This is a collection of feedback on various Penances. The difficulties of Penances can vary wildly from “I already do this” to “basically impossible”, this seeks to point out the ones that need changing. This covers Sharpshooter and Ogryn, as these are the two classes which I have personally played.
Sharpshooter
Long Bomb
Hit 5 enemies with a Frag Grenade without it bouncing
Difficulty: 6/10
Difficult until you learn grenades function. Grenades will explode after a set amount of time without hitting an object which varies wildly depending on if it was a long throw, short throw, or quick throw - this is inconsistent and messes with how people expect grenades to work.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance, but changing how grenades work (for example, having the timer be the same across all actions and being able to cook them) would incentivize more nuanced usage.
Marked For Death
During a single use of Volley Fire, hit enemy Weak Spots 4 times using a weapon’s Secondary Action, without missing a shot
Difficulty: 4/10
Incentivizes accuracy during Volley Fire. Perfectly possible with the basic lasgun, and possible with automatic weapons like the infantry autoguns if you have decent recoil control. If you are unable to do this against a monster or lack the quick reflexes needed for taking out riflemen in the default duration of Volley Fire, the Level 30 Feat Counterfire makes this easier.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance.
On Overwatch
Complete a full Mission on Malice Threat or higher without taking any melee damage
Difficulty: 8/10
Before the changes to Toughness, this was basically impossible without cheesing it. However, due to anti-cheese measures, you cannot get this Penance by joining a game mid-mission, taking all initiative out of the hands of the player and putting you at the whim of the match maker. Not necessarily a healthy way to promote playing Veteran, as he has access to some of the most powerful melee weapons in the game, but does perhaps try to teach you not to take hits on higher difficulties. Note I say try to teach, because a player can most definitely get the message but not be able to complete this Penance due to it’s instant pass/fail state.
Suggestions: Pass/fail requirements are too hash. Remove the requirement for a “full mission”. Allowing you to take a certain percentage of your health as damage would give more leeway for success while passing along the same idea.
One In the Chamber
Kill 5 enemies with the last round in your clip during a single Mission on Malice Threat or higher
Difficulty: 3/10
Creative. It asks the player to use the highest-power weapon they can find and punch through a horde with the last shot. Sharpshooter’s unique ranged weapon, the Plasma Gun, is also uniquely suited to this task, adding more nuance.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance.
Deadeye
On Heresy Threat or higher, during a single use of Volley Fire, kill 5 highlighted enemies with Weak Spot hits whilst using a weapon’s Secondary Action
Difficulty: 3/10
Despite being a Heresy-level Penance, the level 30 Feat Counterfire makes this almost laughably easy. However, despite that, it passes along one of the most important lessons in the game - riflemen hordes are one of the most dangerous enemies you can come across, and one of your strengths as Sharpshooter is taking them down.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance.
Make Every Shot Count
Complete a mission on Heresy Threat or higher with no ammo remaining, and 100% accuracy
Difficulty: 10/10
This stands out from every other Sharpshooter Penance being not only obnoxiously difficult, but also incredibly anti-teamwork as it incentivizes blowing all your ammo into hordes and not risking missing shots on important targets like Elites or Specials. Furthermore, whenever an Elite enemy is killed by you or a team mate in Coherency, you generate ammo, making this Penance even more poorly designed. If you miss a shot, you instantly fail the Penance. Of all the Sharpshooter Penances, this one needs changing.
Suggestions: Pass/fail requirements are too hash. This needs a change to promotes both firing your weapon and being accurate, but not to the exclusion of either. You should be allowed a reasonable amount of ammo remaining and not instantly fail the Penance if you miss a shot: 25% ammo and 75% accuracy would be reasonable requirements, if still difficult.
Skullbreaker
I’m in Charge
Use Bull Rush to interrupt a Plague Ogryn’s Charge
Difficulty: 3/10
The most difficult part of this Penance is finding a Plague Ogryn, and then beating your team mates to it. Teaches some valuable lessons, like how Bull Rush can interrupt even the largest of monsters, and to be unafraid to use it to charge in.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance.
Something In Your Eye
Kill a Corrupter by hitting it in the eye with your grenade box
Difficulty: 2/10
The only reason this Penance isn’t rated at 1/10 Difficulty is most people have no idea what a Corrupter is, and will therefore pass over opportunities to achieve it. Otherwise, it’s a very creative penance that throws some comedy into the mix - the Skullbreaker’s Big Box Of Hurt never fails to give a good laugh.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance. However, there should be some way for players to identify what a Corrupter is without having to look elsewhere.
Friends Will be Friends
Stay in Coherency with a living teammate at all times during a full Mission on Malice threat or higher
Difficulty: 9/10
Obnoxiously difficult in games with randoms. All sorts of hazards can separate you from your team for just a split second - exploding barrels, exploding Pox Bombers, monsters, Specials, unpredictable team mates, etc. and instantly cause you to fail the Penance. Furthermore, the UI doesn’t update every frame to indicate whether or not you’re in Coherency with your team, so even if you use the Level 15 Feat Towering Presence and keep a hawk eye on the indicators, there’s still a chance you’ve failed the Penance without even knowing it. Furthermore, due to anti-cheese measures, you cannot get this Penance by joining a game mid-mission, taking all initiative out of the hands of the player and putting you at the whim of the match maker.
Suggestions: Pass/fail requirements are too hash. Remove the requirement for a “full mission”. It needs to allow for brief moments outside the player’s control without failing the Penance. For example, spending 90% of your time inside Coherency would be a reasonable requirement.
Gone Bowling
Knock down 70 enemies with a single Bull Rush on Malice Threat or higher
Difficulty: 7/10
Requires quite some setup, or a unique series of events to transpire.
Suggestions: Reduce the number of enemies required.
Don’t Stop Me Now!
Move 40 metres with Bull Rush in under 20s on Heresy Threat or higher
Difficulty: 4/10
This Penance absolutely requires the Level 15 Feat Bull Fighter and the Level 30 Feat Unstoppable. Not much setup is required outside of spotting a few Elites, charging in, killing them, and charging again.
Suggestions: No change for this Penance.
Heavyweight Champion
On Heresy Threat or higher, knock down 6 enemy Ogryns (Bulwarks, Crushers, Plague Ogryns, and/or Reapers) with a single Bull Rush charge
Difficulty: 9/10
This Penance puts you completely at the whim of the AI Director. Enemy patrols don’t spawn enough Ogryns on their own to provide enough for this Penance, therefore you need a confluence of events to achieve this. It takes all the initiative out of the player’s hands. Furthermore it absolutely requires the use of the Level 30 Feat Unstoppable.
Suggestions: Reduce the number of Ogryns needed.