That isn't much of an offset at all.
My brother just beat Path of Radiance on Normal and is now playing Radiant Dawn on Easy. I can't blame him - he's the kind of gamer who plays a game in order to experience its characters and mechanics, not necessarily to beat it into the dirt.
Myself, I do not think I will ever play it on Hard. That game is too hard as is.
Edit: For the sake of posterity, I'm making note here that my brother decided to play on Normal instead of Easy. He's having an easier time with Micaiah's chapters than I did, possibly because he knows how to Battle Save.