Is ExfilZone P2W?

Are Contractors Showdown ExfilZone DLCs Pay 2 Win?

As a fan, I want Contractors Showdown to make money. Game development and support requires money. Selling DLC (Downloadable Content) is EZ’s long-term monetization strategy. But I also do not want the game to be cheapened by poorly designed DLCs that disrupt gameplay balance - especially combat balance. No one wants to feel like they died in PVP because of someone else’s credit card. Here are my thoughts on DLC options and a look at The October Omen, EZ’s Halloween FOMO DLC.

Cosmetic

Textures, models, and sound - classic DLC content. Very accepted except when the game ruins the theme and style of the game. The October Omen artistic style is a huge mistake. The bright colors stand out like a sore thumb on the battlefield. Many in the extraction shooter community are extremely turned off by Call of Duty style skins. Caveman Studio would sell so many more copies of this DLC if they made the Haunted equipment look more serious.

Gameplay and Progression

Speeding up progression does cheapen the game. However, this is tolerated by most of the community because skill on the battlefield is the great equalizer. Hand top gear to fresh players at the start of the wipe and they quickly lose it. Top players can start with no gear and quickly stock up their armories. Equipment handouts sell DLCs.

Besides equipment handouts, EZ offers progression unlocks. People have sympathy for working parents and realize some players can’t grind to get to mid-tier gear. Cheapens the game? Yes. But the vocal hardcore fans aren’t likely to complain about something they continually brag that they unlocked in a couple of hours.

Combat

And then you have DLCs that help you win. Two players with an equal amount of skill meet on the battlefield and one is more likely to win because they purchased a DLC. This includes unique equipment and weapons that perform better or have new features. I hate this. In EZ the safe containers were the first offenders. What you could take in and what you could take out changed the balance. Put expensive ammo in your container. Extract with valuables without needing good gear to ensure you can exfil. This did have some community pushback but again, it was mostly tolerated because players aren’t going to kill you by hitting you over the head with a secure container.

Haunted Body Armor

And now we have The October Omen and the ‘Haunted’. The only reason we haven’t heard more uproar about this DLC is because people don’t understand what has happened. It’s only available until November 10 by the way, making this DLC design even more cringey. Ignore the art style and let’s discuss the stats.

Caveman Studio’s greatest weakness is communication. And when releasing this DLC they did a terrible job of advertising they are selling P2W. I’m sure sales would be up if people understood what’s going on with this armor and helmet.

Modified appearance. Improved damage reduction, reduced penetration. Slightly lower durability & decreased protection level due to the changes.

IOTV Gen3 is one of the best armors in the game with a Protection Level of 6 (max) and coverage for the entire torso plus the upper arms (Protection Level 3). Let’s analyze the DLC version.

Available at Trader 3 - Honestly this is the biggest selling point. Many people paying for DLC will never get Trader 4 and ‘Haunted’ is going to the best performing armor they can buy.

Protection Level 6 to 5

Durability from 200 to 156

Weight 9.3 to 8.8 - Important because P2W players are less likely to have the carrying capacity upgrades.

Penetration Curve - This is where Caveman did not communicate well. This armor would be A tier with just the changes above. But they went further. Protection is not just Protection Level. There’s a curve and the Protection Level value displayed really is just one point on that curve.

The shape of the lines is not perfect but the relationship between them is true to the game data. Notice how IMTV is lower than Rampage. Lower is better. Well Haunted is even lower. It will outperform other Protection Level 5 in terms of penetration.

Penetrate Damage Reduction 40% to 45% - For unknown reasons, Haunted is better at reducing damage than normal IOTV Gen3. In fact, it has the best value in the game for this stat across all chest rigs beating the top armor by 5%.

Durability Effectiveness - There are only 2 or 3 durability effectiveness curves and it looks like Haunted got bumped up to the better one (0.65 → 0.75). People aren’t going to notice this in combat but it’s another soft stat that is being boosted with no justification.

Haunted Helmet

I do not have the time for an in depth analysis but the helmet got a similar treatment.

Is it P2W?

This DLC is pay to win due to the body armor and the helmet. They aren’t just cool looking (quite the opposite). They aren’t a borderline P2W watered down version of other equipment. They feature unique performance and properties not found elsewhere. You have to pay to get this performance at this level of gameplay. The best players will be running Protection Level 6 gear and will smash these orange working dad players but this is a dangerous direction the game is going. If people are going to have to pay to compete in the game, victories and losses will be cheapened. Haunted indeed.