The most significant shift in the meta comes from a massive 100% increase to Sentry health across the board. Previously, Sentries often felt like glass cannons that could be dismantled by a single stray rocket or a swarm of Scavengers. With their health doubled, defensive positions should now survive long enough to actually exhaust their ammunition. To further assist with stationary defense, a new 'Control Center' objective tracker has been added to help squads manage complex mission goals more efficiently.
Armor rebalances have also arrived for the Bastion tank, making it significantly more resilient against small-arms fire and light explosive splash. If you prefer your firepower on legs, the Exo Suit cooldown has been shaved down from 10 minutes to 8 minutes. This two-minute reduction is a game-changer for longer missions, potentially allowing for an extra deployment when the extraction zone gets hot.
Exploration and combat mechanics also received some love:
- New Biome: Deploy into the Forest (Fall) biome, offering fresh tactical challenges and atmospheric visuals.
- Combat Agility: You can now initiate reloads while performing a dodge dive, keeping your weapon ready without sacrificing mobility.
- Stratagem Buffs: The 380mm and 120mm Orbital strikes have received damage and spread adjustments to make them more reliable for clearing out heavy outposts.
On the enemy side, Hunters and Spewers have received durable damage reduction. This means while they aren't necessarily harder to kill with the right tools, they won't be as easily bullied by weapons not designed for their specific armor types. Between the vehicle buffs and the ability to stay mobile while reloading, the 'Machinery of Oppression' update gives us exactly what we need to push back the enemies of Super Earth.
Soren