Doom: The Dark Ages excels at making players feel like an unstoppable tank, but developer Id Software is looking to make the game more challenging. What’s interesting here is that Id will make use of what it calls “Tunables,” a system that allows it to update parts of the game without needing to release a patch.

While Tunables can’t fix complex systemic, content, or code-related bugs, they can adjust parts of the new Doom game to create subtle but noticeable changes. Overall, players wanting to test their mettle on Nightmare difficulty can expect to start sweating, as enemies like the Cosmic Baron and Hellknight will start doing more damage. Id says that it wanted to increase the threat level of these enemies on Nightmare difficulty, and as an example, missing a parry on the Agaddon Hunter’s overhead slash will break your shield and leave you vulnerable for a short period.

“There are systems under the hood that are designed to give players a better chance to survive when near death, and those systems were being too generous,” Id explained. “Players were able to brute-force their way through situations that should’ve resulted in costing a Life Sigil or death, and we want to make sure we are keeping the player in check and asking for better tactical decisions. These changes will have an impact on player survivability and will be more noticeable the higher up the Damage Scale slider you go.”

Doom: The Dark Ages launched last week, and right out of the gate, it hit 3 million players. That’s seven times quicker than Doom Eternal, but it’s worth noting that 2 million players came from Game Pass alone, as The Dark Ages was a day-one release on that service. While that figure is impressive, it’s still not clear if The Dark Ages is doing well commercially, given how cagey Bethesda is with details on development and marketing costs for the game.

“Doom: The Dark Ages reinvents and reins in with equal measure, taking the series in a bold new direction without straying from its captivating roots,” Alessandro Barbosa wrote in GameSpot’s Doom: The Dark Ages review.