Hardened (Reforged Submod)

Introduction

Hardened is a large overhaul mod for Reforged, offering an alternate vision  that stays within the bounds of savegame compatibility.

While Reforged focuses on realism and polished mechanics, Hardened embraces a simpler, more experimental approach. The submod takes more risks with innovative perk designs and mechanics, unlocking new possibilities for gameplay, though this can occasionally introduce more bugs or incompatibilities than Reforged. Hardened also walks back several of Reforged's more complex or restrictive design choices, opting for streamlined systems that prioritize fluidity and player freedom.

Hardened reflects my personal vision of a Vanilla Overhaul: a balanced, varied, and challenging experience, with enough depth and randomness to keep each playthrough fresh and unpredictable.

• []Simplified Reach Mechanic and Double Grip effect[/]

  []Shields are destructible again[/]

  []8 New Perks[/]

  []~100 Perks are tweaked or reworked[/]

  []~50 Weapons and Shields are tweaked[/]

  []~50 Body Armors are rebalanced[/]

  []over 100 Helmets are rebalanced[/]

  []A few hundred other adjustments to enemies, ai, perk trees, skills and general mechanics[/]

  []A plethora of Quality of Life improvements; several of them are optional[/]

  []Dozens of minor Vanilla Fixes, including the removal of several cheese strategies[/]

  []A complete documentation of every single change of Hardened in one searchable file and a side-by-side perk comparison of adjusted perks[/]

  Getting Started - What you need to know

  • []This is a Submod of Reforged, so you need to install Reforged first[/]

    []This mod is primarily available on Github

    []This allows me to deliver updates and fixes quicker[/]

    []Once downloaded you will be able to keep up-to-date via the MSU update notifications ingame[/]

    []You can also book-mark the releases/latest page, as it will always point to the latest release[/]

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  []You can add or remove Hardened at any time on existing savegames

  • []This is useful, when comparing changes or debugging an issue you are encountering (which mod is causing it)[/]

    []The severe changes to perks may result in bricked builds (until you switch back)[/]

    []Also Perk Groups can't be identified correctly anymore on already generated characters (until you switch back)[/]

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  []You will potentially encounter more bugs and mod incompatibilities than with regular Reforged

  • []That is because this is a solo-project, there are less eyes reviewing and discussing implementations[/]

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  [*]This mod is roughly 50% harder than