Gameplay & Balancing Issues (Open Discussion)
So I'd like to have a discussion regarding a few things I've noticed in the game, and I'm hoping for community feedback to perhaps help others improve, or spark a fire that can bring positive changes to the game, and community. I want to start by saying that I play both Killer and Survivor, and while I do enjoy Killer more, I'm not bias towards either roles.
A) GAMEPLAY
1) Maps: We need map reworks. The current go-to meta of looping is just..... yuck. In higher ranks, it's all you see. The looping meta is increasing the presence of some killers, while decreasing the presence of others. Fixing the maps will fix this issue.
2) Moris and keys: I'm sure most gamers understand what a core gameplay loop is (if not, look it up) and I believe these 2 items break the core gameplay loop of Dead By Daylight (moris more than keys). I personally believe that moris (excluding cypress) should only be available to use on "death hook." This would still keep the gameplay loop relatively intact and simply save the killer a few seconds, since they won't have to carry and hook (if this change ever happens, the animation change needs to be reverted, and animations should start as soon as mori is activated, to keep it a little more fair and help killer save a little more time). Keys however are a different matter. I understand the requirements needed before the hatch can even spawn, and how this still forces survivors to play gens for the most part. The concern with keys is when you get 3 survivors, who are all on death hook, able to open hatch and escape. What could've been a 2 or 3 kill game, becomes a 1 kill game, simply because the key allows for the loop to be broken ever so slightly, and shortens the overall match length. The biggest concern here however is when you have a SWF group using Discord or Teamspeak to communicate hatch location and use a key so they all escape. Ultimately though, I think moris need the change more. But if you're going to change one, then you have to change the other since they accomplish the same thing for the different roles: help you end the game quicker and win (killing all or escaping). But again, moris should probably be nerfed to death hook only mori before anything.
3) Survive With Friends: Since I brought this up, I think SWF should be changed in some way. Simply because when the game was initially created, there was no voice communication implemented. You got your emotes to communicate, and that was it. However, a lot of SWF groups most likely use Discord or something to communicate while they play. This seems to tip the odds against the killer as survivors can now coordinate really well together, and share crucial information. Not to mention, being in a SWF while on call probably sucks the fun and fear out of the game. There are a couple solutions here, in my opinion. Option A - remove the party option in the game. Simply don't allow people to play together with friends, this way they can't use Discord or whatever. This is a super dumb idea though cause, well, it's obvious. So let's talk about option B - a ranked and casual playlist in the game. Want to play with friends? Go to casual, earn bloodpoints, play the game normally, whatever. But, if you want to climb the ranks, from 20 to 1, then you have to go play ranked, with a bunch of randoms so there's no voice communication. The true DBD experience.
4) Playlists: Since we're on the topic of playlists, an added benefit would be that you can try different characters and/or builds in a casual playlist, and not worry about losing your rank. Your friend just bought you a DLC pack for your birthday? Go to casual and try them out. Trying to get an archive challenge done that needs a useless perk? Yes, I'm talking about the No Mither challenge in tome 2 level 2. Well now you can try to get it in casual without having it affect your rank, and the ranks of the survivors you're with. Honestly, I 100% want a casual and ranked playlist option more than anything in this game right now.
5) Late Game Hatch: So we all know that the hatch will open for the last survivor, regardless of how many gens are done. Seems fair. 1 survivor with no way to defend themselves, gets a bit of a boost to their chances of escaping. And the hatch is relatively fair because both killer and survivor have an equal chance of finding it (be it spawning in for last survivor, or stumbling across it when it was already spawned). The concern I have with the hatch is this, 2 survivors dead, 2 alive, 3 gens to go still. Hatch hasn't spawned in yet, so no one knows where it is. So what does the killer do? Well they just slug a survivor until they find the other, this way no one can escape through hatch (or at least, it's unlikely), and instead the killer can just do whatever they want to confirm these kills. This doesn't seem fair at all. On the GAMEPEDIA Dead By Daylight Hatch wikipage, it says "The Hatch will always be available as a last resort of escape for the last Survivor standing in case they could not open either of the Exit Gates or not even power them at all." By just slugging a survivor as a killer, to try and force the 4k seems super cheap as you're taking away that "last resort." I get it, I know slugging is a game mechanic and strategy. But in a scenario where you're using it like this, to prevent the hatch spawn and try to guarantee your 4k, is it really fair? I'm open to ideas about what can be done here. If you're the survivor being slugged, well that really sucks since you legit can't play (other than recovering as much as possible and then crawling around, not fun). If you're the survivor running around, and you do a gen, killer finds you and chases you, then goes back for the slugged survivor, or if you try to heal the slugged survivor, then again killer uses that information (health state change) to find you guys, probably slugging someone again, and the cycle repeats itself. Seems like depending on skill level and perks, this could be a cycle that goes on forever (especially depending on stubbornness and/or determination of the players). Even if the killer kills the 2nd last survivor, and the slugged survivor has the hatch spawn and open for them, they're at a severe disadvantage of finding it, since they move so slowly. The killer actually gets rewarded for this playstyle since they will most likely find and close hatch, giving them more points. Sure, maybe they never find the slugged survivor, but eventually they bleed out and the killer still gets points for the kill. Just seems like slugging in this scenario, to prevent the hatch escape, seems really cheap and needs to be looked at.
6) Exit Gates: Countless games I've raced a survivor to find and close the hatch, got it, and then the exit gates were basically right beside each other. As a killer, easy kill. Just find a spot where I can keep both doors in my sights (relatively speaking, might need to move a few feet or turn a few degrees), and no matter what door the survivor goes to, I'll see the red light turn on and then we're in a chase the survivor can't escape from, and will die by hook or time (if I do lose them, go back to my spot). This has happened to me as a survivor as well, where a killer can stand in one spot, rotate 90 degrees and see the doors, basically making escape impossible. Sure, this is super circumstantial as not every game will be a survivor trying to exit through the gates alone, but I think maps need to be changed so that exit gates are at least x metres away from each other or something (x being whatever value the devs think is fair). This topic also works nicely with the idea of map reworks since the new maps can account for the location of exit gates.
7) Pre-Game Lobby: As a killer, I can honestly say that being able to see the items survivors are bringing in is such an advantage. It can make me change the way I play, what killer or perks I'm bringing, everything. This should be changed. In fact, I think items and names should be hidden. This would also prevent anybody from stream sniping. Sure, you may see their name in game and try to snipe them from that, but it takes up more time as you have to change tabs and type it in, all while the game is still in progress.
8) Matchmaking: Ranks seem really unbalanced still. Had a game against a rank 14 Killer where I was rank 5, and the other 3 Survivors were ranked 1,1 and 3. Seems unfair.
9) Tunneling and Camping: This is going to be the most controversial topic on this list. No survivor enjoys playing against a camping/tunneling killer, and no survivor enjoys being camped/tunneled. This "tactic" is probably the most frustrating thing you'll encounter in Dead By Daylight. While I understand a camping killer will ultimately be punished, be it through all the other survivors getting gens and escaping and/or a lower score, the one survivor that gets camped/tunneled is not going to have a good time at all. And if that one survivor went in with an offering, well it's probably wasted. Or maybe they wanted to do a challenge (daily or archive), well now they have to deal with this game that isn't fun at all, wasting their time until they can get into another game. And what about the survivors that say "killer's camping/tunneling, I'm just going to DC/give up on hook?" This hurts all the other survivors in the game, and actually rewards the killer through more points, and more time to go camp/tunnel another survivor. I understand that camping/tunneling isn't reportable, but it needs to be. Or some game mechanic needs to be implemented, removing a killer's ability to fully camp and tunnel like they can now. I just don't think that something that breeds so much frustration, and ruins the fun of others should be allowed.
B) KILLER BALANCING - These are my personal opinions. I just want to know if people agree or disagree with me. Listed in alphabetical order. Based on current looping meta. Not taking perks and add-ons into account.
Cannibal - Weak. Needs rework in my opinion. Temporary buff would be the ability to stop a chainsaw run at any moment. This could have it's drawbacks, but it'd allow the killer to pick up a survivor immediately, instead of having to wait for the run to be over. Needs buff.
Clown - Weak. The slow down on the tonic is decent, but you're better off with Freddy and a dream snare, with all his other benefits, than using Clown. Needs buff.
Deathslinger - Larger terror radius needed. The man can shoot you from a distance, you need more of a warning. Huntress got the lullaby because she can hit you from range. Ranged killer should mean larger and louder terror radius. Other than that, at a good place. (I'm not implying he gets something like a lullaby, his chain has a range on it. Just a slightly larger terror radius)
Demogorgon - I think Demogorgon is at an okay place. Portals can help apply map pressure, and lunge attack can help close the distance in certain loops. I'd say underpowered, but not incredibly weak like some other killers.
Doctor💎- Doc is one of my mains right now. His blast allows you to find survivors and get into a chase quickly, while his shock can help deal with certain loops. Because of how madness can affect survivors, he can also really slow down gen progress. The right perks and add-ons make him a scary foe. He can be pretty strong, but isn't overpowered in my opinion.
Ghost Face - Ghost Face is a fairly strong killer. Used effectively, he can be devastating to survivors. While the 2 are different, I believe he's a stronger version of the Shape. This leads me to say he needs a nerf, or slight rework.
Hag - The only good thing about Hag's traps is they can help you find a survivor and get into a chase. Other than that, crouching counters her. Her ability is useless in a chase. She needs a buff, or even a rework. She's pretty weak.
Hillbilly - Hillbilly is strong for 2 main reasons. 1 - he can walk right up next to a survivor, charge his chainsaw, and 1 hit them down. - His chainsaw sprint allows him to apply a lot of map pressure. He needs a nerf, be it in the form of drastically slowing movement speed while charging the chainsaw, or something else.
Huntress💗- Huntress is my favorite killer to use. She's a lot of fun. Hitting hatchet throws feels super rewarding most times. She can stop certain loops, but she can also be countered. I think she's at a good place balancing wise.
Legion - I enjoy playing as Legion. Going feral and closing the distance on someone to get a hit on them is fun. But Legion is weak in the current meta. That initial hit is nice, and forcing the survivor to take time to mend is a bonus, but Legion can still get looped easily. Certain perks and add-ons can help, but overall, a little on the weaker side.
Nightmare💎 - Freddy is one of my mains right now. He is very strong. In a chase, his snares can really help you close the distance and prevent certain loops. His projection ability can buy you some extra time by faking the teleport (cancelling last second), or allows him to apply a lot of map pressure. Combined with the right add-ons and perks, Freddy is lethal. Needs a nerf.
Nurse - Nurse takes a long time to get good with, but a really good Nurse is unstoppable. Impossible to loop, and can apply a lot of map pressure by blinking all over the place. Needs nerf.
Oni - Blood orbs make it super easy to track and kill survivors. Blood orbs should spawn less frequently and/or should expire after a certain amount of time. This will affect his overall ability so that's something to think about too. His ability isn't insanely strong, but allows him to be a strong slug killer. I'm on the fence with Oni. I think a rework is needed. Not a buff or nerf. Total rework.
Pig - Her reverse traps can help buy her time, and slow down gen progress, but are ultimately super weak. She only gets 4, and needs to down you to put them on, meaning in the current looping meta, she's pretty weak. I think she needs a buff.
Plague - Doesn't really gain strength until someone cures their sickness and she gets her corrupt attack. Then she can do damage at range and stop certain loops. The issue here is that most players know not to cure against plague. Sure, you go all game broken and sick, but you force Plague to get close and use her main weapon to get the hit, this means looping is possible. Needs buff. (Note: I do not use Plague, and hate playing against her due to being emotophobic. This may affect my opinion on her)
Shape - Not sure what to say about Shape. He has his pros and cons. He's weak to looping, but his ability is pretty strong. Used right, Shape can be a dangerous killer. I think he's at a good place balancing wise.
Spirit💎- One of my current mains. Probably one of the strongest killers in the game. Her haunting ability allows you to move quickly, applying lots of map pressure. Used right, you can stop loops with her husk and ability. The fact she can see scratch marks, hear grunts and breathing, and see the environment react to survivors (tall grass moving) makes her a powerful killer with limited counters and cons. Combined with the right perks and/or add-ons, she's unstoppable. I thoroughly enjoy using Spirit, but I do think she's in need of a nerf.
Trapper - I think Trapper needs a buff, but I'm not sure what. Perhaps giving him 1 extra trap to carry, or speeding up trap placement. Or both. He's weaker than most killers right now. His ability makes it so that, if you're smart, you can lead a survivor into a trap and get an easy catch. But it takes a lot of time to get those traps set up, and once you're in a chase, you're relying on your traps to help you. Not to mention traps can be disarmed which really limits your options.
Wraith - Weak killer. Ability is useless in a chase. Being invisible can help you get close enough to get that first initial hit, but then that's it and even then you need to uncloak. Needs a buff.
In the end, I think maps need to be worked on before we talk about killer balancing. Looping is the go-to now, and some killers can thrive on that, while others suffer greatly. Once maps get reworked, then the entire game will change greatly, and this will affect how killers are balanced.
P.S. I used the emojis to highlight any bias I might have. While I did my best to be unbias, I am only human.
C) PERKS BALANCING - Again, my personal opinion. There are a lot of perks in the game, so I'm going to focus on some I feel strongly about.
Killer Perks
Barbecue & Chili - It's a strong perk. Helps killers get into another chase quicker. If survivors know it's in play, they hide in a locker. This means less people on gen, and more time for killer. Since it's used so much, it might need a nerf.
Pop Goes the Weasel - Needs a nerf/rework. My idea is this, instead of tier 1, 2, and 3 giving you 40, 50, or 60 secs to use it. Tier 1 is 15%, tier 2 is 20% and tier 3 is 25%. And you have 30 secs to use it. It's not hard to get to a gen in 30 secs (depending on killer and map of course).
Corrupt Intervention - 2 mins for a gen to be blocked is a long time. I don't know what the average match time is, but mine are typically around 5-10 minutes. Sure, survivors can do other gens, but doing the right gens is important in DBD. I think this perk may need a slight nerf. From 80/100/120 to 60/75/90 seconds.
Survivor Perks
Decisive Strike - I personally think DS needs a slight nerf. Just because I've had games where, after survivor A is unhooked, I've gone around and caught another survivor, hooked them, hit a gen, found survivor A again, chased them, and they still had DS active. 60 seconds is an insane amount of time. Lower the timer, or just make it so that if another survivor is hooked, DS is deactivated. I don't know. DS is a controversial topic, and probably really hard to balance. It wasn't meant to be an anti-tunnel perk (I don't think), but it is used for that quite a bit I'd say. I like the perk, but I think the timer needs reduced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I really think maps need to be reworked before anything else, and I'd love to see a ranked and casual playlist option implemented. I understand where a lot of frustration is coming from, from both killers and survivors, and hopefully the devs can do a great job at making the game more fair and more fun. If you've read this entire post, then I give you props and I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it, so leave a comment below. If I missed something, or you don't agree with me, let me know! The goal of my post was to create thoughtful and productive conversations, so don't be afraid to share your opinion. Hopefully someone will learn a thing or two, and we can improve their expereince.
With that said, I hope you're doing well and staying safe in these uncertain times. Good luck with your games, and have fun all! 💙
Comments
Gonna have to stop your essay right there. Looping is the meta in dbd. It's not an exploit or "disgusting", it's playing the game optimally and the devs acknowledge it as a strategy.
I absolutely understand that. META means Most Effective Tactic Available. And looping absolutely is the meta right now. The concern I have is it really restricts your style of play. I've said this a few times to my friends, the Killers I love playing the most and have the most fun with are not in the current meta. So that means I either get looped endlessly when I'm just trying to have fun. Or I switch to a different Killer that is less fun, but allows me to compete in the ranked environment, where winning actually matters. Changing maps, or allowing for a ranked and casual playlist would solve this issue. Every competitive game out there is trying to shake up the meta in their games. Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch are examples of that. If Dead By Daylight doesn't shake things up, it'll get boring and dry.
How is looping restrictive?
Like I said, if you want to play in the ranked environment of DBD, then you need to use the current meta. Certain killers excel with this, while others have no place in the meta. If a player actually wants to hit rank 1, they might play a killer they normally wouldn't. This doesn't just affect winning the game (killing all the survivors), but your score too. A non meta killer right now probably gains a lot less bloodpoints per game, then a meta killer does.
True, some killers need buffs