No More Room in Hell 2 — All Game Modes & Difficulty Levels
No More Room in Hell 2 ships with three game modes — Scenario, Survival and Solo — across four difficulty tiers: Beginner, Normal, Hard and Nightmare. Here is how each one works.
Scenario Mode — Objectives & Extraction
Scenario (also called Objective) mode is the core experience. Teams of up to eight Responders drop into large maps, scavenge gear, complete a chain of objectives (restore power, secure zones, move supplies) and finally reach the helicopter extraction.
Scenario has six crafted maps set across the American Northeast: Lewiston, Broadway, Beaulieu Hospital, Power Plant, Pottsville and the new 1.0 map Raven Rock. Extraction rewards scale with how many squadmates make it out — but every death risks permanent loss.
Survival Mode — Wave Defense
Survival is the wave-defense mode added at 1.0. Your squad defends speaker towers that lure zombies away from civilian populations, holding out against endless waves.
The mode works in five-minute waves. Survive three waves and a helicopter arrives to extract you; fail two waves and an early extraction opens as a fallback. After each successful wave, the CRC drops additional supplies. Survival has three dedicated maps: Flooded, Lighthouse and Night of the Living Dead.
Solo Mode — Zero Permadeath
Solo Mode is a sandbox with no permadeath and no traditional progression. You can explore maps, practice objectives, test loadouts and learn enemy behavior without risking your Responder.
This makes it the ideal training ground: memorize loot locations on Raven Rock, practice melee timing in Survival, or test a build before taking it into a high-stakes co-op run. You won't earn progression rewards, but you also can't lose a character.
Difficulty Levels Explained
Version 1.0 reworked the difficulty tiers. The old Early Access "Casual" and "Classic" names were replaced by Beginner and Normal.
| Difficulty | Respawn rule | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Timed respawns | New players learning the basics |
| Normal | Objective-based respawns | The standard co-op experience |
| Hard | No respawn cushion | Veterans wanting more pressure |
| Nightmare | No respawn cushion | The ultimate test — faster, tougher hordes |
Higher difficulties change more than numbers: zombie composition and density shift, scripted objectives scale, and firearm ammo spawns are scarcer. Nightmare has the fastest and most aggressive zombies.
How Respawns Work in Each Mode
Respawn rules are tied to difficulty, not mode. On Beginner, dead Responders return on a timer during eligible parts of the mission. On Normal, respawns only unlock after a major objective is completed. On Hard and Nightmare, a death can end that Responder permanently from the moment the mission begins.
A full squad wipe before the next respawn opportunity still loses everyone — and dying after extraction has been called remains dangerous at any difficulty.
New to the game? Start with the Beginner Guide to understand permadeath and infection before choosing a mode.