What I am taking about is how people start playing this game with LSM then most except for a few move on to other factions. In my experience this is what makes players stick with this game because they can after a short learning period in LSM gravitate towards the faction they end up devoting most of their time in based on personal preference and that is no longer happening as much as it did before the last patch. If this last patch was/is an attempt to retain new players because most people start with Boltgun/medium range and to make that experience as rewarding as possible it is already having devastating consequences on all factions with increasing wait times/queues. I could find games on all factions within 1-5 minutes 24 hours a day before this patch and to me that was a huge selling point for EC. Players just aren't leaving the LSM faction anymore and unless there are plans to place LSM vs LSM in the works queues will soon go on forever. I was in multiple games recently that couldn't even start because Orks and Eldar didn't join the game. LSM was the faction I returned to periodically to help out new players and also get a good challenge while doing so because they often go against more organized/skilled teams but it was a good way to hone your skills. If the changes were made for financial reasons isn't it a plus to have players buy enough currency so they can get the RTC weapons and cosmetics in all factions and not just in LSM? Unless the changes made are irreversible like the NGE I really hope the appropriate actions are taken to bring back the unique experience this game offered before because I would really like to continue playing/supporting this game/company for many years to come.
What might help would be to show the actual population-percentages while given the choice for factions... But I can only theorize on how to solve this overwhelming population-difference. The enduring problem is that the factions beside Chaos have rarely been portrayed favorably when used in conjunction with the Space Marines.
You do realize the intended migration path is Orks -> Everyone else, right? LSM can be considered a rather difficult faction (even discounting the fact that you're fighting against your own teammates sometimes) because a lot of their tools are less straightforward. Storm Shields, Narthecium vials and healing, Grav-weapons, Servo Skulls; contrast that with stuff like Renewal's easy reviving from cover, or Khorne's lifesteal, or the Ork WAAAAGH No, I am not saying they're the most technical faction, but they're more technical than the Orks always were, doubly so ever since Painboyz got healing steins as their preset
I think it's because of the regional preference option that was put in last patch. Now it's less likely you'll end up with enough people to start a match on a server because the player base is being split up by the players setting this option on anything but "All". I think that's mostly what you are experiencing. Maybe you yourself have also set this option to one of the specific regions? Also most players playing SM isn't helping SM players to find a match.
Ho Holy shit batman..... That was the biggest load i have ever read in such a concise post. Apothecaries have the same tools, AND MORE than a painboy. LSM has so many toys, that it's not even fun. What isn't straight forward about LSM? Stormshields? like ork improvised shields but 2x better Servo skulls...toss and forget amplify dmg in an area Grav guns? dealing both dmg to infantry and Av with a slow, and a easy to point beam? Bolter cannon? long range high accuracy high dmg, that every tatical can take? Srsly, where is the technical aspect of LSM? Mentioning the Ork's Waaagh, as something relevant, surely must be in a sarchastic way. Khorne's life steal, that removes healing done to you....so OP. So straight forward
I don't think there ever was much "natural migration". LSM have always had significantly more players than all the other factions, due largely in part to LSM being the most popular faction among 40k fans by a wide margin. It's a problem that has no simple solution.
