Background Player Rework
Seeing people talk about the upcoming Self-Preservation nerf has me thinking, because people are pointing out that you can use it for a quick-ish unhook and have both players vanish without being trackable easily, which is a pretty interesting use case for a perk.
Now, I don't mind SP's nerf that much - I'd prefer it be 20 seconds instead of 15, but both variations are strong and useful perks + SP has been a little overtuned since the rework, which I say as someone who uses the perk a lot - but I do think that use case could be represented in a more dedicated perk slot.
Enter the perk Background Player, a consistently difficult to balance perk since its inception. Even right now, when it's at its least problematic, it causes some issues and can make pallet/flashlight saves a little bit unfair. So, why not return it to a variation on its original PTB intention? Consider the following for the perk:
- When you unhook a survivor, gain the Elusive status effect for X seconds.
With X here just being how long the unhook protection Elusive is, since I personally think it should be longer than it is and I just want to convey that Background Player would match it.
This version of the perk has that useful stealthy-unhook perk without the all-encompassing value that current Self-Preservation gives, and since it takes up a perk slot it wouldn't be an unfair effect to have. If the killer does have to return to the hook because they didn't have any other information… well, bad luck, sometimes things don't work out. If you don't return to the hook habitually because you have better information to work with consistently, then your opponents have a dead perk slot.
It fits the theme and name of the perk, it's a lot healthier than the current effect, and it's definitely something that'll consistently come in handy in the current state of the game. I'd see this as an overall win for the game as a whole.
Comments
Champion of Light, Background Player, Power Struggle, Finesse and many more unhealthy perks will hopefully be touched too. I agree that Background player is very oppressive and should receive complete rework, but elusive isn't it. Make it oppossite of OG version. When you unhook survivor, they gain 150 % haste for 3s. They can choose whether to get away or heal under hook. Of course must be deactivated in EGC.
I think that treads on the toes of Babysitter a little too much, and also isn't as much thematic with the perk's name and concept.
Making it Elusive means you can sneak up to get the save then disappear into the background again, like the perk's original intent, except now it's not in a way that leaves your teammate stranded because you're both slipping away stealthily.
Also Champion of Light is fine idk why you'd say that one's unhealthy
How is Champion of Light and fineness unhealthy? I mean I can at least see some arguments for power struggle but I really do not understand the other two.
Why not just remove flashlights and pallets from the game instead? Easy fix.
Champion of Light is survivor version of Knockout. Perk that so many people complain about "the buff". + It gives haste on top of that so it creates even more distance. Low tiers get nuked by it, high tiers don't care. Finesse is the same issue. While killers with high pings (most of my games) will hit you anyway, killers with good pings are robbed once evey 30s.
I'm not going to engage further on this topic other than to say that the Haste from Champion of Light applies while shining the Flashlight, which equates to 3.39 m/s - not even standard survivor running speed and is therefore not contributing to any distance gained.
But you can't count it in this way. If you use flashlight, you move at significantly low movespeed. If you have champion on it makes you have more meters ahead which in the end result in reaching another loop much sooner.
Okay but the killers can just go around the pallet if it's that strong or just… ya know equip lightborn if they are that scared?
Well, if you say then I guess that nothing is issue on killer side either. :)
Survivors run at 4m/s. If you are shining a limited use flashlight using Champion of Light you travel at 3.39m/s. How are you getting more meters this way?
I'm talking about shining speed with and without champion.
Tell you what. When the devs add in the ability to see who the killer is and add perks that totally negate their powers I'll agree with you Elan. Until then just use lightborn or learn how to deal with flashlights.