Sentinel - Weapon Mastery Trial Suggestion
I would like to suggest a rework for the 2nd Sentinel Weapon Trial. Comparing the level of difficulty for this particular trial compared to the others in-game, the Sentinel's second trial is a clear outlier. Even compared to the other Sentinel trials. The trials are as follows:
- Level 20 - Knock 1 enemy while Amped. (0/20)
- Level 40 - Knock 1 enemy with a headshot while the target is looting a death box. (0/20)
- Level 60 - Land 2 headshots in a row while in Tempo. (0/15)
- Level 80 - Knock 1 enemy from at least 200m away with a headshot. (0/10)
- Level 100 - Knock 1 enemy in the air with an Amped headshot. (0/3)
Why is the second trial so unreasonably difficult? In order to accomplish this, the following things need to align:
- The player has to land a headshot on a target.
Not only would the player likely need to do this from a far distance (if the target is close by, they likely wouldn't be looting a deathbox in front of the player,) it also specifically has to be a headshot. Most players are aware that strafing while looting a deathbox is a good habit. Players who use controller input are unable to move while looting a deathbox. So, the Sentinel user either has to be skilled enough to land a long-distance headshot on a strafing target, or lucky enough to be watching a controller player just as they're looting a deathbox.
- The headshot has to knock the target.
An Amped Sentinel headshot is incredibly destructive. To a white helmet, it will deal 158 HP of damage. That's enough to instantly down a player with a Level 1 helmet and Level 1 shield. However, to anyone with a higher level helmet and/or shield, 1 headshot will not be enough. As a match progresses, naturally the shields found in deathboxes will be higher levels. Just like strafing, most players are aware that the deathbox's shield should be top priority for looting. Finally, if a player is shot while looting a deathbox, the first thing they'll likely do is close the menu and take cover.
All in all, the Sentinel user has to be lucky enough to find someone that will actually be knocked in one shot, which gets less and less likely over the course of the match. This would incentivize the Sentinel user to go for this trial during the early game, when most players will have weaker defenses. The problem here is that Sentinels are not particularly common, compared to other weapons. Not to mention the attachments that go along with a Sentinel, by the time it's effective for sniping, a significant portion of players in the match will have found better shields and/or helmets.
Considering that the trials are apparently a measure of a player's skill with a weapon, this aspect seems to rely more on luck than skill. If the trial simply required a headshot on a target that's looting a deathbox, it would still be quite challenging. Adding the requirement for the shot to specifically down the target shifts much of the likelihood to chance.
- This has to occur 20 times.
With the difficulty of this trial in mind, accomplishing it 20 separate times seems unbalanced in comparison to other equal trials. Take the Level 40 trial for the Volt: "Knock 1 enemy while you have 20 HP or less." Or, the Level 40 trial for the R-301. "Knock 1 enemy while they're outside the Ring." I think it's clear that this trial is an outlier compared to other trials of the same level. It doesn't seem like this trial was play-tested, at least not to the extent of other trials. I believe a rework to bring the difficulty more in line with other trials would greatly benefit the gameplay experience.
