 250 resources per 6 hours into the faction pool, plus up to 500 more scaled by threat
- Standard Threat: the resistance starts at a threat level of 100, decaying by a 0.007 factor
- Counter-attacks: roughly every 100 seconds, give or take 20
- Sabotage Downtime: a sabotaged radio tower stays offline for 30 minutes
- 80% Disguise Effectiveness: Good but not perfect disguise performance
- 60% Detection Range: Reasonable stealth capabilities
- Standard Wanted Decay: 30 seconds per level for levels 2 and above, 2 minutes for level 1
- Moderate Wanted Reduction: 70% reduction when using disguises
- Seen Through at 15 m: the range at which a disguise can be seen through regardless
¶ Standard QRF System
- NOQRF Mode: while a QRF is running you cannot fast travel into its area, but travel elsewhere still works
- 750 Maximum QRF: reasonable response force size, measured in occupying-faction resources
- 100 Points to Win: the score a QRF has to be held off for
- M9 Pistol with magazine
- Radio for communication
- 100 starting cash does not stretch far, so early equipment choices matter
- The 5-cost respawn penalty encourages careful play but is not punishing
- Fast travel is a flat 5 regardless of distance, plus 5 for each recruit brought along
- Tax income provides steady funding once towns are on your side
- Enemy patrols (2-4 groups) reward tactical planning for base assaults
- Standard enemy resources mean prolonged conflicts are possible
- A QRF can interrupt operations but will not completely shut you down
- 80% disguise effectiveness requires some care but is forgiving
- Disguises reduce a wanted level by up to 70%
- Standard wanted timers allow for mistakes without long-term consequences
- Standard building costs reward balanced expansion
- Procurement at 80% of the price is a reasonable route to vehicles
- Gun dealer selling at 50% provides decent income but requires volume
- Early Game: Starting cash is limited; a first camp near a town is the usual footing
- Mid Game: Liberated towns bring tax income, and expansion has to be balanced against costs
- Late Game: Sustainable infrastructure while managing enemy responses
- Tax income of 30 per civilian makes town control valuable
- Tax scales with a town's stability, so a settled town pays more than a restless one
- Balance between expansion and consolidation
- Enemy bases have substantial resources but are manageable
- Up to 5 defense positions and 2-4 tower patrol groups are the standing opposition
- QRF responses require tactical awareness but are not overwhelming
- Standard vehicle prices require saving and planning
- Gun dealer trading at 50% provides reasonable income
- Procurement costs are fair for captured base equipment
- First Playthrough: After learning basics on Easy
- Small Groups: 2-4 players working together
- Balanced Experience: Want the intended game experience
- Standard Servers: Most public servers use Normal difficulty
Normal difficulty provides the core Overthrow experience with balanced challenges that reward good play without being punishing. It's the recommended difficulty for most players and groups.