Full notes
Full SHRAPNEL update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
- Performance
- Gameplay
- Balance
- Maps
SHRAPNEL
Early Access Feedback Survey Report
March 2026 — 147 Responses
| 147 Responses Launch window | 7.5/10 Overall Score Mean · Median 8 | 3.93/5 Combat Feel Positive lean | 3.69/5 Match Pace Lowest rated |
Valdacha Intel: Your reports were clear, consistent, and actionable.
We reviewed the feedback as a development team and deployed targeted fixes. This is the cycle: you report, we correct, you validate in the Sacrifice Zone.
Technical / Performance and Matchmaking
You reported instability, long waits, and performance degradation across matches.
Dev response: We fixed an issue that caused shaders to compile multiple times, reducing performance for all players in a match. This issue also affected matchmaking times. Movement Felt Off
You reported inconsistent movement flow, snagging, and interruptions in traversal.
Dev response: We are actively improving vaulting and mantling. We also made multiple level collision adjustments to reduce movement snags across the environment.
Gunfights Felt Inconsistent
You reported engagements that felt unpredictable and variable ttk.
Dev response: Overall in-match performance improvements should make gunfights feel more predictable. Weapons have also been tuned to improve balance. Squads & Friends Play You reported: Squad play and coordinated team matchmaking are needed.
Dev response: Squad and team matchmaking were already on our roadmap. Based on your feedback, we fast-tracked them in the priority order and moved the implementation forward.
Ability & Grenade Tuning
You reported: Shield strength and grenades feeling inconsistent.
Dev response: We resolved shield and grenade reliability issues and tuned shield durability and cooldown to stabilize match pacing. 1. Overview
147 survey responses collected during the Shrapnel Early Access launch window, March 2026. Data confirmed consistent across two independent file exports.
| Metric | Score | Note |
| Overall experience (1–10) | 7.5 | Mean 7.5 · Median 8 |
| Objective clarity (1–5) | 4.3 | |
| Loadout clarity (1–5) | 4.3 | |
| Combat feel (1–5) | 3.9 | |
| Fairness (1–5) | 3.9 | |
| Match pace (1–5) | 3.7 | Lowest rated |
Players rated their overall experience on a 1–10 scale. 72% of responses land at 7 or above. The mode rating was 10 (35 respondents). Objective and loadout clarity both score above 4.25, confirming the core loop communicates well. Match pace at 3.69/5 is the clear outlier — open-text responses cite slow early game before 300 Sigma is available on the map.
Frustrations & Enjoyment
Respondents selected all applicable items from each list. Multiple selections allowed per respondent.
2.1 Frustrating Moments
| Frustrating moment | Count | % of resp. |
| Technical / performance issues | 59 | 40% |
| Movement felt off | 56 | 38% |
| Gunfights felt inconsistent | 48 | 33% |
| Confusing objectives | 42 | 29% |
| Matchmaking issues | 41 | 28% |
| Ability balance | 38 | 26% |
| Dying too fast | 32 | 22% |
| Hard to find action | 29 | 20% |
| Matches felt too long | 28 | 19% |
| Hard to understand UI/HUD | 20 | 14% |
| Other | 13 | 9% |
2.2 What Players Enjoyed Most
| Enjoyed most | Count | % of resp. |
| Gunplay | 66 | 45% |
| Operators / Abilities | 54 | 37% |
| Map Design | 50 | 34% |
| Atmosphere / World | 50 | 34% |
| Stealing enemy Sigma | 48 | 33% |
| Objective / Mode | 47 | 32% |
| Team play | 46 | 31% |
| Progression / Rewards | 39 | 27% |
| Movement | 42 | 29% |
| Other | 7 | 5% |
Player Profile
3.1 Matches Played
| Matches played | Respondents |
| 1–5 matches | 36 (25%) |
| 5–10 matches | 33 (23%) |
| 10–20 matches | 37 (25%) |
| 20+ matches | 37 (25%) |
3.2 Preferred Playstyle
| Playstyle | Count | % of resp. |
| Aggressor — pushes the fight at key objective locations | 52 | 35% |
| Collector — focuses on collecting and depositing Sigma | 42 | 29% |
| Hunter — tracks and eliminates other players | 28 | 19% |
| Defender — defends collected Sigma at their Team's grav sync | 21 | 14% |
3.3 Ability Preference
| Ability | Count | % of resp. |
| Skip Space (Swan) | 73 | 50% |
| Kinetic Pulse (Index) | 70 | 48% |
Near-even split — no dominant ability. Qualitative responses suggest Skip Space (Swan) is preferred by Aggressors while Kinetic Pulse (Index) skews toward Collectors and Defenders.
3.4 Favorite Weapon
| Weapon | Count | % of resp. |
| Assault Rifle — Mr84 Special | 60 | 41% |
| SMG — Type 50 | 41 | 28% |
| Shotgun — CSG5 Doorbreaker | 31 | 21% |
| Revolver — Type 42 | 10 | 7% |
Feature Priorities & Player Background
4.1 Most Anticipated Upcoming Features
| Upcoming feature | Votes | % of resp. |
| New Weapon | 49 | 33% |
| Team Matchmaking | 48 | 33% |
| New Operator | 28 | 19% |
| Voice Chat | 21 | 14% |
New Weapon and Team Matchmaking are essentially tied. Both reflect the same underlying gap: content depth and social play are the primary retention concerns among current players.
4.2 Other Shooters Played
| Other shooters played | Count | % of resp. |
| COD | 63 | 43% |
| Battlefield 6 | 62 | 42% |
| Other | 58 | 39% |
| Apex Legends | 49 | 33% |
| Valorant | 38 | 26% |
| The Finals | 28 | 19% |
| Marathon | 19 | 13% |
The respondent pool skews toward experienced FPS players. COD and Battlefield are the most common concurrent titles, indicating a playerbase familiar with high-fidelity competitive shooters.
Qualitative Highlights
Themes surfaced from open-text responses that go beyond the quantitative data.
| Theme | Detail |
| Server lag masking gameplay | Many players rating movement or gunfights negatively are experiencing high-ping de-sync. EU and AU players report 200+ ms latency — fixing servers will organically lift several other scores. |
| Grenade visibility gap | Multiple players request directional on-screen indicators for incoming grenades. Described as "unpredictable in a bad way." |
| Enemy contrast insufficient | Hard to spot enemies against the environment despite red nametags. A faint silhouette or contrast boost is a common request. |
| Skip Space dominance in 4v4 | Swan's fast-flanking ability frustrates players in small lobbies. Some request phased zone unlocks to limit early-game flanking. |
| Early game feels slow | Matches feel pointless before 300 Sigma is available. A ramp-up mechanic or earlier objective pressure is suggested. |
| Team communication gaps | 10-second respawn window not used for coordination. Players want in-match voice chat or pre-round communication. |
Source
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