How to Fix Hex Totems
Hex Totems present a risk/reward scenario--get a strong effect that can be completely nullified by survivors. One major issue, however, is that the current spawn system can place survivors directly next to hex totems to start the match, despite the fact that the developers have tried to roll out methods to prevent such a thing from happening. Subsequently, there is a nonzero (and honestly, more than minimal) chance that a hex totem can be cleansed within the first 20-30 seconds of the match. While there should be inherent risk to running hex perks, the reality of losing them so early because of how the current survivor/totem spawn system works is disproportionately punitive to the killer.
I think there is a simple fix to the problem. Hex totems should not light up until a set amount of time has transpired in the match... say 1-2 minutes.
A totem can still be designated as the hex totem for a given hex perk upon the start of the match. But now survivors are presented with the quandary that they will not be able to immediately identify them. So they can either start doing gens and wait before trying to find the Ruin (giving it at least some use for the killer) or go on a totem hunt, cleansing every totem they find in the hopes that they will guess the right one--again, extending the match a bit but still giving them a 1/5 chance of getting the right totem should they choose to forego hopping on gens immediately.
I feel this is fair because it still gives survivors the ability to get rid of the perk. Not lighting up the totem immediately creates a strong incentive to focus on the secondary objective straight away without making it obvious to the survivor which totem they need to cleanse--at least not at the start of the match. Admittedly, this doesn't fix the problem of survivors spawning right next to the hex totem, but it does make every survivor have to respect the totem they happen to spawn near instead of one SWF member being able to call out the hex totem immediately so others don't have to spend time looking for it.
Comments
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Detrimental to survivors so won't happen.
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I would rather they rework the totem system by weakening the hex perks and removing the totem part completely. Then find a new use for totems.
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Just make it so the killer can place it on a totem location by pushing a button. So i could look around and find a nice totem in a pretty good spot and decide to set it there.
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This wouldn't solve the problem for hexes such as third seal, huntress lullaby or ruin since survivors will immediately see them in action.
Also, this would make devour hope borderline and, while I love it and use it quite often, don't want something to be this strong.
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That wouldn't fix the totem issue. Whatever new effect you plan for totems, it would suffer the same effect of being removed early.
Maybe add a passive and active effect to totems instead? The passive being always active and the active only as long as the totem is active. Like NOED speedboost is passive and the exposed effect is active. And Ruin passive would be no bonus progress on great skillchecks and the active would be extra regression on normal and failed skillchecks
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the main problem with that is there is probably some random p3 claudette not being useful but just so happens to see you place that totem and know its gone also this would make other perks hard to use such as devour hope where you question when you place it because do you place it at the beginning or do you wait to hook someone then run away and place it but then you risk the chance of not giving a token since they could just wait till you leave then unhook.
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Supersonic's idea is best for game balance imo
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