Story/Very Easy/Wimpy Baby Googoo Gaga - whatever the devs wanna call the path of least resistance so I can just enjoy the story without my trash lack of skills getting in the way 🫡
Same. For story based games I prefer story/easy mode, but for games where there isn’t a story you progress through like online only games such as Helldivers, I prefer to go as difficult as possible (like in HD2 I live at difficulty 7-8 out of 9 because diff 9 can get a little silly.)
Usually hard and change later if I have to. I like a game where I will die if I don’t pay attention but not repeating segments which you often don’t get on the “standard” difficulty.
i almost never choose hard mode difficulty unless im very proficient in the specific game or genre.
90% of the time normal.
for elden ring just run a high vigor build and you're good. it wasnt that difficult if i grinded to 40 vigor before fighting margit
Hard.
If it's an action heavy game and combat is easy I find it boring and lose interest in playing half way. Mostly it's game design issue making you extremely powerful.
Dislike using OP powers in games like time slowdown that you can abuse enemies and they can't counter you in any way. I like challenge so need to move cogs to figure out how to win.Â
Don't like using guides or cheats on first playthrough.Â
I usually start on Normal and adjust upwards if it starts to feel too easy. But in general, I don't play games for the challenge anymore, I just want a balance of engaging but easy enough where I'm not repeating the same boss several times (a few is fine though).
I almost always play Honor because I want to see the additional mechanics added to the game. If I die I can always just continue. If my goal is to get the achieve then it's a bummer but that doesn't have to be the only goal of the run.
Depends on the game, if it's a shooter like stalker I prefer gunfights to be hard and both me and enemy damage increased a whole lot so it's rewarding gameplay as well as me dying when I fuck up.
I usually reduce the difficulty regarding survival stuff like hydration/food/energy stuff and ramp up the difficulty regarding the combat.
This is why I like games where you can do a "custom difficulty" like sniper elite, so I can make some parts harder and other more easy.
Depends on the game, really. Most of the time I go with whatever is the default because I'm typically unaware of difficulty settings until long after I start playing.
Normal because that's what was intended. Hardest difficulty possible for the second playthrough. After that I play on whatever difficulty feels like a slight challenge but still enjoyable
1 exception is Payday 2. Normal makes it almost impossible to die, hard is very easy, very hard is easy and overkill is normal. The game only feels like a slight challenge at the 5th difficulty and there's 7 of them (8 with the one down modifier)
Depends on the game and mechanics. I usually go with whatever seems like the default/developer intended difficulty, which typically means "normal" difficulty.
I will adjust upward if the game seems too easy or if there are different mechanics to the harder difficulties that I would enjoy (like Fo4's Survival mode, which is great).
I rarely play on the easier difficulty settings because I like at least *some* sort of challenge. The only real exception are the few older games where the gameplay isn't great but I want to get through the story. I played through the Witcher games recently and I absolutely set Witcher 1 on easy just to get through it. The gameplay is rough.
I like to consider myself and elite gamer.Â
I can be better than most at almost any genre of games. I played soo many on its most difficultly in the past.
Like I can run through halo ce on legendary because I did it soo many times in the past.
Now I play on easy just to play and enjoy the game. I'm not spending months on the same checkpoint like I once did on halo 2.Â
I'm running through ganes so I can play more before time runs out here on earth.
Really depends on the game. For games I play to chill out or follow the story, I'll typically just pick normal difficulty. If the game has really tight controls and is *built around* being somewhat difficult, I'll turn up the difficulty to whatever feels right.
Fps games I prefer a higher difficulty, so I have to actually take cover and think about my positioning. Platformers or adventure games I'll turn it down to normal.
Just depends on the genre and my mood really.
Depends on what the difficulty changes. I want smart enemies, that are not bullet sponges. Likewise I don't want to be a bullet sponge.
There are some games that allow micro difficulty tuning, and it needs to be highlighted, and encouraged elsewhere. The game that comes to my mind is Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, way better then it had any right to be. And allowed you to tune if the enemies had high/low HP, high/low damage, same for the characters, if the enemies were a bit dense or not, etc, I believe it also let you disable Quick time events, which I personally hate, and thing is a lazy gameplay mechanic.
I enjoy the soulsbourne games for their difficulty
I also enjoy playing games on easy for feeling overpowered or for the story.
But most of the times normal I guess
Depends on the type of game.
FPS: Max difficulty, but no gimmicks (Iron Man type modes). Always had a knack for these.
RPG: Hard or Max difficulty. I have a tendency to min-max unless I deliberately avoid it. Exceptions being games like Skyrim where I have to literally mod in more difficulty or I'll roll through it like a Mad Cat through medieval Europe.
RTS: Normal, Hard if I've been playing it a lot recently. Multitasking is a bit of a weakness for me.
TBS: Hard if it's a Civilization-style game, Normal if there are blended elements (Warhammer whoops my ass no matter how many videos I watch, but it's still fun).
Survival Horror: Normal on the first run. The Forest legit scared the shit out of me. Alien Isolation languishes on the list, bought but never installed. I'll work up the courage eventually...
Fighting Games: Easy. I'm horrible at these games.
Roguelikes: Normal if it's available. If it's Noita or Rimworld I'll claw out every advantage I can muster without cheating (and still die).
I usually do a little research about how hard the game and each difficulty setting is to get an idea. Especially if you can't change the difficulty after starting. I don't want the experience to be too hard or too easy.
Changes game by game. I suck at strategy games. So always easy (I still suck at most of them)
Games with high interactive combat like witcher, dark souls, marvel's spiderman etc. I always choose the hardest one. My friends usually have fun with my incontinence...
Shooters are... a bit complicated. Never finished a single, classic cod at veteran. But always one below.
I play games to have a good time also. But keeping my all focus and mind keeps me lose the weight of the world, and enjoy more haha.
Im a basic ahh mf, i play for fun and wanna enjoy games without having to deal too much with learning curve so i pick easy difficulty and only would change it if it feels TOO easy to the point where it gets boring.
Second to hardest. I’ve found the most difficult difficulties often require cheese or tactics that aren’t fun to play.
I’ve been playing games almost daily for the past twenty years, and require some level of challenge to remain engaged.
The second to hardest difficulty is often just the right balance of difficulty and fun.
If it's an rpg with deep story, I pick the easiest.
It's actually called "story" difficulty in a lot of games.
If it's another else, then normal. I like a challenge, but I don't like getting my ass kicked constantly.
I try normal and adjust up or down. As an older gamer with a family (limited gaming time) I want a challenge but not to the point of stress. Already have plenty of stress!
Too easy though and I get bored. Sometimes it's just adjusting other settings also like guided waypoints vs exploration to tune it just right.
If there's no incentive to increase difficulty or I'm more interested in the story, then easy.
If there's an incentive to increase difficulty (e.g. Diablo), bring on the hellfire. I'll dive into a game I've never even heard of before on the highest difficulty for a 5% XP boost.
Hard or the hardest option but i lower it if it's not fun (like if you die in one hit or bosses turn into damage sponges).
Normal usually is to easy. To me there's no fun if you can beat the game without paying attention and just mashing buttons.
Depend on How good the combat and mechanics are in the game feel to me, If they are satisfying like God of war I may go Very hard but If they are kinda shit like lords of the fallen I choose normal
Easy or normal sometimes story mode depending on the game (like in Jedi fallen order I found Jedi knight too hard but I played Jedi survivor on Padawan)
Hard+ usually. I want something of a challenge, but I also don't want to have to memorize the entire game to not die.
Though I do enjoy the Dark Souls sadomasochism depending on my mood.
I usually go for the hardest If it can be modified mid game to see how it goes, if it can't, I go with whatever is between normal & the hardest & see it through, I think I've beaten TLOU 1 & 2 on realist & I'll tell you, TLOU on max difficulty is a whole different game, that's why it's the only game I've ever replayed, not being able to see through walls sounded impossible, before starting ym save I opened a random chapter on max difficulty just to see if I could go through it easily & boynwas did I see
Hard always.
I remember playing ff7 remake on release on the ps4. It was hard doing the VR bosses and when I finally do beat them it felt satisfying.
Then I replay the game on pc a few years after and they made it easier, there’s a lot more rooms for error. The satisfaction was no longer there.
Depends, as hard as possible as long as it doesn't become boring.
I.e. Fallout 4 on Very Hard is just bullet sponge simulator, but with Survival mode and a mod that makes the players and enemies glass cannons and it becomes a tactical shooter
These days for games with a story e.g. god of war I play story mode.
For RTS, builders and strategic games I go normal and move it up if there is little challenge
Ideally, I want to play a game at the level of difficulty that makes me interface with all the tools at my disposal. For example, I like to play Doom (2016) at one of the "harder" difficulties (I don't remember which one exactly, sorry) because I can't just rely on one or two guns.
I find it kind of sad and disappointing if a game has a lot of fun cool toys and tools, but there's not really any reason to use them. I don't like "easy" mode cause you can just rely on like 1 thing; I don't like "hard" modes that are difficult in a very annoying way, and force you to only use the single best option.
I pick the easiest mode they have. Like you said I play to have a good. Most of the time it’s because I’m in it for the story and lore and don’t need a difficult boss fight
Used to play on hard, but in the last 3-4 years I switched to normal. Got tired of sweaty gameplay, I just want to have a good time and relax after work.
It depends on the game. If it's sniper elite, or anything to do with guns being fairly realistic (bullet drop, wind affecting the bullet, material penetration, etc) I will always choose the hardest difficulty because I enjoy it. Other games I'll choose a medium difficulty until I figure out how the game works. But I do tend to make the games much harder, simply because I can and because it adds a new layer of suffering
These days, I'm dealing enough important matters with IRL work that having the same level of tension in games isn't appealing at all. So unless the payoff is worth it, I'll play at the most convenient difficulty.
So its gonna be "the one that unlocks the most in the most efficient way possible". Some games are respectful of your time that you can get everything in a single playthrough of the hardest difficulty. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of effort getting past whatever skillcheck/learning curve is present on "insane mode" if it means I'd complete everything in a single playthrough.
Some publishers/devs really want that "concurrent user count" and "cumulative play hours" so there are games where there's a need to do a New Game Plus, the usual pattern here is to first play on the easiest difficulty that still unlocks content (usually Normal mode) then hop on to a higher difficulty on a second playthrough. Kudos to some devs who made some nice QoL for NG+ allowing players to skip past content already done in the first run.
Typically normal. I feel that’s the setting the developers meant for the game to be played. I like a challenge, but if a game gets too hard it can become more frustrating than fun.
Depends on the game. I pick the hardest in most shooters. Rarely changing from that. But strategy I pick normal as you never know what the AI is going to be like. A Ghandi nuke hits a bit different than one from France. Well...he probably owned that too since they gave up to him once he became more passive. It was just too aggressive for them.
Varies depending on the game and the mood im in though most games I enjoy don't have the setting to begin with. (FF XIV, Monster Hunter, Stardew Valley etc).
When I've had a long day and just want to relax, I generally go an easier difficulty and just mindlessly enjoy what I'm playing, if I want to properly dig into a game, I'll pick a harder setting so I get a longer experience and really have to get into the mechanics.
I always start off with the hardest "regular" difficulty (not challenge modes, if that makes any sense) and then if I'm not having fun I'll back the difficulty down.
Among my friends growing up, I had the label of "the one friend that does hard mode and collects the achievements/trophies." So I just kinda got used to it. After all these years (I'm in my 40s) I just can't bring myself to start with a normal difficulty. I can't be bothered spending the hours to get all the achievements/trophies/whatever these days, though.
It very much depends on the game and what kind of experience I'm looking for, but in most cases, I stick to normal difficulty. I find that many games handle hard mode settings quite poorly, often just turning every enemy into a damage sponge instead of tweaking the difficulty itself. While this happens less than it used to, it's still quite noticeable. So typically, I'll just go with the recommended setting by the game since that's probably what the devs balanced everything on.
Damage sponge enemies are most prominent in Skyrim
And enemies just beaming you to death without any real change feels like Titanfall 2. The game constantly talks about movement but on the harder difficulties it literally punishes you for the main appeal of the game
Whatever the Masochist setting is.
🤣
I play on Easy. I suck at games but I still want to enjoy without giving up.
"dude, sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something" -jake the dog
Turn that shit up homie, there’s no way of getting better at stuff if it’s always easy! I was the same way for a while
Story/Very Easy/Wimpy Baby Googoo Gaga - whatever the devs wanna call the path of least resistance so I can just enjoy the story without my trash lack of skills getting in the way 🫡
Same. For story based games I prefer story/easy mode, but for games where there isn’t a story you progress through like online only games such as Helldivers, I prefer to go as difficult as possible (like in HD2 I live at difficulty 7-8 out of 9 because diff 9 can get a little silly.)
Usually hard and change later if I have to. I like a game where I will die if I don’t pay attention but not repeating segments which you often don’t get on the “standard” difficulty.
"Normal" nowadays tends to actually be as easy as "Easy" so I usually play on Hard and adjust if necessary
i almost never choose hard mode difficulty unless im very proficient in the specific game or genre. 90% of the time normal. for elden ring just run a high vigor build and you're good. it wasnt that difficult if i grinded to 40 vigor before fighting margit
Hard. If it's an action heavy game and combat is easy I find it boring and lose interest in playing half way. Mostly it's game design issue making you extremely powerful. Dislike using OP powers in games like time slowdown that you can abuse enemies and they can't counter you in any way. I like challenge so need to move cogs to figure out how to win. Don't like using guides or cheats on first playthrough.Â
I usually start on Normal and adjust upwards if it starts to feel too easy. But in general, I don't play games for the challenge anymore, I just want a balance of engaging but easy enough where I'm not repeating the same boss several times (a few is fine though).
I almost always play Honor because I want to see the additional mechanics added to the game. If I die I can always just continue. If my goal is to get the achieve then it's a bummer but that doesn't have to be the only goal of the run.
I set it to usually as easy as possible since I just want to chill and enjoy the gameplay/story.
Usually normal
Depends on the game, if it's a shooter like stalker I prefer gunfights to be hard and both me and enemy damage increased a whole lot so it's rewarding gameplay as well as me dying when I fuck up. I usually reduce the difficulty regarding survival stuff like hydration/food/energy stuff and ramp up the difficulty regarding the combat. This is why I like games where you can do a "custom difficulty" like sniper elite, so I can make some parts harder and other more easy.
Depends on the game, really. Most of the time I go with whatever is the default because I'm typically unaware of difficulty settings until long after I start playing.
I play fromsoft games
Max or close to it, but rarely Iron man.
Normal because that's what was intended. Hardest difficulty possible for the second playthrough. After that I play on whatever difficulty feels like a slight challenge but still enjoyable 1 exception is Payday 2. Normal makes it almost impossible to die, hard is very easy, very hard is easy and overkill is normal. The game only feels like a slight challenge at the 5th difficulty and there's 7 of them (8 with the one down modifier)
Depends on the game and mechanics. I usually go with whatever seems like the default/developer intended difficulty, which typically means "normal" difficulty. I will adjust upward if the game seems too easy or if there are different mechanics to the harder difficulties that I would enjoy (like Fo4's Survival mode, which is great). I rarely play on the easier difficulty settings because I like at least *some* sort of challenge. The only real exception are the few older games where the gameplay isn't great but I want to get through the story. I played through the Witcher games recently and I absolutely set Witcher 1 on easy just to get through it. The gameplay is rough.
Since elden ring made me experience what it feels like to overcome and impossible challenge I know always pick hard or something above that.
I like to consider myself and elite gamer. I can be better than most at almost any genre of games. I played soo many on its most difficultly in the past. Like I can run through halo ce on legendary because I did it soo many times in the past. Now I play on easy just to play and enjoy the game. I'm not spending months on the same checkpoint like I once did on halo 2. I'm running through ganes so I can play more before time runs out here on earth.
Really depends on the game. For games I play to chill out or follow the story, I'll typically just pick normal difficulty. If the game has really tight controls and is *built around* being somewhat difficult, I'll turn up the difficulty to whatever feels right. Fps games I prefer a higher difficulty, so I have to actually take cover and think about my positioning. Platformers or adventure games I'll turn it down to normal. Just depends on the genre and my mood really.
Depends on what the difficulty changes. I want smart enemies, that are not bullet sponges. Likewise I don't want to be a bullet sponge. There are some games that allow micro difficulty tuning, and it needs to be highlighted, and encouraged elsewhere. The game that comes to my mind is Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, way better then it had any right to be. And allowed you to tune if the enemies had high/low HP, high/low damage, same for the characters, if the enemies were a bit dense or not, etc, I believe it also let you disable Quick time events, which I personally hate, and thing is a lazy gameplay mechanic.
I enjoy the soulsbourne games for their difficulty I also enjoy playing games on easy for feeling overpowered or for the story. But most of the times normal I guess
Depends on the type of game. FPS: Max difficulty, but no gimmicks (Iron Man type modes). Always had a knack for these. RPG: Hard or Max difficulty. I have a tendency to min-max unless I deliberately avoid it. Exceptions being games like Skyrim where I have to literally mod in more difficulty or I'll roll through it like a Mad Cat through medieval Europe. RTS: Normal, Hard if I've been playing it a lot recently. Multitasking is a bit of a weakness for me. TBS: Hard if it's a Civilization-style game, Normal if there are blended elements (Warhammer whoops my ass no matter how many videos I watch, but it's still fun). Survival Horror: Normal on the first run. The Forest legit scared the shit out of me. Alien Isolation languishes on the list, bought but never installed. I'll work up the courage eventually... Fighting Games: Easy. I'm horrible at these games. Roguelikes: Normal if it's available. If it's Noita or Rimworld I'll claw out every advantage I can muster without cheating (and still die).
I usually do a little research about how hard the game and each difficulty setting is to get an idea. Especially if you can't change the difficulty after starting. I don't want the experience to be too hard or too easy.
Changes game by game. I suck at strategy games. So always easy (I still suck at most of them) Games with high interactive combat like witcher, dark souls, marvel's spiderman etc. I always choose the hardest one. My friends usually have fun with my incontinence... Shooters are... a bit complicated. Never finished a single, classic cod at veteran. But always one below. I play games to have a good time also. But keeping my all focus and mind keeps me lose the weight of the world, and enjoy more haha.
If I'm playing with my kids, easy. If I'm playing solo normal
I don't play games with difficulty options. Just a bad thing to have in a game imo. Big red flag for me.
Im a basic ahh mf, i play for fun and wanna enjoy games without having to deal too much with learning curve so i pick easy difficulty and only would change it if it feels TOO easy to the point where it gets boring.
Second to hardest. I’ve found the most difficult difficulties often require cheese or tactics that aren’t fun to play. I’ve been playing games almost daily for the past twenty years, and require some level of challenge to remain engaged. The second to hardest difficulty is often just the right balance of difficulty and fun.
As I've gotten older I seem to find myself playing more often on Easy or even Story mode. I'm getting too slow / bad for Medium/Hard in many games.
If it's an rpg with deep story, I pick the easiest. It's actually called "story" difficulty in a lot of games. If it's another else, then normal. I like a challenge, but I don't like getting my ass kicked constantly.
Medium at first. See how it goes and adjust accordingly.
I try normal and adjust up or down. As an older gamer with a family (limited gaming time) I want a challenge but not to the point of stress. Already have plenty of stress! Too easy though and I get bored. Sometimes it's just adjusting other settings also like guided waypoints vs exploration to tune it just right.
If there's no incentive to increase difficulty or I'm more interested in the story, then easy. If there's an incentive to increase difficulty (e.g. Diablo), bring on the hellfire. I'll dive into a game I've never even heard of before on the highest difficulty for a 5% XP boost.
Hard or the hardest option but i lower it if it's not fun (like if you die in one hit or bosses turn into damage sponges). Normal usually is to easy. To me there's no fun if you can beat the game without paying attention and just mashing buttons.
Depend on How good the combat and mechanics are in the game feel to me, If they are satisfying like God of war I may go Very hard but If they are kinda shit like lords of the fallen I choose normal
Easy or normal sometimes story mode depending on the game (like in Jedi fallen order I found Jedi knight too hard but I played Jedi survivor on Padawan)
Hard+ usually. I want something of a challenge, but I also don't want to have to memorize the entire game to not die. Though I do enjoy the Dark Souls sadomasochism depending on my mood.
I usually go for the hardest If it can be modified mid game to see how it goes, if it can't, I go with whatever is between normal & the hardest & see it through, I think I've beaten TLOU 1 & 2 on realist & I'll tell you, TLOU on max difficulty is a whole different game, that's why it's the only game I've ever replayed, not being able to see through walls sounded impossible, before starting ym save I opened a random chapter on max difficulty just to see if I could go through it easily & boynwas did I see
Hard always. I remember playing ff7 remake on release on the ps4. It was hard doing the VR bosses and when I finally do beat them it felt satisfying. Then I replay the game on pc a few years after and they made it easier, there’s a lot more rooms for error. The satisfaction was no longer there.
normal for my first time (whatever the devs recommend. that's the intended way to enjoy it) and then masochist difficulty the second time.
Depends, as hard as possible as long as it doesn't become boring. I.e. Fallout 4 on Very Hard is just bullet sponge simulator, but with Survival mode and a mod that makes the players and enemies glass cannons and it becomes a tactical shooter
These days for games with a story e.g. god of war I play story mode. For RTS, builders and strategic games I go normal and move it up if there is little challenge
Rookie or easy. Because I want to have fun not a stroke.
Normal/Hard depending on the games real "normal" difficulty.
If it's my kind of game I bump it up to max. If it's some game I'm not sure I will like I leave it in normal
most games hard is the real balanced , decent combat challenge but loot etc still not hard to find
Ideally, I want to play a game at the level of difficulty that makes me interface with all the tools at my disposal. For example, I like to play Doom (2016) at one of the "harder" difficulties (I don't remember which one exactly, sorry) because I can't just rely on one or two guns. I find it kind of sad and disappointing if a game has a lot of fun cool toys and tools, but there's not really any reason to use them. I don't like "easy" mode cause you can just rely on like 1 thing; I don't like "hard" modes that are difficult in a very annoying way, and force you to only use the single best option.
Hard preferred. Then the hardest on second run.
I pick the easiest mode they have. Like you said I play to have a good. Most of the time it’s because I’m in it for the story and lore and don’t need a difficult boss fight
Used to play on hard, but in the last 3-4 years I switched to normal. Got tired of sweaty gameplay, I just want to have a good time and relax after work.
Hard or Very Hard
Whatever the hardest mode is minus 1 for starters and go from there. Needs to be challenging but fun. That balance will be different for everyone.
It depends on the game. If it's sniper elite, or anything to do with guns being fairly realistic (bullet drop, wind affecting the bullet, material penetration, etc) I will always choose the hardest difficulty because I enjoy it. Other games I'll choose a medium difficulty until I figure out how the game works. But I do tend to make the games much harder, simply because I can and because it adds a new layer of suffering
These days, I'm dealing enough important matters with IRL work that having the same level of tension in games isn't appealing at all. So unless the payoff is worth it, I'll play at the most convenient difficulty. So its gonna be "the one that unlocks the most in the most efficient way possible". Some games are respectful of your time that you can get everything in a single playthrough of the hardest difficulty. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of effort getting past whatever skillcheck/learning curve is present on "insane mode" if it means I'd complete everything in a single playthrough. Some publishers/devs really want that "concurrent user count" and "cumulative play hours" so there are games where there's a need to do a New Game Plus, the usual pattern here is to first play on the easiest difficulty that still unlocks content (usually Normal mode) then hop on to a higher difficulty on a second playthrough. Kudos to some devs who made some nice QoL for NG+ allowing players to skip past content already done in the first run.
Normal, because I want to enjoy the game.
Typically normal. I feel that’s the setting the developers meant for the game to be played. I like a challenge, but if a game gets too hard it can become more frustrating than fun.
Depends on the game. I pick the hardest in most shooters. Rarely changing from that. But strategy I pick normal as you never know what the AI is going to be like. A Ghandi nuke hits a bit different than one from France. Well...he probably owned that too since they gave up to him once he became more passive. It was just too aggressive for them.
I usually pick the 2nd hardest option. Its usually the best since enemies usually are harder but are not total bullet sponges.
Varies depending on the game and the mood im in though most games I enjoy don't have the setting to begin with. (FF XIV, Monster Hunter, Stardew Valley etc). When I've had a long day and just want to relax, I generally go an easier difficulty and just mindlessly enjoy what I'm playing, if I want to properly dig into a game, I'll pick a harder setting so I get a longer experience and really have to get into the mechanics.
I usually do difficult (not max, but the one between max and normal).
I always start off with the hardest "regular" difficulty (not challenge modes, if that makes any sense) and then if I'm not having fun I'll back the difficulty down. Among my friends growing up, I had the label of "the one friend that does hard mode and collects the achievements/trophies." So I just kinda got used to it. After all these years (I'm in my 40s) I just can't bring myself to start with a normal difficulty. I can't be bothered spending the hours to get all the achievements/trophies/whatever these days, though.
Always on maximum without iron man.
Hard generally. Don't like it too easy, and not out to set any records either.
It very much depends on the game and what kind of experience I'm looking for, but in most cases, I stick to normal difficulty. I find that many games handle hard mode settings quite poorly, often just turning every enemy into a damage sponge instead of tweaking the difficulty itself. While this happens less than it used to, it's still quite noticeable. So typically, I'll just go with the recommended setting by the game since that's probably what the devs balanced everything on.
Damage sponge enemies are most prominent in Skyrim And enemies just beaming you to death without any real change feels like Titanfall 2. The game constantly talks about movement but on the harder difficulties it literally punishes you for the main appeal of the game