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Even if you play both sides, you still have a main. (Preferred role or character)

Hello, I wanted to bring my oppinion (with which most people might disagree) about existance of "Mains" in Dead by daylight, so as many knows, in any pvp games there is a word which is used for a "Preferred role or character" - main.

The preferred character or role appears from the individual player, his\her desires and preferences. It's a character or role they feel most confy and fun to play with. And also, they play this role or character most of the time, since they enjoy what fits to their desires and preferences.

Main role or character also means that, a player spend most or their time playing this specific character or role most of the time, which means they will be highly experienced with.

I want to bring some examples of what I'm trying to say...

In games like Dota, Lol or even Overwatch, (I think we all know what MOBA is...), each player have a preferred role to play as, whether it's "Carry, support, tank, etc...". They can play any role and any character they want, but they can't play (lets say) support, as efficient if their preferred role is a carry. If you know that this person always plays tanks and he\she enjoys it, you'd not give him a damage class because it will be less efficient or even maybe destructive for your team.

In a tournaments, each player of a team playing and practice his\her individual role most of the time, if not everytime. They can play a different character, but this character still be assigned with same role anyway.

Dead by daylight is no difference in my opinion.

We have players who plays more survivors, or more killers. (With killers it's more complex, different character - different main, I'm gonna say more later...)

Yes, you can play both sides equally, but even if one do, that player still have a preferred role, whether it's killer or survivor. And most likely this player plays "everything" not higher than an average, aside from his\her preferred role or character.

The player who playing both sides, will never be as a efficient and expirienced with both sides as a person who plays only 1 role or 1 killer.

The killer main can't play a survivor as efficient as a player who plays only survivors. And other way around.

The cheeky part about killers is that, the killer main can differ depending on a character they play.

To put it roughly: (For someone who knows them) SupaAlf can't play blight as efficient as Lilith Omen does. And Lilith Omen can't play nurse as efficient as SupaAlf does.

Most of the time one does insane tricks and have expirience with 1 killer, but he plays other killers or survivor pretty much on average.

Same for survivor mains, they can play any killer on average, but if they actually play a "Main role", they ofcourse going to be more efficient with it.


I'm interested on what you think about it, do you think everyone have a main character or role in Dead by daylight?

Personally, I do think that each player have a main or at least a preferred role.



Sincerely: Hag main. xD

Comments

  • Chocolate_Cosmos
    Chocolate_Cosmos Member Posts: 5,735

    I have some killers/characters that I would like to play more offten than others but I really offten play most killers so I don't have any main at all.

  • Grigerbest
    Grigerbest Member Posts: 1,699

    If you playing a killer more often and enjoying that role more (not even matter which character), that means you're a killer main, and probably more expirienced with killer.=)

  • Chocolate_Cosmos
    Chocolate_Cosmos Member Posts: 5,735

    Hmm would be interesting to see which role I played the most in %. But I would bet the difference would be just few % over the other side.

  • Zeidoktor
    Zeidoktor Member Posts: 2,065

    Survivor Main: Jeff

    I've played a lot more Survivor than Killer lately. Largely following the Matchmaking Incentives.

    I do pay Killer, too, but less often and more as the mood takes me. I feel like I play it less seriously than I do survivor.

    I don't have a formal Killer main. I used to consider Doctor my main, as I love anything that lets me throw around electricity. But lately my killer games have focused on Hillbilly, Onryô, and whoever I may need for a challenge or daily.

  • Maelstrom808
    Maelstrom808 Member Posts: 685

    Play both roles but definitely a killer main. I play all but about 5-6 killers to some degree. Plague is probably my best, even if I'm spending more time in other killers these days.

  • Ecstasy
    Ecstasy Member Posts: 426
    edited October 2022

    No


    I hate them both equally at different times.

  • Aurelle
    Aurelle Member Posts: 3,611

    Play both roles. I don't really have a specific survivor I main, but I do main quite a few. I've been mainly playing Jill, Leon, Chris, Kate, Yun-Jin and Yui lately.

    As for killers, I mainly main Artist but also play Dredge and Wesker as much as her.

  • HugTheHag
    HugTheHag Member Posts: 3,140

    I guess I'm more of a survivor main... Much of the content that got me interested in the game was from friends streaming me their survivor games, and I do play that role more often due to having a bunch of friends to duo with (a lot of them I actually met during games as killer :D). I'm not really good at, well, surviving, and I wouldn't play it solo, but I enjoy playing it with friends and I know I'll eventually improve. :)

    I do greatly enjoy playing killer as well, and before playing the game, when I started exploring the wiki, I had the biggest crush on Hag. I though she was the coolest looking killer and I really wanted to learn to play her, she was the first DLC I bought. I was so excited, and immediately heartbroken to learn she required a lot of map knowledge and some other teachables to be played well, so I set my expectations a bit lower and learnt to play Legion. It took me a lot of time to start playing other killers because I'm just really attached to Legion and Hag now. <3

  • Sharpefern
    Sharpefern Member Posts: 422

    I wouldnt say I have a main as much as I have killers and survivors I avoid. I cry whenever I am given a chainsaw killer challenge.

  • RoastedGarlic
    RoastedGarlic Member Posts: 592

    I prefer to play some killers more than survivor and I prefer to play survivor more than some killers.

  • Friendly_Blendette
    Friendly_Blendette Member Posts: 2,923

    Used to play more killer now play way more survivor. Leon is sorta my main since I have all perks on him but Ill probably do Adam soon. Mikaela was my 1st p3 aswell.

  • egg_
    egg_ Member Posts: 1,933

    True. But my main is neither killer nor survivor. My main is swf, because playing survivor is just awful imho, I'm there for the company. My second main is killer :)

  • Seraphor
    Seraphor Member Posts: 9,382
    edited October 2022

    Dredge > Ghost Face > Myers > David > Chris > Jane > Claudette

    Special guest stars: Wraith, Plague, Doctor, Legion, Jake, Dwight, Ace

  • VicRatlhead
    VicRatlhead Member Posts: 75
    edited October 2022

    For survivor it's whoever I'm currently dumping points into. They're mostly just skins once you unlock their perks. I kinda wish each survivor had a BK ability unique to them like killers. It'd make choosing a main matter.

    For killer it's Artist. She had a learning curve but I love the information she gets and once I got better she's the only one who can do damage while on the other side of the map. Good information, good anti loop, fun power. Really like her set-up but you do have to sink some time into her before her potential is unlocked.

  • Sava18
    Sava18 Member Posts: 2,439

    In every game I play, I always have a hard main for the most part. In league I used to have very diverse champ pool, but over years and years it trickled down to just a few. I got tired of the flaws these character's had and eventually landed on one. OW I main doom. In dbd I cycled through killer's all over the tier list until I landed on blight 8 months in. At this point I have probably played not blight less than 10 times since my first game. Although I do play equal amounts of survivor as killer since 6.1.0.

  • brokedownpalace
    brokedownpalace Member Posts: 8,803

    Nah I'm an Entity main

  • Thusly_Boned
    Thusly_Boned Member Posts: 2,950

    I disagree with the OP's thought that everyone has a main, or their definition of main (I would define a main as a role or character that a player plays disproportionately to all others, and I feel like that is probably the common interpretation).

    If you look at my overall hours, it's almost a dead even split. But I started out as a killer main, and have gradually played more and more surv to the point that I play more surv at like a 2:1 ratio. The new incentive system has only exacerbated this.

    Which role do I have more affinity for? It's close, maybe a toss-up, but probably killer, tbh. However I play a lot more surv now in large part because it's just less stressful. It's easier to get off work and just decompress playing surv. I find killer more fun, but also more aggravating.

    As far as characters/killers themselves go, it might be my ADHD, but I'm like a bird with shiny objects, and can't settle on one (or even a few). Sometimes I try to commit, but can't.

    On the surv side I have like 12 who are at least P10, and I play regularly. Yui and Haddie are my two most played now, but that will probably change (especially if they don't show Haddie some love). Similar story on the killer side, though I do have prefer Onryo, Spirit, and Plague for their characterization/lore/power, but others for overall gameplay. But I am just as likely to be playing any one of like a dozen killers at any given time.

    I don't necessarily agree that everyone has a main or role they clearly prefer. But if you really distill this down to a hypothetical scenario where I was forced to chose only one role and character I would be able to ever use based on how much I like them, I would probably choose killer/Onryo. Probably. Ask me the same question a month from now and you might get a different answer.

    But thank goodness that isn't a thing, because variety is the spice of life.

  • Cybil
    Cybil Member Posts: 1,163

    I'd play killer more, but the near constant 100% bp incentive on surv as well as 5+min lobbies for killers have been keeping me from doing so.

  • Barbarossa2020
    Barbarossa2020 Member Posts: 1,369
    edited October 2022

    Anna 90% exclusively on killer, bar when a daily comes up on a killer i semi like. How do i play her? Assassin, no mercy, if someone d/c's i aim to kill them faster is all, All the t bagging and standing around at the exit gates gets paid for eventually.

    Survivor: Bill and just Bill, i guess the grumpy on man appeals to a grumpy old man. Play style? Stay alive and leave, Not much risky team work from me, but i do only play solo.

  • JustAnotherNewbie
    JustAnotherNewbie Member Posts: 1,941

    I thought playing both sides improved your gameplay from both sides. Like, as a survivor if you play killer you start to understand killer more in depth and vice versa. So I'm not sure I agree that someone cannot be exceptional on both.


    Killers do have a lot more variety so someone who indeed specializes on one killer, may be better than someone who plays many killers on a very high level. I would compare it to a one-trick pony main in League. Even Faker played different roles than mid lane and it probably made him an all around better player.


    I personally play 95% survivor at the moment and maybe even less than 5% killer. I didn't like who was free so I was trying to save up for one I like. I don't have that much time to play both as I work full time and my net isn't always stable. I started as survivor so I'm more biased towards survivor. Currently I'm trying to learn the Artist. I really love her design and her powers are cool. She does need some setting up to do and I can't say I'm really good at it. At the moment my experience as survivor somewhat helps me, although I just got a tie cause I kept getting into chases with two very chase oriented survivors and it didn't help that I was lagging like mad. Regardless I got away with 2 sacrifices because I knew the people slamming gens were probably not that good at chases they fell to NOED (this really is a second chance perk atm). What I'd like to get better at is injuring survivors with my birds, currently I'm not that good at it as I'm still learning the ropes but I'd like to believe my chasing skills as survivor will come in handy maybe.


    As for survivor most of them are interchangeable unfortunately. I expected to like certain survivors and I do like them (Mikaela, Nea) and expected to be a Rebecca main, but somehow I ended up an Ada main. Currently I'm playing her with a bit of a stealthy build since I want to get my pips fast and since she is spy-like it sort of fits her.


    I run Dead Hard, Distortion, Clairvoyance (I like being able to see the chests as well) and Resilience for the extra action speed. Although my favorite build on her is Dead Hard, Residual Manifest, Blash Mine and Flashbang. But it's a very risky build and currently I don't have the skills to make it work. Maybe someday I'll be able to play with it the way I imagine. If I get to Iri 1 before the reset I'll switch to this build as I don't have to try as hard anymore. It's simply the grind is too much for my schedule right now.

  • RaSavage42
    RaSavage42 Member Posts: 5,549

    Don't kill me in the rest of the comments... but

    Survivor: Feng min

    Killer: Pig

    Both of them have almost every perk... I haven't played in awhile so I don't have the Dredge's perks nor do I have any Licensed Survivor (but have gotten lucky in finding some of those perks on the Shrine) nor do I have Jonah or Mikayla (or how ever one spells her name)... I have a lot of catching up to do once I can play again

  • Grigerbest
    Grigerbest Member Posts: 1,699

    Yes, first and foremost when you learning the game, you paying attention to the characters appearance, and when you found one, you're trying your best to master it.=) Over time you might change your favorite role or character to try out new things, but in the end, you might stick to one that most fun for you, which is exactly called - main.=)

    As I was saying, if you don't have a preferred character, I'm sure you have a preferred role, the role you more comfortable with and have more fun.

    Personally, in other online MOBA or MMO games that I played, I was always picking or creating a tank class, coz I really adore and enjoy the concept of having a tons of hp and armor, being unkillable or "Hard to kill unit" in such.

    Unfortunatelly in Dbd we don't have something similar, but the concept of a killer at whole, is something I was looking for if you know what I mean.=)

    I'm a hag main for now, but I might reconsider my main when Knight comes out.=)

    Playing both sides indeed giving you the same expirience, you might even learn the game faster.

    But here's a thing...

    Sometimes in a rough matches, let's say you're a nurse main for example. xD And you decided to play something different... Nemesis, and you horribly losing in a match, you'd probably think: "Man, this killer feels much weaker and I'm tired of running after them... If only I picked Nurse, the match will be over already..." That means that... You were enjoying playing nurse more, and after switching a killer you understand it more.

    But when people constantly plays different "classes", they probably haven't found which one they enjoy yet, or they simply have a different source of having fun. The bad thing about it imo: They're not going to get stronger at the game, if they constantly switching mains.

    I mean, I have a friend who just couldn't decide which killer he likes more, so he's playing "everything" for like 2 years, and not long ago, he actually come to me and said: "I really like to play as Spirit, I like how her power works, I like her outfits", and I was like: "Yeees, finally".

  • DredgeyEdgey
    DredgeyEdgey Member Posts: 1,373

    Welcome to the discovery of bias not everything is good bad or neutral

    Being truly neutral is almost impossible you would have to of never used something and yet understand everything about it it is near impossible

    So your right but I have 1 question ... who asked

  • LylakLavender
    LylakLavender Member Posts: 339
    edited October 2022

    I main survivor. 90% of my gameplay is survivor based. I like playing killer but it's really frustrating. Huge Kate Main. Love Kate ❤️😍💖

  • Hannacia
    Hannacia Member Posts: 1,316

    I play both sides and killers i play quite a few of them but ive noticed im the most comfortable and happy when im playing spirit. So yeah i can do both sides but as killer spirit is my main. Survivor..Meg. Always Meg <3

  • MeanieDeeny
    MeanieDeeny Member Posts: 533

    I can agree with what OP is saying. I played only survivor for a very long time, but I really couldn’t get good at it. Better than most of my teammates, but not amazing at looping etc for long periods.


    i watched my fiancé every night when he played killer..studying the way he played and the way they played..I then eventually started dabbling in killer and realized that that’s where my talents were. Of course I’ve gotten so far along now my mmr is very high and 8 out of 10 matches are pretty sweaty (even if they’re a 3/4k)…my boyfriend now sits next to me for killer training so I can get better w where mmr has me now (drop chase now/don’t kick the gen you’re wasting time/ etc) lol while I still have a survivor main (Jane), I find I play survivor just to relax and mess around. So while I started this game really wanting to be the best survivor, turns out the killer life chose me 😅😂


    I do honestly believe tho, playing both sides will make you better at the game in general, and give you a better understanding of the struggle both sides face.

  • danielmaster87
    danielmaster87 Member Posts: 9,343

    I will always like playing killer more than survivor. It fits my personality, as it's not multiplayer that I can play with my friends (unless we're all there to do customs), but even still I want to play it.

  • Rulebreaker
    Rulebreaker Member Posts: 2,007

    We're curious as to where we fit in here.

    We don't really have a preference unless and usually pick based on our mood, rift, or achievement s needed. We can comfortably play artist just as well as a lone James out alone