Comments

• Hello!

  Thank you so much for taking the time to analyze my concept in such detail! Your feedback is truly valuable, and you've raised several critically important points that I've been thinking about a lot myself. Allow me to share my thoughts on each of them.

  1. Regarding the Survivor Roster and Licensing Restrictions

  You are absolutely right — this is perhaps the main technical barrier.

  I completely agree that licensed survivors (such as Ash Williams, Nancy, or Steve) cannot be included in The Thing's mimicry pool. This would violate contracts with rights holders and create legal chaos.

  Your suggestion to limit the pool to original survivors is an elegant and realistic solution.

  I would clarify, however, that this pool should include all original (non-licensed) survivors currently in the game — from Dwight and Meg all the way to the newest additions. This would give The Thing a rich selection of forms and maintain variety in every match. The only technical limitation is that when a new original survivor is added to the game, their model would need to be added to the mimicry pool — but this is a standard procedure, similar to adding new skins.

  2. A Very Important Clarification: The HUD and Display

  Allow me to clarify something that perhaps wasn't fully obvious in the initial concept description.

  You mentioned that survivors would see a "foreign" character on the HUD and immediately know it's the killer. But the thing is, the HUD shouldn't display The Thing in survivor form at all!

  In my vision, the mechanic works like this:

  · The HUD displays only the real survivors who are in the lobby (their names, health status, icons).
  · When The Thing takes the form of, say, Meg (who isn't on the team), that Meg does NOT appear on the HUD. No extra avatars, no indicators.
  · The survivor sees Meg's silhouette on the map with their own eyes, but their interface provides no information about this character. They only see their three teammates.

  This is exactly where the magic of paranoia lies! The survivor can't just glance at the corner of the screen and think: "Ah, that's a fake." They have to rely solely on sight and intuition.

  3. Regarding the "Impossibility of Deception" in DBD

  You're absolutely right that DBD isn't Among Us. Survivors communicate via Discord and see each other's statuses.

  However, my goal isn't to make them believe the fake — it's to make them doubt and waste time checking. Even if the survivors in voice chat shout: "Run, that's not ours!", The Thing has already closed the distance to 8-10 meters, whereas a typical stealth killer starts a chase from 32 meters. That's the main advantage — the first hit becomes almost guaranteed, rather than an attempt to "trick" an experienced team.

  Thank you once again for your detailed analysis! Your ideas helped refine the concept significantly. I appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment.

  in The Thing chapter Comment by MoNoMy August 11, 2026

• @dexter4752 said:

  I think it's a cool concept and implementing mimicry in a proper way would be the best. But It's still hard to believe we'll ever get something like this in a game.

  Thank you! I know it sounds ambitious, but all the mechanics already exist in DBD (Ghost Face stealth, Hag traps, Pig timers). It's more about combining them than creating something entirely new. So it's definitely possible — just needs the right polish!

  in The Thing chapter Comment by MoNoMy August 9, 2026

• @ShanoaLegendaryPlz said:

  The thing about The Thing is that in the movie it had to pick people off 1 by 1 while blending in with the crew, because if it tried to go after them out in the open it would have been melted by the flamethrower.

  Just like the Xenomorph in the movies relied on ambushing people one at a time, because they were armed.

  In dbd however the xenomorph has no real stealth and just runs out in the open chasing people as they are not armed. The turrets only work as a deterent.

  The Thing however would likely not be up against armed survivors for once, and they would not stand a chance without fire. So The Thing could focus more on changing forms to help it catch people easier rather than worry about blending in for safety. It is also a highly intelligent being in that it absorbs memories and personalities, and is capable of building advanced space craft from scraps. So its quite capable of becoming any kind of playstyle in dbd.

  Thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed analysis! You hit the nail on the head — and your comparison with the Xenomorph is absolutely spot on.

  You're right: the Xenomorph in DBD lost its stealth identity because it just runs around in the open, and the turrets are only a mild deterrent. The Thing, however, has the potential to be different — it can actually adapt to the situation.

  That's exactly why I designed two distinct phases in my concept:

  · Phase 1 — Infiltration (Stalker): The Thing disguises itself as a Survivor, completely losing its Terror Radius and Red Stain. This allows it to close the distance silently. The disguise breaks upon attacking — it's a tool for the first hit, not a permanent stealth mode. This phase is all about paranoia and social manipulation, just like in the movie.

  · Phase 2 — True Form (Aggressive Hunter): When The Thing sacrifices its disguise (by placing flesh-traps on generators/windows), it becomes locked in its grotesque True Form. In this state, it regains its Terror Radius, but becomes an aggressive, unstoppable hunter — much like the Xenomorph, but with a key difference: The Thing chooses when to be aggressive, and it pays a price for it (losing the ability to mimic).

  This way, The Thing adapts to the Survivors' playstyle:

  · If they're scattered and careless — you play as a stalker and pick them off one by one.

  · If they're coordinated and stick together — you sacrifice stealth for map control through traps and become a relentless monster.

  Your point about The Thing absorbing memories and personalities is absolutely crucial. That's exactly what makes it so terrifying in the movie — it doesn't just kill, it becomes its victims. It knows their fears, their secrets, their relationships.

  Now, implementing that fully into DBD would be incredibly difficult. However, I think there are small but powerful ways to capture that feeling:

  · Voice lines: The Thing, while in a Survivor's form, could occasionally speak fragments of that Survivor's memories — things only they would know. Imagine hearing your own character say something personal about you. That would be genuinely unsettling.

  · Special connection: The Survivor whose form The Thing has taken could feel a unique bond with the Killer — visual distortions, strange whispers, or even subtle UI changes when they are near each other. It would make the mimicry feel personal, not just visual.

  These would be more atmospheric touches rather than complex mechanics — they add psychological depth without breaking the game's balance.

  That's why I focused on mimicry instead of full memory absorption. Mimicry is simple, effective, and already exists in DBD (Ghost Face, Pig). The Clone copies the Survivor's skin, animations, and silhouette perfectly. It's not just a visual trick — it's a way to exploit the Survivors' own knowledge of each other. When they see their teammate, they have to hesitate. Is that really them? That moment of doubt is where The Thing wins.

  Mimicry is achievable.

  Thanks again for the great feedback — it means a lot coming from a veteran like you! 🙏🔥

  in The Thing chapter Comment by MoNoMy August 9, 2026

• @ChrisLeSportif said:

  J'ai eu la même idee, si comme moi tu veux voir the thing dans dbd regarde ça, j'ai pensé à tout, la mecanique ne serait pas compliqué, et elle reprendrais celle de certain des autres killers du jeu, donc facile à intégrer (nemesis, légion, ghost face, la maîtresse des molosses ou des jumeaux) lisez plutôt comment je l'imagine : https://forums.bhvr.com/dead-by-daylight/discussion/468369/concept-killer-licence-the-thing

  Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it! 🙏

  I read through your concept carefully, and I have to say — we think very similarly! Your idea with the Clone + AI-controlled True Form is absolutely brilliant. The way you implemented the "separation" mechanic (player controls the Clone, while the True Form acts like a Knight's guard) is something I hadn't considered, but it makes perfect sense for The Thing.

  My concept focused more on infiltration + traps — using the disguise as a tool to close the distance, and sacrificing it to place flesh-traps on generators/windows (which gives map control, but costs you the ability to mimic). I also added a 180-second Assimilation timer, which forces Survivors to find Blood Analyzers and complete hard skill checks to cleanse themselves.

  Here's an idea — maybe we can combine our concepts?
  Imagine: The Thing can choose between two playstyles:

  · Option A (your mechanic): Split into Clone (player-controlled) + AI True Form (patrols gens/exit gates).
  · Option B (my mechanic): Stay in one body, but place flesh-traps on objects — which blocks the mimicry ability until the trap is triggered or reabsorbed.

  Both options would share the same core: Assimilation (absorb DNA via M2 attack), Cloning (after absorbing a Survivor), and Paranoia (breaking Survivor trust).

  This way, players would have real strategic choice — map control through traps, or split pressure through AI patrol. And both styles would still stay true to The Thing's identity from the movies.

  If you're interested, we could write a combined post together and present it as a community concept — I think it would have a much bigger impact!

  Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your idea! It's always great to meet someone who loves The Thing as much as I do. 🔥👾

  P.S. I'm not a native English speaker, so apologies for any mistakes!

  in The Thing chapter Comment by MoNoMy August 9, 2026