Prepare to Die (Hard Mode)
⚪ Last updated 2023⚠️ Install Order · 1 step
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview

🔍 Analysis
- 👍 2.6% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #147 of 644 Gameplay mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
UPDATE 3: Updated the old 1. 03. 2 version to the newest version of the game (1. 1. 0) Also removed about half of the sites of grace in the overworld.
Just a heads up.
This mod project is a whole complete revamp of enemy AI and enemy stats to increase difficulty more than just health and damage.
Currently available content:
• Enemy stats such as HP, stamina, damage, defense and resistences are on par with NG+ for normal NG (HP is x1. 5, Stam is x1. 25, FP is vanilla)
• Enemy AI is enhanced quite a bit; enemies will see and hear you from much further now. They will look for you longer and harder when they hear you. When going for a backstab while undetected, enemies can hear you right behind them. (be quick about it :P) Enemies now are just overall smarter in most cases and sneaking around enemies is now essential to survive. This portion took weeks of balancing and testing to get it so that its definately challeging but not impossibly hard. It's do-able but very challenging indeed.
• You can now only warp to churches and cathedrals. (Optional)
• Added a wider FOV. (Field of View) (Optional)
• NG+ 1-7 have all been adjusted to accomodate the new difficulty and AI changes. So basically, the AI changes and difficulty changes will scale with all NG+'s
• Archery addition: All arrows and bolts are now significantly faster and have 2x the range. Bows are finally a viable weapon choice! (WIP, and more content to come soon!)
I got sick of seeing all of these "easy mode" mods being pumped out every other day, so I made this mod instead.
Some tips for this mod:
Use items! You need every advantage you can get, whether it's an extra buff or putting a guard to sleep you will need to use everything at your disposal in most cases.
Use bows or throwing weapons to distract enemies by shooting a nearby wall. I can't stress this enough, but I never even thought of doing that in vanilla, but it helps out quite a bit in this mod, it's almost essential.
Try to pull enemies one by one if you can and are up against a large group.
Find out enemy weaknesses, it can give you a leg up in combat.
Remember, enemies can hear you from a somewhat realistic distance and any fighting, smashing boxes or loud noises can alert them, be sneaky and quiet.
Use the telescope! It's a great way to scope out an enemy camp from afar and get a game plan going. Again, I never even used it until playing with this mod.
Git gud at runni
Prepare to Die (Hard Mode) is a gameplay overhaul mod for Dark Souls that significantly increases difficulty, as if the game wasn't hard enough. It has 235 endorsements and was last updated in October 2023, with the 1.1.0 patch complete. For players seeking a brutal challenge.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community-approved with 235 endorsements and over 9,000 downloads.
- Actively maintained, last updated in October 2023.
- Delivers on its promise: a true hard mode for masochistic players.
⚠️ Cons
- May be too brutal for casual players—expect frustration.
- Only compatible with the 1.1.0 version of the game, so check your game version.
For Dark Souls veterans who have beaten the game multiple times and crave a new level of punishment. If you're a completionist looking to prove your skill, this is for you. Skip if you're new to the game or prefer a more balanced experience.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Make sure your game is updated to version 1.1.0 before installing.
- Back up your save files before enabling the mod, as difficulty spikes can lead to many deaths.
- Consider using a mod manager to easily toggle the mod on and off if it becomes too much.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Elden Ring Mods
- Author
- Silentverge
- Version
- 3.0
- Downloads
- 9,081
- Endorsements
- 235
- Category
- Gameplay
- Created
- 3/14/2022
- Updated
- 10/15/2023
🔧 How to Install Elden Ring Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Elden Ring →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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