Continuing my fieldtest experience analysis level by level now in lvl 2.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.
I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.
This fieldtest will focus into soldier only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.
Party composition
A human Animist (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-orc Exemplar (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-elf Soldier
A hobgoblin Alchemist
Build
After lvl 1 I remade some parts of this soldier. Due my low usage of AoE attack using my Rotolaser (because looks like a waste of ammo using AoE vs single targets) I change the Fighting Style (sub-class) to Close Quarters. This allows me to use a two-handed melee weapon to suppress and gives me Punitive Strike (the AoO that only works vs Suppressed targets) and switch Pin-Down feat to Quick-Swap. But this change comes with a problem. MADness!!!
The main problem is that the class key stat is Con and I need Dex to do single target ranged Strikes with my Rotolaser this lets me with a poor amount of points to use in Str giving a bad hit and critical rate with my two-handed weapon. So to workaround this I switch my Ancestry and Heritage to Human Half-elf with Elven Weapon Familiarity to allow me to get access the best two-handed melee finesse weapon that's Elven Curve Blade (technically I don't the feat to get proficiency just to get access to it). This way I could still use my dex with the two-handed melee weapon (I don't know if this was intended but works) and avoid this excessive MAD.
I also got Menacing Laughter but due my charisma is 0 probably only will work well starting from lvl 3 when I get Fearsome Bulwark.
Impressions
I still used Auto-fire little in lvl 2. But now when some one get closer (or take away) I use Quick-Swap to able to use my sword and try to hit and Suppress the target. But the curious thing about Quick-Swap is that I'm unable to use it actively. The trigger only works when the enemy moves not myself what put me in the curious positioning of keep firing the rotolaser until someone get closer and I use the feat to switch to the sword and if someone take distance I do the inverse.
Be able to suppress with the sword is very useful yet not so efficient as the AoE with Primary Target but still fun and powerful once this don't costs me actions. Yet I miss some more support for melee and non-aoe abilities. Maybe get some AoE feats with melee weapons and also would be fun if the Close Quarters wasn't restricted to only two-handed weapons but to any melee weapon allowing to use war-knifes or even pistol without risk to trigger a reaction to use them in melee. This allows to get a different set of secondary weapons to use.
The big problem in the class still in the Key Stat and how it's forcing the MAD. I understand the concept behind it but mechanically is very expensive and difficult to deal. If the Kas was Str or Dex it would be way better or allow it to use Con to attacks (and dmg) too. Outside these limitations play with the Soldier in level 2 was fun and interesting.
Maybe change from a rotolaser to a stellar cannon? If you actually want to use your ability, that thing is just so much better. That thing is much more ammo efficient (4 uses of area fire instead of 2), has better range and also does more damage.
But yeah, melee is an as-yet unsolved issue, as is how weird swapping can be. If it is really annoying, try adding a custom version of area fire to your melee weapons.
As for secondaries, would you prefer it if this was integrated into the class or rather as an archetype? Because that sounds like a lot of people would want it and (for me) doesn't really fall into the "heavy weapon's guy" design space. Suppressive fire with a pistol technically works and a knife is enough to keep someone in reactive mode, but... you know?
Maybe change from a rotolaser to a stellar cannon? If you actually want to use your ability, that thing is just so much better. That thing is much more ammo efficient (4 uses of area fire instead of 2), has better range and also does more damage.
I will switch to cannon but only after I get Punishing Salvo feat. Unwieldy trait is too restrictive without it.
As for secondaries, would you prefer it if this was integrated into the class or rather as an archetype? Because that sounds like a lot of people would want it and (for me) doesn't really fall into the "heavy weapon's guy" design space. Suppressive fire with a pistol technically works and a knife is enough to keep someone in reactive mode, but... you know?
I think that use of light weapon to suppress really makes no sense but I think that is part of the Soldier theme to able to use a secondary light weapon well. So such weapons could be accessible to Quick-Swap but won't able to suppress at all (become the player if will use a light or heavy secondary weapon).
It's just a minimum support for a non str based soldier to able to use a light weapon when the enemies is too close.Alternatively another cool option is give heavy weapons with Combination trait and allows to use Quick-Swap and suppression with it. I specially imagine transforming weapons like Ruby Rose's Crescent Rose or God Eater Weapons.
Yet I still think that the class needs an alternative like put Con bonus in dmg or use it instead of Str to attack in order to diminish the MAD effects in the character melee options.
But yeah, melee is an as-yet unsolved issue, as is how weird swapping can be. If it is really annoying, try adding a custom version of area fire to your melee weapons.
Could be some interesting space for combination weapons with soldier, that use explosions(or w/e aoe) instead of guns/bullets. Perhaps a feat that lets them quickly swap between modes, assuming that isn't something they decided to make easier in starfinder 2.