Could really be wrong in how I see things:
I think Auric shouldn’t really be considered a different mode (unless we don’t count difficulties as well). They are basically just meant to be Diff 4+ and Diff5+.
Which is a way to increase the mission pool for where the players is ‘meant’ to be when at level 30, without drowning the board for players that aren’t there yet.
Maelstorm, did start a trend compared to the 2 previous ones. Basically it’s allowing them to do more ‘unbalanced’ modifiers without having to really nerf it to the level of what it would have to be to be part of the normal missions.
RN we only have the 1, but Assignment to me sound more as ways for FS to do tech demo of mechanics they’ve created (Death Head Grenades; Double Lords; map specific Tox Gaz).
In this consideration, they’ve had to try to balance it (but still keeping it 'harder), but also made the secrete mode to do a less balanced mode
Same realistion as with Weaves and Cata back in 2019 (iirc), they see that a dedicated part of the community play only in Auric maelstorm, and that they’re hungry, so having Havoc as a less balanced mode is a way to sate those peoples.
And now we will have Mortis, I think the only possible thing to look at rn is to compare how they talked about Havoc at its reveal and how they are doing Mortis:
Here we can see 3 differences from the get go:
- Havoc mention it being tests for the most seasoned part of the community, while Mortis doesn’t (Positive, content that is made for everyone)
- Mention of cosmetic rewards for Havoc, nothing of the sort for Mortis, only the secret info (Honestly would consider it a negative, earnable cosmetic are king)
- Mention of repeatability instead of one and done (Positive)
Going forward there are multiple ways to treat the different modes, and there are some preferences by the community that sadly will most likely never be answered (Being able to select/customise your mission)
Normal mission coherence and separation: Cataclysm
- Introduce 1 or 2 difficulty higher than Damnation, and have the top 3 difficulties become closer to what Auric currently is (So losing Auric Heresy, and Normal Damnation)
- Have Maelstorm for Heresy (normal), Damnation (‘Auric’), and each higher difficulty
→ This is to the process on making those a single ‘mode’, by treating them simply as higher difficulties instead
Assignment: The continuance
- Not treating them as story, as all the new updates try to advance the story, or at least open new hook lines (Moebian True Steel, the failed ritual…)
- Using them Tech Demo, or raid (bad idea: maybe having speedrunning rankings, with optional additional difficulties adding to those rankings)
→ There are quite a few plot hooks where we have either specific enemies (The Mysterious voice, Rinda, Biron…) or even have strangers that wouldn’t make sense as being killed and illico presto replaced by their brother/sisters (The possible Eldar Ranger, Magos Biologis)
I do see that Assignment were meant to work with the view that FS had, which sadly did not quite go as well as hoped. Where normal missions are supposed to happen multiple times (Which does not work, as many don’t make sense if they happen multiple times, Dark Communion, Mercantile, Warren, Archivum, Gloriana…).
Operation: Deleted
Rolling steel, part of normal missions, but reworked into a 2 stage mission, to approach the time length of the other mission, here with us first having a short mission disabling the Skyfire, then boarding the Valk to drop on the train
Havoc:
Willing to wait to see how they’re doing stuff.
- But, use it to introduce new modifier that then get used after their reception to the normal missions
Chaos Waste Darktide:
Do not make us use the party finder for that one. I swear to the Dark god I see that happening already.
Honestly would be a stellar idea toward the “unlock secret information on some characters present on the Mourningstar” idea