Hardened (difficulty)

"Your skills will be strained."

- In-game Description

Hardened is one of the four difficulty settings in the Call of Duty series. It is harder than Recruit and Regular but easier than Veteran. Playing on Hardened mode allows players to achieve many of the trophies and achievements that can only be obtained by playing on the harder difficulties, without actually playing on Veteran. It is recommended to play on Veteran, seeing that your health is already low, and you can earn more trophies or achievements. On Hardened, players have less health than earlier difficulties, and the AI is slightly more accurate and Effective.