INTRODUCTION
Before we begin I would like to thank anyone who takes the time out of their day to read through this following post/essay as it is something I have worked on and tweaked for several months now and comes from a very dedicated & loving place for this game. I would like to specifically thank any Illfonic employees who end up going through this and discussing this with your fellow Devs. The following is a collection of Tweaks, Improvements, Overhauls & Additions I believe, after 1100+ hours of gameplay & having been here since Beta, will greatly enhance the game; retain playerbase numbers, bring old players back, bring new players in via good word of mouth & announcements and all in all prove as healthy boons to this game and its community & META even if only as little as 25% of what I have to say is ever considered or even more hopefully implemented. I thank you for work on the game, please consider what I have to say below as I wish only the best for this game and reputation.
PERKS
General Overhaul:
The 3 Slot Limitation mechanic should be removed from the game and be replaced with a system where Classes can equip as many Perks as their Class specific Perk Capacity allows until the value of the selected Perks hits the Class’ limitation. So for example a Class with 10 Perks could pick a 6 Point Perk but then also pick 4 more 1 Point Perks. This would greatly refine the system in my honest opinion and make Builds way more diversified by giving Players a reason to equip 1 & 2 point Perks which since Launch have largely just sat within the Inventory and seen no action.
Perks - Predator
Impenetrable – To justify it being a 6 Point Perk I feel the Bullet Damage Reduction should be slightly improved from 20% to 25%, bringing it in line with similar perks such as Height Advantage & Ironside which boost ALL Damage Resistance to 25% for only 5 & 3 Points respectively.
Branch Master/Ascender – These two Perks should be combined into a single 3 Point Perk called Predkour Master.
Medic – Should also effect the Speed of which you eat Pigs.
Observant/Spectral Awareness – Should be combined into a single 4 Perk called Advanced Bio-Mask.
Light Bender – Improve from 5% to 10% reduced Cloak drain, make it a 2 Point Perk.
Heated – Improve from 5% to 10% reduced Thermal drain, also make it a 2 Point Perk.
Resourceful – I fully believe should be removed from the game as the 20% increased XP gain is a real beginner’s trap and ultimately useless due to how fast you level up in the game regardless and especially serves no purpose in-game once Maximum Level has been reached, which the vast majority of established players will have hit by now in the game’s life span by now anyways.
Protection – Should be made into a 3 Point Perk, it is incredibly strong for only being 2 Points as is.
Impatient – Should reduce 2nd Wind Cooldown from 5 minutes to 3 minutes instead of 3 minutes 30 seconds.
Trapper – Should provide a 2 second boost to Traps instead of only 1 second due to its 3 Point requirement.
Fearless/Down Range – Whilst I feel Damage is a massive problem with the game balance right now, I am not one open to removing options entirely if at all. So I feel to better balance these Perks they should be retooled so that Fearless whilst providing a 10% Melee Buff decreases Ranged damage by 10% in turn and Down Range does the same in reverse, preventing massive damage stacks & forcing players to consider which role they would like to get into more.
Perks – Fireteam
Efficient – Like its counterpart Predator Perk Resourceful, this Perk should be removed from the game for the same reasons as listed prior.
Persistent/Sludge Blood – Should be combined into a single Perk called Down But Not Out, make it into a 2 Point Perk.
Fast Hands – Should be made into a 2 Point Perk, buff to 30% from 20%.
Prepper/Quick Release – Should be combined into a single Perk called Ammo Master and cost 3 points.
Gearhead – Should give 2 extra Gear, not just 1.
OWLF Trained – Buff this Perk from 8% reduced damage to 10%.
Tracker – Reduce the Spot Duration buff from 2.5X to 2X
New Perk Ideas - Predator
Light Footed – Should reduce all walking, sprinting & jumping/leaping noise by 40%. Should cost 3 Perk Points.
Rogue – Should buff movement speed by 10% like Fireteam’s Double Time Perk. Should cost 3 Perk Points.
Tough Hide – Should add 250HP, like how Thick Skin adds 25HP for Fireteam. Should cost 4 Perk Points.
Dismissive – Should reduce AI damage by 20%, should cost 2 Points.
Athletic – When Sprinting, Sliding & Leaping, damage received is reduced by 10%, should cost 2 Points.
Expanded Pack – Should add extra ammo to weapons such as the Netgun & Bow, perhaps 5 extra Nets & Arrows each. Costs 2 points.
New Perk Ideas – Fireteam
Strong Arm – Should add an Arc Visual Aid to all throwable Gear and increase distance thrown by 10%. Should cost 3 points.
Blade Master – Should increase Knife attack speed by 10%. Should cost 2 Points.
Radar System – Should mark all AI, but only the AI, in a 20 metre radius for the User only. Should cost 2 perk points.
Fighter – When in the Down State one heavy knife strike is given to the Predator when they attempt to Quick or Long Claim you, cancelling their first attempt to claim the player. Should cost 3 points.
Special Ops – 25% harder to be detected by the AI. Should cost 2 Perk Points.
GEAR
General Overhaul:
Much like Perks, Gear should also receive an overhaul from the 3 Slot limitation to a Class Capacity limitation. The same logic applying to both.
Gear – Predator
Healing Kit – Should have its base capacity increased from 2 Heals to 3.
Wrist Launcher – Should be reduced to 1 Perk Point requirement and deal 5 points more Damage over Time.
Audio Decoy – Should force Fireteam to react to the Decoy’s Healing Roar.
Gear – Fireteam
Smoke Grenades – Should actually affect the AI’s ability to locate the Fireteam as currently Smokes are more of hindrance to FT than a boon as Thermal Vision cuts right through it and the AI completely ignore it.
EMP Mine – Should be given a larger radius akin to the Predator’s Bear Traps.
UAV Scanner – Should have its Spotting duration increased by 1 second.
New Gear Ideas – Predator
Shurikens – Throwable weapons akin to the Smart Disc that lack its use as Melee options and can’t be controlled in mid-air, instead thrown much like Batarangs in the Arkham Series. Should carry 3 and each one should deal 20 damage per hit and take 6 seconds until they can be used again. Should cost 3 Gear Points.
Smoke Grenades – Much like Fireteam, the Predator should have access to Smokes which can be used to block vision for Fireteam in a set area. Should cost 2 Gear Points.
Trip Mines – A set of 6 Explosive Mines with a laser tripwire designed to be thrown against walls or in short enclosed places. Should deal 40 damage upon contact and 10 splash damage to those in the radius. Should cost 4 Gear Points.
Wrist Netgun – Arm mounted Netgun that carries only 5 Nets. Should cost 2 Gear Points.
Disruptor – Gear that would have the ability to stop Fireteam from getting Mission Updates from Zeus for 40 seconds as well as automatically activating all Camp Alarms in a 30 metre radius. A 2 use Item. Should cost 4 Gear Points.
Falconer Drone – AI controlled Drone that would take to the skies and scan unmuddied Fireteam for you, revealing their location and when fired upon would shoot an uncharged Plasma bolt at the enemy. Would cost 5 Gear Points and have 750HP, would be able to be recalled.
New Gear Ideas - Fireteam
Claymores – Explosive but short range Mine akin to the suggested Predator Trip Mines. Should deal 300 Damage and have 4 uses. Costs 4 Gear Points.
Riot Shield – Shield used to block AI attacks and reduce explosive damage by 50% as well as Predator Melee attacks by 75%. Would cost 5 Gear Points and have 300HP as well as force the user to fight with either their Secondary or Knife whilst equipped, obviously would be incompatible with a large weapon like the Minigun however and so you’d be limited to just your Knife if both were taken.
Adrenaline Booster – Fireteam injects themselves with an Adrenaline Booster which for 30 seconds grants them a 10% movement speed buff and gives them 20% faster Stamina Regen. Carry only 2 at a time. Would cost 3 Gear Points.
WEAPONS
Predator Weapons
Yautja Bow – Should have its damage reduced from 57 per uncharged shot to 45, charged shot damage should remain at 70. The weapon should also be overhauled so that the Predator has to actually draw an arrow and pull back the bow string before it can be fired.
Smart Disc – Should have its speed very slightly increased, perhaps by 5%. Its damage should also be reduced from 125 on hit to 100. Its melee attacks however should inflict 10 Bleed Damage Over Time.
War Club – Should increase its combo damage from 23, 38 & 87 to 30, 40 & 90 to better make up for this weapon’s abysmal swing speed.
War Hammer – Should increase the range of its Heavy AOE by 5 metres.
Battle Axe – Increase the range of how far its Heavy travels by 1 metre.
Fireteam Weapons
SAWZ-50 – Should have its damage reduced by 30.
Grimtech-19 – Should have its fire rate capped as right now the weapon can fire as fast as you can mash the fire button. Damage should be reduced by 5.
1011-12 – Like the Grimtech-19, this weapon’s fire rate needs to be capped. Reduce damage by 10.
2XL – This gun’s damage output actually needs to be increased. Probably by 30-40 points.
S-R3D – The minigun needs to have its weapon spread reduced by 20% and its damage per bullet increased by 3 points.
Plasma Rifle Prototype – This weapon should be affected by the Unleashed Specialization.
NRV-E – Same as the Prototype, Unleashed should affect this Weapon.
O.W.L.F Pitbull – Increase individual bullet damage by 5.
Hammerhead – Decrease individual bullet damage by 9.
B34S-T – Increase damage from 270 to 300.
New Weapon Ideas – Predator
Speargun – Sniper Rifle like weapon that fires Spears that inflict Bleed Damage over Time. Carries 20 ammo. Damage should be around 50 per hit & the DoT should be 10.
Glaive – Melee focused variant of the Combistick, should remove the ability to be thrown for greater damage per hit & inflict Burning DoT.
Power Fist – Powerful melee weapon with a charged attack that would blind Fireteam and knock them back by 10 metres. Would be like a slower wristblade but deal higher damage and inflict blindness upon each hit.
Yautja Whip – Long Range Melee option with low-end damage, probably be 25 to 30 per hit, but would have the greatest range of all Melee options. Could have a Heavy attack that pulls Fireteam/AI toward you.
Yautja Tomahawk – Throwable Axes that would deal 50 damage per hit. Carry 3 at a time. Can be picked back up.
Arm Mounted Flamethrower – Flamethrower attached to the gauntlet of a Predator. Would have 300 Fuel, 100 per reload and would obviously inflict Burning DoT.
New Weapon Ideas – Fireteam
Liquid Nitrogen Blaster – Like the weapons used by the O.W.L.F in Predator 2 in their attempt to capture the City Hunter. Should slow the Predator by 10% but do minimal damage. Could freeze AI solid however, allowing you to shatter them.
Desert Eagle – Could be a good hybrid of the 1011-12 & the 2XL. Also an iconic weapon for the series as a custom version was used by Harrigan in Predator 2.
Plasma-Thompson – A custom upgraded Thompson Submachinegun that has been retrofitted with Pred Tech so that it fires Plasma based projectiles, like a faster firing Prototype.
CLASSES
Predator Classes Reworks
Scout – Improve Health from 1000HP to 1250HP. Buff Bullet Resistance from 9% to 10%. Buff Movement Speed from 10.2 metres per second to 11 metres per second. Add a Bleeding Effect to their Wristblade attacks. Add a Slow Effect to their Slam.
Hunter – Improve Health from 1250HP to 1500HP. Give them a 7.5% Bullet Resistance. Buff Movement Speed from 9.7 metres per second to 10 metres per second. Make Wristblades slightly faster but have no additional effects. Extend the radius of their Slam by 5 metres.
Berserker – Improve Health from 1500HP to 1750HP. Give 5% bullet resistance. Buff Movement Speed from 9.2 metres per second to 9.5 metres per second. Remove the Passive which makes them take 10% extra knife damage. Give a burning effect to their Wristblade attacks & Slam. Improve Perks from 9 points to 10 points.
Elder – Improve Health from 1250HP to 1650HP. Give a 5% bullet resistance. Buff Movement Speed from 9.4 metres per second to 9.7 metres per second. Add a blinding effect to their Wristblade attacks & Slam.
Alpha – Improve Health from 1150HP to 1450HP. Give a 10% bullet Resistance. Buff Movement Speed from 10.3 metres per second to 10.7 metres per second. Make Wristblade attacks fast & increase slam radius by 5 metres.
City Hunter – Improve Health from 1250HP to 1550HP. Give a 7.5% bullet resistance. Buff movement speed from 10 metres per second to 10.7 metres per second. Add a bleed effect to Wristblades & a slow effect to their Slam.
Samurai – Improve Health from 1350HP to 1650HP. Give a 5% bullet resistance. Buff movement speed from 9.5 metres per second to 9.7 metres per second. Add a bleeding effect to their Wristblades and an extra 5 metres to their slam.
Viking – Improve Health from 1500HP to 2000HP. Give a 2.5% bullet resistance. Buff movement speed from 8.8 metres per second to 9.2 metres per second. Add a burning effect to their Wristblades and a slow effect to their Slam. Remove the Passive which makes them take 10% extra knife damage
Valkyrie – Improve Health from 1200HP to 1600HP. Give a 5% bullet resistance. Buff movement speed from 10 metres per second to 11 metres per second. Make their Wristblade attacks come out faster and add a slow affect to their Slam.
Cleopatra – Improve Health from 1450HP to 1800HP. Give a 5% bullet resistance. Buff movement speed from 8.8 metres per second to 9.7 metres per second. Add a burning effect to their Wristblade attacks & to their slam. Improve Perks from 11 points to 12 points.
Fireteam Classes Reworks
Scout – Improve Health from 125HP to 150HP. Buff movement speed from 7.6 metres per second to 7.9 metres per second.
Recon – Improve Health from 125HP to 150HP. Buff movement speed from 7.4 metres per second to 7.6 metres per second.
Assault – Improve Health from 150HP to 175HP. Buff movement speed from 7.2 metres per second to 7.4 metres per second.
Support – Improve Health from 175HP to 200HP. Buff movement speed from 6.8 metres per second to 7.0 metres per second. Remove passive Prepper, replace with passive Body Armor. Improve Perks from 6 points to 8 points.
O.W.L.F Operative – Improve Health from 135HP to 160HP. Improve movement speed from 7.2 metres per second to 7.4 metres per second.
Dutch 2025 – Improve Health from 160HP to 185HP. Improve movement speed from 7.2 metres per second to 7.4 metres per second. Replace passive Hipfire Accuracy with passive Mud Damage Resistance. Improve Gear from 10 points to 12 points.
Dutch 1987 – Improve Health from 155HP to 175HP. Buff movement speed from 7.2 metres per second to 7.6 metres per second. Replace passive Mud Damage Resistance with passive Hipfire Accuracy.
Dante – Improve Health from 160HP to 165HP. Buff movement speed from 7.3 metres per second to 7.7 metres per second.
Isabelle – Improve Health from 130HP to 155HP. Buff movement speed from 7.2 metres per second to 7.8 metres per second. Replace mud cover duration with mud damage resistance. Improve Gear from 7 points to 8 points.
GENERAL OVERHAUL IDEAS
Spotting – I believe the Spotting Mechanic for Fireteam should be reduced to 3 seconds for default. And 5 seconds for Classes with any Passive which improves their Spot Duration, such as Recon.
Healing – I think it would be better if Gear Items such as the Predator’s Healing Kit and Fireteam’s Medkit, along with Medkits found in the map, would heal their respective users to 100% each time BUT gear items like Fireteam’s Field Syrettes or Pigs in the Map that Predator can eat heals only 50% with each use, so more would have to be used to heal to 100% to make up for their ease of use and abundance in comparison to healing methods which take longer to use and thus carry greater risks.
Melee – I feel the gameplay of melee, for both Fireteam & most importantly Predator, would be much better and prove to be of greater use to players at higher levels of play if melee attacks were able to be interrupted and cancelled as currently Melee is a huge commitment with high risk & low rewards as the Meta has continually shifted towards Damage Stacking & Damage Reduction over the previous few months and has become increasingly suicidal in the Predator’s case specifically, which I feel is growing increasingly more frustrating with the fact that the vast majority of the Predator’s toolkit revolves around Melee weaponry & options. Being able to cancel attacks would raise the skill ceiling AND improve such gameplay in the eyes of the community.
Parrying – This is a mechanic I fully believe should be overhauled completely and outright replaced with an entirely new option as right now Parrying remains a huge issue with the game’s balance and leads to many an occasion, with its incredibly forgiving timings, to stunlock a Predator to death. I feel the game would be greatly improved via replacing FT’s parry with a Dodge Roll that gave the user Invincibility Frames, moved them out of the way of the Predator’s attacks & cost Stamina to use.
Stealth – Stealth for both Fireteam & Predator does need to greatly be improved upon and given more options as I feel I have hinted towards & detailed some ways to do so with wishes above but I don’t believe this can be fully implemented until some aspects of the AI are overhauled/retooled, this may be a huge undertaking, especially in comparison to what has been suggested thus far, but it is one I feel many in the community feel is needed to improve gameplay options & the feel of matches themselves.
Last Man Standing – To give FT players more of a fighting chance during a 1v1 scenario I believe Last Man Standing should be modified to grant the Player a 15% damage reduction, 10% movement speed & interaction buff, 20% faster reload whilst still making their Thermal Profile greater & enduring they always show up on Sound Isolation.
Bots – The ability to get up to an additional 3 revives via Bots on FT’s side has proven to be greatly overpowered for any experienced player as it effectively removes the risk of death and penalties for sloppy gameplay. I say this as someone who has both abused this “mechanic” as Fireteam in Quick Play, and had to deal with it as a Predator when a Player I spent effort downing & claiming instantly revived themselves only a few short feet away from me via a Bot. I full heartedly believe that if anything about Bots is to be changed right now, it should be the removal of the “Take Control” option for Bots.
Hardcore Hunt – I believe Hardcore Hunt should be in Quick Play alongside Clash & Hunt as an option for experienced players who are looking to spice things up a little outside of Privates.
Match Quit Penalty – Quitting from matches has become a huge problem as many players when faced with even the slightest problem in early game have a tendency to quit before Reinforce becomes available or is used. This both is a show of bad sportsmanship but also very detrimental to the Fireteam itself and not one remedied by band-aiding Bots onto the issue. I full-heartedly believe that a time penalty before Quick Play can be entered again should be given to anyone who quits out of matches several times in a row. Perhaps maybe 5 minutes, possibly 10 if they continue to quit match after match.
CONCLUSION
So this is a list of changes, tweaks and more I have worked on for a long time and added to with every update since I began its very first rough drafts and I feel that overall I have a pretty good grasp on what should be changed about the general structure at this moment in time to keep the game healthy & improve gameplay feel & options. I thank any Dev at Illfonic who comes to see this, read through it and consider any of it as worth trying out, even if only a small fraction of these changes were made I would be extremely happy. Thank you for your time.
And a thank you to @Kassinaillia the place has become a lot nicer since your Mod status was implemented and it finally feels like some of us can get some productive feedback in without every thread being derailed almost instantly.