[New player] Change difficulty

Hello everyone,
I'm a player that started a few years ago, I felt the game was challenging (Ideal to play co-op), but I left the game waiting for a friend to join. Now he is willing to join, so I played a bit to remember how it works.

The problem, now I feel the game is no longer challenging, not for solo, less for co-op. When I played a few years ago there was an option to change difficulty to cruel, but I do not see it any more.

I have googled a bit, how to change difficulty in the game, but the only thing I encountered is to end the game.

So I end bothering you guys asking if there is a way to rescue my character to play it in cruel or if there is a way to start as cruel with a new one.

Thanks for the help!!

Yeah, you have to complete each difficulty to progress to the next. Don't think of difficulty levels in this game as anything like in most games. It isn't a setting you can change, it's just a progression mechanic. Most of the difficult content for experienced players is after merciless difficulty, in the endgame.

After defeating malachai there will be portal in town for cruel difficulty. You need to talk to the quest npc to open it