Once you start a new game in Infernax, you can choose between two difficulty settings, Classic and Casual.
Classic[]
- Intended difficulty.
- For experienced players.
- Can be changed to Casual at any time.
Classic mode is the intended difficulty mode of Infernax, designed to replicate the feel of challenging games of the past. Save Shrine locations are limited. If all lives are lost, the player will be given the choice between Classic Restart or Casual Restart. If the player chooses Classic Restart, they will be sent to where they last saved, thus losing progress they've made up from that point.
If the player chooses Casual Restart, the player's save will switch to Casual mode for that particular save file. The save file on the select screen will permanently reflect Casual mode on that save file.
Clearing the game on Classic mode will earn you the Here Comes the Tears achievement. Does not include secret endings.
Casual[]
- Extra save points in key areas.
- Keep some of your Gold and XP when deceased.
- Start with an extra life.
Casual mode is a difficulty mode that adds several features to lower the difficulty. The player begins with one extra live and more Save Shrines (indicated with a cross instead of a statue) are added before key points in the game, such as before a boss fight. Additionally, simply approaching a Save Shrine will automatically refill the player's health, mana and lives. If the player loses all of their lives, they will lose the progress they've made from their last save upon continuing, but they keep a portion of XP and/or Gold 
they've earned before dying.
As of update 1.02.004, if the player falls to a pit or drowns, instead of an instant death, they lose health and respawn near the edge they fell off.