EDF 4.2 VS EDF 5

[Spruce Willis]

I read awhile back that EDF 5 is getting a North American Release this summer so I was wondering if anyone who has experienced that version of the game could compare what the differences are between the two in respects to mechanics and ai.

[DA_Kimika]

I have not played it personally. But from what i've seen. There is a ton of Quality of life updates most of all. "Armor and weapons are now universal.. no longer tied to the class you are playing. (Armor being the biggest gripe.).Also some of the Airstrikes from Airraider are now placed through pulled back view so you can actually tell where the airstrike will land. And Vehicals now have an area around them where they pick up crates. Also Bikes look actually usable.

[Salty Peanut]

5 is a straight improvement to 4 in all areas. a perfect sequel in every sense. the AI is no exception

the NPC soldiers have improved pathfinding. if they fall off of something, they can make their way back to you or their squad captain. that means no more running into walls. they'll also not shoot at enemies if there's walls or other stuff between them

while the bug enemies still follow the rule of "make a beeline for the nearest EDF when aggro'd", the alien enemies are smarter and work in squads. they can lose sight of you during battle, letting you use hit-and-run tactics in urban levels with alleyways. if you start doing lots of damage to one enemy, the others in the squad will focus fire on you

tl;dr you gotta use a bit more brain when fighting aliens

[A Skeleton]

I think it's worth mentioning that EDF 5 is only coming for PS4 at the moment. The Steam release will probably be a year after I'd say.

[Totally Innocent Chatbot]

Originally posted by DA_Kira:

weapons are now universal..

Sounds like an excuse for including far less weapon variety if you ask me...

[Salty Peanut]

Originally posted by Totally Innocent Chatbot:

Originally posted by DA_Kira:

weapons are now universal..

Sounds like an excuse for including far less weapon variety if you ask me...

he didn't explain it well. what he means is that you can pick up weapons and armor for classes other than the one you are playing. like if you're playing Ranger you will mostly find Ranger stuff, but bit of the armor and weapons you find will be for the other classes

you don't need to worry about weapon variety. there's over 1000 weapons and vehicles in 5. 4.1 has 800

[Captain_Kaiju]

I just want my characters/unlocks to be universal between solo and multiplayer, give me that and I'm already sold. I hate having to basically play two different games within the same game.

[Zantagor]

Originally posted by Helios Leinheart:

I think it's worth mentioning that EDF 5 is only coming for PS4 at the moment. The Steam release will probably be a year after I'd say.

I wouldn't be so sure, look at the Wing Diver Shooter game, it's only on PS4 in Japan so far, but it got an english PC release in the west already (and still no PS4 English release)

[EpyonComet]

Originally posted by Captain_Kaiju:

I just want my characters/unlocks to be universal between solo and multiplayer, give me that and I'm already sold. I hate having to basically play two different games within the same game.

I know it's been a few days since this was posted, but your armor and weapon unlocks are already shared between SP and MP. It's only mission completion that isn't.

[SushiJaguar]

Other changes include the Wing Diver getting a boost-dash that can be used in four directions in the air, Ranger gets to sprint and has a new loadout slot for vehicles (tanks, bikes, helicopters only). Dunno what they've changed about Air Raider and Lancer though.

[Sabin Stargem]

From what I could gather, it seems like that EDF5 DLC combines mission packs with new equipment. That is a huge improvement over the arrangement that EDF 4.1 has.

[lPaladinl]

Originally posted by Antonio The Betrayer:

I read awhile back that EDF 5 is getting a North American Release this summer so I was wondering if anyone who has experienced that version of the game could compare what the differences are between the two in respects to mechanics and ai.

Got my hopes up. There's no way to confirm that it's coming out this summer.

[cowbell]

D3 confirmed it's coming out this Summer.

[Captain_Kaiju]

Originally posted by cowbell:

D3 confirmed it's coming out this Summer.

Proof? Providing sources instead of just saying "yeah so and so totally said this" makes statements more factual.

[EpyonComet]

Originally posted by Captain_Kaiju:

Originally posted by cowbell:

D3 confirmed it's coming out this Summer.

Proof? Providing sources instead of just saying "yeah so and so totally said this" makes statements more factual.

Unless it’s a paradox, a statement is either factual or not factual. There is no “more factual”.

[Fischkopf King]

EDF 5 is are good sequel(reboot)to EDF 4.1. It adds new feutures which expand the gameplay. Here is my review after 350 hrs.

Story:

This time around the story occuring before 2025 during the first alien invansion. You start civilian which is tranfered to the EDF Army Ranger stars as Security Guard, Fencer as a Construction worker with a Exoskelet, Air raider as an Engenieer and the Wingdiver starts in a bad costplay costum(I dont have no idea what kind of costume it is). You are the new rookie which has to climp up until you become the elite squad stormteam.

Gameplay:

The core gameplay is the same like always choose your gear for missions, kill eyerthing and collect armor and weapons crates.

Grafic and Levels:

EDF 5 looks this time a little better and has some new level varitions like industrial areas, european citys and rice fields
and desserts(only in the dlcs). Some level have weather effects like rain, fog, snow, night and sandstorms. The underground missions are not dark as ♥♥♥♥ anymore

Sounds and Menus:

They menus in EDF 5 are semiliar to 4.1 but changed in design and have diffrent soundtracks in Campain and Online. Some weapons have now diffrent sounds als in 4.1(I cant say to all classes weapons because i dindt to so much tests). You got 4 saveslots. There are Diffrent sounds for mission accoplished or mision failed too.

Difficulties:

At the beginning you dont have acces to hardest or inferno. To unlock higher difficulties you have to finish the game on normal or hard.

There some changes which concern the difficulty levels. As an example if you play on hardest and clear the mission you get automacally the stars for hard,normal and easy. But if play on inferno
you only get hard,normal and easy you have to play hardest serparely.

Now there is something I call loot insurance when you collect crates during a mssion and die then you get a part of collected crates. It depands on the difficulties how many you get. Here the percentages for the diffrent difficulties

Easy=100%
Normel=75%
Hard=50%
Hardest=25%
Inferno=0%

Content:

The base game offers three modes Singeplayer, Multiplayer and Splitscreen. There 110 missions and Online 111 mission. Most of the missions are normal only some missions are challenging(my opinion). Plus 30 missons from 2 dlcs. Every dlcs contains 15 missions. So 141 missions to play around. There might a third dlcs but not sure what kind of dlc it is.
Controls:

P.s.Some the missions from EDF 5 are similiar to some missions from 4.1


Enemys and Npcs:

Many Enemy from 4.1 made it back like

Old ones New ones

Ants Transportships(new design) Teleport Anchor
Red Ants Qudruped Fortress(new design) Colonist(like hectors)
Golden Ants Mothership(new design) Cosmonaunts(like hectors)
Blue Ants Deroys(new design) Gamme(new insect)
Black Ants Erginus Winged Aggresor
Queen Ants Drones(new design) Archelus
Golden Queen Ants Retiarius New Drone types
Spiders Shield Bearer (new design) New final Boss
Silver Spiders Ergeninus
Spider King Bees
Silver Spider Kings Queens Bees and Red Queens

But not every enemy made it back like

Earth eaters
Hectors type 1 and 2
Blue Drones
Dragon
Greater Wild Dragon
Argo
Brain
Red Ergenius

Npcs are better this time they dont run against walls in tunnel missions, run in front your bullets and dont stuck on somewhere. If you opetating a vehicle they jump on your vehicle. With their improved pathfinding they can follow you easly anywhere on the map. Some of new npcs have a own personality but no names though. Npcs Fencer dash forward attack enemy with their spears or using their shield to protect from enemy fire. The npcs with the personality cant die during a missons they just go to ground but after you finish a wave of enemys they stand again and keep fighting.

The colonist and cosmonaunts using advantaged strategy like try flanking you , regrouping and attaking in squads, searching cover, dodeging your fire and climb up buildings. Also they can lose sight of you when you hide or run away.
And enemy cant shoot through walls or buildings anymore(somtimes they do this).

Decal system:

The new sytem is used by enemy which show physical damage. Bye Colonist and Cosmonauts you can shoot or chop off the limbs. Explosions are noticeable when transportships ships crashes into the ground and leaving a impact crater.

Weapon and Class leveling:

One of the biggest changes in EDF 5 is that you area able to level up your weapon and vehicle.
A example when you find weapon A and get weapon A again it will inrease one of the weapons stast like clip size, reaload speed, blast ridious, onlock speed, effective range , velocity, accuracy, Maximum range, rate of fire and unlock lasers site and zoom. Bye vehicles only range, damage and poits to call it. You will see a star with number next to name it shows how often the stat can be increased.When your weapons is maxout you see a star in the name. Some of weapons stas cant be increased.

This time around you unlock weapons and increase armor for classes you not even playing. But your side classes only get a little of the loot.

Weapons:

Now there two range types effective range and maximum range.The diffrence between this effective rnage is how close you must be to the enemy for the best damage. A simple example when you go 3 meters near the enemy you do 200 damege but when you are go 1 metern back you only do 100 damage and thats your maximum range. There are exceptions for some weapons. Vehicles have only maximum range.

Every classes received new toys to play around. Ranger got new assault rifles, shotguns, snipers, rocketlaucher and new spezial items.

Wingdiver got new weapons in Longdistance, Shortdistance, Medium Range, Homing, Medium range pulse, spezial,medium range electric shock.

Fencer got new weapons in closemeele, shields, artillery, chargedmeele, machine cannons.

Air raider got new spezial, missilestrikes, artillerystrikes, support equiqment, satelitestricks, installed weapons, limped guns, gunshipstrikes and bombing runs.

This weapons dont appear in EDF 5

Javelin catapult Sky trap net
Gods hand Lance with 100.000.000 damage
Plasma bomber
Nova Buster

P.s.Many weapons have been renamed in EDF 5

Classes changes:

Important remark you cant take 2 identical weapons anymore. Only Fencer can take 2 identical weapons. Other classes cant do this.

Ranger, Wingdiver and Fencer got somthing new called Support Equipment. With support equiepment each class can enhance their abilities.

SE=Support Equiepment
Ranger:

Ranger has now the ability to run. With the SE ranger can boost his running ablility to run faster , faster acceleration, turning speed, walking speed, speed reduction by impact, obstacle destruction and anti knocked down protection. While runnig a circle appers arround you with you can collect crates. Ranger is able too call in vehicle too his time like Railguns, Atomic Laser, Helicopters and Bikes but call vehicle is a SE. There are other SE too like.

Multiple lock on device=effects lock on speed, distance and multiple enemys
Relief support equiepment=more health for you and npcs under your command
Detector type=a perminatly increased collecting circle

Wingdiver

Wingdiver are able to dash forward, backwards and to the site. The SE from Wingdiver calles Plasma core. Diffrent Plasma cores gives you different advantages and disadvantages to energy, charge time, flight comsumption, boost comsumption, boost speed, weapons charge speed and flight speed inreased or decreased.

Fencer:

Fencers can take two SE for them. Now the javelin catupult is gone are asking how in the world I am supposed to move from A to B. The answers is Booster Upgrades.

Booster upgrades give you a numbers of dashes and Jumpes plus vertical boost dash interval.
But the dashes and jumpes are apart it means your first 2 weapons have dash boost the other 2 jump boost. There also breaks between single dashes and jumps. Other SE for fencer are.

Recoil upgrades=less recoil for weapons

Shield uprgrades=Shield coumsuption, damage cute rate, reduction on knockback when hit, Shield endurance and angle of protecrion increase

Exosuit upgrades=Less reduction movement speed effected by items, less reduction turning speed effected by items, total dash boost after upgrade, walkingspeed increase, recoil reduction.

Air Raider:

Unfortunately the Air raider didnt received any SE but he got a additional weapons slot and his weapons even reaload when you put them away. New is the the Airstike view. You push a button then you can into the bird view where you will see a red indicator(zone which will be bombardes)
to command to attack just release the button the holding for airstikes.

Vehicle:

Now there two classes which can operate vehicles Ranger and Air Raider but their selection is diffrent.

Ranger Vehicle Air Raider

Tanks Tanks(new design) Ballam(new design)
Railguns(old design) Railguns(new design) Apcs&Sams(new design)
EMC Helicopter(new design) B651 Titan
Bikes Mechs (new design) Negling
Helicopter Deepcrawler


The controlss for vehicle are better this time. As an example you can turn the turret and the vehicle serparely and bikes,tanks and apacs drive more than sliding around. But its the same like in 4.1 with the low level vehicles they have worse control than the high level ones.

The are even differnces between single vehicles like the railgun. While the Ranger has the old desiged railgun the Air Raider is just a Tamk which shoots with railgun ammonution. Both have differnces in Speed, Damage, rate of fire and poitns to call in. Railguns are able now to shoot through buildings.

The Ranger has more type of helicopter like N9, EF31 and HOU4 while Air raider has only one type the N9 Neros.

Some of the vehicle from the rangerand the air aider can operated bye all classes.

Voices Actors , Emotes and Songs

You will see every emote from 4.1 back in EDF 5 again. I can only say something to the Japanise voice actors enhlish voices are not out yet. There some new voices to here and the female voices are thank god not chipmunk like. Every voice actor did a good job on their assigned character. We even got a new EDF song.

Annoying things:

Remember when a new Enemy appers the camera lock automacally on the enemy but this happen often in EDF 5 than in 4.1. But his happen on every playthrough and even during combat which caused some my deaths.

The problems with the spieder are back too. A spider shoots his strings at you you kill it but you get nevertheless the damge or jump/run into some strings and get damaged.

Phyics,Bugs and Gliches:

The physics are the same like in 4.1 stupid and funny. There no game breaking bugs or gliches on the ps4 version. Sometimes you will fall through the map but after few seconds you get teleported above the map and crates which lands outside the map markings will teleported into the playable zone.

Summary:

EDF 5 got new and interesting features, new designs and new enemys. I can say it EDF 5 is lit.
See you later on the battelefield my fellow EDF soldiers.

I am not the best at Engish so their might be spelling and grammar mistakes. Probably I write some confunsing explannations about the feutures form EDF 5. So I am sorry for that. If I forget or get somthing wrong pls tell me(who played EDF 5).

P.s:If you want to see the new features from EDF 5 in action check KevinEDF on youtube out.

Sources:

https://gematsu.com/2017/11/earth-defense-force-5-details-support-equipment-plasma-cores-colonists-red-color-type-2-drones

https://www.reddit.com/r/EDF/comments/81sg3d/edf_5_weapons_missions_translations_guide_updated/

http://theearthdefenseforce.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_Defense_Force_5

https://www2.atwiki.jp/edf41/pages/1.html