Hi All,
This isn't a discussion about which mode is better or which one you prefer, but rather a discussion about how the original game functioned and how that has now changed with the introduction of the toggle.
The changes I've experienced could be region-specific and may not apply to everyone here. I play in OCE, where we already have a low player base, and the toggle has now sadly doubled our queue times. :(
I'm a PvPvE player, and since the introduction of the toggle, the feel of the game has completely changed in my region. PvPvE is essentially dead.
Everyone who is interested in looting and killing ARC has moved to PvE (which is completely fine), but everyone in the PvP servers now seems to ONLY PvP. There is zero looting and zero ARC killing. Everyone just runs towards the first gunshot they hear, and it turns into a massive deathmatch in one area of the map.
You can now run around the entire map looting without experiencing any PvP because everyone has rushed towards the first bit of noise they heard and started fighting. They're there purely for the PvP, and this has completely killed the suspense of potentially running into another player at any moment. That unpredictability was one of the things that made the original PvPvE experience so enjoyable.
The toggle has also massively affected OCE queue times due to our already low player base. When you queue for PvP servers, you're now being matched with solo, duo and trio players regardless of your party size. PvP simply isn't enjoyable when you're constantly coming across 2v3 or 1v3 situations.
All I seem to see are debates about which player base is better, PvE or PvP, but everyone seems to have forgotten that PvPvE is also a playstyle. It's a playstyle that now feels completely dead in my region, despite being the original concept of the game.
I'm not against PvE or PvP players having their preferred way to play. My concern is that by separating the two, we've unintentionally lost the experience that originally made the game so unique. The balance between looting, fighting ARC, and never knowing whether another player was friendly or hostile was what made PvPvE so exciting.