# Dust 514 old critics and improvements

**URL:** <https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dust-514-old-critics-and-improvements/499793>\
**Category:** Feature Feedback\
**Tags:** gameplay-feedback\
**Created:** [October 26, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dust-514-old-critics-and-improvements/499793 "2025-10-26T11:18:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Borsho](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/borsho/32/503046_2.png) [@Borsho](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Borsho)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dust-514-old-critics-and-improvements/499793/1 "2025-10-26T11:18:13Z")

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Good day team,

I don’t know if CCP still reads this subforum in addition to Discord, but being a bit stubborn, I feel like I need to share my thoughts about Vanguard —even a month after finishing the alpha.

Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those “I don’t like the game…” posts. In fact, I’ve seen some real sparks of potential that make me think: _This game rocks —or at least it really could!_ It just needs those extra touches to make it stand out.

That said, I’m still a bit concerned about some of the designs and gameplay elements that feel too close to _Dust 514_. Let’s be honest —_Dust 514_ got some pretty rough reviews from the press and general players back in the day.

Anyway, let’s get to the point —I’ll break down my feedback by sections:

**Identity**

- The presentation of being a clone needs to feel deeper and more immersive —something closer to _Minority Report_ or a dystopian setting. It should make you feel like you’re just another generic clone owned by a corporation, a faction, or something much bigger, with only fragments of human memories left. The player should truly _feel_ what it means to be a clone.
- Starting directly on the ground isn’t bad for an alpha, but in the final version I’d love to see a virtual training sequence —something like a _Matrix_-style simulation. It could teach movement and combat in various scenarios instead of dropping us straight into a map we’ll later play. After all, a clone wouldn’t know where it’s about to land! _Helldivers 2_ had a great approach: fun, lore-driven, and mechanically instructive.
- Please show us the drop pod and make us actually land on the ground. I didn’t like how, just before touching down, the pod opens and we simply fall like superhumans while the capsule disappears. It felt too generic —even cheap. Crashing into the ground would leave visible traces for others to find, making the world feel alive and gritty. _Titanfall 2_ did this perfectly —you could feel the excitement of every drop.

Weapons

- This is crucial for any shooter. While playing, I wasn’t sure what weapons were available —a machine gun, a shotgun, and a mining gun? I never got the chance to feel how the shotgun played, so I didn’t bother crafting one. There should be a way to test weapons in a virtual training mode or shooting range from the main menu. Also, grenades and medkits weren’t very clear —I couldn’t tell what affected shields, armor, or health.
- I remember a _Dust 514_ review that criticized the shooting feel —I had the same issue here. Weapons felt light and fake, not like powerful futuristic firearms. I’d expect them to feel more like a strong SMG, M14, or MP40 —something satisfying to shoot.
- Make the differences between weapons and their attachments more tangible —not just through stats or visuals, but through real gameplay impact.

**Map**

- The map design reminded me of _Insurgency_ —open areas with little cover and sometimes extreme verticality that feels awkward in close combat. That could be improved. Those situations were a bit frustrating.

- Mission objectives like capturing control zones felt a bit off. For example, our task was to “capture” an anti-air control point to shoot down a ship. That’s fine in concept, but I wanted to _do_ something —press buttons, interact with consoles, or actually take control of the cannon instead of just standing in a circle to gain control. If that’s not the intent, then maybe keep it simple like _Battlefield_’s close-quarters maps where the focus is just on territory control.