PEAK offers a handful of difficulty options, but you will need to tread carefully as the game becomes more difficult as you start climbing up the levels—quite literally.
How many difficulty levels does PEAK have?
PEAK has a total of nine difficulties, and here’s a list of all:
- Tenderfoot
- Peak
- Ascent 1
- Ascent 2
- Ascent 3
- Ascent 4
- Ascent 5
- Ascent 6
- Ascent 7
If you’re just starting out, you will find two difficulties available: Tenderfoot and Peak.
Peak is the default difficulty option of the game (yes, Tenderfoot is the easiest setting out there), and once you complete it at this option, you unlock the third one, Ascent 1. Before that, you will see the up arrow on the air ticket is unclickable.
This goes for all difficulty options starting Ascent 1— meaning, you have to finish the story at that option to unlock the next one.
All PEAK difficulties explained
Tenderfoot
Tenderfoot is an easier difficulty option than Peak, as climbing takes less stamina here, along with no time limit and hunger growing more slowly.
I recommend playing the game at Tenderfoot if you fancy grabbing all the achievements available in PEAK, and collecting the respective cosmetics along the way.
Peak
The island’s default difficulty—complete PEAK at this level to unlock Ascent 1. You also get the Tadpole Scout as a reward.
Ascent 1
As it becomes more difficult, you start taking increased fall damage, and it becomes much easier. After completing the game in its default setting, it starts to see how good you are at adapting to harsher conditions and how efficient your communication is with your mates.
As you progress and unlock more difficulties, more debuffs are applied.
Ascent 2
Ascent 2 adds another debuff—you become hungry faster, while keeping all previous difficulty effects intact. You have to continue eating more food to stay upright and keep your stamina in check most of the time.
This difficulty level unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 1.
Ascent 3
When you start playing at Ascent 3, you’ll notice that every item you pick up will have increased weight. This will drain your stamina more than usual, while the hunger debuff is still present from the previous levels.
This difficulty option unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 2.
Ascent 4
When you’re at Ascent 4, you will see Flares no longer spawning at The Peak. You’ll need to pick one up at the Shore’s crash site, inside luggage, or campfires. All previous difficulty effects are maintained.
This difficulty level unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 3.
Ascent 5
Ascent 5 will make you cold during the night, while maintaining all previous difficulty effects. Managing stamina will be an uphill task from here.
This difficulty level unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 4.
Ascent 6
From Ascent 6, you will start losing more stamina while climbing. Ropes are handy here as stamina plays a major role in PEAK, and that is the most challenging thing to maintain, along with the effects from all previous difficulty levels.
This difficulty level unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 5.
Ascent 7
The ultimate test—Ascent 7 has Permadeath mode. This means once you’re down, you’ll have to stay that way and spectate your friends until they reach the end, while all the effects from the previous Ascents are kept intact.
Ascent 7 is not for the light-hearted, I must say. This difficulty level unlocks after completing the game at Ascent 6.
