I’ve recently been playing the Satu Mare Delirium(Berlin) and Lee Hong Deriviation(Chonquing).
Why are the kill conditions so strict?! Like, kill X target while wearing a suit, or kill x target in a suit with a melee weapon is good, but why “kill x guy with a poison needle”and “kill x guy with a fire axe” and “kill x guy while poisoned” There are so many ways to kill in this game, yet the kill condition is too strict. That makes it a much more linear experience vs “kill the target with whatever weapons while wearing a suit”.
I do think its to differentiate it from a regular contract someone might make but i do wish kill conditions were more creative since IO has tools players do not. For example specifying multiple weapons, specifying if the target should be a certain distance away when killed or specific ways the target shouldnt be killed. This would make escalations feel more special while not railroading them as hard as they tend to be
That’s been true of escalations going all the way back to the first ones though. While the initial level of most escalations is pretty laid back, by the time you get to the 3rd (or 5th) level, all sorts of extra conditions applied. Using X weapon while wearing Y suit was pretty common, and not just in the deluxe stuff. All of the DLC 7 Deadly Sins missions have specific suit requirements too and some of them have requirements of what weapon to use as well.