BioWare has been one of EA's most consistent developers since it was first established in 1995, and while many of their titles grant the player an incredible amount of freedom and customization options to tailor the experience to their liking, a lot of BioWare games are also extremely difficult to complete.
In classic RPG fashion, a lot of the decisions players make in these games can be extremely important to the story, or the fate of their party members, and this sense of unease can help make the experience a lot harder which can be either enjoyable or off-putting depending on the type of player.
With that being said, there have been some titles in the BioWare catalog that are known for being much more challenging than others, whether it's because of the brutal dialogue consequences, or their demanding combat system, BioWare knows exactly how to ramp up the difficulty when they need to, to create a powerful gaming experience on many different fronts.
10 Anthem
While BioWare’s 2019 online multiplayer RPG, Anthem, does offer players 6 different difficulties once they reach Pilot level 30, the best loot and rewards can only be earned on Normal difficulty or higher, which itself poses a decently challenging experience, especially near the end game when players face off against fearsome bosses like the Dominion Fury,
Playing the game solo makes encounters far more challenging though, with many Titans taking upwards of 20 minutes to defeat in some cases, and considering BioWare has abandoned Anthem, the game is set to fade into obscurity as another failed "Destiny killer", there are no nerfs to look forward to which could make the solo experience a bit more enjoyable, thus, enemies will remain bullet sponges.
9 Mass Effect Andromeda
Despite having a rocky launch, BioWare has put a lot of effort over the last few years into improving the stability and overall performance of their most recent release in the Mass Effect series, with the game also being packed full of difficult encounters that players will need the right weapons and build to overcome. Mass Effect Andromeda was supposed to be a worthy return to the series after the disappointing ending to Mass Effect 3.
If players don’t take the time to tinker with their weapons and shields, and if they skip out on the crafting system entirely, it can make it very easy for merciless bosses like The Cardinal to kill them in just a few attacks. BioWare has even kept the series' infamous Insanity Mode which provides the ultimate challenge for seasoned veterans of previous games.
8 Shattered Steel
BioWare's very first release, Shattered Steel, was released in 1996 and is a mech simulation game based in a desolate world on the brink of human extinction. The majority of the 20 missions are fairly simple, but it's the random intense difficulty spikes that make the overall experience so hard and unpredictable.
The convoy escort levels suffer from this the most where the player suddenly has to keep track of their mech’s shields, weapons, weight, and power system, alongside watching over their partner's health, and the in-game cheats also prevent players from progressing through the story, so they aren't an option either.
7 Neverwinter Nights
While it may be one of BioWare’s older titles, Neverwinter Nights is still beloved among fans of D&D, and many would say that it’s just as difficult as its inspiration. From the very beginning, the game doesn’t reveal too much information to the player, making it too easy to wander into areas full of high-level goblins, animals, and monsters.
Having a companion is a must in Neverwinter Nights since they can be used to lure out enemies, while also offering some buffs to the player. The elven cleric Linu La’neral has often been considered the best partner for trickier encounters thanks to her essential healing abilities, and because she is one of the few companions capable of carrying a shield.
6 Mass Effect 2
It may be one of the most highly rated video games of all time, but Mass Effect 2 is an extremely punishing game for players who don’t take the time to learn about their party members and each of their unique abilities.
For the most part, the gunplay is manageable on all difficulties so long as Shepherd and his party glue themselves to cover, but since the enemies are so aggressive, it’s also essential to know how to switch between weapons and abilities on the fly to break shields and armor. Of course, there is also the decision-making which becomes incredibly intense, especially in that nail-biting final mission where players can lose their entire team with a few wrong orders.
5 Dragon Age 2
Individual enemies aren’t the biggest threats in Dragon Age 2, the real challenge comes from facing swarms of enemies with gigantic health bars, which is an incredibly common sight throughout the game and the main reason most players tend to stick with the Normal difficulty.
Things become much more brutal on the Nightmare difficulty though, where the player’s area-of-effect attacks will deal with friendly fire while the enemies themselves get a massive buff to their defense and health. The game also contains some of the most infamously difficult bosses in the franchise including Corypheus and the dreaded Qunari military officer Arishok.
4 Mass Effect
Considering the Mass Effect universe is often considered to be one of the most ambitious in gaming history, it’s no surprise that when BioWare first programmed a lot of the new enemy types into their first game, some of them turned out a little too powerful, and in need of a rebalance.
The slightly clunky feeling of moving, shooting, and using abilities in Mass Effect can make the combat very chaotic which is why earning more loot through extra missions is so essential. A lot of veterans of the series, along with many speed runners, will simply run the Soldier class since they can absorb up to 80% of damage after a few upgrades, which is incredibly handy for some of those grueling Geth and Krogan encounters.
3 Dragon Age: Inquisition
The third major Dragon Age game has always been somewhat of a mixed bag for many fans of the series, but one thing everyone could agree on was that the beginning of the game was far too brutal. When the player is dropped into the continent of Thedas, they are free to explore as much as they would like, but the game fails to mention that the map should not be explored in-depth until the player is at a high enough level.
Even to this day, so many newcomers abandon the game due to the constant bandit ambushes, or the overwhelming animal encounters that spring up out of nowhere in the open world. It’s not until players finally get to grips with their abilities, weapons, and party members that the world becomes a lot easier to navigate, but even getting to this point isn’t a cakewalk.
2 Baldur’s Gate
The golden rule of the first Baldur’s Gate has always been to turn on the autopause feature which grants players enough time to make strategic decisions during combat that won't end up getting their 5 to 6 controlled party members killed. This relates to the first game specifically because of how limited classes are at lower levels. Wizards, for example, usually remain weak for roughly 80% of the game until they become usable, giving players an idea of how intimidating the combat is.
Rushing in with melee weapons is an easy way to become surrounded, so sticking with bows and sacrificing the shields is the best way to guarantee survivability in the harder sections of this classic RPG title.
1 MDK 2
MDK2 stands out from BioWare’s other games due to it being a 3D platform shooter with little to no RPG features. Maybe it’s because of BioWare’s lack of experience with this genre, or simply the limited hardware at the time, but MDK2 is known for being incredibly difficult, and outright unplayable for some players.
The limited resources and lack of save points can often make it feel like a survival horror game more than anything, and while the swarms of enemies are already bad enough, it’s the boss battles where the game tests the player’s will to not use a guide, especially the dreaded Balloon for Brains. The awkward hit detection and Crash Bandicoot-style platform sections also help to make this an incredibly challenging platformer, and undoubtedly BioWare's most difficult title.