Hag: Why are you so afraid to give her what she needs?
It's that time of year again to whine about my main. I am happy that she's recieved at least some attention, it shows that the developers are at least aware that she's struggling. These changes are confusing, though.
I'm actually in the minority of hag mains that think the biggest change - letting traps be wiped away wasn't a nerf. Initially I thought it was, considering her strength was in taking advantage of immersed survivors that didn't know how to harass her traps and be outside teleport range. But you can lay traps faster than they can be wiped away, so if they're doing that they're still playing inefficiently and letting you set up, in my opinion. All in all a win, considering one flashlight demanded Franklin's. So, good job BHVR.
The problem is that her traps themselves need a basekit buff. Not her add ons. Once survivors know how to trigger the edge of the trap and be outside of teleport range, she's shut down. Even one survivor that's good at this can neuter her. There's nothing she can do - if all survivors know how to do this and there's sprint burst in play, she can easily have a zero hook game. The best she can do is break line of sight and hope to catch people with their pants down.
Counter play should evolve and change based on the flow of the game where both killer and survivor can do something and it comes down to prediction. With hag, once her counter play is understood - that's it. The buck stops there and she's done. I understand the hesitance in giving her something substantive - over buffing her could be dangerous because she has such a dynamic power, but isn't that why you guys have a PTB?
Someone earlier brought up the fact that shackles has no counterplay and here's the thing - shackles isn't as good as you think it is. It makes teleport hits more inconsistent than what they already are because of the removed camera swing. 50% of the time you're swinging in the wrong direction and the survivor is gone. Her traps need something like basekit hindered, in my opinion. Smarter people than me can work out the percentages. You can still pop them, but it would be riskier. Granny is still slow so there's still a chance you can make it to safety. As it stands now, if you know what you're doing, it's free. Completely free.
It just leaves a really bad taste in your mouth when you know your favorite killer is just a PUB stomper. You want to be able to perform well against good teams. I understand it's hard to find that balance, but you threw immersed survivors the bone they needed her last rework to stand a fighting chance. Now it's the time to give her something that let's her play with big kids.
In regards to trapping hook which is one of her biggest complaints - hook grabs are no longer an option so that's a pretty big nerf to her gameplay. Just have it like any other killer, like artist that can't crow shot within such amount of distance from the hook and give her something to compensate. Perhaps a lesser basekit mint rag that let's you teleport to an triggered trap within 8 meters? Or 115% movement speed? Something to help her in the 1v1. It can't be rocket science.
Hag is feeling better to play. COH and Deadhard nerfs let her breathe again. She's getting there, but she needs more than bread crumbs.
Comments
Yeah allowing survivors to wipe away her traps was a massive nerf. The flashlight removal was only minor imo.
I'd increase her post teleport lunge a bit or increase the camera swing duration but in exchange weaken her camping. So like substantially increase the distance she is blocked from placing a trap near a hooked survivor.
Weakening her ability to hook camp and survivors currently being able to wipe away her traps is way more than enough of a hit to her to completely warrant the increase to her post teleport lunge and removing the "trigger outside her range" thing.
Shackles is totally fine imo even though people do complain about it a lot.
Hags current issues are just that she's too good at camping but also gives the survivors way too much counter play overall. That's why I'd weaken her camping and lower her other counter play areas.
Honestly the trap wipe away was a bad change in general and should be reverted though. Total overkill.
Wiping traps away hasn't been too much of an issue for me except for on brighter maps, but I at least can sympathize with your perspective.
An increased lunge range could also do the trick. Even something like the camera pull lasting an extra half second or something would be good - the crux of the issue is her traps. Her teleport hits are just too inconsistent. Especially now with the MFT meta. (Still not as bad as dead hard) Whatever that buff looks like, increased lunge, basekit hindered, longer lasting camera pull, can be left to the imagination as long as people understand the problem is with her traps. Buff. Her. Traps.
I don't think anything else you could give her would really matter unless her traps are actually threatening. 115% movement speed still won't mean anything if her power is non existent against an experienced team.