The new subfaction proves that AH is too dumb to "get" their own game

So, like most of you I have had to "joy" of playing against the new subfaction these past two days.

And I must say "holy fuck was it awful". Like, probably up there with the initial invasion of Oshaune as the worst and most frustrating experience playing Helldivers 2.

And it's completely baffling that this type of content is coming from the same devs that built the original Automaton faction. Arguably the best designed in the game (War Strider aside).

It starts with the design, by leaning into what is probably the lamest and most boring part of the Illuminate fantasy, their zombies. It's not like there aren't dozens of other games that have us fight such enemies en masse. But I guess this is what the Illuminate really needed /sigh.

So, what we actually got are:

• Wretch: Basically, the Illuminate's Hunters. Spawn is similarly sized groups of a dozen, incessantly, and absolutely had to inherent the Hunter's unforgivable sin of combat design, movement tracking hits. Because every gamer LOVES tracking hits that follow your movement. So much for these devs being gamers...

• Crusher: Basically another version of the Fleshmob. Even more tanky, but at least with a proper (and rather creative) weakspot. Now I think the "bullet sponge" archetype is pretty boring and I also think their hits aren't well telegraphed. But at least they're melee.

That said, what both these enemies emphasize is the relative uselessness of Stratagems. REMEMBER THEM? Helldiver's core feature that sets it apart from all other games? Because it seems like the devs have.

And the Illuminate already suffered from 80% of Stratagems being rather useless and ineffective. And this subfaction just makes it worse.

This just increases the frustration, because the spwns of the new subfaction are ABSOLUTELY busted. New Crushers are constantly spawning 30m away in cities. Often you won't hear them until their swing has already crushed you. At least AH is consistent with hiding enemy sounds from you once you turn your back...

And with the game frequently spawning > a dozen in 30 seconds and their resilience to stratagems, you really don't have any proper tools to handle their excessive spawns and reset the fight. I've already failed several missions simply because the spawn-rates were faster than what the players could kill. And then everyone just gave up.

Finally, we have "Tornadoes" as a new enviromental effect.

And while the idea sounds cool, the actual effect is, in typical AH faction, lame and always at the expense of the player. Because for some reason, this Tornado is again, quiet as fuck and easy to muss when you're not staring at it. And even when you are, you need to be closer than 30m to actually recognize it. It's baffling how weak-sauce this effect is, visually.

And once again, it's an environmental effect that repeat the only joke AH devs seem to know: "Something random and uncontrollable makes the player close control of his character and subsequently kills him. Ha ha! Funniest shit ever" /devs die laughing...probably.

My point is: It's sad observing developers actively getting worse at their job as time continues. It's not something you see often.

My predictions: We had a similar pattern play out with almost every new subfaction introduced to the game. Both the Rupture Strain on Oshaune and the Cyborgs on Cyberstan had pretty broken spawn-rates during their respective battles. The theese Vote Snatchers are not different.

But unlike the Cyborgs, which became a good and engaging enemy to fight once encountered on more open and wide-ranging maps, I don't see this happening with the Vote Snatchers. They're what the Rupture Strain is to the bugs. The ugly and unpopular step child nobody wants to fight. And unlike the bugs, the Illuminate are and will remain, the least popular faction by far.

Mission failed.