What a combo!
I would say sound and toughness are the main issues right now.
The sound is critical for the gameplay, as it will allow you to identify the danger in time. And besides, sound in games has always been the most important tool for creating immersive experience. It allows you to physically feel the space around you. There is a very big problem with this in Darktide.
Being indoors, you have to perceive every sound. Someone jumped off, a door opened somewhere, someone is running to you from behind. Without this, players are forced to develop the habit of constantly looking out for danger around. This not only destroys the immersive experience, as you stop paying attention to the aesthetics of the game and constantly look out for enemies, but also significantly increases the consumption of concentration throughout the game. In the long run, this makes the game tedious and less enjoyable.
From a visual point of view, the picture in the game is very beautiful in general, but not convenient for gameplay. The problem is not even that there are a lot of dark places in the game. The bad thing is that it is difficult to see anything in front of your eyes. Enemies and objects merge with the environment, in order to aim, you first look for a second where your sight is on the weapon, then try to figure out where the enemy is, and only then aim.
Over time, you get used to doing it faster, but it still requires you to constantly expend concentration.
Combined with the chaotic spawn system, when enemies appear everywhere and constantly, this leads to a greater depletion of the player’s concentration and makes the game more tedious and less fun overall.
The progression system in the game is not a sufficient reason to endure 20-30 minutes of tension in a game session. Especially if you just want to have fun after work. The gameplay itself should alternate between moments of relaxed aesthetic pleasure from immersion in games, and peak moments of difficulty that require increased concentration.
The toughness system, until recently, acted as a system to protect the player from the problems of the game, allowing in simple situations to play carelessly and not waste energy in vain. That is, in fact, it is critical for the player to enjoy the game, not annoyance. When the effect of fresh impressions is exhausted, when you have sufficiently studied the game mechanics and discovered all the main features. You lose the expectation and anticipation of future improvements of the game due to the development of your class. And then the balance of the problems of the game and the pleasant little things in the gameplay itself comes to the fore.
It is then that minor problems like toughness bleed, interface and control flaws begin to play a significant role. Because the player starts noticing them all the time.