Top 5 Titanfall 2 Improvements Respawn Needs to Make Based on the Tech Test

In case you didn’t know, the Titanfall 2 multiplayer technical test kicked off this past weekend giving PlayStation gamers our first taste of Respawn’s brand of multiplayer. While our hands-on impressions piece painted Titanfall 2 in a positive light, there’s still a few things we think Respawn should change in order for Titanfall 2 to be as badass as it can be.

For this week’s Top 5 Tuesday video, we list down the top Titanfall 2 improvements we want to see based on the technical test. And as a slight change to how we normally run our Top 5 videos, we’ve also listed down what’s talked about in the video below; for those who’d rather read than watch can thanks us later.

Enough chatter from me, check out the video above to see what improvements we hope Respawn will make to Titanfall 2 based on the tech test!

5) More Comprehensive Tutorial and Cleaner UI

With so many new gameplay features to figure out and understand, combined with a HUD that is crammed full of information to read and learn, it would be nice to have a more comprehensive tutorial, or at least have hints appear on screen as each new mechanic is introduced. Sure, what we’ve played is a pre-alpha build, but when sending a game out to the public, it’s going to be judged regardless.

We think players would have been a lot less frustrated had Respawn spent time delivering a Titan tutorial along with the Pilot tutorial, which should hopefully be the case in future builds and, of course, the full release.

4) Maps Need to Enhance Gameplay and Movement

One thing that we loved about the original Titanfall, despite the game not being on PlayStation, was the great map design. In the first part of the Titanfall 2 Tech Test, we were presented with two maps: Homestead and Boomtown.

Homestead is the larger of the two locations, and wow does it feel empty. Even on Bounty Hunt, where AI drops into the map in order to be farmed, the area feels too big for the action taking place. With a bigger player count, perhaps this map would work better, but it still lacks structures to wall run across, and chaining movements together to build momentum and speed is incredibly difficult.

The other map, Boomtown, is smaller and keeps players close to the action, which is nice. Though, again, the level designers didn’t seem to be thinking of freerunning when putting this map together. Sure, there’s the odd bounce between walls, and hop across rooftops, but it’s nothing like what players were capable of doing in the original Titanfall.

The new map being added for this weekend’s Tech Test, called Forwardbase Kodai, is looking promising, so let’s hope we’ll see more opportunities to use parkour and other movement-based abilities.

3) Better Game Modes

Attrition, the fan-favorite game mode found in the original game, doesn’t currently feature in the Titanfall 2 Tech Test. Instead, players are presented with Pilots vs Pilots, a mode absent of Titans and pretty boring overall; Bounty Hunt, a Titan and AI-filled mode that tasks players with collecting and banking cash; and Amped Hardpoint, a Domination-type affair.

With Respawn giving us a mode without Titans and AI, a mode with both Titans and AI, and a mode with just Titans, it seems like the developers are perhaps getting a feel for what format fans like the most. During our initial impressions, we felt that having maps full of both Titans and AI made for the best experience, as the levels were made to feel a lot less empty.

2) Tweaks to Pilot Abilities and Time to Kill

On the featured maps, the abilities boasted by Pilots feel pretty useless, and when we do find a good opportunity to free run or grapple to another area, the quick time to kill often punishes us.

With next to no recoil on weapons, and only a few bullets needed to take down a Pilot, we’ve found it’s safer to stay indoors and move slowly, which is not what Titanfall 2 is supposed to be about.

Despite the grappling hook being one of the game’s advertised main features, it isn’t very fun to use. Currently, it handles terribly, sending you flailing about and crashing into objects. This, combined with the awkward moments where the Pilots don’t seem to mantle accurately, getting stuck on windows and ledges and whatnot, is so not cool.

It’d be nice to see the grappling hook come as standard with every Pilot class, and also have players equipped with both a sidearm and anti-Titan weapon, as was the case in the original game.

1) Titan Changes and How You Earn Them

The two playable Titan builds found in the Tech Test have incredibly slow movement speeds and often feel like sitting ducks. We’re hoping that Respawn has some more agile Titan builds hidden up their sleeves. We at least know that the sword-wielding “Ronin” should be a fast-mover, and so perhaps more speedy classes are to come.

In the featured game modes, Titans feel like an afterthought, rarely adding much to the gameplay. Hopefully, other game modes are coming that make Titans feel more like the main attraction, as right now they are just slow and clumsy hindrances.

We’d love to see the return of a Titan countdown, where even players who aren’t doing too well are still giving a chance to play as a mechanized warrior. Yes, still reward those players who are dominating with discounts on the timer, but allow underperforming Pilots to have a go as a Titan.

Do you agree with our list of Titanfall 2 improvements that we want Respawn to implement before the game launches? Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts on Titanfall 2, and whether you like this new format of Top 5 Tuesdays, in the comments below.

Don’t forget that the Titanfall 2 multiplayer test will continue this coming weekend with the level cap raised, new weapons available and more. Titanfall 2 will drop this October 28 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Enjoyed this video? Don’t forget to subscribe to the PlayStation LifeStyle YouTube channel for your weekly dose of top five videos, as well as for other original content. 

More Titanfall 2 Reading:

• Top 5 Things to Do in Titanfall 2 Multiplayer
• Titanfall Story Recap in 60 Seconds
• Titanfall 2 Multiplayer Gameplay Video Blowout!