With each perk you unlock, the value you get out of any given perk increases exponentially.
I used a combination calculator to see how many unique builds you can create with 4 perk slots.
If you have only 3 perks, the most unique builds is 1, obviously.
If you have 10 perks, you can create 210 unique builds.
But if you have 50 perks, you can create 230300 unique builds.
100 perks is 3921225 unique builds.
I now have unlocked 135 survivor perks which gives me access to 13232835 unique builds. This number is so staggering that I've only scratched the surface of testing what is possible. But if I unlock Orela with Iri shards then I get access to 3 new perks. Which allows me to create 14463090 unique builds as survivor. So just by unlocking a measly 3 new perks I am really unlocking 1,230,255 new builds.
Notice the disparity…from 3 to 10 perks, I get only 209 new builds. But from 135 to 138 perks, I gain 1,230,255 new builds. This means that you get increasing return on your investment every time you unlock another perk.
If I unlock all 149 survivor perks, I can potentially create 19720000 unique builds.
So with every perk that you unlock, the number of unique builds you can potentially create skyrockets, allowing for more diverse and original playstyles. Sure, many of these perk combinations may have bad synergy, but there are so many possibilities that many of the builds are bound to be very strong yet rarely used because no popular streamer has made a video about it. Basically, it is possible to have a player "personality" as both killer and survivor by choosing a strong build that hasn't been advertised by popular content creators.
I find it quite ironic that despite the immense possibility, you tend to see the same carbon copy builds that require zero brainpower to use like Corrupt Intervention, Lethal Pursuer, Grim Embrace and Pain Res. Zzzzz….zero originality. Boring to play against yet easy and predictable to counter for High MMR survivors that know what they're doing too. Don't get me wrong, survivors are just as guilty of mindlessly copying builds from the content creators they idolize. But seeing a build like that on a Blight or Kaneki is so incredibly lazy that is makes for the perfect example of the mediocrity that dominates the current meta.
Comments
That's because alot of perks are either terrible or only work as gimmicks.
This is a naive mindset. Perks become much stronger when you pair them with the right perks and adjust playstyle. Most cases of people calling perks "bad" is just a self-report on not knowing how to make good use of it.
Oddly enough, I agree.
Even though this was MUCH worse in the older builds of DbD (Ruin, Undying, BBQ and a fourth perk), build creativity is SERIOUSLY dire.
NightLight is a pretty good indicator of this, too.
There are multiple really underrated perks in this game, like Surveilance, Lucky Break, Boon: Shadow Step, Streetwise, Oppression, Hex: Haunted Grounds ,ect. Yet no one runs them despite how good they are.
One of those unique builds includes no mither, self care, strength in the shadows, and second wind.
It's not naive to recognize there's alot of perks that just suck. Can you make interesting builds with them sure.They can be fun and if you get the right situation they'll seem to be really strong. Unfortunately those builds are ultimately gimmicks that won't help you win in the majority of cases.
That's why I ONLY mentioned Haunted Grounds and not Ruin or Blood Favor.
Because the spawns suck and well, it's a guarantee you get value from Haunted Grounds.
Tell that to my friend who is currently suffering @THE_Crazy_Hyena while I play all perks in alphabetical order for no real reason. Currently in the P’s.
I nearly always use a completely random set up of perks, add-ons, offerings and items, which has basically kept me interested in the game (bar the long break when my Xbox got broken) and does so now as well. Some can be pretty fun, and bizarrely entertaining.
One today was as Wraith with Unnerving Presence, Distressing, the "Beast" add-on and a Bone Clapper - the latter of which was so out of place, yet somehow it confused the survivors so much they were panicking! Fun as heck, though.
Also, worth looking at making completely useless builds that are way too protective over stupid stuff. I had a "Don't Boon My S***", which was: Hex: Thrill Of The Hunt, Shattered Hope, Hex: Haunted Grounds, Dominance. Is this a good build? Hell no! Does it stop Booners on the 1 in 30 trials I may come across? Oh yes! ... Mini-stonks.
Anyway, it's worth playing about with. Also, "No Mither" barely doesn't come up, or I choose to ignore it. Chaos Shuffle, but more enjoyable!