Five Difficulty Tiers

Reap and Rush (地府有点忙) does not hide challenge behind a single hard mode toggle. Early Access launches with five difficulty tiers that reshape enemy health, damage, shop costs, duty timers, and reward multipliers while keeping the same four maps intact. Understanding tier math prevents the common launch-week mistake: jumping to tier five before learning resonance on tier one. This guide breaks down every tier at the July 2026 launch and links to builds once you know your comfort ceiling.

Where difficulty is set

Difficulty locks at run start alongside Envoy and map selection. You cannot lower tier mid-run — only abandon and restart. Meta unlocks from the underworld ledger may gate higher tiers behind Soul purchases or achievement flags; check Getting Started for ledger timing. Launch FAQ confirms demo players start fresh — no carried tier unlocks from demo saves.

Tier One — Clerk Shift

Lowest scaling: forgiving enemy damage, extended duty timers, and cheaper Paper Craft rerolls. Tier one is the classroom for Controls and Combat Basics — not “easy mode forever.” Most 99 achievements still require higher tiers eventually, but tier one teaches map geometry across all four realms without stat panic.

Tier Two — Inspector Duty

Moderate health bumps and tighter escort timers in fox gardens. Shop prices rise enough that random stone grabs hurt — plan purchases in Build Planner. Water control builds still dominate tier two clears; Metal pierce players should verify aim before leaving tier one.

Tier Three — Warden Patrol

The community “standard” tier for tier list testing and Envoy Tier List debates. Elite density feels launch-trailer accurate; boss phases require craft windows from Paper Craft Builds. Duty payouts justify the time cost — farm Souls here before buying ledger expansions.

Tier Four — Marshal Verdict

Armored elites and shortened stagger windows punish greedy play. Five Elements resonance should be online before tier four pushes — hybrid two-tag builds stall. Pets with auto-loot reduce downtime between elite packs — Pets Guide. Earth duty bonuses shine for achievement routing.

Tier Five — Zhong Kui’s Absence

Maximum launch scaling: highest Soul multipliers but brutal damage checks. Boss guide tech from How to Beat Bosses is mandatory, not optional. Many mastery achievements route through tier five clears on specific maps — pair with Achievements Guide before grinding.

Difficulty vs map — stack wisely

Raising tier on Realm One still teaches patterns; raising map on tier one still introduces new enemy families. Optimal learning path: Realm One, tier one → Realm Two, tier two → vault farming on tier three+. Never stack Realm Four + tier five on your first resonance experiment.

Controller and Steam Deck notes

Full controller support applies to all tiers. Steam Deck players report playable framerate with minor UI scale issues at higher tiers where telegraph density increases — not a separate difficulty mode, but readability matters when raising tier. Rebind dodge before tier four — see Controls.

Patch watch

Launch week expects hotfixes to tier scaling if review feedback cites spike damage. Follow Updates before declaring a tier “impossible” — Beijing Pacifier Technology patched demo balance weekly. Compare your experience with Review for honest Early Access expectations.

Additional context

Independent fan wiki. Tier names and numbers may shift in patches — verify on Reap and Rush on Steam news posts.