I'd have to agree, having now finished a full game as both AI factions, they feel about the same, and also about the same as they were before. Sure, a few small things stand out, but far too much of what is changed is, while possibly significant for those super attentive to balance and from a number crunchers point of view, I find to be too passive to change the feel of either faction, especially the Loyalists.

Basically, my opinion is that too much of what is unique to either faction takes cares of itself, not really having enough of a direct impact on what the player is doing to really change all that much for the majority of a game.

With the TEC this isn't really the case, everything about the Loyalists comes off as super-duper fortifiers, and the Rebels the opposite, crazy berserkers making friends with pirates and plundering worlds. With the Advent, both factions just feel like Advent 2.0 and it pretty much stops there.

I too have noticed that advent do not seem to be quite as powerful as they were in trinity.

A progen + discord combo actually gives the Advent a really good early game strategy with their capitals.

Just remember I said nothing about balance with the new caps. Just that they got the nice new mechanics. What exactly do you get on the discord for the early game? Max first what?

We just got a bunch of passive abilities that are not that good. Return of the Fallen is unnoticeable and not nearly as powerful when compared to Truce Among Rogues.

I think you have it backwards... Loyalists want people to join the unity the rebels feel the unity is corrupt so they want to "purify it"

The Advent loyalists seek to prosecute their vengeance on the TEC and assimilate any rival population into the Unity.

That's hardly cooperation with other factions, as their titan says: "They will join us or die!" - not very diplomatic language.

I see the loyalist policy as one of unyielding conquest with few compromises with other races.

While their fleet is subjugating one part of the galaxy, other factions would take the opportunity to attack their empire somewhere else, hence the suggestion for new defensive techs.

The description for the rebels is a little ambiguous "Suspecting that a corruptive influence within the Unity has influenced their race, the Advent Rebels seek to purge this unseen enemy to restore the Unity to its proper path."

It could be interpreted as self examination to put the Unity back on an enlightened track or as a call to lash out in the hope of defeating the "unseen enemy".

I took the former interpretation where the "unseen enemy" could be something like a loyalist 5th column within the rebel faction which would need to be purged.

Unlike the loyalists, revenge upon the TEC is no longer seems a high priority for the rebels, which would allow them to eventually respect and work with other races.

Hence why I suggested some goodies for their diplomacy tree.

Fracture and Lethargy, I see very little point in putting points into Scream honestly unless you need a quick fire interrupt on a channeling ability (ie. Marza Barrage), in which case one point would suffice.

The synergy between the Progenitor and Discord is par excellence.

Lethargy reduces incoming damage by delaying weapon fire and abilities while Shield Regenerate repairs any damage already taken.

Fracture increases the damage that the enemy ships take to their hull, which for 2/3 races' is their hp buffer, combine it with Malice and multi-firing ships like the Defense Vessels and Illuminators and you have a party.

Go ahead and throw in the Discord's ultimate and the enemy are going to pay for every allied ship that they manage to bring down. For that purpose alone, it's even more appealing for the Rebels to deploy.