Let me tell you how the next update will make the game easier by making it harder.
One of the upcoming features is the introduction of danger level. As your party explores their current area, Mournfolk will slowly zero in on your location and eventually ambush the camp. This leads to an extremely difficult battle and a forced escape to another place, with some resources inevitably left behind. And that's in the best case scenario!
Managing this danger level becomes a game in itself. The threat of being ambushed means you really have to pick what to focus on in the current map. Sometimes it's okay to explore a bit, sometimes it's best to pursue only the most critical resources, sometimes you just have to run and that's it. There are also other, more intentional ways of lowering the danger level, if you have the time (and heroes) to spare. All in all, it's something that you'll always have to be mindful of, but can overcome through good decision making and resource management.
So, how does adding yet another layer of tension make the game easier? Well, I lied a bit. It's not easier. It's easier to learn.
One of the biggest challenges new players face is the lack of food. Often to the point of frustration. Once you know the game better, you understand that sometimes it's not worth spending your resources to explore every single quest on a map and instead move on earlier, especially as travel means longer quests with more food drops, and you can target specific areas for specific resources. However, newer players feel compelled to do absolutely everything in absolutely every area, and that's often not the best choice. This new feature looks them in the eye and says: "Yeah, don't do that, okay?"
Basically, game design is usually more carrot than stick, but sometimes stick is good. Especially in a game about a collapsed world.
PS. Props to anyone who figures out what was my inspiration for the eyes effect in the gif above (it serves as a transition to the ambush battle).
Cheers!
-Tom