(Very Long, But Necessary) Regression and Progression Perks Need Changes

Clockwork_Enigma

This following thread is to hopefully open up the eyes of the community and the developers on the problem of regression and progression perks. The following list of Perks will list how they have been affected by the changes to Generator repair speeds and if they need to be changed.

I'll be listing my own opinions on any changes that I think would be necessary for the Perks, should I state that they need a change.

General

• The amount of time it takes for a Generator to be completed is 90 seconds, or 1c/s (charge per second).
  • This is up from the previous 80 second completion time.

The list above does not include changes; these are values just for the sake of people understanding the subsequent values.

Regression Perks

Call of Brine

• Kicking a Generator increases the regression speed by 200% for 60 seconds.
  • This increases regression from 0.25c/s to 0.5c/s.

This Perk does not need any changes and is simply fine how it is. It provides no real change other than the increased regression speed for up to 60 seconds, and an extremely annoying loud noise notification every time a Survivor hits a skill check.

Actually, make the loud noise notification have a 5 second cooldown. It's annoying.

Eruption

• Kicking a Generator causes it to become trapped. All trapped Generators will explode and deal 10% instant regression once a Survivor is put into the Dying State.
  • The amount of regression caused is 9 seconds.

This Perk has some glaring flaws in its design mostly attributed to how it activates. Since you need to activate it by damaging a Generator through an interaction--something many Killer players do not do--you basically spend quite a lot of time trying to damage as many generators as possible to cause the most destruction as possible.

Additionally, the effects of the perk are only ever effective to a select group of Survivor players and not so much the other side. While I think that the instant 10% regression is good altogether, the other effects not so much.

This is why I think it needs somewhat of a major overhaul.

Eruption should now cause any Generator kicked to now apply an aura reveal to Survivors that are currently within 4 meters of that Generator until Eruption's regression activates, and any Survivor currently repairing that Generator will have their aura revealed for 10 seconds once Eruption activates. Additionally, for each Generator that has been damage by you, the amount of regression caused to all Generators increases by an additional 1% on top of the original 10% value.

Finally, the cooldown of the Perk, in addition to the Incapacitated status effect caused by it, would have to be removed to give this Perk some more balanced value.

Hex: Huntress Lullaby

• When this Hex is active, missing a Skill Check will add an additional 6% regression on top of the original 10% regression caused by missing a Skill Check.
  • The amount of regression caused is 14.4 seconds.

Due to the effects of the Hex, one would think that this would be a very viable Perk to run. However, due to its token system and the fact it is a Hex Perk that will activate as soon as a Skill Check occurs upon getting a Token, this Perk does not see any use compared to the other regression Perks.

That said, I think that this Perk does need an overhaul to its system in order to allow it to better flourish in today's environment.

As such, Hex: Huntress Lullaby will no longer activate unless a Survivor misses a Skill Check. While Hex: Huntress Lullaby grows in power, the rotation speed of the Skill Check will increase by 5% every token, alongside the original Skill Check window reduction.

To compensate, additional regression caused by Hex: Huntress Lullaby is reduced to 1%/2%/3%.

Hex: Ruin

• When this Hex is active, all Generators will automatically regress at normal regression speed if a Survivor leaves that Generator. This effect lasts until the Totem is broken or a Survivor is killed.

So the effects of this Perk are really lackluster considering it's meant to be a Hex Totem. Due to a Hex Perk's already inconsistent usage and the fact this has multiple deactivation methods, it needs some sort of buff to it.

Therefor, any Generator affected by Hex: Ruin will gradually build up its regression speed over the course of 30 seconds. This builds up from 100% to 150%/175%/200%.

This does not give the Perk too much power, but makes it at least an optional threat to what it currently is.

Jolt

• Putting a Survivor into the Dying State instantly regresses all Generators within 32 meters by 8%.
  • The amount of regression caused is 7.2 seconds.

Jolt often sees a high usage rate among Killers because of its ability to instantly cause regression, without cooldown, to all Generators around the Killer. This perk does not necessarily need a change, though Killers that make the best use of it should be looked into.

Anyway so before this becomes a tirade about how Nurse's M1 should be a special attack--

Merciless Storm

• When the Generator reaches 90% progression, a wave of Skill Checks will continuously apply to all Survivors repairing the Generator until it is completed or the Skill Checks are missed.

Though this isn't a regression Perk, per se, the change I think should happen is that Merciless Storm no longer causes Skill Checks to appear after a total of 10 seconds.

This would prevent the upcoming change to another perk from applying to this Perk as much anymore.

Oppression

• Kicking a Generator will cause 3 additional Generators to start regressing. Additionally, Survivors on any of those Generators will face a skill check that they must complete or it will cause that Generator to explode.

On paper, this Perk would be pretty decent. It causes multiple Generators to regress, it allows the Killer to cause some Generators to instantly regress if Survivors are too overzealous, and it can be helpful.

That is until you see its major downsides. It has a lack of synergy with other perks on top of an 80 second cooldown, which is basically almost as long as a Generator would take. This Perk desperately needs changes.

Thusly, there are several changes that I'd make to the Perk.

Oppression now always applies regression to three random Generators regardless of whether or not it is on cooldown. However, when it is currently active, Oppression will not only apply Skill Checks to Survivors currently repairing Generators, but it will also apply the effects of all other Perks you are currently running to all other Generators, with some exceptions applying.

Finally, the cooldown of Oppression is reduced from 120/100/80 seconds to 80/70/60 seconds. This would make Oppression feel like its namesake but also not feel like it's an overpowered perk thanks to it still having a long cooldown.

Overcharge

• Kicking a Generator will cause it to regress at a rate of 75% to 200% over the course of 30 seconds, and accrue an additional 5% penalty to missed Skill Checks.
  • The amount of regression caused is 13.5 seconds.

Overcharge is the Perk that I was personally the most interested in when it was on the PTB, but it's currently died down ever since the launch of its new effect. It's currently one of the less optimal Generator regression perks in the game due to its effects and how easy it is to counteract it.

Therefor, I think it needs a new effect that can really make it more of a threat. In addition to its current effects, once a Generator that was affected by Overcharge has regressed for 30 seconds, it will explode and instantly regress by 15%. This will immediately remove the Skill Check and revert its regression back to normal.

This would make Overcharge something more threatening for even experienced Survivors, while keeping its namesake and not changing its original values.

Pop Goes the Weasel

• Kicking a Generator after hooking a Survivor will cause it to regress by 20% of its current progression.
  • The amount of regression caused is inconsistent.

This Perk has seen an overall downward decline ever since it was nerfed. While the change in its value was definitely needed, the overhaul of its effect wasn't. Therefor, I think that once a Generator is kicked, it loses 20% of its total progression rather than the current progression.

This would make it so that it takes off 18 seconds worth of repair time, but this change would be justified considering that the Killer must still work to get the effects.

Though to compensate, the duration should be reduced to 20/25/30 seconds, in order to match Dead Man's Switch's duration and make it not too oppressive.

Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance

• Hooking a Survivor on a Scourge Hook will cause the Generator with the most progress to regress by 15%.
  • The amount of regression caused is 13.5 seconds.

What I consider the problem Perk of the bunch, Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance is too powerful in its current iteration thanks to a multitude of factors. It can be used in tandem with Dead Man's Switch to guarantee finding a Survivor's location and prevent them from working on a Generator for 30 seconds, it can cause massive regression and it can overall be a nuisance due to it being able to be combined with the effects of other regression perks.

Therefor, it should be nerfed, pretty hard in fact.

Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance should no longer cause the Survivor that was affected by it to scream. In addition, the amount of regression caused by Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance is reduced to 6%/9%/12%.

Technician

• While repairing a Generator, missing a Skill Check will prevent a Generator explosion and apply an additional 3% regression penalty to that Generator's progress.
  • The amount of regression caused is 11.7 seconds.

This Perk should not cause the Generator to regress by an additional amount once a Skill Check is missed. This can cause players to potentially grief other players by deliberately missing Skill Checks and regressing the Generator down enough to cause it to take longer to repair.

Thusly, this Perk needs two major changes. This Perk should cause Generators to regress by only 7%/6%/5% whenever missing a Skill Check. Missing a total of 3 Skill Checks in succession on the same generator with this Perk will cause you to scream and afflict you with the Incapacitated status effect for 30 seconds.

Progression Perks

Fast Track

• For each Survivor that is hooked other than yourself, gain 3 Tokens, up to 27 total tokens. For each Token accumulated, the next time you succeed a Great Skill Check, increase the amount of progression by the amount of Tokens you have accrued.
  • The amount of progression caused is up to 27% additional progression, or 24.3 seconds.

Fast Track is that one weird Perk nobody runs but someone can at least acknowledge some use for it. However, since it can be used for any sort of progression requiring a Skill Check and not just repairing, this can make it either very useless if you're trying to run a certain build with it, or a really unfun Perk since it promotes selfishness regardless of its usage.

Thus, I think this Perk needs a complete overhaul in order to make it more relevant.

Instead of accumulating Tokens, it should now apply an 8%/9%/10% increase to repairing and a 20% increase to healing, unhooking, cleansing and blessing speeds whenever another Survivor is currently hooked. This would directly punish camping players by allowing Survivors to fast track Generators, healing or unhooking, thus promoting more healthy plays.

Flashbang

• Upon repairing a Generator for a total of 50% total progress, you gain the ability to create the Flash Grenade item.

Though not an actual progression Perk, this Perk was indirectly nerfed when Generators themselves got nerfed, taking 5 extra seconds to be able to earn the Flash Grenade.

The only change this needs is that whenever a Generator is repaired for 50/45/40 seconds, you now are able to craft the Flash Grenade. This gives its original value back.

Hyperfocus

• After hitting a Great Skill Check, Hyperfocus gains 1 Token and applies a 4% increase to trigger odds and rotation speeds of Skill Checks, up to 6.
• Additionally, it grants a 30% increase to the original value of bonus progression when hitting a Skill Check per token, up to a maximum of an additional 180%.
  • This increases the base value of the bonus progression from 1% to 2.8% for repairing, or from 0.9 seconds to up to 2.52 seconds.

This Perk gave me an aneurysm as I was trying to calculate it. Guess I was too hyper-focused on its math.

Jokes aside, this Perk is an extremely strong Perk in the right hands, and by right hands I mean whenever you run builds specifically meant for it. Due to the fact that this Perk can activate upon any Great Skill Check and not just ones normally caused by repairing or healing, this allows Brand New Part to be able to activate it, as well as Good Skill Checks turned into Greats by Stake Out.

This can cause unintended side-effects, including Generators being done extremely quickly by Survivors, and it can make it a real hellish time for Killers who are unprepared for it.

The major change I would make to the Perk is to remove its ability to be used whenever Brand New Part is activated. This prevents Survivors from getting an unfair head start while keeping the other parts of the build available. In addition, I would make it so that while healing another Survivor, this Perk accrues a different set of tokens that remain even after healing that other Survivor. This makes it so that the Perk has some more valid use for healing rather than solely being useful for repairing.

Overzealous

• Whenever you cleanse a Dull Totem, increase your repair speed by 8%.
• Whenever you cleanse a Hex Totem, increase your repair speed by 16%.
• This deactivates once you lose a health state.

Overzealous is the kind of perk that I think should be much better than it actually is. It's a very limited Perk that has a rather painful deactivation method, and has its effects depend on if the Killer is using a Hex Totem or not.

Thusly, I think it just needs one small buff and nerf. Overzealous should increase repair speed by 12% regardless of the type of Totem you cleanse.

Prove Thyself

• When a Survivor is within 4 meters of your location, your repair speed is increased by 15%.
• When a Survivor is within 4 meters of your location, their repair speed is increased by 15%.
• This can total up to a maximum of 45% additional progression speed.

The problem perk of the Survivor side, this Perk provides significant value for each instance that it is ran, and is normally used by two Survivors in pairs. Due to it granting remarkable value the more Survivors are applied to it by effectively mitigating most of the penalty to multiple Survivors working on a Generator, and the fact it can cause Generator speeds to be cut down to almost 28 seconds (or at best, 46 seconds), it's no wonder people often use it whenever they can.

Thus, I think this Perk needs one major nerf to its progression speed, thus reverting it back to its 2.5.0 state where it applied a 10% increase, rather than a 15% increase. This would put it in a much healthier spot as a progression Perk while not killing it outright.

Resilience

• While injured, you are granted a 9% increase to action speeds in repairing, among others.

This Perk basically benefits you with repair speeds so long as you are injured, which should not be incentivized. You shouldn't be rewarded with repair progression for effectively being on the losing end of the game.

As such, my only suggestions would be to increase the action speed gain to all other actions to 15%, except vaulting, which is still 9%, and remove the repair speed bonus.

Spine Chill

• Whenever the Killer is looking at you with a clear line of sight and also within 36 meters, your repair speed is increased by 6%.

This doesn't need a change. It's in a relatively healthy spot and isn't primarily even used for the repair speed anymore, especially due to its stringent activation methods.

Stake Out

• For every 15 seconds you are within the Killer's Terror Radius, Stake Out gains a token, up to 4 tokens. Consume 1 Token to cause Good Skill Checks to become Great Skill Checks.

This doesn't need a change. It has its strengths and its weaknesses that both seem to compensate for one another, and it being synergized with other perks now really makes it in a healthy spot.

This is what I think needs to basically happen with most of these perks. Either they're in a decent spot with some minor changes that are necessary (either to them or factors around them), or they are Perks that are relatively unhealthy for themselves or the game in general that need substantial changes to make them much better for everyone involved.