Healing Needs a Change
Currently the strongest Survivor mechanic in the game, healing is something that needs to be looked at from both a gameplay perspective and a functionality perspective. It needs to be toned down and rebalanced so that it's not too powerful to solo heal, and that there is less cheese in regards to healing another Survivor.
So, here's what I would implement quickly in order to make healing a lot more balanced.
Healing (Action)
- Buff: Up to 3 Survivors can now heal a singular Survivor at one time.
- Buff: Due to this, the maximum amount of charges to fully heal a Survivor is increased to 3c/s.
- Buff: When a Survivor is picked up from the Dying State, that Survivor is granted a 1 second invincibility status that prevents them from being downed immediately after getting up.
- Nerf: The amount of charges required to heal a Survivor is increased to 21 charges (up from 16).
- With this change, combined with the first change, one Survivor now takes 21 seconds to fully heal another Survivor, two Survivors now take 10.5 seconds to fully heal another Survivor and three Survivors now take 7 seconds to fully heal another Survivor.
- Nerf: Survivors attempting to heal another Survivor can now be grabbed by the Killer.
- This change prevents Survivors from performing the healing action in various, unintended ways that prevent the Killer from properly sacrificing another Survivor, and punishes Survivors for healing in a bad position.
- Change: Secondary actions when using Med-Kits with certain add-ons are now visible.
Med-Kits
Camping Aid Kit
- Nerf: Altruistic healing speed is reduced and is now slightly faster (down from moderately).
- Nerf: Self-healing speed is now slightly reduced.
- This reduction is by 25%.
- Change: The Camping Aid Kit now shows up as a White Med-Kit.
First Aid Kit
- Nerf: Altruistic healing speed is reduced and is now moderately faster (down from considerably).
Emergency Med-Kit
- Buff: Charges are increased to 32 (up from 16).
- Nerf: Altruistic and self-healing speeds are reduced and are now considerably faster (down from tremendously).
- Change: The Emergency Med-Kit now shows up as a Green Med-Kit.
Ranger Med-Kit
- Buff: Charges are increased to 48 (up from 32).
- Nerf: You can no longer perform Great Skill Checks when using this Med-Kit.
- Nerf: Skill Check Success Zones are reduced.
- Nerf: Skill Checks are now far more frequent.
- Change: The Ranger Med-Kit now has its own textures.
Iridescent Med-Kit
- A new type of Med-Kit.
- 64 Charges.
- Tremendously increases altruistic healing speed.
- Tremendously reduces self-healing speed.
- Moderately increases the consumption rate of the Med-Kit when used to heal others.
- The Iridescent Med-Kit has its own textures.
Add-Ons for the Med-Kits
Rubber Gloves
- Buff: Now slightly increases Great Skill Check success zones.
Bandages
- Nerf: Charge increase reduced to 4 (down from 8).
Self-Adherent Wrap
- Nerf: No longer increases healing speed.
Gauze Roll
- Rework: Gauze Roll now moderately increases Great Skill Check success zones.
- Nerf: Due to this, it no longer increases the charges of the Med-Kit.
Gel Dressings
- Nerf: Charge increase reduced to 12 (down from 16).
Abdominal Dressing
- Nerf: Reduces Med-Kit charges by 50%, rather than a static number.
Styptic Agent
- Buff: Now removes the Hemorrhage and Mangled Status Effects when used.
- Buff: Styptic Agent can now be applied even when the Med-Kit is fully depleted.
- Buff: The add-on itself is now removed when used, instead of the Med-Kit.
- However, if the Med-Kit has no charges left, then the Med-Kit itself will also disappear.
- Nerf: Styptic Agent no longer provides the Endurance Status Effect.
Anti-Hemorrhagic Syringe
- Buff: Now applies the Endurance Status Effect for 8 seconds when applied.
- Buff: Now applies the secondary effects of the add-on after 12 seconds (down from 16).
- Buff: Now removes all universal status effects when used, excluding the Exposed status effect.
- Buff: The add-on itself is now removed when used, instead of the Med-Kit.
- Nerf: If hit while the Endurance Status Effect is active, the secondary effects of the add-on will not apply.
- Nerf: Anti-Hemorrhagic Syringe no longer heals you for one health state.
Medical Herbs
- New Very Rare Med-Kit add-on.
- Increases Med-Kit charges by 16.
- Moderately increases altruistic healing speeds.
- Moderately increases Great Skill Check success zones.
- Moderately increases Great Skill Check progression bonus.
- Moderately increases Great Skill Check charge consumption.
First Aid Spray
- New Ultra Rare Med-Kit add-on.
- Use the secondary action button to apply this add-on.
- Instantly heals another Survivor by two health states when applied through altruistic healing.
- Instantly heals you by one health state when applied through self-healing.
- Prevents healing progression when healing other Survivors by normal means until it is used.
- This effect applies even after dropping your Med-Kit.
- Prevents Great Skill Check success zones from appearing when using the Med-Kit.
- Consumes the Med-Kit upon use.
- Can only be used with Med-Kits that have a base amount of 32 charges or higher.
Note: Since this add-on would be otherwise too overpowered and cheesy, I had to include the stipulation that you can't heal yourself or another Survivor so long as your instance of the First Aid Spray is still in play.
Perks That Affect Healing
Bite the Bullet
- Buff: Bite the Bullet now prevents all Killer aura-reading perks from activating so long as you are healing.
Botany Knowledge
- Change: Healing speed increases are now altered to 15%/20%/25% (down from 11%/22%/33%).
- Nerf: Botany Knowledge's efficiency effect no longer applies when using self-healing actions, in order to prevent it from stacking with the perk Self-Care.
Deathbound
- Buff: Deathbound activation range is reduced to 12/8/4 meters (down from 16/12/8 meters).
- Buff: When the affected Survivor walks outside of the healed Survivor's range, the aura of that Survivor will be revealed to you for 8 seconds and a Killer Instinct trail will be produced for 1.5 seconds.
Note: Deathbound might be in a somewhat decent spot, but it needs a few changes to it in order to make it feel more like a Perk worth using as an option.
Dying Light
- Buff: Dying Light healing speed bonus for the Obsession is now reduced by tier, to 30%/25%/20% (down from 33%).
Note: Dying Light currently isn't in the best spot right now, and that's more than likely due to the fact that the healing speed bonus can be quite the joke, so that's just been toned down per tier now.
Forced Penance
- Buff: Forced Penance now applies the Broken Status Effect on Survivors attempting to heal another Survivor.
- Buff: Forced Penance now prevents Survivors from healing other Survivors for 5/10/15 seconds.
Note: Forced Penance is a perk that really needs a good change in order to be more functional. So, in order to keep it thematically sound, it now punishes Survivors for healing when the Killer is close by and also prevents Survivors from attempting to take the rightful kill from the Killer.
Conclusion
I've went on a tangent here, but this, this is what I think would significantly improve the health of the game. Changes to how healing, med-kits and their add-ons work, alongside new add-ons for the Med-Kit and an all new type of Med-Kit, would be just what the game really needs as part of a sort of health update.
This overall rework to how healing works would be good, since now everything's just more balanced and gives other items the ability to be more of an option. It tones down the most powerful item set in the game, while also keeping it from being overshadowed by the likes of the other items.
These changes would also be great quality of life changes for both Survivor and Killer alike, changing the way to approach healing your fellow Survivor, lest you end up being caught by the Killer and grabbed by them.
But, as always in this space, I'll ask: Thoughts?
Comments
No offense, but I don't think most of these charges would be healthy, necessary, or fun for survivors. The only thing I believe needs to be changed is the green med-kit's self heal speed bonus, because it's a bit too much when combined with other heal speed perks/add-ons, and med-kits are already strong enough without it.
I do however like your idea for Bite the Bullet, and your first buff for Forced Penance.
I don't know about the changes to base healing but medkits are the most op items in the game, more than keys and repair kits, if you want a high win rate you allways bring a medkit, not a key. So i wouldn't mind the changes you proposed to them.
I think this would just make healing unhealthy. The current healing rates only really affect the hit and run playstyle. Even then, not that much really as killers who can do hit and run tend to make you exhaust med-kits pretty fast then make you wait time healing.