Suggestion: Weekly Difficulty Mutators for PvE Operations (Inspired by StarCraft II Co-op)

Hey everyone,

I saw one of the posts where the game director mentioned that feedback on the Absolute difficulty has been very mixed — some players find it too hard, while others (the hardcore crowd) still want more challenge.

They also noted that the team is hitting the limits of the engine — they can’t just keep adding more enemies or increasing HP/damage without potentially breaking core mechanics.

This reminds me a lot of the same problem the StarCraft II co-op mode developers faced. And I’m honestly surprised this idea didn’t show up in the February poll — but wouldn’t weekly difficulty mutators be the perfect solution?

Here’s the pitch:

• Each week, one or more mutators (optional modifiers) would be available for PvE Operations.

• Mutators could only apply to the top two difficulties (like Lethal and Absolute), since they’re aimed at players looking for extra challenge.

• Players who opt in could earn extra rewards, like the same currency we get from Ordeals.

Some example mutators off the top of my head:

• Alpha Lictor / Ravener Hunt: A powerful enemy stalks the squad during the entire mission, engaging whenever other enemies are nearby.

• Unparryable Strikes: Minoris blue glow attacks becoming unparryable (orange).

• Shielded Chaos Portals: Chaos rift portals are initially protected by a force field that reflects damage for 3 seconds.

• Reflective Shields: Attacking shielded enemies reflects part of the damage back.

• Friendly-Fire Grenades: Grenades can now hurt teammates (excluding bots).

• Synapse Surge: Tyranid synapse units buff lesser creatures with increased HP.

etc

I’m sure the community could come up with even better mutators that are both challenging and fair.

What do you all think? Would love to hear feedback and mutator ideas from others!