Panhandling Lost and ambushes

Yesterday, doing a few Radio missions I was suddenly assaulted by arachnos goons. First time I am ambushed during a Radio mission!

Running through Bloody Bay I spotted the Banished having an 'ambush' where attacking a single zombie suddenly spawns some friends out of the earth.

Fighting Vazhiloks, I see a single reaper with a few cadavers lying at his feet. Spotting me, they rise and attack.

Last night fighting some Lost. I saw a few of them begging for scraps from their brethren with the panhandling emote!

So, did I miss something last issue (most likely as I either was checking out story-arcs in the AE or doing TF's) or did they really improve a few small things like giving more emote options for our opponents?

Either way, I approve!

Not i16 stuff. Think the only change there was the Column are back on the streets and pounding galaxies, mistakenly thinking they're french mimes.

The BP have hidden themselves in the dirt in BB like that, probably always. Think they do it in the Sharkhead graveyard too but it's been awhile. They do it in the Bog on Striga at least.

The reapers with cadavers...dunno when that was. Probably around the time they made Hellions lean on walls and sit on overpasses and those dumb skulls kill themselves by attacking a car until it explodes on them

The radio mission ambush...I think it does happen rarely. Probably just never notice it.

There is one particular CoT recover relic X police band mission in Kings Row that has spawned an ambush for me going back at least six months now--several times. So the ambush mechanic being tied to paper/radio missions is not entirely new. I can't confirm or disprove an increase in frequency or which missions spawn ambushes though.

I think what you are witnessing is the density of features and details, after five years of continuous development, has finally crossed a threshold that unless you were here playing excessively for the entire five year span of the game, there is always some new treat to discover. It's stuff like this that can help keep a five year old game feeling fresh from moment to moment.

Edit to add: I'm betting it was an i15 addition but I only recently saw a new set of idle to active animations for the Vahz. All of them are on the ground as if dead, including the reapers and mortis. When you agro the group, all will get to their feet quickly and begin attacking. But at least one reaper will get to a funny pose on one knee with arms outstretched that makes as if to say "BOO!!" The whole thing looks like a corny version of drive-in monster movie scare tactics. I kept agroing such groups and chuckling last night, just to see that animation over and over. In my head as they did it I was saying "Bulahblahbla!!!" (<-- bad scooby doo style vampire vocalization)

I also noticed some Infected doing the zombie-walk as well

Yeah, I saw the zombie walk yesterday for the first time too. Brilliant, and really fitting for Vazhilok.