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I Have a “Kindred” Addiction [And a Big “Sorry” to SWF]
TL;DR. My solo arse adores Kindred so much and for so many different reasons that I feel naked without it – and it’s given me some sympathy and insight into SWF. Does anyone else feel this way about Kindred? Or SWF? Or maybe other perks?
I think it’s fair to say Kindred is the best solo survivor perk, but I actually don’t hear that said very often. I don’t know if that’s because solo is becoming less common or because what we put in those four perk slots is crazy competitive. But for me, at 1,200+ hours, Kindred is the only S-Tier survivor perk.
When a teammate gets hooked, I can determine who’s closest to the hook, and then I can make the correct decision of whether I should keep working on my gen or go for that save. Or maybe I see someone else going to the save, but suddenly they dart away [maybe I see that aura injured]. I now know for a fact that they were going for the save, but now can’t. So I get the save. And there are many variants of that scenario I can read with 99% accuracy. This makes one-hooking non-existent and two-hooking extremely rare.
But I loved this perk even before its buff. Kindred has always given me a great sense of confidence in my team when I’m the one hooked. I know they will coordinate around the intel Kindred gives them in the same way I would. I watch their three auras react appropriately. Every, single, time. It’s almost like, oh, IDK, I’m telling them to make the best possible play. [*looks innocuous*]
I know there’ll be no wasted time like someone running halfway to my hook, then seeing me unhooked, and then having to run back to their 70% gen by which time the killer may have found it. And time saves like that really add up – killers would agree.
Theoretically, Kindred should also be the supreme anti-camping perk, but camping is rare to the point of meaninglessness anyway. What does come up is the killer returning to the hook, but I can tell when they do and thus slow my approach, waiting for the time to dash for the unhook judging by how long the hooked player has before they “lose a life”.
But all of those things get talked about at least rarely. What doesn’t get talked about is bonus intel. Maybe there’s one gen left and someone gets hooked? I can see if someone else is already working on a gen and go to them if I don’t go for the save. There’s loads of little things like that.
Trappers, Hags and Demos that trap near the hook are compromised. If a Hillbilly, Nurse or Spirit turns directly to another survivor aura [that I can also see] and starts making a b-line, I know there’s a high probably they’re running BBQ & Chilli and got the same proc I did [to name three killers who notoriously use BBQ – Spirit would stand still and stare at them. Or me].
And then there’s the cheeky BBQ Huntress who thinks she can hit me across the map – think again. I know exactly where you’re aiming and if it’s at me, you will miss. And then there’s BBQ Freddy, who I can see face me and start channelling his Dream Projection before my gen starts spewing blood thus giving me a head start.
All of this gives me an edge – and it gives me an edge in the knowledge that Kindred isn’t something killer players give much thought to! The “Blindness” status ailment isn’t respected. I play killer 40% of the time so I know how they think – you could say I’m... “Kindred”.
But then I stopped running Kindred.
Holy.
Hell.
All of that is gone. I get two-hooked in multiple trials. I run to the unhook just to realise I wasted my time. Killers get the drop on me much easier. Swapping for Dead Hard, We’ll Make It, even Decisive Strike just isn’t worth it for a solo! I felt like I was playing the game blindfolded. And then I realise: Kindred’s my crutch. Just another sad dependency.
But then I think, SWF must have the same realisation. Maybe Kindred isn’t as powerful as SWF, and I need to sacrifice a perk slot for the pleasure, but maybe when SWF go solo they feel the same way – and thus stick to SWF – and thus contribute to the poison of DBD.
Hell, you could argue [bravely] that Kindred is better than SWF because Kindred gives you the information instantly, whereas with SWF a player would need to clearly and articulately say what is happening, possibly with a laggy vocal delay, and while competing with three other voices, who then need to process what they've just ben told.
I guess I owe SWF an apology. I looked down on them. I’m sorry.
But i still think killers should be buffed.
Also Kindred rules.
I don’t know if I made that clear enough.
Comments
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I recently made a comment on another forum that kindred becoming basekit would be a very good idea to closing the gap between solo and SWF players because it rewards more altruistic communication that way.
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I won't even play as a survivor unless I have Kindred unlocked. I feel absolutely useless and defenseless without the information it provides me (especially if you get yourself a campin killer).
Since I play solo, it is basically a must at this point. I would love for it to become a Base Kit item as the way to bridge the gap between solo and SWF (since SWF don't need it as they can talk where this at least puts Solo on relatively even ground information-wise but then it burns a perk spot). I don't know if that will ever happen but it would be nice...
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It's great for solo. Finding a spot for it is just brutal tho.
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Yeah, but it would also be a completely overpowered buff for survivors that already have tons of advantages as it is. This is something along the lines of making NOED basekit for killers.
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That is both inaccurate and untrue, but okay.
Call me ignorant, but solo players are at a far less advantage than SWF teams.
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You're definitely showing ignorance cause you completely missed the point somehow. I didn't say anything about SWF not being more advantageous over solo play. I said Kindred is too powerful to be basekit for survivors. Two statements that are obviously different for those who actually pay attention instead of only hearing what they want to hear so they can make irrelevant retorts.
While you probly missed the point so your "inaccurate and untrue" accusation was delivered to a fictional claim; for humor's sake, I'll pretend it was directed at my claim that Kindred would be too powerful to be basekit. Aura perks are amongst the most powerful perks in the game regardless of whether or not you're playing SWF. Nobody is actually able to let other players know exactly where they are without an aura perk regardless of what ridiculous claims they make. Kindred not only lets you know if the killer is camping the hook, which direction he's head off in, if he's placing traps, and if he's returned to the hook; but it also lets you know which survivors are closest to the hook, where a survivor being chased is (and therefore where the killer is), and whether other survivors are on the gens or going for the unhook so you can easily see what to do.
If you honestly think basekit would be balanced to make it completely obvious how to most efficiently play the game when a survivor is hooked, then you're definitely ignorant.
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I'm addicted to it to. My build now even in SWFs is this;
Borrowed Time for last minute saves / Kindred for obvious reasons / Bond for obvious reasons / Open handed because this perk makes aura reading so much better.
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I mean I did say 'call me ignorant' lol
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I'm right there with you buddy, and if you pair it up with Empathy it's pretty powerful. I could give a looooong list of how many victories Kindred has given me and the teams I end up with but I think you have underlined it all pretty damn perfectly.
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How would it be completely overpowered? All it tells us is if the killer is camping and if I need to run entirely across the map to go for a save. SWF already have this with coms.
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No, they don't. The incredibly limited and inaccurate locating abilities that SWF groups have don't even come remotely close to the exact locating abilities that aura perks provide. To think otherwise is just to blatantly ignore reality. However, if you think the only difference is the killer aura being visible while near the hook, I would agree with making that basekit after about 5 seconds so the killer has enough time to leave the area. Would be one of the best measurements to ensure that campers get the genrushing counterplay they deserve from intelligent teams.
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Interesting! I would've thought Kindred would be a wasted perk slot with SWF. Whenever I check perks post-game I always assume Kindred = solo. I guess Kindred and comms would make coordination super effective, but I wouldn't know. You do make me want to try Open Handed again though...
Y'know what, I tried it with Bond but I never tried it with Empathy. I always felt it would be overkill. But I did a few matches just now (along with Open Handed cuz, y'know, in for a penny in for a pound) and it is fun! Makes me feel like some sort of mastermind especially if the killer is using hit-and-run tactics; but IDK, feels a bit like "crippling overspecialisation". But I'll keep trying!
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Oh it is over specialiation. I suuuuck at running loops, so i run a kindred, we'll make it, empathy build and use the last perk slot for anything extra. I am basically a gen fixing ambulance. With so much info I can move around the map doing all the behind the scenes stuff while the decent loopers keep the killer distracted. 95% of my hook saves are safe and I'm never on the gen when the killer goes by. So much potential when you mix in a last perk like prove thyself, for the people, solidarity, deliverance etc...
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Kindred saved me or my team mates many times from an insidious basement camping Bubba. But that's not the only reason why I use it. I hate to leave a gen to run across the map just to get to the hooked person at the same time as another survivor.
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I agree it's a useful perk but.. Eh.. It is isn't for everyone to use every game.
If you aren't mainly an altruistic survivor, this perk becomes less useful.
Lithe and Spine chill became my 2 permanent perks I could use every game.
Other two are usually Distortion and inner strength/self care.
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Ah I see. I'm more of "midfield" survivor myself. Battle-tech I suppose. I can loop for a good minuet or two if I get in the zone. Iron Will for outlandish jukes, Adrenaline for pushing the last gen and some wild escapes, and the fourth perk... DS? DH? Whatever I fancy.
In the past 6 months or so I've only had a really nasty camper once. Ghostface got me in the Rotten Fields basment - t-bagging and not knowing the other three survivors could see him. They escaped and I died smug.
Kindred is much better for the latter example. Like you say, you could waste a good 15 seconds being beaten to the hook [or waste 15 seconds of someone elses time] and then running back to your gen risking yourself in the process. It's a hell of a time loss, hurts the whole team, and can come up multipule times in the same trial.
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And the negatives:
1. Stealth killers make it almost useless.
2. That bubble that appears when someone is hooked can keep you from seeing which way the killer went.
3. Why TF is EVERYONE coming to save me!
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Kindred is awesome. I run it when swfing, gives me so much information in a split second and is great for coordinating saves.
Also little tip, if spirit is pink she is faking her phase. When she stops glowing pink she is phasing.
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It's very good for us solo survivors. Feel naked without it.
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