Survival Difficulty Settings
How Easy and stricter modes change raids, damage and drain — and what to pick for your first Drilling Thunder world.
Why difficulty exists
Scrap Mechanic Survival is tough on a fresh 1.0 world: Farmbots hit hard, raids escalate with every plot, and the underground adds fall damage, lava and oxygen pressure. Difficulty settings let you tune that pressure without turning off the systems that make Drilling Thunder interesting.
You pick difficulty when creating a new world. Changing it mid-save is not a supported vanilla workflow — plan before you commit, especially if friends will join later.
What typically changes
Exact numbers can shift between patches, but the community consensus for post-1.0 Survival is:
| Factor | Easier modes | Harder modes |
|---|---|---|
| Raid aggression | Fewer / slower waves for the same crop count | Faster escalation; more elite bots |
| Player damage taken | Reduced bot damage | Full or increased damage |
| Hunger & thirst | Slower drain (on top of 1.0’s already gentler baseline) | Faster drain, less room for mistakes |
| Learning curve | Ideal for learning quests and schematics | For veterans chasing challenge |
Hunger and thirst were already softened in the 1.0 tuning — see health, hunger and thirst. Difficulty still matters most for raid pacing and boss prep mistakes.
Recommendation for new 1.0 players
Start on Easy if any of these apply:
- First Survival run after years away (read start fresh in 1.0).
- You want to finish the questline and learn schematics without wipe anxiety.
- You are solo and learning farming and raids spacing.
Move to a harder world later for a second playthrough. Your Creative blueprints and Garage imports still transfer — difficulty is about the Survival pressure curve, not your building skill.
Recommendation for veterans
If you already clear warehouses and automated farms muscle-memory style, pick a stricter difficulty so raids punish loose crop sprawl. Pair it with the beginner roadmap only as a checklist — skip Easy if it feels trivial after day one.
Multiplayer host notes
- Host picks difficulty when creating the world. Guests inherit that pressure.
- New players in co-op still benefit from Easy while veterans handle Trash Bot and underground runs — role split tips: multiplayer guide.
- Do not assume dedicated servers; one host machine carries the simulation. Higher difficulty plus dense automation can stress older hosts underground.
Related pages
Watch the community walkthrough for this guide:
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Can I change difficulty after creating the world?
Not as a first-class vanilla option. Plan the setting at world create, or start a new Survival save if the pressure is wrong.
Does Easy disable achievements?
Steam achievements for 1.0 are generally available across Survival difficulties — verify any specific trophy text in-game or on our [achievements](/resources/steam-achievements/) page.
Does difficulty affect Creative or Challenge?
No. Difficulty is a Survival world creation option. Creative and Challenge have their own rulesets.