Okay after playing for a few hours, here are my impressions:
- I don't like Relic. Relic just feels too confusing, too cramped and generally just doesn't fit the flow for Titanfall in my opinion. Didn't like it in TiF1 so no surprise I don't like here in 2.
- Monarch is extremely fun. She steals shields and uses her Upgrade Core to upgrade her kit. She's probably going to be my main as her kit really fits my playstyle. The XO-37 Chaingun from Titanfall 1 returns (my favorite Titan weapon) and she fires unguided missiles (which can be upgraded in the Upgrade Core 3 to be locked on). Plenty of options for her.
- The weapon changes are alright. Devotion truly feels like it got hit hard while Volt feels fun and powerful again. R201 range dmg buff felt pretty good and I've yet to try the Flatline and P2016. R-97 still shreds in close range, but that's what the gun is supposed to do.
- Ion.. Ion nerfs hit hard. Laser Shot doesn't do as much damage, you can't fire 2 in succession no more and Laser Core damage reduction was just the tip of the cake. Her defensive options are still great with Vortex Shield but one of Monarch first upgrades is a hard counter to it as it drains more energy from the Vortex Shield when shot at. I will still use Ion but I feel they overnerfed her a bit.
Those were just my impressions. Overall, a really good patch minus Relic map. Oh right! Crash Site got updated and now have zip-lines and more walls to run on. The map feels much, much better than before.