Overall I think most enemies are good in concept but I take issues with their execution. The ones I have issues with in concept are often the repeat concepts found between Dregs and Scabs. Dreg Ragers make sense. Scab Ragers (while very cool to look at) don’t fit quite as well in my opinion. Dreg Shotgunners make sense. Scab Shotgunners (while making more sense than Scab Ragers) still feel at odds with Scab’s longer range design and feel like a needless addition (again, they look cool). I think there could be some benefit to slimming down what is likely to spawn when fighting pods of a particular faction.
That out of the way, This is what I’d change faction wise:
Dregs should keep:
- Poxwalkers
- Dreg Bruisers
- Dreg Stalkers
- Dreg Ragers
- Dreg Shotgunner
- Mutant Charger
- Pox Hound
- Pox Burster
Scabs should keep:
- Groaners
- Scab Bruisers
- Scab Shooters
- Scab Gunner
- Scab Mauler
- Scab Flamer
- Scab Bomber
- Scab Sniper
- Scab Trapper
The reasons:
Dregs should be more medium to close range. They are those that are cult members, the most fanatically infested, and the dregs (heh) of society that are just itching to get close to their enemies. That means undisciplined Stalkers eager to get close or switch to melee and straying out into the open as a result, fanatics like Ragers, and close up blasters like Shotgunners (I’d argue they might need a shorter minimum firing distance too, but that’s another topic). Mutant Chargers and Hounds are close in disablers, fitting for the Dreg’s close in design while the Burster is willing (if not eager, even) to die for Nurgle. They get Poxwalkers because they were the first infected near the bottom of the hive.
Scabs should be more disciplined, intent on engaging at longer ranges or controlling enemy positioning. Shooters lay down organized volleys and make good use of cover, Gunners are the step up able to suppress enemy positions and cover those approaching in melee. Maulers use armor to approach those dug in enemies, Bombers and Flamers use fire to flush enemies out and limit their movement options. Snipers pick off exposed players while Trappers sneak up behind you and disable one of your team members. I’d give them Groaners mostly because these are the victims of the Scabs, afflicted but still fresh enough to not have become Poxwalkers.
The remaining units could be found amongst both groups, as it seems unfair to give one side an ogryn or monster advantage.
As a side note: I’d like it if the game had some sort of weighting for what type of faction the Game Director spawns based on the map we’re on and its canonical position/features within the hive. For example, the Torrent could spawn mostly Dregs since the Torrent is deep down where the cult rose up from. Conversely, Chasm would spawn more Scabs as that’s where trained soldiers know logistics systems like the rail stations and ammo caches are. There should still be pockets of the opposite faction on each map, but the Game Director should be biased. That means you’d know more what to expect when going into a map and with the removed repeats whenever you run into a patch of a particular faction you need to shift how you approach the fight.