So after having gotten to rank 100, playing a good amount as both the Fireteam and the Predator, it seems to me that the Predator needs a bit of a buff. Naturally these are my opinions and I don’t expect all to agree with me.
Buff doesn’t need to be much, I enjoy playing as both mind you, but wins are quite a bit more consistent as the Fireteam because they have several distinct advantages in my view.
The Fireteam has much more healing options than the Predator: stims, packs, and wall pickups. These are more abundant than Predator healing options: the kit or pigs. I’ve wasted way too much of matches looking for pigs. Oh and the pigs run, unlike health packs, and they take multiple hits to kill.
Reinforcements are also too easily called, there have been a number of times when all players have been killed except one and then they all pop back next to the survivor to immediately take out the Predator. This should be a slightly longer process with more warnings for the Predator. Perhaps the Predator can destroy reinforcement radios? Perhaps the time should be longer depending on how many players are dead? Perhaps revived players should re-spawn further away from the action?
The Predator can never be truly stealthy, the loud foot-thuds and numerous noises pretty much make it next to impossible to sneak up on the Fireteam unless it’s during an encampment alarm. There should still be audio cues but they should be less noticeable and less frequent.
Another reason I think we’ve seen a lot calling for Predator buffs lately: as players have ranked up, the Fireteam has access to powerful weapons and attachments. With the Predator weapons, they have no upgrades and a few such as the Elder Sword, Plasma Pistol, and Disc are quite under-powered. Most players are opting for the Berserker and the Combistick. As it stands the Scout Predator is too weak to really stand much of a chance, and I think that class needs more advantages.
Also, a number of times when I have run for a good 10-15 seconds at full sprint during a second wind, the Fireteam always seems to catch up and take me out. The blood trail is large and obvious.
See a video example of this here: https://youtu.be/1fMOPRWndd4
I really like this game, the gameplay loop is solid, but there’s a lack of balance going on, and the Predator and the Fireteam should be equally competitive and fun to play.