Beat the demo's boss to unlock a higher difficulty with special modifiers. The full game has 10 Chained Beasts difficulty levels, with runs spanning 9 battles across 3 acts before a final encounter. Higher-difficulty training happens between battles, where pushing for another level can leave you injured.
What difficulty levels does Chained Beasts have?
The full game has 10 increasingly challenging difficulty levels. The earlier demo lineup was Pleb, Legionnaire, Centurion, and Hades, so keep that demo ladder separate from the full game's difficulty count.
| Game stage | Difficulty lineup |
|---|---|
| Full game | 10 increasingly challenging levels |
| Earlier demo | Pleb, Legionnaire, Centurion, Hades |
A full run takes you through 9 battles across 3 acts, then a final encounter. For help planning that route, follow the Chained Beasts walkthrough.
How does Chained Beasts hard mode change a run?
Moving to a higher difficulty can make the starting area tougher and require you to train for level-ups, with injuries as the price of overtraining. One crew found both changes after moving up a difficulty: the opening area became harder, and their trainer visits required a little restraint.
The important adjustment is between fights. Another training attempt can help the whole crew reach a level, but the pain belongs to the player doing the reps. You need to weigh the shared upgrade against the injury you might carry into the next battle.
How do you level up without overtraining?
At a trainer visit that requires exercise, contribute reps to the shared experience bar while watching your own pain. Each training attempt randomly gives you 1 to 3 reps; when the bar fills, everyone levels up.
In the pre-launch training rules, Pleb gave you an automatic level-up and perk choices at the trainer. Above Pleb, you had to work for that upgrade:
| Training rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Each attempt gives 1 to 3 reps | Another attempt is a commitment to a random amount of exercise. |
| Everyone fills one experience bar | Your partner's reps help you level up too. |
| Pain increases individually | One player can risk an injury while helping the whole crew. |
- Check the shared experience bar before committing to more reps.
- Compare your own pain with your partner's before deciding who should train again.
- Stop pushing when another attempt risks an injury you do not want to carry into combat.
Overtraining can leave you with a broken toe that hampers movement, a dislocated shoulder that affects throwing, or a punctured lung that makes you run out of breath. Those drawbacks change what you can safely do in the arena; review Chained Beasts afflictions when choosing which risks you can tolerate.
A small rep result is not permission to keep going. One crew reached a level without taking a downside, but still cautioned against overtraining. If the bar is nearly full, decide together whether the upgrade is worth someone risking an injury.
What changes in Hades difficulty?
In a pre-launch Hades run on October 3, 2026, the water between rounds was contaminated. Treat drinking as a decision to pause over, rather than an automatic recovery stop.
That run makes the practical danger clear: a familiar recovery routine can carry a drawback on a harder setting. Read what you are accepting before drinking, especially when your crew is already dealing with training injuries.
How do you unlock a higher difficulty in the demo?
Beat the demo's boss to unlock a higher difficulty with special modifiers. Make that boss clear your next objective if you are playing the demo.
- Progress to the demo's boss.
- Defeat it to unlock the higher difficulty.
- Prepare for its special modifiers before starting the next run.
The reward is another challenge to tackle with your crew. If the boss is the sticking point, continue with Chained Beasts bosses; after the clear, check Chained Beasts unlocks for your next progression goal.