What about point #3, the most important point, that all older fps and some newer ones have:
I remember games like original call of duty (2003), there was no grind, everyone had a blast.
Remember. Grind is for f2p games, as a way to monetize. It’s not really meant to be fun, even if some ppl get fooled by it.
I enjoy “progress” for progress’s sake, and yes, it’s a sort of psychological failing, and something game devs (especially f2p or freemium) exploit consciously, but still, I like it.
I’ve never played another FPS game even 1/4 as many hours as Enlisted, because generally the fun wears off after a few dozen hours when you’ve seen and done everything. Keep in mind I’ve been gaming since 1989, and my first FPS was Wolf3D, back when we literally only had the option of 2 or maybe 3 games when we sat down to play something (between steam, epic, and gog i now have like 1000+ games…).
I do think Enlisted is fun in its own right (the gameplay loop generally), but if ever i reach the point of maxing everything, I think it will become less attractive overall to me. I’ve already eschewed the FOMO aspect and haven’t participated in the 2 most recent events. The requirements are too steep for someone with a life outside of not just Enlisted, but gaming in general, so I’ve sort of cut the cord on events, and only play when i feel like playing, and often just solo custom matches lately because the matchmaking is utter shite. I have a half dozen other hobbies, and a job, and friends, and I can’t spend minimum 2 hours over 2 days, every 2 days, every week, forever, playing 1 specific video game.
I am in the process of having 5-3 BRs per nation fully kitted and max stats. Just finished 2,3,4,5 Russia HAve Germany 2,3,4,5 working on 1 US 2,3,5 Japan 1,3 and 5. So have 3 more national BR’s to complete some nations its not possible to have 4-5 functioning BRs.
Try playing on national setups. Purely English, purely Australian, purely Canadian, purely Italian, purely Czech, purely Finnish, purely Austrian, and so on.
Play to enjoy.
Play to escape.
Play to rage.
Just never play to grind.
Grinding kills gaming.
As I said the last bude I played with creeped me out I’m not doing that anymore.
See, he gets it.
I already “grind” during the day for my salary. Why in the world would I seek more grind when all I need is to relax and wind down?
Grinding is a mean to an end. Not the fun itself. Imo.
There’s the key. Opinion.
I would never play just for the grind but I do enjoy having something to progress on.
I was asking for some metaprogress gameplay, like account wipe but with some bonuses - no one care about it and numerous amount of vets just leave the game due to lack of activities.
Wait so you mean to tell me some players of Enlisted go “right reached BR5 now, so Bye I’m off!”
I have soo many hours in this game, ai still don’t think I maxed and optimised my squads, perks on every soldier and squad, majority sure!
But when I draft on a new squad ie Axis Snipers in my Br5 , none of them were optimised…
I mean i’m a bonafied br5 player and i dont care for min maxing tbh, I find it extremely boring to min max and a bit no life if you know what i mean.
I just play the game, larp and kill people who ruin my fun. (in game of course)
seriously tho if the USSR br5 player are gonna be bad when im on their team but somehow gain some brain cell when im not and ruin my fun that is not right at all.
Good for you. But honestly if you have just as many hours in and your stuff is not optimized then the joke would be on you making assumptions on game time use. I guess you might not be seeing the forest of making “elite squads with everything finely polished” versus accepting slop because you spend your time killing bots. Pretty sure most vets accumulate MILLIONS of silver. Most of us spend it on making more complete squads. You made it to BR5 If only Enlisted made an Atta Boy! badge for you to wear. You realize how much effort it takes to organize that level efficiency? Are you familiar with the word “cathartic” its like putting a puzzle or model together. Get back to us when you are BR5 US, USSR, GER and JAP. Its called enjoying the game.
Saying that as if i havent got all of that and research everything already. And again fun is subjective your fun and my fun arent the same. I like the game but im not gonna do think i dont want. Sorry if my fun isnt up to YOUR standard.
I think you got that wrong because your comment was about how people spend their time. What is having everything? Your original comment was about finishing a TT?
I said i dont like min maxing and i play br5 only what is so hard about understanding that? You came in and saying that “oh you made it to br5 and dont understand min maxing you arent a vet” I didnt force people to do anything.
I just said what is my opinion
Literally attacking me and then dump some psychology explanation and saying as if i dont know how the forum work. Typical. Literally all this start because this guy decide to attack my opinion because he thought i was demanding the OP to “not min max” wow
And I replied with my opinion that is how message boards work. Grinding kills game is hilarious. A comment without context (Not you) Its a dopamine loop and 100% by design. We are just digital hamsters hitting that food bar as hard and fast and we can. Don’t ever fool yourself about games, its the same with retail.
Here is a summary
At its core, “grinding”—performing repetitive tasks for an in-game reward—hacks into some of our most fundamental psychological reward systems. Real life is often chaotic, and hard work doesn’t always guarantee a payoff. Games, however, provide an environment where effort perfectly correlates with reward.
Here is a breakdown of why that repetitive loop becomes so incredibly compelling.
Much of modern game design relies on operant conditioning, a psychological concept famously demonstrated by B.F. Skinner. By rewarding specific behaviors, games train you to keep repeating them.
The most addictive grinds use a variable ratio schedule. If you know exactly how many enemies you need to defeat to get a drop, it feels like work (a fixed ratio). But if there is a chance the reward could drop at any moment, the brain releases a surge of dopamine simply from the anticipation of the reward. This is the exact same mechanism that makes slot machines addictive.
(XP) to variable (Loot) reward schedules alters the psychological engagement curve, which text alone cannot demonstrate effectively. */}
In the real world, the path to success is murky. In a game, the path is absolute. Whether you are grinding to unlock a specialized squad or weapon in a tactical shooter, or trying to climb the ranks of a competitive community ladder, the rules are perfectly laid out.
Grinding provides a comforting sense of control. You know that if you put in $X$ hours of effort, you will receive $Y$ reward. That psychological safety—knowing your time investment will be respected by the system—makes the repetitive action feel soothing rather than tedious.
Humans have a core psychological need for competence—the feeling of growing stronger and mastering our environment. Games visualize this beautifully.
{/* Reason: The image provides a concrete visual of how games map out the grind, turning abstract effort into tangible, visual progression. */}
Every time a number goes up, a rank increases, or a new node on a skill tree lights up, the game is providing tangible proof of your competence. The grind is the price of admission for the psychological satisfaction of looking back at a maxed-out loadout and knowing you earned it.
As you grind, you invest time and energy into your digital profile. This triggers the sunk cost fallacy. If you’ve already spent 40 hours unlocking half of a campaign’s weapons, quitting feels like throwing away that 40-hour investment. The deeper you get into the grind, the harder it is to walk away, because your brain places a high value on the effort you’ve already expended.
Ultimately, grinding is addictive because it provides a perfectly structured environment where your effort is acknowledged, your progress is saved, and your brain is consistently drip-fed the chemical rewards it craves.