When I first loaded up Wild Bounty Showdown after its latest expansion dropped, I’ll admit I had high expectations. Having spent countless hours—probably close to 300, if my playtime tracker is accurate—mastering the base game’s intricate mechanics, I was genuinely excited to see how The Order of Giants would build on that foundation. But here’s the thing: while the expansion delivers on polish and visual spectacle, it streamlines a few systems that, in my opinion, diluted some of the strategic depth that made the original so compelling. Maybe it was naive of me to expect a similar setup in the game’s first expansion, but it’s still a tad disappointing that The Order of Giants presents a more streamlined experience instead. Don’t get me wrong—the quality is still there, with stunning new giant-themed arenas and buttery-smooth performance. It’s just missing a few key ingredients, particularly when it comes to exploiting certain mechanics that hardcore players like me thrive on.

Let’s talk about one of those “missing ingredients”: the removal of dynamic environmental traps in certain match types. In the base game, roughly 70% of the maps featured interactive hazards—collapsing ice bridges, sudden sand pits, you name it—that added layers of unpredictability and strategy. I’ve won matches purely by luring opponents into these traps, turning what seemed like a sure defeat into a clutch victory. In The Order of Giants, that ratio seems to have dropped to about 30%, and the traps themselves feel less impactful. Now, I get why the developers might have done this—to lower the barrier for new players—but for veterans, it stings. It’s like they took away our secret sauce. And if you’re aiming to boost your wins, understanding this shift is crucial. You can’t rely on the old tricks anymore; you need to adapt.

Another area where the expansion feels streamlined is in the gear progression system. Previously, upgrading your character’s loadout involved a satisfying grind—maybe 15–20 hours to max out a single weapon tree, with branching paths that encouraged experimentation. Now, it’s more linear. I’ve crunched some rough numbers: in the base game, there were over 50 possible gear combinations for each class, but The Order of Giants cuts that down to around 25. Sure, it’s easier to jump in and feel powerful quickly, but it sacrifices long-term engagement. From a competitive standpoint, this actually opens up opportunities. With fewer variables to worry about, you can focus on mastering a smaller set of gear options. For example, I’ve found that the new Frost-Axe, which deals area-of-effect damage, pairs incredibly well with the Scout class’s mobility perks. In my testing, using this combo boosted my win rate by nearly 18% in ranked matches over the past month.

But here’s the real secret—and this is where my personal playstyle comes into play—the AI behavior in The Order of Giants has subtle tells that most players overlook. During the “Wild Bounty” events, which occur randomly every 5–7 matches, the enemy giants follow a predictable patrol pattern for the first 45 seconds. I’ve used this to set up early ambushes, securing quick kills that snowball into momentum. It’s a small detail, but it makes a huge difference. I remember one match where my team was down by 10 points, and we turned it around just by exploiting that initial AI rigidity. We ended up winning with a 50-point lead, all because we understood something the other team didn’t. That’s the kind of insight that separates good players from great ones.

Of course, none of this would matter if the core gameplay wasn’t solid. And let me be clear: The Order of Giants is still a blast to play. The graphics are sharper, the new giant bosses are epic—each with around 1.2 million health points, by my estimate—and the matchmaking feels faster. But if you want to truly dominate, you need to lean into the expansion’s streamlined nature rather than fight it. Focus on team coordination, since the simplified gear system means individual skill and communication matter more than ever. In my squad, we’ve started using voice chat to call out giant weak points, and our average match completion time has dropped from 12 minutes to just under 9. That’s a 25% efficiency gain, which might not sound like much, but in a tight rankings race, it’s everything.

So, where does that leave us? The Order of Giants might not be the complex, trap-filled playground I hoped for, but it’s far from a disappointment. By embracing its changes and digging into the nuances—like AI patterns and optimized gear pairings—you can unlock your own wild bounty of victories. I’ve adjusted my strategy, and honestly, I’m having more fun now than I did in the first week after launch. Sometimes, progress means letting go of what worked in the past and finding new secrets to exploit. And in Wild Bounty Showdown, those secrets are still there; you just have to know where to look.