I’m still grinding, but yeah, i have no interest in high BR. I play BR 1.5, aka i have all BR1 gear, but always get up-tiered to BR2. I’d have to analyze the replays to see how many BR1 vs BR2 players there are, but it’s easily at least half and half if not more BR2.
I just don’t see the appeal of fully automatic laser beams. I prefer my laser beams with a 2 second reload.
I’ve tried equipping mostly BR2 gear to make it easier to “hang” at BR2, but then i just get uptiered to BR3, so until i have absolutely 100% BR2 equipment I’ll just be playing 1.5, and then once I’m fully kitted out at BR2 i guess I’ll get constantly uptiered to BR3, rinse repeat…
That explains why BR3 ends up being the optimal choice. Not many players queue for BR4 these days, so BR3 offers decent matchmaking protection among lower tiers.
BR1 definitely needs dedicated newbie protection mechanisms, while there is barely any class distinction at BR5. Machine gunners, assault troopers and radiomen rarely show up in matches. Nearly every player fights with fully automatic firearms, turning battles into brutal meat grinders decided purely by casualty numbers. Gameplay here is extremely draining.
By comparison, BR3 keeps balanced gameplay where different unit classes can coordinate effectively. Personally, the most enjoyable brackets are Soviet and American BR3.
I really like br1. I wish there was separation between actual noobs and just people who want to play br1. Because I don’t want to stomp people (I’ve only been playing 4 months anyway, so I’m not a shark or anything), but I enjoy the skilled gameplay of bolties, AT rifles, 50kg bombs, etc. vs bullet hell and 50m radius explosions.
Currently BR3 is the most comfortable bracket without severe downtier suppression. In contrast, BR1 players suffer heavily when matched against BR2 opponents, as there is a noticeable gap in submachine guns and tanks.
There is also a huge equipment divide between BR2 and BR3. Developers have to take the penetration capability of BR2 ammunition into account whenever rolling out heavily armored tanks for BR3.
The StuG III once had a planned downgrade to BR2. This reasonable adjustment got rejected due to meta balance concerns.
I previously suggested downgrading 75mm armed carriers (open-top and fully enclosed variants), plus part of turret tanks with main guns under 76mm into BR1.
Another existing flaw is undersized maps paired with poor environmental destruction. Indestructible bushes and trees force players into constant close-quarters combat. The map scale is nowhere near the vast battlefields seen in Hell Let Loose and Squad. Players memorize every location after dozens of matches, leading to fatigue and boredom over time.
Yeah, I won’t even get into tanks because I don’t play tanks, pretty much at all (just not a fun playstyle for me).
You know how you have to research tier 3 before you unlock the large backpacks for a nation? I think they should make that the BR1/BR1 divide as well. Until you’ve researched tier 3 you’re in a different pool of players when queuing for BR1. After you’ve unlocked tier 3 it’s your fault if you still suck at the game, that’s plenty of time to “git gud” and now it’s your fault if you get stomped by vets playing in BR1.
That will make BR1 games more competitive both for noobs and for vets. Like a very very basic skill based match making, where your general skill level is assumed to have passed some BASIC threshold by sheer number of games played (and let’s be honest, if it hasn’t, you’ll never enjoy this game anyway).
The best thing is if the new players ask questions to learn on the forums as the tutorials are lack luster…then not havings vets slam them for asking questions they don’t know answers too.
Well, you don’t need some crazy insider info to play this game at a decent level.
An average, intelligent player who has ever played any other FPS in their life doesn’t need any of that.
The reason newbies suck is because they have an M3A1 Grease Gun while their teammate has an M1A1 Thompson.
Totally different power levels, same BR, several tiers apart.
And that’s just one of countless examples.
Veterans have access to EPs on every soldier, large ammo pouches, high-tier soldiers - all fully upgraded
Newbies can’t even purchase EPs for all their soldiers for X number of hours until they unlock them for purchase.
It’s totally naive to think that some random tutorial or “insade forum knowledge” would help someone to be on par with veteran Seal Clubbers who have min-maxed their BR2 lineups. Newbies are always going to suck compared to them.
Recently I started fresh after being a console player. Due to not being able to transfer progress between platforms and having weird restrictions through playing on PC with the Xbox app, even though it’s the same game, I said whatever and re-started.
This has been awful. I bought stuff with real money on console, but couldn’t bring it over. Now I’m always low on silver, and stuck with having only a few squads that don’t actually let me spread out and be really useful in-game while very slowly unlocking the squads I actually want.
This gets compounded by every match in BR1-2 just straight up not being fun and feeling more like you’re grinding towards actually having fun. Everyone is braindead and either somehow forgets they’re playing the game, or feels like it’s their first day on Earth. I swear half of my matches are 80% bots because it’s wild.
Literally anything would be better than the current scope. Man I have $9 in my bank account, I already gave y’all money lmao give us literally anything to make it easier Gaijin.
Could keep new players in BR0 against bots and other new players till they unlock tier 1 or something
Could also stretch br 1-3 into 4 brs if that is everyone’s perfered historic timeline. br4-5 is kinda sparse to stretch compared to lower BRs anyways. Feel like there are a lot of off meta guns in BR2-3 that no one is using that could see play in a new br there?
Move everything up a BR and keep everything underperforming where it is.
That pretty much solves everything doesn’t it? New players get one more BR as cushion BR2 gets adjusted so the power gap isn’t too strong. BR3-4 gets “revamped” semi-autos dont have to face select fires for another BR. maybe add 15 round versions of semi auto for br5, or tweak damage. Tank power creep gets stretched out a bit more. MKB/Bar/Thompson versions will actually see use. Jets are at 6
I like all of this. The problem comes down to matchmaking, probably. The game is “healthy” enough generally, but even as is I’m almost never matched into an equal tier battle. Adding another tier dilutes the pool even more. It’s a bit of a catch-22, if you don’t fix the things that make the games less fun you won’t retain or gain players, but without enough regular players these changes will make the game more fun for 50% of people and less fun for the other 50%, ultimately solving nothing.
Combining changes like you mention (expanded BRs) with a marketing push, including “for a limited time!” free stuff for new players i think would do wonders.
Example of things that would help the overall game as well as money making, stuff like 3 days free premium time for completing the achievement “50 spawns on your rally point,” or “5 tank kill assists from your marks.” Achievements that set up good player habits from the very beginning, with tangible, important rewards. Free premium time shows you how effective having more squad slots is, and gets you to buy in.
Other rewards could be free extra grenades, pouches, weapon/vehicle level orders, etc.
Basically have a “beginner battle pass” that lasts maybe 30 days, maybe longer depending on average engagement, where you can complete tasks that are more beginner friendly (as in, no “kill 5 tanks” or “get 1st place in team”) and also set up for good habits, where prizes are things that accelerate the grind.
But with everything else staying the same, now you casually have it so that you get to spend even more time in a weak tier while grinding to get stuff that doesn’t suck aha.
The issue is that the early games are already filled partly with bots and new players.
Could have them opt in/out of “training BR” maybe then. Idea was just a way for them fight other players with the same starting gear before getting into real games with upgraded br1 weapons and squads that way they have to fighting chance against veterans coming back to br1 to play bolt action.
A new BR 2 with more focus on bolt weapon could offer that without dragging too many br1 players in
New players either come with the felt $ 5000000 per week spend on the game, or expecting that learning & enduring will spoil some weeks of their lives (at minimum). It also helps, when you expect 9 out of 10 teammates either helping the enemy (as in playing on two devices to cheat the old way), or due to festering incompetence despite all tutorial lessons & self-help videos on #Enlisted
