Final Fantasy Resonance offers three modes: Casual, Normal, and Expert. Casual reduces the challenge of combat, Normal is the standard middle-ground option, and Expert makes fights tougher while granting more MRP. You can change modes whenever you want outside battle.
Quick answer: To change difficulty, press Esc (keyboard) or Menu (controller), choose Options, set Difficulty on the Gameplay tab, and press R to Apply. This works in the field, not during a battle.
| Difficulty | In-game description | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | “For those who want a story-centric experience. Battles are easier.” | Easier battles |
| Normal | “For those who want a balanced experience. Normal difficulty battles.” | Standard battles |
| Expert | “For those who like a challenge. Battles are harder and award more MRP.” | Harder battles, more MRP |
Final Fantasy Resonance difficulty settings explained
Your first selection comes when you choose New Game on the title screen. The game then displays a “Select difficulty” screen, where all three choices appear in a list. Moving the highlight shows a brief, two-line explanation below the list for the selected setting.
The game also states “Content is the same for all difficulties.” Your choice changes how hard battles are, and on Expert how much MRP they award; the story and areas are the same on every setting.
Casual
The game describes Casual as “For those who want a story-centric experience. Battles are easier.” The setting lowers the challenge of fights so you can focus on the plot.
Normal
Normal reads “For those who want a balanced experience. Normal difficulty battles.” This is the standard setting, and battles play out at their intended level.
Expert
Expert’s description is “For those who like a challenge. Battles are harder and award more MRP.” Fights get tougher, and you earn more MRP in return.
Which difficulty should you pick?
Choose Normal for your first run. Casual fits a story-focused run, while Expert suits anyone seeking tougher encounters and bonus MRP. You can adjust the setting whenever you like, starting with any option and switching if fights feel too easy or too difficult. As of the current version (1.0.1) there is no New Game Plus run to replay on a harder setting; see whether Final Fantasy Resonance has New Game Plus for what cleared save data offers instead.
The game reminds you of this before you start. After you pick a setting, a prompt appears with Yes and No options. For Normal it reads “Start with Normal difficulty? This setting can be changed at any time from the Options menu.” Choose Yes to begin the game.
How to change difficulty in Final Fantasy Resonance
You change difficulty from inside a game, not from the title screen. The Options screen on the title menu has no Difficulty row. It only appears in Options once you are playing.
Can you change difficulty during a battle?
No. Difficulty can only be changed in the field, through Options > Gameplay > Difficulty and R Apply. Pressing Esc in a battle opens the System Menu, but its Options have no Difficulty row, so you can’t lower the setting partway through a fight.
If a boss keeps beating you, choose Load from that battle’s System Menu to go back to your last save, usually the save point right before the boss. Then open Options in the field, set Difficulty to Casual, apply it and walk back into the fight. You can switch back to Normal the same way once it’s over. We did exactly this for Aether at the top of the Wind Shrine in Chapter 2.
Press R to Apply and the confirmation “Current settings will be saved. Proceed?” appears, with No selected. Pressing Enter immediately leaves the settings unchanged; move the cursor up to Yes first.
Save and Load slot cards indicate whether they were saved on Casual or Normal. Autosaves record whichever difficulty is active at the time. If you switched to a lower setting for one boss—for example, Leviathan at Lake Dorr in Chapter 3—restore Normal before saving. See how to beat Leviathan for that fight.
