Citizen Sleeper 2 improves on the first installment by offering varying levels of challenge to players. Now, you can choose how hardcore your adventure should be, thanks to the new stress and death mechanics. However, this added complexity might leave some players wondering about the three difficulty settings in Citizen Sleeper 2 and how they affect gameplay. To help clear things up, we’ve put together this guide.
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In a past interview with Game Rant, the game’s developer said, “One of the things I set up in Citizen Sleeper 1 was that the game doesn’t really have a game over. It’s only in the hardest difficulty of Citizen Sleeper 2—where permadeath is introduced—that you can actually get a game over.” This shows that permanent death is a key element in how the difficulty levels are structured in the new installment. But here’s everything else you need to know.
All Difficulty Levels in Citizen Sleeper 2
Citizen Sleeper 2 features three difficulty levels: Safe, Risky, and Dangerous. As the names suggest, Safe is the easiest mode, Risky is akin to the normal mode found in other games, and Dangerous is the most challenging, with permadeath enabled.
Difficulty Levels & Added Challenges
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Difficulty |
Challenge |
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Safe |
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Risky |
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Dangerous |
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Citizen Sleeper 2 includes a specific achievement tied to the game’s difficulty. “A System In Crisis” is an end-game achievement awarded to players who complete the game on Dangerous, the hardest difficulty.
How Broken Dice Work in Each Difficulty
In Safe mode, every time you break a die, it turns into a 1, meaning the damage affects the die’s pip rather than its slot. However, in Risky or Dangerous modes, a broken die becomes unusable until repaired, with the damage affecting the die’s slot instead of its pip.
In Dangerous mode, repairing dice comes at a higher cost, requiring more resources like Scrap or Rare Components to revive each die, further increasing the challenge.
How Stress Tolerance and Energy Work in Each Difficulty
In Citizen Sleeper 2, decisions can lead to negative outcomes that increase your stress. In Safe and Risky modes, your characters can handle more stress, meaning they experience glitches or death less often. However, in Dangerous mode, even a small amount of stress can devastate your characters, making glitches or death more likely.
Dangerous mode also doubles your energy depletion per Cycle. Each time you reset the day, you’ll start with lower energy, which eventually leads to higher supply consumption. In Safe and Risky modes, energy depletion per Cycle is not as significant.
Lower stress tolerance also means you’ll face more crises. A crisis is an unplanned challenge during a Contract or Drive that requires additional dice rolls to resolve.
How Death and Permadeath Differ
Unlike the first installment, Citizen Sleeper 2 introduces the possibility of death, with three distinct ways to experience it: Disabled Death, Revivable Death, and Permadeath.
- Disabled Death (Safe): In the easiest mode, your characters don’t die, and the story progresses regardless of how you handle challenges. This option is similar to the mechanics in Citizen Sleeper 1.
- Revivable Death (Risky): In normal difficulty, dying results in a glitched die. If you keep dying, you’ll eventually accumulate up to five glitched dice.
- Permadeath (Dangerous): In the hardest mode, excessive stress and energy depletion can lead to your character’s death, causing you to lose all progress and restart the game. However, you can use a save-scumming trick to reload the game and continue from where you left off on a lower difficulty.
A glitched die is an unstable roll with an 80% chance of failure and a 20% chance of returning a neutral outcome.
The Best Citizen Sleeper 2 Difficulty Level for You
The ideal difficulty for your first playthrough is Risky. It offers a balanced experience, allowing you to enjoy the story while feeling the pressure of the stress mechanic. If you’re a beginner Citizen Sleeper 2 player or haven’t played the first game, Safe mode is a better choice for your first adventure.
For veteran players who felt Citizen Sleeper 1 lacked challenge, Dangerous mode is the way to go. The introduction of permadeath in this mode addresses criticism of the previous installment’s easier gameplay.
- Released
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January 31, 2025
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Violent References, Use of Alcohol And Tobacco, Drug Reference, Language
- Developer(s)
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Jump Over the Age
- Publisher(s)
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Fellow Traveller