I've originally played div1 well into the endgame on xbone, but i've recently got into pc gaming and decided to revisit some of my favorite games on pc. playing on pc is a more fulfilling experience all around, no complaints there. im currently a lvl 23, and i just got done with dropping LaRae Barret (sp?). it was not without some difficulty. i probably got wiped out 7 or 8 times. just about every enemy with a yellow bar is going to wipe me out 2 or 3 times. i played the hell out of div1 on xbox and know things can get difficult (im a big fan of the survival mode), but i dont remember having this much difficulty this early on. on xbone, i wiped out maybe 3 times trying to kill LaRae years ago, and that was when i had no idea what was going on and was still trying to figure out how to maximize my gear layout. ive played a ton of div1 and div2 since then, so i would think i got things handled, but these yellow bars are just juggernauts. the regular Rikers Tanks just absorb so much damage, can expend hundreds of rounds before needing to reload, their grenades detonate damn near instantly and they'll just march directly at you. not to mention it only takes like 3 or 4 bullets to get me down to a little shred of health. i dont have the self-heal skill yet, im still that early in the game. i know how to utilize my cover, stay moving, watch my flanks and target crit spots, but the room for error with these yellows is very slim. LaRae herself basically had all the same abilities of the Tanks but can rain 3 grenades on you at a time, and she was accurate af. i basically had to just rain all my special grenades on her to keep her stun locked while me and my turret converged fire, and that was a hail mary gamble, because had it not worked, your special grenades dont refill after getting wiped. i mean, i made it through the fight (mind you, she starts with two actual Tanks with her, along with several waves of mooks), but i was so frustarated, i just had to put the game down for a bit. i can tear through red and purple bars no problem, even the yellow bar Cleaner Heavies aren't too much of a hassle. i've tried googling patch updates and search various forums, though i can find other posts with my same question, i cant find any actual confirmation. was the game made more difficult or the level scaling tweaked in some way? im a lvl 23, but since im running the early game missions, im routinely getting gear thats 2-3 levels lower than my level and i just dont have the blueprints and mats to keep up or the credit stream to continuously upgrade all my gear. i can see the enemies scaling to my actual level but my gear being a liability, but thats just a theory. anyone have any insight on this? and just to clarify, i still very much enjoy the game, but you know how **** can get sometimes...
tl;dr: ive played div1 and div2 heavily on xbone, replaying div1 on pc now and the game seems significantly harder than it used to be, at leat early in the game. were some of the enemies made tougher?
The game was actually made easier a couple of times. But, what you are likely experiencing is the same as many, myself included, experience. Once you get a character getting close to the end game, you try to shortcut and just do main missions to reach the end game. Then, in doing so, you get behind the curve with your level compared to the mission level and it can end up taking longer than it would have, plus cause more frustration.
The other thing, by your level, you should have obtained the recovery link upgrade in the base. I think it is 1000 credits. Always do that one second, after the required top one. It is hard to keep playing with the game constantly telling you to upgrade with the points you already have, but avoid that temptation. If you can, go play some side missions to get some more medical points. I don't remember the recommended player level for Russian Consulate, but that's 500 medical upgrade points there.