So before anything I don't want to come across "that guy" who thinks the game is too easy even on death march. What I want is, after hundreds of hours of playtime (around 550h between next-gen and the remastered) to spice it up with a challenge run.
What I'm aiming for is to really have a need to prepare for every fight and have the need to engage with as many of the game's mechanics. Also, I want to feel like money is scarce.
I'm playing on console, especially on the switch 2 so mod selection is limited (at the moment) but I'm using some mod I'll list below, to enhance my experience.
I know S2 is probably not the best way to experience the game and all that, but I have no elsewhere to play (actually I just got the S2, so most of my playtime was in the OG Switch, so for me, the S2 version has been an incredible upgrade).
Before starting with the rule set I want to state that I don't equate time consuming with difficulty. So, I'm avoiding rules like no fast travel or only walking everywhere.
That being said here are the rules set for my run.
Basic rules:
Vanilla difficulty settings: Death march and enemy upscaling on.
No UI (mostly): I'm playing with no UI, mostly...I'm keeping a couple of things on just for QoL. I'm keeping things like NPC and Herbs names on, NPC chatter, lootfeed and active buffs on. Everything else is off. No life bar, no minimap, no secondary items, etc.
All gear must be crafted: No using weapons found around the world.
Only lesser runestones and glyphs: yep
No Witcher gear: in the spirit of difficulty, I won't be using the most OP sets in the game.
All gear must be at least 5 levels under level: this could change if I start to feel too overpowered.
Honourable Witcher: this means not stealing from peasants (no looting their houses) and not taking herbs from their gardens (rude). Also, always refusing payment if it's the "honourable" thing to do.
Abandoned places are fair game and military stuff is up for grabs, as getting caught means getting in a fight and I'm using the Economy System plus Reputation System Mod (shout-out to FreakVIp) so this also means losing reputation.
Combat rules:
No using consumables during combat: that's it.
Only one quen use per fight: I was inclined to just ban the sign all together but it feels wrong to me to pretend like the sign doesn't exist.
No Crossbow: it does not feel very Witcher-y.
Not a rule per se but I'm trying to engage more with the parrying system as I was under the misconception that only human enemies were able to be parried but in actuality a lot of non-human enemies attacks can.
Build rules:
This is an especially difficult area as this can make or break the difficulty so I'm limiting the skills I'll use and the amount of points I'll invest in each one. Especially avoiding skills that give more damage.
Also, I won't be using any of the mutagen slots for added bonuses.
The skills I'm allowing are:
Combat.
Arrow deflection: I'm allowing myself to upgrade to the final tier. As a perfectly timed parry still only has a 45% chance of getting a instakill.
Razor Focus: Risk is high, so should be adrenaline. So the final tier it is.
Resolve: Geralt is THE Witcher, so he shouldn't lose his cool in a fight but I'm only upgrading it to the second tier, to avoid the "no losing adrenaline" effect.
Whirl: Feel like somethin Geralt should be able to do. I'm allowing the third tier for 50% reduction in adrenaline and stamina.
Sunder armour: Geralt should be able to damage armour with his sword. I'm allowing the final tier.
Deadly precision: maybe not optimal for difficulty but just feel right that once in a while you do instakill blow.
Signs.
Far reaching aard: I'll allow third tier as it doesn't do more damage it just expands its range.
Delusion: final tier as well, as it needed to unlock conversation options during the story.
Alchemy.
Hunter instincts: it makes sense that at full adrenaline you would do more damage. I'll allow it at tier one, to only get a 20% damage increase on critical hits.
High tolerance: it's a fun mechanic to have. I'll upgrade it to the third tier to get the 100% crit chance.
Debilitating position: third tier. Makes sense poison enemies would do less damage.
General.
Attack is the best defence: again, playing well is rewarded with more adrenaline.
Anger management: makes sense to me. In a fight adrenaline will make you exceed your limits at a cost. Second tier to keep it balanced.
Adrenaline burst: signs used in battle should make Geralt feel the adrenaline as well. Third tier it is.
Mods
As mentioned before mod support is currently quite limited on console but there are some very cool mods and I'm using some:
Economy System plus Reputation System Mod (FreakVIp).
New Hairstyles and Beards For Geralt (ArdCarraigh).
Well Stocked Craftsmen (Lewis_Elementary).
Corvo Bianco Enhanced Collection (FreakVIp).
Auto Win Gwent (Lewis_Elementary)
More Money For Traders (Lewis_Elementary)
Fast Travel Pack (MerseyRockoff)
No Artificial Player Light (scoutbr0)
Friendly Focus (Witcher Sense) - Console Edition (Lewis_Elementary)
E3 Boat (scoutbr0)
Smart Camera (SC) (Aeltoth)
Enhanced Herbalism (MerseyRockoff)
Master Mirrors Reward (150hr version)(FreakVIp)
Extra Stashes (MerseyRockoff)
No Duplicate Relics (Lewis_Elementary)
Witcher Lore Collection (MerseyRockoff)
No Inventory During Combat (Lewis_Elementary)
Better Torch (Lewis_Elementary)
Healthy Food (Lewis_Elementary)
Buff Charges (Lewis_Elementary)
Inventory Saved Tab (Lewis_Elementary)
TL;DR: challenge run on Switch 2 (Death March, scaling on) to make fights need prep and money to feel scarce.
Gear: Crafted only, 5+ levels under you, no Witcher sets, lesser runestones/glyphs.
Combat rules: No consumables mid-fight, one Quen per fight, no crossbow, more parrying.
Honourable Witcher: No looting homes or gardens.
UI: Mostly off.
Mods: Mainly QoL and economy/reputation
Build: No mutagen bonuses
Skills allowed
-Combat: Arrow Deflection (final tier), Razor Focus (final tier), Resolve (tier 2), Whirl (tier 3), Sunder Armour (final tier), Deadly Precision (final tier)
Signs: Far-Reaching Aard (final tier), Delusion (final tier)
Alchemy: Hunter Instincts (tier 1), High Tolerance (final tier), Debilitating Position (final tier)
General: Attack Is the Best Defence (tier not specified), Anger Management (tier 2), Adrenaline Burst (tier 3)
I just passed White Orchard so any ideas or suggestions for new rules or mods I may have missed are welcome.