I play on the setting that requires a safety word!

Not really. I play at whatever the default setting is. Medium?

I'll try to go with the hardest difficulty setting to see if that translates into a more hardcoe, immersive (yes I used that forbidden word) experience. But if it just means that enemies become bullet sponges, then I'll tone it down. Or if I start getting my ass handed to me, which is inevitable.

The norms for us.

Very easy most of the time because I just play for fun. I don't play to punish myself and get my tail handed to me. If I feel the game is too easy on very easy, then I'll bump it up a peg.

This is the very reason I never even attempted the Dark Souls series.