Difficulty in Demonology is a contract you sign before the job: harder settings raise the payout multiplier while quietly removing safety rails like setup time, a working fuse box, and forgiving hunt thresholds. The ladder tops out in a custom mode where you pick your own punishments and the multiplier prices them honestly.
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Difficulty type
Standard Difficulties
The fixed ladder from beginner-friendly to punishing.
Easy
The beginner job setting. Evidence shows up more often, hunts are rare, the fuse box is already on, and the paycheck stays at 1x.
- Reward
- 1x
- Hunt threshold
- ≤25% energy
- Fuse box
- Starts on
- Cursed objects
- 1
- Evidence
- Evidence interactions happen more often, so tools like the Laser Projector, thermometer, and Spirit Book fill in faster. Some evidence can also be ruled out after a few minutes if it never appears.
- Hunts
- Hunts are rarer and shorter, energy drains slower, and ghosts stop hunting after a kill.
- Best for
- Learning maps and evidence
Medium
The default job setting. Pay is 1.25x, hunts start around 50% average energy, and you have to find the fuse box yourself.
- Reward
- 1.25x
- Hunt threshold
- ≤50% energy
- Fuse box
- Starts off
- Cursed objects
- 1
- Evidence
- Standard evidence rate with the usual three-evidence loop. There is no Easy-mode boost and no Nightmare-mode cut.
- Hunts
- Baseline hunt rules. Ghosts can hunt once average energy hits 50%, with the usual 5-second grace before they appear.
- Best for
- Default jobs
Hard
A higher-pay preset at 1.5x. Hunts can start at 75% average energy, the fuse box starts off, and one cursed object still spawns.
- Reward
- 1.5x
- Hunt threshold
- ≤75% energy
- Fuse box
- Starts off
- Cursed objects
- 1
- Evidence
- Hard does not add a separate evidence penalty. Gather the usual three pieces while surviving earlier hunts.
- Hunts
- Ghosts can hunt once average energy hits 75%, with the usual 5-second grace. A kill does not stop the hunt the way it does on Easy.
- Best for
- Higher payout without Nightmare rules
Nightmare
The hardest preset. Pay is 2x, you start at 75% energy with no cursed objects, the ghost room can move, and hunts hit with no grace period.
- Reward
- 2x
- Hunt threshold
- Start at 75% energy
- Fuse box
- Starts off
- Cursed objects
- -
- Evidence
- Evidence is harder to get. Prints last 60 seconds instead of 120, and Wither shows on the site after about 8 minutes instead of about 3. If the ghost room changes, Ghost Orbs drift to the new room.
- Hunts
- No setup time and no hunt grace. The ghost room can change during the job, hunts are more frequent, Energy Drinks restore 30% energy, and the Base Camp energy monitor is broken.
- Best for
- Highest preset payout
| Name | Description | Reward | Hunt threshold | Fuse box | Cursed objects | Evidence | Hunts | Best for | Custom controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | The beginner job setting. Evidence shows up more often, hunts are rare, the fuse box is already on, and the paycheck stays at 1x. | 1x | ≤25% energy | Starts on | 1 | Evidence interactions happen more often, so tools like the Laser Projector, thermometer, and Spirit Book fill in faster. Some evidence can also be ruled out after a few minutes if it never appears. | Hunts are rarer and shorter, energy drains slower, and ghosts stop hunting after a kill. | Learning maps and evidence | - |
| Medium | The default job setting. Pay is 1.25x, hunts start around 50% average energy, and you have to find the fuse box yourself. | 1.25x | ≤50% energy | Starts off | 1 | Standard evidence rate with the usual three-evidence loop. There is no Easy-mode boost and no Nightmare-mode cut. | Baseline hunt rules. Ghosts can hunt once average energy hits 50%, with the usual 5-second grace before they appear. | Default jobs | - |
| Hard | A higher-pay preset at 1.5x. Hunts can start at 75% average energy, the fuse box starts off, and one cursed object still spawns. | 1.5x | ≤75% energy | Starts off | 1 | Hard does not add a separate evidence penalty. Gather the usual three pieces while surviving earlier hunts. | Ghosts can hunt once average energy hits 75%, with the usual 5-second grace. A kill does not stop the hunt the way it does on Easy. | Higher payout without Nightmare rules | - |
| Nightmare | The hardest preset. Pay is 2x, you start at 75% energy with no cursed objects, the ghost room can move, and hunts hit with no grace period. | 2x | Start at 75% energy | Starts off | - | Evidence is harder to get. Prints last 60 seconds instead of 120, and Wither shows on the site after about 8 minutes instead of about 3. If the ghost room changes, Ghost Orbs drift to the new room. | No setup time and no hunt grace. The ghost room can change during the job, hunts are more frequent, Energy Drinks restore 30% energy, and the Base Camp energy monitor is broken. | Highest preset payout | - |
Difficulty type
Custom Difficulty
Build-your-own rules where the multiplier prices each punishment.
Custom
A slider difficulty from 0x practice with hunts off up to 4.07x. You set energy, hunts, evidence, map, and player rules instead of using a preset.
- Reward
- 0x to 4.07x
- Hunt threshold
- Custom
- Fuse box
- Custom
- Cursed objects
- Custom, up to 6
- Evidence
- Sliders cover how many evidence types the ghost gives, thermometer rate, Spirit Box responses, EMF 5 rate, and print duration. Max Custom is often played with no evidence, identifying from traits only.
- Hunts
- Ghost sliders cover hunt duration, hunt energy, cooldown, grace, probability, whether hunts happen, whether a kill ends the hunt, walk speed, room changes, and setup time. Turning hunts off pays 0x and is used to learn maps.
- Best for
- Practice or max payout
- Custom controls
- Energy, Ghost, Evidence, Map, and Player sliders, plus ghost-type force, weather, evidence chance, cursed-object count, fuse box, and broken flashlights.
| Name | Description | Reward | Hunt threshold | Fuse box | Cursed objects | Evidence | Hunts | Best for | Custom controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom | A slider difficulty from 0x practice with hunts off up to 4.07x. You set energy, hunts, evidence, map, and player rules instead of using a preset. | 0x to 4.07x | Custom | Custom | Custom, up to 6 | Sliders cover how many evidence types the ghost gives, thermometer rate, Spirit Box responses, EMF 5 rate, and print duration. Max Custom is often played with no evidence, identifying from traits only. | Ghost sliders cover hunt duration, hunt energy, cooldown, grace, probability, whether hunts happen, whether a kill ends the hunt, walk speed, room changes, and setup time. Turning hunts off pays 0x and is used to learn maps. | Practice or max payout | Energy, Ghost, Evidence, Map, and Player sliders, plus ghost-type force, weather, evidence chance, cursed-object count, fuse box, and broken flashlights. |
What actually changes
Three levers move with the difficulty label. The hunt threshold decides how much energy the ghost needs before it can attack, so higher settings mean living most of the job huntable. The fuse box goes from already-on to actively sabotaged, turning light into a managed resource. Setup time shrinks to nothing, which converts calm evidence routines into speedruns.
Climbing the ladder profitably
- Stay on lower settings while learning ghost types; a failed high-multiplier job pays worse than a finished easy one.
- Move up when hunts stop killing you, not when they stop scaring you.
- Custom difficulty is the endgame economy: stack the punishments you can genuinely handle and skip the ones that end your runs, and the multiplier follows.
FAQ
What changes between difficulties?
Reward multiplier, hunt threshold, fuse box behavior, and setup time. Harder settings pay more while making hunts earlier, light scarcer, and preparation shorter.
When should I raise the difficulty?
Once you can survive hunts reliably and identify ghosts without a full setup phase. The multiplier only pays if you finish.
Is custom difficulty worth it?
Yes, once you know which punishments you can absorb. Stacking the tolerable ones builds a better multiplier than the fixed ladder offers.
