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What should be the purpose of killer addons?

Wylrin
Wylrin Member Posts: 98

Note that the listed options aren't necessarily what a killer addon should be exclusively. But what is your preferred addon purpose for killers, if you find multiple functions appealing?

What should be the purpose of killer addons? 20 votes

Improving the strengths and benefits of the killer's power
40%
RaptorrotasRobotfangirl67Slamitiexni6_Chikycrustydustysock234narsDepressedlegion 8 votes
Reducing the weaknesses and/or cooldowns of a killer's power
10%
theblimpGensByDaylight 2 votes
Completely changing how the killer's power works
40%
F60_31Exerlin[Deleted User]CrusaderNellaWingerSenpaiBothSidesEnjoyerHugTheHagArchol123 8 votes
Other
10%
BloodBirdSaraelih 2 votes

Comments

  • HugTheHag
    HugTheHag Member Posts: 3,140
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    I think it's for all three, but I'm really fond of the "changes gameplay" ones. They're fun and fresh.

  • Wylrin
    Wylrin Member Posts: 98

    I completely agree! I figure when most people think of gameplay changing addons, they probably think of the infamous Tombstone Piece. I don't really have much of an opinion on the addon, personally, since I don't see it much and don't use it. But I know a lot of people hate it, which is kind of sad because I worry that people will extend the dislike to all killer addons that change how a killer is played.

    A lot of people have problems with Michael Myers in Dead by Daylight, but he along with the Hag really encompass what I feel like addons should offer. Their addons provide such diversity in their playstyles. I feel like for a lot of killers, you can still achieve variety, but it's mostly through perk combinations. I love being able to play as a killer where the survivors won't immediately know what they're up against when they hear the terror radius.

    Just out of curiosity, do you have an opinion on the Tombstone Piece addon for Michael Myers? I have some thoughts on it, but I feel like I don't have enough information to form a proper opinion, so I'd be open to discussing it, if you or anyone is interested. :3

  • HugTheHag
    HugTheHag Member Posts: 3,140
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    Hag has in my opinion the best set of addons in that regard, she has a solid kit that just enhance her power and then when you get to purples and iris it's pure fun ! =D

    I'm also very fond of the Doctor's rarer addons, I think it's extremely fun as survivor to have the red stain following you or illusion TRs, stuff that make you stay on your toes and that you wouldn't expect from the killer usually.

    I don't really have an opinion on Tombstone Piece, I've never played it and I think I've only played against it once, and it was with the infinite tier 3. I feel like it's much stronger than your usual gameplay-altering addon, but at the same time I rarely ever see it played, so my opinion is just an opinion, and a barely informed one at that. =)

    Yeah, that's pretty much it, I have no idea how it fits in the balance of the game but so far it hasn't bothered me personally X)

  • Wylrin
    Wylrin Member Posts: 98

    I really enjoy playing as the Hag, though lately I've been trying to improve my overall chasing skills, which the Hag's methods of hitting and downing survivors is far from conventional. It's fun, I love it, but I'm not going to get better trying to smack someone down as Pinhead by playing the Hag, for example. XD

    Oh yeah, the Doctor's addons are great, too! I haven't played as Giggles in a while. I should do that.

    Yeah, beyond what you mentioned, I'm not really sure what to make of the Tombstone addons, myself. I know a popular point against them is that you're being heavily punished for teammates' mistakes, but I just view that as the survivor experience in general, really. I do agree that it's incredibly strong to just slap someone out of a trial without any hooking involved and that it's annoying to instantly lose the game like that for the player getting mori'd, but I'm probably getting gored by the killer anyways, so I honestly don't think much of it. XD

    Since I mentioned Pinhead at the start of this reply, I'd like to add that I really enjoy his Chatterer's Tooth addon. Being Undetectable is one of my favorite things as a killer. That, and I don't like adopting what seems to be the typical Pinhead playstyle of "force a constant chain hunt and win that way." There was a period of time when people would quit anytime I tried to play as the Box Boy and I'm just like, "Dudes, calm down, I don't even care about my box. It can take care of itself!" XD

  • HugTheHag
    HugTheHag Member Posts: 3,140
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    I've never played Pinhead but I enjoy him very much ! I didn't know about Chatterer's Tooth but it sounds really fun =)

    I've heard of that playstyle as well, but honestly Pinhead is one of my favorite killers to face. Without even touching on his balance (which in my opinion, he's at a really nice spot), most Pinheads I encounter are really well behaved. I've never been BM'd by this killer, and while they're almost never friendly or farming, they usually play very fair and won't go out of their way to be super ruthless. At least the ones I've faced =)

    So know that you have at least one person on this playerbase that has high regard for your killer pick xD

  • CrusaderNella
    CrusaderNella Member Posts: 331
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    Add-Ons should prove ways the slightly alter the playstyle of a killer or enhance teir current playstyle

  • Raptorrotas
    Raptorrotas Member Posts: 3,253
    Improving the strengths and benefits of the killer's power

    Well, i think the first 2 options are the most popular addon type.

    The addons that boost variables ( range cooldown, recharge, speed) are most commonly the strongest and most popular choice for killers. See the whole nurse drama last year and the general complaints by survivors about these kinda addons especially fotm blight.

    Personally I think that transformative addons which change the ability totally ( myers mirror or tombstone come to mind) should rather be alternative abilities using the ability/item slot for killers.

  • Wylrin
    Wylrin Member Posts: 98

    Yeah, any perk or addon that lets me smack people unaware is an instant favorite of mine. X3 Brings some actual horror to the horror game, even if it's just a jumpscare.

    I love facing Pinhead, too. Resident Evil is nice and all, but I know absolutely nothing about it and while I'm happy people have characters from a franchise they love, I have no personal attachment. So having Pinhead (which is the most recent iteration of a licensed killer I'm familiar with and also the best integration of a licensed killer, in my opinion) is something I thematically and mechanically love. I have had instances of painful trials against Pinhead, though. Sloppy Butcher and constant chain hunts make it impossible to heal yourself. Constant chain hunts in general make trying to do anything miserable, honestly. But facing against Cenobites who actually use their ability in chase and don't just go on a box hunt the whole game is one of my favorites.

  • Wylrin
    Wylrin Member Posts: 98

    Ohhh, I didn't even think about that! I think that would be amazing! Honestly, it is kind of annoying having to dedicate a limited resource just to play the version of the killer you want to play. I'd run Amanda's Letter on the Pig every game I play as her, but that's just not practical. Yeah, bloodpoints are abundant, but you can go through millions of them without ever getting even one copy of what you're actually looking for.

    I'd be curious how balancing would work for a system like that. Most addons that completely change a killer's power are very rare or ultra rare. That doesn't necessarily equate to being powerful in every circumstance, but it makes me wonder if there would have to be some sort of system to keep things balanced. Maybe if variations of a killer's power were something you could just toggle or swap, it would require some tweaks to make sure it isn't abused? But honestly, I don't really think that would even be necessary. Scratched Mirror Myers and such are faced all the time without issue, it's just that securing those addons can be extremely unreliable.

    What do you guys think, though? Would making certain different killer power variations require any further tweaking for balance? Or would it be fine to simply make a sort of on/off switch and leave it at that?

  • WingerSenpai
    WingerSenpai Member Posts: 51
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    I mean all 3 should exist in my opinion with greys/yellows being augments to base values, greens should fix some weaknesses/in some cases give new playstyle options (but not huge changes) and purples/pinks should almost entirely change the fundementals of a character (but keep the core somewhat similar)

    Like how the pig has the option to:

    • augment her base kit (crouch & trap timers)
    • give her power huge buffs (exhaustion on trap)
    • and give her new playstyle (injury & deep wound add-on if you wanna make survivors miss skill checks)
  • Exerlin
    Exerlin Member Posts: 1,352
    Completely changing how the killer's power works

    Addons in their current state are boring since most just straight up buff the killer's power. I don't like how the only way to modify the killer's power is by using consumables found randomly when spending bloodpoints on that specific killer. I hate how there's no way to tweak a killer's power without using a consumable. I want to be able to have at least some choice on what the specifics of the killer's power is without praying to the bloodweb to keep me stacked with my addons of choice. The game would be a lot more interesting, in my opinion, if there were different types of each killer power with upsides and downsides available to choose without the ability to run out of them. I really, really don't want to use all 248 of the 2 addons that I've gotten used to and then be forced to either insert bloodpoints into the RNG dispenser or use different addons. That just kinda trains you on stuff that you won't always have, and it'll sting when you're 200,000 bloodpoints deep and didn't even get enough for 1 game. It's wack I hate it, I will play without addons

  • Wylrin
    Wylrin Member Posts: 98

    I completely agree. Addons that change the killer's power (and addons in general, honestly) should be something you can choose without having to rely on good bloodweb chance. I love playing as Scratched Mirror Myers, the Pig with Amanda's Letter, and other killers with exceedingly rare addons that shake up what survivors will be expecting. But I find myself just hoarding those addons more than actually using them because I know they'll be gone eventually if I do.

    Even addons that don't rework the killer's power I feel like shouldn't be left to consumables. I enjoy playing as the Twins, but I'm scared to even use the Toy Sword addon because I fear I'll use it and it'll become painful to play without it. Yeah, it's a brown addon, so there should be plenty, but even if you have an unlimited amount, that still basically forces you to use half of your addon slots because now you can't comfortably play as the killer without that addon. It's what happened to Lynxi, a Twins player I've watched videos they've made, and I don't want the same thing to happen to me. It kind of feels like the Combat Straps addon for the Pig when her crouch/uncrouch action took obscenely long however long ago that was. It's just painful to play without certain addons once you're used to them.

    I'm not really sure how this would be changed in Dead by Daylight, though. Earning and spending bloodpoints has always been one of the fundamental mechanics of incentives and just how the game works overall. If addons for killers and addons/items for survivors weren't something to be earned, what even would be? Offerings? Most of them are terrible.

    I'm not saying that it's a system that can't be fixed, by any means. It's just that it would require a massive change in how things work. Does anyone have any thoughts on how such a change would work? I'd be curious to hear your ideas! :)

  • BloodBird
    BloodBird Member Posts: 167
    edited July 2023
    Other

    Personally I think addons are best suited to being paired with the perks you are using, my argument for this is, you need perks more than you do addons, if you can win without perks, you can win without addons. I think the strength of an addon is how well it boosts the effectiveness of the perks you run, in how it boosts your power. But power boosting alone is not as important to me as the perks you run with.

    Few examples of what I mean here. I play Wraith, Shadow dance and Swift hunt is nice to use overall. And it's great for a gen kick build, but if I wanted a chase build, using bamboozle, stbfl, fearmonger and such, i might use blind warrior and swift hunt or even all seeing blood.

    Myers for example, infinite tier 3 goes well with the build I run, nowhere to hide + spirit fury meta, but if I wanted to use vanity mirror+dead rabbit, I'd suit that to a build for it, like plaything, monitor, fearmonger and STBFL

    Wesker is another fun example, lots of addons to choose from, I like running all scourges on him, for that build I want addons that will remove obstacles easily, his irri for pallet break is good as is making it take longer to spray yourself.

    I find addons and perks are like kindred spirirts, and the killer power is there for addons to boost it up, but perks are what drive the addons home.