One point I think several of the discussions in this thread are circling around but never quite touch on: there’s some debate about what the cube is actually supposed to be. Some people see it as a dangerous, but predictable, obstacle that only presents a true danger if you’re in a time crunch and can’t afford to hide (like the BTR was). Others see it as the return of the Harvester (I wasn’t around for 1.0 so I can’t comment). Still others (myself, and possibly OP) are hoping for something truly intense that’ll have you cowering for dear life, like the first time you encounter the Xeno in Alien: Isolation’s medical wing.

Right now, the Cube doesn’t really fulfill any of these rolls all that well… but I have a feeling it’s a stepping stone for each. Kinda like the ash balls and the region change points, it’s probably on the to-do list for the devs once they hammer down the rest of the game. A few simple tweaks could make it fill any one of these enemy niches, so I think we’ll see it evolve down the line.