claysgaming

@Alen_Starkly said:
I would like the devs to bring back the OG Skull Merchant. First of all, the 3-genning issue has been predominantly tackled (gen kick limit, eruption rework, overcharge & call of brine nerfs), so that non-engaging playstyle wouldn't get to live again. If necessary, her old addons that impacted skill checks could get reworked as well. OG Skull Merchant was quite unique and I enjoyed playing as her. I never attemped 3-genning, I enjoyed using drones and tracking people.
The other suggestion is to undo the heavy nerfs that she's received. She needs 2 scanlines. She was never OP to begin with, people were exagerrating. When I faced decent teams, they knew how to dodge scanlines. You might think something like "oh but she got injuries for free". I disagree. You needed to be scanned 3 times for that to happen, and if you knew how to dodge the scanlines, it would take a while. Ghoul on the other hand gets free injuries almost guaranteed. Also unlike this version of SM, the Ghoul has an insane map mobility. A lot of killers have come out since Skull Merchant, that compared to her, are busted in 1 way or another. Ghoul, as I mentioned. Then Henry, who is pretty strong. Dracula is also very strong. Springtrap as well is quite decent. And don't get me started on Nurse and Blight.
Even the slugging playstyle was nerfed, thanks to the rework of the perk Knockout. Any remaining chance for slugging is something that many killers can do. If this is a problem, it needs to be solved globally. It's not a problem caused by SM. Blight is a much, much bigger problem in this playstyle. SM doesn't even hold a candle to him.
Considering that Skull Merchant was never strong to begin with, and that a lot of relatively much stronger killers have come out since her release, I see no reason why the devs wouldn't revert her to her 1st (active drone zones, a lot of macro play with tracking bia clawtraps) or 2nd version (2 scan lines, 3 scans injure). Her 1st and 2nd versions were fun to those who like her (and didn't use toxic playstyles), and she had decent abilities to win matches. Her 3rd version (current, gutted) is really, really bad. There is no justification for it, especially if you have cancelled her long-ago announced rework. (which you are free to inform us on)

I agree with the latter but I feel like her first version was genuinely weak. 3 genning was her only strength and she was quite weak in chase. But I do think that the big nerfs should be undone because well, she was high C tier at best there. And thr 70% killrate came from ppl killing themselves on hook.

I still dont think she needs a rework, just significant buffs

in Brainstorming Ideas on buffing Skull Merchant (add ur ideas!) Comment by claysgaming March 25, 2026

@AlwaysInAGoodShape said:
I personally believe a proper skull merchant rework should meet the following criteria:

1. It removes the "Sh#t a drone" effect. Which is where Skull Merchants get free value in chase without really doing anything, while survivors have to crouch and try other advanced things without input from SM. (Basically getting value without having to do anything actively herself)

2. (DEPRECATED) doesn't create a 3 gen situation.
Now number 2 isn't relevant anymore because of the gen regression limit, which makes things easier

I think your first idea is great. Adding a more severe penalty for hacking drones could really help. I would personally make it the exposed status effect, especially because it pairs perfectly with her ability to gain stealth when recalling a drone (which was an incredible good idea by Pixel Bush)

I also agree with creating more visibility with scanning. I would make it so that each time a drone scans you, it reveals the aura of that survivor for a full rotation of a single scan line. Even if they're working on a generator, and remove any form of invulnerability from scans, but remove the ability of scans to injure/cause slow down

Then I would make drones being able to injure non-crouching survivors after Skull Merchant changes the spin direction on the drone. Whenever SM changes direction, she slows down. Why? Because now you have a balanced chasing mechanic with proper counterplay, that the SM has to work for actively, and doesn't give her free injures due to her slowing down, if a survivor predicts the rotation change, so I partially agree with crouching not affecting aura scans, and would keep it only for injure scans, and in this case, rotation changes could both injure and down survivors in 1 single go. (After hitting a survivor, you wouldn't instantly be able to change direction of course, but it would have to finish a full rotation again before it's possible to alter it again)

Another idea I just thought of is relying on the idea with the non injuring clawtraps: you could make it that survivors hacking drones get a non injuring clawtrap for 45 seconds (making them trackable and vulnerable to hindered) and while having that clawtrap, hacking another drone either gets you lock on stacks or you could make an addon that it injured you (like trappers iridescent addon). Another addon would be that the scanlines go through walls but have a slightly smaller radius.

I think the idea with the clawtraps would make it that that the addons with the clawtrap status effect would actually be useful, sparing an addon overhaul. Other than that I could think of soooo many addon ideas. Another idea would be an addon that surviors get lock on stacks when hacking drones, however max 2 only (it cant injure) or bring back the addon that pallets vaulted by a clawtrapped survivor breaks. Theres sooo much you could do, even with her current version.

in Brainstorming Ideas on buffing Skull Merchant (add ur ideas!) Comment by claysgaming March 25, 2026

@TerraKane said:
Never change a running system! Wesker was a balanced killer and his techs were part of him giving his players a higher skill ceiling, making them able to keep up with modern killers, even though they might not have been intended in the first place. You guys answered, you wanted to keep them possible on this very forum (looking at you, Mandy!). Now the changes went out and you slightly fixed some of the PTB mess you made, but you still made him worse to play.
Rebounds don't work as good as before. Instahugs are no longer possible. The input-buffering is said to be fixed, only to bring up the issue that if you hold m1 too long after charging power, you immediately initiate a second dash unintendedly.
If you double click, the input isn't properly stored though and there is a micro cooldown between dashes. It feels weird to play him now.
I really hope the big Wesker players are going to make detailed video reports on these issues, because they can describe it way better than me.

ALSO BIG ISSSUE: Survivors don't get a speed boost anymore, after slamming them into something and injuring them. They still get their speed boost when throwing them, though. This is unfair to survivors going against Wesker.

All in all, I feel robbed and frustrated now this went to live. Revert him to his former state please!

Skull Merchants gutting was completely unnecessary as well, by this time it should be obvious that the devs dont really care about killer mains. Nurse and Blight mains though, just maybe.

in Wesker nerf completely unnecessary! Comment by claysgaming March 25, 2026

@PetTheDoggo said:
https://forums.bhvr.com/dead-by-daylight/discussion/comment/4066582#Comment_4066582
Less stealth in chases? You just confessed she can have permanent stealth.
"For normal gameplay it's simply worse" This is important part….
She has permanent stealth, if you are willing to do quite an annoying thing, which I am not.
If you want her stealth to be in short duration just to ambush survivors like before, it's basically more work for same thing. In early game you get basically no stealth unless you decide to not create any drones in advance…
Right now, she is still very weak, because survivors can deny a lot of things from her kit. But her kit was/is very easy to use, devs can't really make her good killer right now, so I would rather see a rework.

Either this or a revert to he pre nerf version with stealth drones which made her less trash to play

in Skull Merchant feels weak Comment by claysgaming March 24, 2026

@AlwaysInAGoodShape said:
https://forums.bhvr.com/dead-by-daylight/discussion/comment/4066197#Comment_4066197
I definitely agree that SM is weak rn, though I do think the single scanline is a very good idea. Good players are very deliberate on which rotation they place their drones in depending on the survivor's position in the loop, and use carefully counterrotating switches at the right moment to accelerate triggering the drone effect, which I think is really cool, and adds a lot of mastery and Depth to SM, but yes, she is still too weak imo

I get your point, but SM already doesnt get enough value out of drones. They dont down you like Artist crows for example. And the single beam along with missing stealth mode makes drone hacking way too easy because the beam is so easy to avoid. This is a huge bottleneck in her power, no matter the buffs. Not to mention that rotating drones was also possible back when she had 2 scanlines. I would say keep the haste the same so players actively rotating them also get value out of it

in Skull Merchant feels weak Comment by claysgaming March 24, 2026

@MechWarrior3 said:
While I like your ideas a lot I think they should just go through with a whole rework. Her current state has gone on for too long now if you ask me.

Tbh I think she has been reworked too often and at this point it would change her identity too much. Plus it would spare them work, too

in Brainstorming Ideas on buffing Skull Merchant (add ur ideas!) Comment by claysgaming March 23, 2026

@cluelessclaudette said:
1.5 years later and still no SM fixes…. SM needs a COMPLETE rework but I have a feeling BHVR does not care. Proof? What's all this grimoire business and angel themed killer and survivor? It's okay though, I get it….BHVR is a "super small" indie company and needs to prioritize on making money /S
Guess what BHVR, letting killers to rot is a bad look. You sell skins for stuff you abandon. Really bad look. Releasing half baked overly imbalanced stuff. Skull Merchant should never been released in hindsight if you are unwilling to fix her.
https://forums.bhvr.com/dead-by-daylight/discussion/429649/you-need-to-redo-sm-039-s-entire-kit-at-this-point-she-039-s-boring-and-underwhelming-to-play

All we can do is be loud.