Finding Survivor: transforming an art into a boring perk fiesta
Hello people of the forums, I am a Killer main and I've being playing this game since Hag release.
Today I want to address an issue with the game's design and marketization, explaining why I think this game could be much better if perk designers stopped pandering to new Killer players with DLC perks.
My main topic is how perks affect tracking Survivors.
In the last years, tracking has no longer been an issue or something to learn because some perks were created, must have perks that are so good they completely remove one core side of Killer gameplay.
Obviously the main culprit is BBQ, a perk that's run by almost every Killer that has it unlocked, you end a chase and you immediately know where to go, no need to track patrolled generators, areas, no more guesswork since the counterplay to this perk is so inefficient that most good Survivors will just ignore it.
Now Lethal Pursuer has been released and this perk completely removes the need of learning spawns, you'll always find who you want to find with no counterplay at all, Survivors get no notifications, Survivors get no way of hiding from it, even the inefficient BBQ counter (lockers) are not an option. The Killer just knows where to go.
Thrilling Tremors acts the same as BBQ, some would call it strictly better but for most people the bonus BPs matter a lot since the grind in this game is insane.
Surveillance is another tracking perk that, while worse than the others, still saw some usage given its sheer utility, especially with the new Ruin.
What I'm trying to say is that these perks negates one important learning process of the Killer player and, most importantly, are all from licensed DLCs. There are basic tracking perks but I don't think anyone would compare Spies from the Shadows or Bitter Murmur to BBQ or Lethal Pursuer.
Whisper is good but do you really think a new player would want to learn how Whispers works, considering scuffed meters values and the fact that there are much easier perks to use in paid DLCs?
At the end of the day many perks have no thematic value that ties them to the Killer they are released with, so I have to guess this is a marketing strategy. I won't judge.
I just wish many Perks got the Ruin treatment, after the Ruin change the level of gameplay definetely improved from the Killer side and I want to see more similar episodes.
I wish you all a nice day :)
Comments
For one part I think you are right. There is a learning curve with spawns and predicting where survivors go.
However I see a flaw in your argument: Yes you can slap on some training wheels now with Leathal Pursuer, BBQ and Discordance this is right. If you take the learning curve however and do your work with spawns and tracking on your own you can dumb those perks and take better perks.
As such you can make your build more flexible with skill which is not a bad thing in my opinion. New players can learn while not suffering to harshly and advanced players can use more effective perks as a reward. I mean, yes I still use BBQ, but I can drop it for the most part and take other good perks here. I just like my BBQ minigame.
Also I do not think that BBQ is a bad perk. At least it takes some efford to be of any use. Discordance is worse in this regard as it gives you information without any effort from the Killer. This should be considered too.
Additionaly I want to note that there are some maps where spawns just do not help you. Haddonfield is the worsted offender here as it allows you nothing in terms of tracking with the buildings. Yes there should be a survivor here, but he/she could also be on the second floor or hiding in a bush. You know the deal...
Also you forgot one of the best tracking perks thats free: Tinkerer. it comes with Hillbilly who also gives Enduring and Lightborne, two good perks and it allows you to track generators while becoming undetectable for a short time.
Yeah crows are often ignored now since people never learn how to use them despite being very useful
Remove double bp from BBQ and automatically double all bloodpoints post game every game for both sides = more perk variety
BBQ helps me find that 1st survivor that I don't even need to think about tracking anymore.
Essentially you are saying locating perks are leading to poorer killer skills?
BBQ: have to have successful chases in order to be rewarded with information which can be countered by lockers and Distortion.
Lethal Pursuer: 9s of information which is helpful on certain maps where normal spawns don't happen (Haddonfield-see Otz's video about this). And then you are perkless the rest of the match.
Whispers: can't be countered and is free. I use Doctor with Whispers and the amount of people I've caught hiding in lockers to hide from Static Blast is funny lol
Bitter Murmur: only counter is Distortion or not doing gens
It seems that the DLC perks either reward good plays or leave the killer at a handicap the rest of the match. If you don't get hooks or have poor early game pressure both perks will be useless.