Discussion: Balance template, features, and tactics.

I think I only played on balance once. I noticed that there are fewer places to level up, and the guards are stronger, meaning you need to level up your hero better. So, is it possible to maintain a normal leveling pace for the hero on a balanced difficulty (roughly, level 6 by day 117 and level 12 around day 127), or does the average level of the main hero differ significantly in either direction? (I'm talking about fighters).
P.S. Maybe level 6 is considered noob-level :), but I think the question is clear.