Xenomorph both sides review- one week later
Let me preface this by saying I think this is a really good chapter. With some tweaks, I think this can be one of the best chapters ever released. But there are some issues with the chapter that require some tweaks. I'm not a dev, so I can't really say what those tweaks should be. I can only review the gameplay on both sides.
As killer: Xeno's power is really satisfying to use. There is really good potential for skill shots and they have good mobility. Definitely in my main rotation of killers to play. The flame turrets can be a bit frustrating. I sometimes feel like I don't have enough time to react to them when I don't have the right add ons, and I'm pulled out of my power for too long unless I elect to abandon chase to crawl into a tunnel. I get why turrets are protected after you exit a tunnel, but it leads to an awkward standoff where the survivor kind of waits at the edge of the flame radius and you can't engage them because the turret will activate.
As survivor: This is the weak point of the chapter IMO. Xeno's tail attack is a guessing game. For every one time you bait out a missed tail attack, you fake a window for no reason and get M1'd. It's a skill shot for the killer and a complete guessing game for the other side. Survivor gameplay is also extremely repetitive against Xeno. Deploying a flame turret the first time is cool. It really ceases being a novel concept the 5th or 6th time you have to do it in a trial. And I am so sick of deploying flame turrets after the 3rd Xeno game in an hour. I would like to see flame turrets just have a single deployment, be disabled on hit, and have survivors pick them up and move them once deployed. It's way, way, way too repetitive to do the entire deployment process every. single. time. This is the same issue reworked Sadako has with constantly juggling tapes, Skull Merchant has with repetitive drone hacking, and Singularity has with EMPs. You really need to get away from this design of repetitive secondary actions on survivor. These things don't break up the monotony of gens when they themselves become the monotony.
Edit:
One thing I'd add regarding the survivor play: the transition from Crawler to walking mode is very clear in its timing in relation to the turrets. But there's zero visual or audio feedback regarding the transition from walking to Crawler mode. You're in a chase with Xeno walking upright, and then it suddenly and instantaneously goes to all fours and uses its tail. Again, there's a counterplay issue here (not necessarily saying a strength issue yet). You have a skill shot for the killer, and a complete guessing game for the other side.
Comments
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I honestly don't find it boring to interact with the turrets. Its kinda cool.
And EMPs for Singularity are so simple because its for free. It print itself and fast enough usualy for Survivors to grab them for free to destroy his power. You can't really compare them with other killer power interactions that take time and effort to active. EMPs are almost for free consistently.
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I don't really have an opinion on the whole turret interaction. But if I would change one aspect of Xeno, it would be to increase the charge time of Xeno's tail from 0.2 seconds to 0.35 seconds. That's the same time it takes for Nemesis to charge his tentacle Strike, and it allows for survivors to know when he is about to use his tentacle strike. 0.2 seconds isn't enough time for the survivor to have a chance to know when to dodge the tail whip of Xeno.
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Give me one killer that actually requires skill to go against ?
As a survivor, it is either a safe loop you can drop the pallet and go away with it, either it is an unsafe loop or a window vault and it is a guessing games.
80% of the DbD core chase gameplay revolves around guessing. There is no skill involved at all as a survivor.
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Xeno is the best killer we have had since Wesker and I say this as a survivor main. I did give out about Xeno originally and how you can't move to another loop after mssing a taiol attack but this is a bug which will hopefully soon be fixed. Also I realise that turrets putting him out of Crawler mode just use them as a warning system as soon as you hear two beeps leave the gen. His tail can be dodged if you are on the opposite side of a window/dropped pallet. I'm still learning how to counter him but this is a great chapter.
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Solid write-up. I'd also say this Chapter was a success, and part of that is because it feels like the Devs listened to feedback and addressed some of the issues people have been having with recently released Killers. It can handle strong SWF, strong chase power and mobility, quick travel around map, and survs don't entirely control how much impact your power has. Disregarding the tail's performance currently, i'd say this chapter is a buy for anyone on the fence. Don't pass on it.
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Flame turrets have been the most entertaining survivor objective since forever. The Ping when the killer approaches and leading the killer towards them is fun as hell.
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you can see why i said that secondary objectives are not good idea for survivor because they add another repetitive element in generators to the game but they don't really like... add different gameplay. they end up being like generator 2.0. I think I wrote once to @Reinami for why I thought complicating game is not necessary a good idea. I think items work for survivor if they're like high-pressure adrenaline moment for survivor. when they're this slow-crawling type item, survivor over-time will grow dislike to the item over-time.
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Xenomorph having several addons that makes their intended counterplay worse seems like a really bad design oversight.
Like, by design you give Xenomorph a really powerful chasing tool, so you incorporate a countermeasure that turns it off to give survivors a defence mechanism but then you give Xenomorph addons that make that countermeasure less effective to use and further tilts the scales in your favour
Other killers who have addons in a similar vein eventually got toned down. Pinhead box addons for example
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I mean, that's just completely false and only takes into account a very narrow definition of skill. I'm assuming you mean mechanical skill. Nobody would be bad at survivor if it was as easy as people with this take make it out to be. Unsafe loops are not guessing games. There are entire tutorials about check spots.
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This killer is fun to play against as a survivor but he needs a windup and/or missed attack cooldown animation lime the other killers that locks him in longer. He seems to be the only killer so far where it does not feel like he has either so chase against him feels impossible for a survivor. It's fun to dodge the attacks but because of no cooldown it does not help much. It would be more satisfying to play against him if he had a timeout like the other killers (ex: huntress lifts hatchet and makes a sound, nemesis has a timeout for missed m2 attacks, windup and retract animation for m2s, etc.) I don't think he needs a rework at all but a slight nerf for the missed m2 attacks would be nice. It is frustrating to feel like there is no counter otherwise.
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"The flame turrets can be a bit frustrating. I sometimes feel like I don't have enough time to react to them when I don't have the right add ons, and I'm pulled out of my power for too long unless I elect to abandon chase to crawl into a tunnel."
Stop the cap.
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