The difficulty curve isn't as well defined as other Souls games due to the open world nature of the game. So, whether you find it easier than the others or harder is really just going to depend on how thoroughly you explore things. As for whether it's worth it... The game is [i]fine[/i], but I do rate it lower than the other Souls games. It's the only one I didn't buy the DLC for, and I don't really see myself ever playing it again, unlike DaSII, DaSIII or Bloodborne. Not sure how far you are, but I would say get to the Lakes of Liurnia. If you're not enjoying it by that point, you won't enjoy the rest of it, but that [i]is[/i] the best area, so you might start to enjoy it once you get there. That's what happened for me. Almost gave up on the game multiple times until I reached that zone, but then I started to have a bit of fun.