There’s tons of content in Waframe’s 1999 update, but its biggest new mode is undoubtedly the PvPvE Faceoff mode. However, this mode has had a mixed reception in the Warframe community.
Before we dive into what’s going on, take a look at all the new modes added in, whether Faceoff is worth running for Conclave standing, and how to start dating. Now, keep reading to learn everything you’ll need to know about what folks think of the new Faceoff mode in Warframe.
What’s going on with Faceoff in Warframe
In general, Warframe players really appreciate a new way to earn Conclave standing, and the PvPvE approach with Faceoff feels, to many, like a better fit for Warframe than did the game’s now-dead suite of PvP modes, but that doesn’t mean Faceoff’s current state is perfect.
Gamers have a variety of issues with Faceoff, but some are likely bugs or simply unintentional, not design that needs to be tweaked. This includes the biggest problem with Faceoff right now: the health and general tankiness of Assassination mobs. In short, they’re too spongy.
Another similar issue is matchmaking. Currently, queuing into the mode can take a while, and every match begins with up to a few minutes of waiting around for it to start. Plus, the mode is currently plagued by disconnections, host migrations, and other problems of that nature.
That said, there are a number of other issues players are having with Faceoff that aren’t obvious glitches or unintended interactions. Here are some of the top complaints:
- Too much RNG for a competitive mode: some objectives require you to randomly drop items from enemies or get enough enemies to spawn nearby, and this makes for a very unfair feeling experience when those things don’t go your way but do for the other team.
- Conclave standing rewards for playing Faceoff are way too low. Missions for other syndicates can award you 9,000 standing or more in a single match when Faceoff is capped at 3,000. Plus, you only get 1,500 standing if you don’t manage to win, which isn’t always guaranteed.
- The other team disconnecting means you’ll get worse rewards for completing the mission — the same rewards you get for playing the squad vs AI version of Faceoff. If you’re playing Faceoff for standing, that means you won’t get any standing at all for finishing the mission.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of every problem people have with Faceoff, but these are some of the biggest ones right now. While there are many complaints out there, many are also giving their take on ways Digital Extremes can improve the overall Faceoff experience.
How Faceoff in Warframe could get a lot better
Once the defenses of Assassination mobs gets adjusted and a few matchmaking upgrades are implemented, players still have a ton of ideas on how to make Faceoff itself better:
- Mirror spawns, modifiers on enemies, and objective locations for both teams. Then, matches won’t feel one-sided when a particular team gets blessed with good RNG and the other doesn’t, forcing one a loss and guaranteeing one a win — assuming the losers don’t quit.
- Increase standing rewards by at least 50-100% to keep pace with standing rewards from other syndicate missions. Even 3,000 standing for a loss and 6,000 standing for a win wouldn’t be an especially large amount to earn in a single match when it comes to Warframe missions.
- If a team disconnects or quits, allow the remaining team to earn the same rewards they would have initially. This means that instead of a team getting punished for staying in a match, they’ll get rewarded with a free win, instead of getting their time wasted.
Others suggest making the buffs and debuffs you can find more relevant, making objective indicators clearer, and better explaining how all the various mechanics of the mode work in-game. But it’s still early days for the 1999 update, so many are still getting their thoughts together.
It seems inevitable Digital Extremes will make changes to the mode, once the developers get back from Christmas vacation, but it remains to be seen exactly what’s going to change. For that, we’ll all have to wait and find out. For now, though, you may want to hold off grinding Faceoff.
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