There’s some good stuff in the update but ultimately it was another let down. Too many things that just don’t work properly. I say this as someone who still likes this game, and intends to keep playing.
The bad stuff first:
- Only one new map because the other one is broken and crashes the game. I’m sure they will fix it but it’s yet another serious screw up on top of all the others.
- The Match XP really a beta - I get XP for Top 50% and MVP seemingly randomly regardless of the actual game outcomes. At least the winning team XP seems to work reliably but come on this should have been simple.
- Weekly ultimate rewards all being repeats of old rewards - No issue with people getting second chances at popular rewards they may have missed but no rewards at all for people that already have them, seems like a kick in the teeth to your most loyal players. Needed to mix in some new unlocks or have a system that rewards people unlocking something for a second time.
- Menus seem buggier than ever with the new changes, post carnage reports are still buggy and don’t always reflect the corrects scores/result.
I’m on the fence about:
- Local region select is a mixed blessing. I’m getting low pings games reliably and quickly (in Australia) but the skill mis-matches have been truly horrendous. I’m a medicore platinum player and I can go from stomping brand new players to getting curb stomped by Onyx 2000 players. It’s like selecting local region completely disregards all other matchmaking considerations even during peak playing times. There has to be some middle ground here.
- The new challenge system overall will be a massive improvement, not forcing people to play specific modes. Unfortunately it’s so half baked with challenges that just don’t work (mark assist one seems to be bugged for everyone, I can’t get quick draw to work and when I use challenge swaps my challenge just dissapears (i.e. no new replacement - challenge auto-completes FTW). There’s also more typos…
On the plus side:
- Forge is generating lots of excitement. I personally have no interest in using it but I appreciate that it allows other people to generate content that I will benefit from in the long run. Also having it finally out the door hopefully frees up 343 staff to work on fixing other things.
- Campaign Co-op and mission replay are long overdue but great.
- I really like the balance changes to the BR75, Commando, Pulse Rifle and Energy Sword. Unsure about the Plasma Pistol - The charged show might be a little too good but the base shot upgrade was badly needed.
- The new battle pass is a little underwhelming with XP boosts and repeated emblems but it’s free stuff so that’s always good. I do think they needed to aim higher to generate a little more good will.
- Detachment (new map) offers a different experience to the existing options and seems to play pretty well in multiple modes (not SWAT though).
Lot’s of good things overall and I have faith it’s trending in the right direction but they just didn’t put it out at a high enough standard. It’s been almost a year and this is still one of Xbox’s flagship titles and I find the lack of overall polish really disapointing.