How effective are flashlights compared to tools and medkits?

dugman

Ok so in another thread the topic came up regarding how effective flashlights are compared to tools and medkits. Not in terms of it being fun to blind killers or flashy saves, but whether at a higher level of play it makes sense to carry a flashlight versus carrying a toolkit or medkit if you are picking an item that you think will help the survivors escape.

So what do you think? If you are playing seriously to win, where does bringing a flashlight stack up with bringing either a tool or medkit?

dugman

Flashlights are not as effective as either tools or medkits, bringing them is not a good idea

Just to start off, I'm fairly convinced that flashlights are a relatively weak item. Yes, they have the potential to get a save, but generally speaking killers are normally able to avoid being blinded by flashlights by positioning themselves properly and being generally aware of when survivors may be attempting a save. And a survivor who is following a killer around hoping for a save isn't spending any time on gens or healing anybody directly, so effectively the killer is keeping two people from progressing the game for the survivors with just one chase. Also note that, even if you happen to think flashlight saves are consistent and effective enough, the game now also has flash grenades and such which can do the same function but just in a slightly different way.

As a side note, flashlights do have some other minor effects

• They can blind at pallets. This isn't normally actually that useful though, because in the time you took blinding the killer at the pallet you could have gained quite a bit of distance from them. So it's not really giving you very much typically for the effort other than a decent bloodpoint scoring event. (Which, admittedly, it's not a bad amount of bloodpoints for that event if you care about that sort of thing.) That being said, the new survivor perk on the PTB which hides all your scratches, blood and sounds if the killer gets stunned means you could hypothetically stun them, blind them, and run for the hills with them having zero idea where you went. So with that perk it could be a reasonable combo.
• Flashlights impact certain specific killer powers. They can erase Hag traps, destroy Artist Crows, stun Wraith out of phase, stun Nurse out of a blink (although that one is probably very difficult!), stun Nemesis zombie, and destroy Spirit's husk (which isn't hugely important probably but it's a thing.) Certainly if you happen to face a Hag, for instance, a flashlight is useful. However, how often does that happen? Unless I overlooked something I think there's only four or maybe five killers if I'm generous where this is a non-negligable factor, against the other 21 or 22 killers there's no killer specific weakness to them. Is it worth bringing a flashlight on the 20% chance you might run into a Hag, Wraith, Nemesis or Artist? And even if you do, if it's not Hag to get rid of her traps, is it better than the tools or medkit you could have brought instead? I'm pretty skeptical.

So I'm not saying flashlights are "bad" necessarily, but I definitely think they're relatively weak items when compared to tools and medkits. They're probably better than keys, at least in consistency, although hypothetically when a key works it's a free 5000 point escape so those are the definition of high risk, high reward items. Maps might be the only item as relatively weak as flashlights, and even then you could argue that depending on the build maps could be useful for sniffing out the totems for example, maybe.

Aurelle

Flashlights are more effective than both tools and medkits, it's a good idea to bring them

Considering flashlights saves can steal your hooks and kills, they are more powerful than toolboxes. Medkits are the most powerful item out of all of these, though.

Sleem

Flashlights are more effective than both tools and medkits, it's a good idea to bring them

Flashlights hurt my eyes as a wraith player

ThatOneDemoPlayer

Flashlights are not as effective as either tools or medkits, bringing them is not a good idea

Flashlights require the Killer to be a moth or rely on map rng

GarlicRice

Flashlights are on par with tools or medkits (or both), it's more a style preference which to use

Most people who bring flashlights don't know how to use them. It would be better for the team for them to bring a medkit or a toolbox. I never bring flashlights for that reason because I know I can't use them.

Valik

Flashlights are not as effective as either tools or medkits, bringing them is not a good idea

While they have certain utility - their usefulness is highly situational and skill based, with a large margin for error. You may not land that flashy save, you may not gain value by blinding a killer at a pallet, and you may not find opportunities to exploit killer sensitivities to the light's beam (Wraith, Hag, etc.)

With a medkit, you have 100% guaranteed value on 1 health state - or faster healing on allies. If you use a toolkit, you will always repair/sabo faster. Not only are these aspects that players are constantly engaging in reliably, but the systems they work through are consistent and deal with flat, numerical values. Brown medkit will ALWAYS allow you to heal a health state, a commodious toolbox will ALWAYS save you the maximum time on repairs. But a base flaslight... may... do... something? It really doesn't have any promise. If you're in the right place at the right time, you can pull of some saves, or juke the killer - but that's a big 'MAYBE' you're putting on it.

Bringing a wirespool toolbox or a purple medkit are better ways to save your friend or keep yourself alive than a flashlight anyday.

Besides, neither the medkit nor the toolbox have perks that DIRECTLY and COMPLETELY counter it. Lightborn will render all flashlights completely useless against the killer - making it a nearly useless item in all but the most niche circumstances.