After the game is done loading and you have entered the game environment, you will find your camera centered about the Tavern of the Gods where you will select the hero you would like to play. As this is happening, the ‘master player’ is selected by default as Player 1 (red), and will be prompted for the Game Mode.  If Player 1 is absent, or has left the game, another player will be selected at random to be the master player.  The Game Mode will only influence two aspects of the game; the number of ‘retries’ available (additional attempts at completing levels) and the amount of rewarded cumulative gold per level bonus:

Player 1 may also choose to call a vote, resulting in the most popular mode being chosen. In the case of a tie, the lower tier mode is selected. The Game Modes Are:

• Godlike Mode: You cannot use -retry at all, but you get 150 cumulative gold per level (CGPL)! This mode is recommended for experts at DtB who want well fed heroes for the end-game boss.
• Hard Mode: You can use -retry up to 5 times, and you get 100 CGPL. Recommended for experienced players.
• Normal Mode: You can use -retry up to 15 times, and you get 50 CGPL. Recommended for players with minimal exposure to DtB and/or lots of experience with Warcraft.
• Sandbox Mode: You can use -retry as much as you want (no limit), but get no CGPL. Recommended for new players who want to figure out the game mechanics by trying things out.

CGPL is the amount of gold awarded to each player for completing a level without using a retry. This reward accumulates for each level completed, and is rewarded after completion of the next level without using a retry. E.g.; You complete levels 1-4 without using any retries on Normal Mode. You will receive 50 Cumulative Gold Bonus (CGB) after level 2 is complete, then 100 CGB after level 3 is complete, then 150 CGB after level 4 is complete, and so on.

While the Game Mode does not have a direct impact on the game difficulty, the CGPL will have a significant impact on how powerful your heroes can become later in the game.  The real difficulty of this game scales with the number of players in the game. 3-Player difficulty is the easiest, and 5-Player difficulty is the most challenging.

After mode selection is complete, you may choose from a handful of different heroes, each designed with a specific roll (or roles) in mind.  Bear in mind, the requirements of tanking, healing, and dealing damage in both single and multiple-target fashions must be taken into account while you choose your heroes and initial skill points. Further customization of your hero comes with time, as the game progresses you can choose which skills to make more powerful, what types of armor and items to obtain, and what type of food to eat.

Before moving on to starting the first level, make sure you check out all of the consumables and basic items available for purchase from Maggie and Jon’s Mom, who stand just outside the Tavern of the Gods.