Gameplay
- There are more items found in the dungeon.
- GnollHack is easy in the start and hard in the end, while NetHack usually is hard in the start and easy in the end.
- GnollHack is more a game of plenty, where you have many items and options. You have far more options for the ascension kit. You can also carry more in GnollHack.
- It has difficulty levels appropriate for beginning players.
- You can use money on several useful services. In NetHack, there are little uses for money, except for the donation in the temple.
- There are plenty of identification items and services available, which means that you can identify your items easily. In NetHack, players often have to resort to price-id'ing or hope that a blessed scroll of identify identifies the whole inventory by chance.
- There are fewer insta-deaths in the game compared to NetHack. Many insta-death have become delayed insta-deaths, which allow you to react to the situation for several turns.
- You have plenty of information about item statistics.
- Magic is resource-based.
- Ranged combat works better.