I've slowly grown to love these little difficulty enhancers. While I sometimes enjoy playing like the demi-god my character is supposed to be and swiftly crush everything in my path, I really need to be challenged and tested in order remain interested in a game. But at the same time I
hate the concept of weakening
yourself to make a game more challenging. The way I see it, at the most challenging setting a game has to offer, there are no legitimate methods I should have to avoid because they make the game too easy. I should always have to do my best and try out every option I got just to be able to beat the foe, or get out of the situation, in question. I should be able to play with the most powerful character I can legitimately scrap together, play with the most powerful items and use the best legitimate tactics and methods I have available - and still constantly be challenged.
Maybe the two aforementioned things in the title don't fulfill this craving of mine completely, I would suspect that it's certainly not the case with a party, but as a solo player - they do come damn close. Used to hate the Improved Irenicus Dungeon (Iliych Mod), but all it really did was force me to look for new options to solve the problem. No more simply rushing straight into a pack of dwarven warriors and start whacking away, have to use my potions carefully, employ hit'n'run tactics all the time and I constantly tap the pause button now.
No more challenging Adamantite Golems head on, oh no. Now I have to hit'n'run them too, getting hit by a single boulder of theirs usually zaps 60-70 hp straight away, and I'm level 13 at the moment! Had to retreat to a door way when I encountered a massive pack of Vampires, even going up against a single vampire could end with me being severely injured if I lingered too long in one spot.
Basically all, already semi-difficult fights, has been made so much harder that I actually have to think and make an effort to beat them. LOVE IT!
Tactics Mod
(This is a mod containing several small improvements which makes many individual fights much harder, for those of you who didn't know)