Provided the game offers multiple difficulties from the get go, which one do you start with?

Up until the PS2 & GameCube era of games, I used to start with the easy difficulty and work my way up during multiple playthroughs.

But as my gaming skills started to improve and, eventually, having less time to replay the same games I started with the standard/normal difficulties.

I dont ever pick the hardest difficulty from the get go. I like to familiarize myself with the games but also dont want to get frustrated and actually want to enjoy the game (and story if it offers one).

Thread title updated! Realized I put in news game...

"Normal" for franchises im new to.
"Hard" for franchises im familiar with, even if im new to the specific game.

I do not have - and never have - enjoyed "easy" difficulties. An important part of the medium for me its the challenge and easy games are not challenging enough. I can enjoy a great story no matter the difficulty, I cant enjoy the overall game if its just a breeze.

Standard

But nowadays many standard difficulty are synonymous for easy. If I feel the game is too easy I set up for hard

Fire Emblem Three Houses for instance, the standard is so easy that I ended the last maps only moving my team trough spaces and slaying everybody else who dared to attack me and I wasn't even trying anymore. All the next play-troughs were on Hard (and Hard is still not that hard) or Maddening (this one is TRULY hard)

But sometimes the combat system make no sense for me. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, I never managed to learn how it works, so I've just adjusted it for easy

Normal. I assume that's the intended difficulty level for most games.

I usually go with Normal, as this is what the devs intended to experience the game. I change it up as I feel like from that on.

Mostly normal, only when it's to easy I chose a harder difficulty mid playthrough if possible.

Normal. I assume the devs will respect my choice and give me a good experience on normal difficulty.

Most higher difficulties don't often change up the game and only add meaningless stats.

If the difficulties actually do change the strategy or add different types of enemies/items or whatever I will raise it.

For example Legendary Difficulty for Halo 2 added more enemies, and sometimes those enemies would be of the stronger type like white/gold armored elites instead of normal. You could still one shot the snipers with a sniper, but now they can one shot you. The little gruntlings are still pathetic, but are much more dangerous when combined with other enemies.

Other games would simply make the grunts/ snipers become bullet sponges and add difficulty in a frustrating way.

The default level it is set to lol.

Hard, after all the years I play videogames I like to believe I am pretty experienced.