There are several operator abilities that can remove the spores, as well as stun grenades (which almost everyone runs since they're great), and also the react laser can remove some spore positions (aim the laser at the wall and get as close to it as you can while aiming the laser up and down, the AOE will remove spores in front of you, or aim it at the ground while crouching/prone to remove spores lower down).

I think having to think about spores in solo is fair balance as it is as solo is already very easy. There are plenty of react crates around to replenish accessories/abilities so you have enough to remove them, and worst case scenario it pops and hurts you for about 1-5 health and blinds you for a bit? I think it's face as it is IMO.

I can understand rewards that are only available until a set amount of time, and then you keep them if you unlocked them within a timelimit, but rewards that expire after the event is over?

What's the point of that or my incentive to get the highest reward? I have the diamond helmet but it's disappearing in 2 days...

@karmadive I thought that as well but I've never stayed in one spot while doing it so just assumed OP had tested it. Recently though I just don't explode them as I just go for the body shots for actual stealth and the only time I see exploder reactions is when my team mates blow them up.

There are several operator abilities that can remove the spores, as well as stun grenades (which almost everyone runs since they're great), and also the react laser can remove some spore positions (aim the laser at the wall and get as close to it as you can while aiming the laser up and down, the AOE will remove spores in front of you, or aim it at the ground while crouching/prone to remove spores lower down).

I think having to think about spores in solo is fair balance as it is as solo is already very easy. There are plenty of react crates around to replenish accessories/abilities so you have enough to remove them, and worst case scenario it pops and hurts you for about 1-5 health and blinds you for a bit? I think it's face as it is IMO.

Just FYI, stealth killing a breacher is killing it in its body so it doesn't explode, not shooting it's explosive part. Shooting it's explosive is the same as using an unsilenced weapon which alerts the AI to your location by putting them on alert, but not directly in combat (like howling does). They could make it go directly to the bomb location instead but stealthing is already easy enough as it is, prefer to think of it as them hunting you down because you've alerted them.

I can understand rewards that are only available until a set amount of time, and then you keep them if you unlocked them within a timelimit, but rewards that expire after the event is over?

What's the point of that or my incentive to get the highest reward? I have the diamond helmet but it's disappearing in 2 days...

I've played 9 quick matches and 2 solo missions and a Sludge hasn't spawned in any one of these matches. I swapped to Alaska to try the 1st study instead to kill tormenters then I had a match with no tormenters spawning and instead loads of bloaters.

This is really frustrating as I'm not able to progress any of my studies at the moment. Is this just really bad luck or how can influence the right creatures spawning? I've tried the harder difficulties that say Full Archaean Ecosystem and they still don't spawn.

If I play a solo incursion it allows me to select the difficulty once I click a level, but clicking Quick Play immediately puts me into a queue with the lowest difficulty selected. I'm playing on PC if that changes anything.