I came back to play Cthullu since I read there were big changes from the time I gave up playing the game (way back before the first DLC released).
Unlike everyone else in this thread, I am a casual player and I am not a tactical and strategic genius that can take a naked 4 man team with combat knives and kill a Scylla, then walk away wearing new suits of armor and using BFGs made out of reconditioned Scylla parts.
I find NORMAL mode challenging and tough and I found that to still be true when I played this time. Matter of fact, I restarted down on ROOKIE and still find it challenging Mid to Late game. Those are more my speed - Where I can walk away due to real life interruptions and come back and not have to worry about having forgotten some minor part of the combat where on higher difficulties that would make me wipe the team.
I see everyone talking about how easy Legend is and it just totally destroys me when I tried it, Multiple times. So, whatever changes are being considered - please keep in mind those of who don’t play/aren’t good on those high levels.
I’d played games where things were balanced from the top down and found the easiest levels still so difficult I decided to save myself the stress.
comment wise - I’m not a fan of all the changes, like the food production lockout, the endless Mobs on some maps or having to get your men to extraction points after completing the mission objective. Trading is still painfully grindy like other aspects of the game, including some of the constant haven missions and nests/lairs.
Overall though, it’s a huge improvement since the first iteration of the game.
I’m not sure what I think about the way bases are done now. They seem to get very expensive, very fast. You pay to activate them and they pay to repair them and the pay more to get the things you need in them…money sinks when money is already very tight.
I feel like Dash, Rage Burst and Marked for Death have been over-nerfed. Especially RB and MoD considering they are level 7 abilities.
Still, better balanced and more fun than the last time I played.