Perks balance talk
This will be too long...
How perk works: it requires you to do something (action), being in a certain stage (healthy/injured/dying ect), to give you something (info, buff, remove trace ect), having a downside, and finally the frequently of usage
Let me start with some perks from early characters:
Bond:
require: non
in stage: any stage
reward: give info (team mate aura)
downside: non
frequently: unlimited
Quick & quiet:
require: non
in stage: not dying
reward: remove trace (fast action without sound)
downside: non
frequently: cool down
Botany knowledge:
requires: non
in stage: not dying
reward: buff stats (faster healing)
downside: non
frequently: unlimited
Iron will:
requires: non
in stage: injured
reward: remove trace (no moaning)
downside: non
frequently: unlimited
Urban evasion:
requires: non
in stage: not dying
reward: buff stats (faster crouching walk)
downside: non
frequently: unlimited
Perks from early characters, each of them is powerful. As they were simple that perks give you rewards without requiring you to do anything.
Perks from later characters:
After care:
requires: unhook / being unhooked. heal / healed
in stage: any stage
reward: gives info (team mate aura)
downside: lose reward if hooked
frequently use: unlimited
Fixated:
requires: non
in stage: healthy
reward: gives info (see own scratchmark) / buff stats (faster walking)
downside: disable if injured
frequently use: unlimited
Inner strength:
requires: break totem / in locker
in stage: injured
reward: buff stats (faster heal)
downside: one reward for each success action
frequently use: limited by totem
Lucky break:
requires: non
in stage: injured
reward: remove trace (no blood trail)
downside: activate once
frequently use: 180sec
Spine chill:
requires: non
in stage: any
reward: gives info (killer coming to you) / buff stats (fast action)
downside: non
frequently use: unlimited
Premonition:
requires: non
in stage: any
reward: gives info (killer's direction)
downside: non
frequently use: 30sec cool down
Perks usually requires you to do something to have your reward. Some being limited in use, or even have a downside.
Compare 2 similar reward perks
After care reward is higher, unlimited range over Bond 36m. But there are alot requirement (complete heal), and a downside that if you get hooked, you lost your reward. Unlike Bond, it just activated through the whole trial, without any requirement, without any downside.
My opinion: great action gives great reward, lesser action gives lesser one. Bond should have a simple requirement to make it activated. It can be staying 5m near a Survivor to let you see aura of that Survivor in 36m range, for the rest of trial
Remove blood trail cant help you hide from Killer, but remove moaning does. Second that Iron will activate for the whole trial, Lucky break gives you only 180sec from your first injured. Iron will just beat Lucky break on any aspect.
My opinion: Iron will reward is already greater than Lucky break, I think it should have a total of 240sec countdown. While Lucky break increased to 300sec.
Obvious, Spine chill has double reward with unlimited use. Premoniotion has a single reward with cool down.
My opinion: either nerf Spine chill, should have a cool down after the perk activated, then the buff stats rewards stay on for a short duration. Or buff Premonition, has another reward, may be remove scratch mark for 2sec (possible of 6-8m run) when not in chase, because you should not have 2sec no scratch mark for every 30sec chase.
We should consider between the requirement: is it too hard to pull off? is it limited (in time using, token, limited by hook/totem/gen)? does it have downside? is reward great enough to fit with requirement?
This isnt just Survivor perks, but so does Killer. When later Killers keep having requirements with too few rewards, even come with a downside AND limited use. (Im speaking Dark devotion vs TrailOTorment)
My opinion on balance is just opinion, so please dont bash.
Comments
I would like to point out that at least in some of these cases the reward isn't what you are saying it is.
In particular:
Aftercare - While it does have the advantage of being unlimited range compared to bond. The more important effect it has is that it reveals your aura to other Survivors. Something that only otherwise exists with the perks Better Together and Blood Pact.
Lucky Break - Can be used over several injures. The rule is that to cumulative time spent injured cannot exceed 180 seconds or the perks effect will end for the rest of the trial. So if you get injured and the perk activates, and then you get healed 60 seconds later. Then next time you are injured you will have your blood trails hidden for up to 120 seconds, since the first 60 seconds were already used up the first time you were injured.
Also, inner strength also gives an ability in that not only is the heal faster, but it's also in a locker where you are much less likely to be found.
@Divine_Confetti
There are too few types of reward, so they have to mixup around between the strength of reward and requirement.And even after that, too few action in game to make perks various.Now, break totem give you will heal you(Inner strength), heal other give you will heal you (Solidarity). In the future? Safe hook give you a health stage? Do gen will heal you? Open gates will heal you? Eventually the idea will depleted.
The game totally need more overal mechanic, like the Shape with Obsession and Hag with Totem. Sadly, perks should requires you do something to earn it and be powerful, rather than giving for free.
@NuclearBurrito Lucky break, I dont have the character but I read the perk to know how it work, you lose 18sec on the perk while being healed. And it likely force you to do things (find survivor, find Gen to seek another survivor ect) to save the perk time.
Another point that Killer walks pass an Iron will, he doesnt know survivor is there. But he knows if walks pass a Lucky break because of moaning. Iron will is too stealthy, Lucky break keep you doing stuff.
After all, for me, all perks should requires you to do something to make it work (if the usage is unlimited and no downside). It can be as small as I mentioned about Bond.
I don't see why that would need to apply universally to all perks. Most of the perks that don't have requirements are also balanced, since their rewards are so small they don't require a prerequisite.
They are also important since they provide a useful benchmark for working out the value of that type of effect.
Obviously some perks need buffs and others need nerfs (mostly buffs). But the specific perks you listed are among the more balanced ones, even if the 2nd list had some weaker perks.
Aftercare is mostly fine
Spine Chill is fine
Inner strength is almost meta
Fixated doesn't make much sense and is more inline with the low impact passive perks
Premonition is mostly fine but could use numbers buffs
Lucky break is fundamentally useless in a way that has nothing to do with what this thread is about.