Phase 1: Excitement at the beginning of the game. HC mode brought with it that something special. Initially scrounging was an absolute necessity, if anything to raise funds. Sadly, there wasn't much to buy that was satisfying, but that only led to a healthy anticipation.

Phase 2: Boredom and Frustration set in between levels 8 and 16. Boredom because good equipment was pretty much out of reach price wise, my dude wasn't good enough at fighting to risk exploring outside of the yellow brick road safe zone, he'd been wearing the same damn armour for many a level and using the same weapons he just wasn't crazy about but were practical enough to get by, he wasn't skilled enough to craft much, pick some locks/hack some terminals he'd come across, or pass several speech/science/medicine tests he'd encountered, and, to top it off, he had to babysit suicidal followers who had better weapons and armour (best he could afford but not great) than he did. I was really liking some of the quests, but the annoyances almost made me shelve the game for another long while.

Phase 3 (current phase): Levels 16 - 18. Better equipment, better skills, an implant or two, stronger more weaponized followers, and more sweet perks makes dike Johnson (my character) a much happier man. I'm beginning to enjoy it now... back from the brink as I Thump-Thumped a squad of Legion Assassins into a smouldering pit of bleeding body parts within seconds rather than helplessly watching them tear apart my stupid followers. I don't care what anyone says, beginning to become OP after such a struggle to get there is a reward, not something to lament. I look forward to becoming even more powerful.