The gameplay loop just hits all the right marks for me. I approach every new match with a specific goal, but so often I'll be tempted to change things up and still enjoy the distraction even after this many hours.
The ARC are challenging and difficult enough that I still get caught out sometimes. However, the game rewards you for learning ARC behaviors and attack patterns so that you gain an advantage.
Full disclosure, I do not enjoy PvP, and I don't think this game needs that element to be enjoyable. I'm very grateful to Embark for implementing all of the matchmaking changes to make it much more likely that I will get put into matches with like-minded folks. But, if PvP is your thing, there is plenty of opportunity to do so. The aggression-based matchmaking still isn't perfect, and I still find myself approaching many player interactions with caution.
The expedition mechanic has been enjoyable for me (even if they are replacing it with something else now). I have the most fun in this game when I'm starting off after an Expedition. The reset forces me to use guns, gear, and tactics I don't normally use once I've gotten to a point where I can build any loadout I want. Hopefully, they retain an element of that in the new system.
Events are fun and rewarding for the time spent, even if they are sometimes repetitive in nature. They serve to advanced the overall narrative and storyline in interesting ways. It would be great if they would implement a Helldivers style global event that players could impact the outcome of based on their actions.
Trials are an excellent way to keep players engaged each week. Some individual trial tasks are definitely better than others, but it's an added, optional challenge that results in unique in-game outfits and customizations and the end of the season. Playing relatively consistently, and not being particularly amazing at the game, I can usually end up in Hotshot rank.
Overall, I've enjoyed this game since the first time I played it, and still enjoy it. The pace of updates doesn't really bother me. The changes that Embark has made based on player feedback have been encouraging. Definitely looking forward to what will come.
