Currently most mercs have about one or maybe two augments that improve their abilities. While I still think those augments are currently bad, as in they will make you value a loadout with that specific augment more than the rest, but here’s another thought.
Assuming with the 2nd generation loadouts there will still be 3 loadouts per primary. What if we also have 3 different augments to slightly… adjust our merc abilities?
Simplified example of how the augments would be distributed:
Gun-Augment
CR-X, BL-X, KE-X
CR-Y, BL-Y, KE-Y
CR-Z, BL-Z, KE-Z
Now the only threat to this augment distribution in my opinion is Quick Draw, as it can work extremely well with some abilities. But that’s simply because of it’s value, if it becomes problematic it can simply be nerfed by a small amount to make it less relevant.
While medics don’t really have any fancy abilities, their augments are already covered in my opinion.
(Get Up/Quick Charge, Extra Supplies, Potent Packs/Healing Reach.)
Here comes the fun part.
I hope everyone can post their ideas while still taking into consideration how they would fit balance wise.
I’ll start with Proxy, currently probably the most popular merc in pubs.
- Frisbee - Allow Proxy to throw mines twice as far. (This would probably help Proxy more with the offense)
- Sticky Mines - Allows mines to be placed on walls. (Placed sideways with maybe increased glow, depending how hard it is to notice them)
- Lock On? (Maybe she can finally have it?)
Vassili
- Smiley Face - Reduced detection range, but sets the target marker on their heads. (Basically the augment would literally mark where you should aim for headshots, would help a lot when targets come past a corner)
- Snowballs - Increase Heartbeat Sensor charges to 2 and allows them to stick on surfaces. Also reduced detection range. (In total, this augment should have about the same detection size as the original)
- The third augment would just be the ability as it is now with it’s huge detection range.
I think these came out fairly balanced as you can pick whichever type you value the most.
Phantom - even though he’s getting a rework, I can still theorycraft as he is now. Besides, not like my ideas would ever be used 
.
- Undercover
- Diamond coat - Increase the armor value by 50%. Switching to melee will disable the ability. (Rambo Phantom, eats bullets for breakfast)
- Ghostvision - Refractive armor will warn Phantom about nearby enemies.
Enemies withing like 15meters are spotted, but personally for Phantom only, without alerting the enemies that they’re spotted. The idea is simple, warn Phantom not to run into a group of enemies right around the corner or give him better vision of how many mercs are running towards him.
Fletcher
- Bouncy ball - Sticky bombs no loner stick, but instead bounce. (I just decided to make this post because I thought my Frisbee augment for Proxy was cool, everything else is pretty much just my poor imagination trying to come up with something in case nobody else decides to contribute to this idea…)
- Tripwire - Closely placed Sticky bombs generate a thin laser between them. Enemies passing through the laser will detonate all linked Sticky bombs.
- Lock On
Redeye (Few ideas for smoke, to change the type of utility it provides)
- Poison Cloud - Instead of a cloud of smoke it’s poison that prevents enemies from receiving healing from any source for few seconds. Cloud size is half the density and half the size.
- Gluebottle - At the center of the smoke cloud there’s a puddle of glue that slows down enemy mercs by 50%. The glue puddle size is 1/3rd of the smoke cloud.
- Regular Smoke cloud
Rhino
- N2O
- Ice Cold
- Musclehead - Instead of an ability effect, Rhino has 385 movement speed(Fragger speed).
Kinda out of ideas, so instead of giving variety to the minigun I thought some players would rather value the better mobility around the battlefield.
Stoker
- Molotov, as it is.
- Frostfire bomb - Molotov now only lasts 3 seconds, but it also slows enemy movement AND aim speed. My idea is to give molotov some utility with this. The damage would be about 20-25 damage per second(compared to default 40) and direct hit would have 30-35 damage on top of that. This augment would make molotov more of an assault ability than area denial.
- Wildfire - Instead of burning on the same spot, fire now starts from the place of impact and slowly spreads in spots(not like a wave) outwards. The total range of the spread is increased about 50%.
Kira
- Orbital laser
- Electrical wires - Ability ABLE for indoors usage. Throws down a mess of exposed electrical wires that deal damage. Basically another version of Stokers molotov.
- …can’t think of anything anymore
But in general, once I started trying to come up with augments for Stoker, I realised that this could be an easy solution to give Kira/Arty abilities that can function indoors. Of course in that case I think Skyhammers airstrike shouldn’t explode and deal damage by default, but maybe have like a shrapnel bomb augment for indoors usage to not give him extra treatment compared to Arty/Kira.
I’m not sure if anyone will even like this kind of idea, but at least it was fun trying to come up with them, maybe I’ll add a few more if I can come up with anything. 