The Mods Explained — HD, HR, DT, FL, EZ and pp

Mods change how a map plays, and crucially they change how much pp a pass is worth. They split cleanly into two groups: difficulty-increasing mods that raise your potential pp, and difficulty-reducing mods that lower it. Knowing the multipliers lets you pick the combo that maximises a play.

The pp-positive mods

• HD (Hidden) — fades approach circles and hides notes as they near; a reading test, small pp bonus.
• HR (Hard Rock) — shrinks circles, tightens timing windows and flips the map vertically; solid pp gain.
• DT (Double Time) — speeds the map up by 50%, raising star rating sharply; the big pp earner.
• FL (Flashlight) — limits your vision to a small lit area around the cursor; large pp bonus, very hard.

The pp-negative mods

EZ (Easy) enlarges circles, widens timing windows and gives you extra lives — it makes a map far more forgiving, so it carries a pp penalty. HT (Half Time) slows the map down, also reducing difficulty and pp. These are practice and accessibility tools, not climbing tools.

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DT for the points, HD because everyone does it, HR if your accuracy can take the smaller circles. EZ and HT are for learning a map, not for farming it.

The neutral and special ones

• NF (No Fail) — you cannot fail, but it removes any pp; useful purely for practice runs.
• SD / PF (Sudden Death / Perfect) — fail on a miss / on anything less than perfect; no pp change, pure discipline.
• SO (Spun Out) — spins spinners for you; tiny pp penalty.

Start by adding HD to maps you already pass to build reading, then layer in DT once your aim and reading can keep up at the higher speed. Stacking mods you cannot control just turns a pass into a fail.