The Joy of Slugging
As an upfront I want to state my main purpose from the start. I want games to last satisfyingly longer.
With that being said… I have finally stumbled upon the joy of slugging.
Let me preface this provocative topic with a disclaimer: Slugging as a means to slow the game down (which I will get into detail below) NOT the kind of slugging that forces Survivors to bleed out for no reason at all or to get the 4K.
When I play as Killer I enjoy the role as the more “relaxing” role compared to Survivor. Yes there is more interaction but there is also no threat of being eliminated from the match early. As a Killer you get to play the whole match from beginning to end. In this way the role feels more relaxing as you can play however you want without it ending.
When I play Killer I do not care whatsoever if I get a 4K or the Survivors get a 4E. As I have stated in previous threads my sole intention is to provide a thrilling game full of interaction and variety.
Based off of this I do not fully adapt to the situation in order to win. If you are trying to win as the Killer then matches require you to adapt to dynamic situations where you tailor your next move according to changing conditions. This is not how I play.
When I play as Killer I play according to a system. My system is highly basic and non-competitive: I patrol generators until I find a Survivor. I kick the generator then engage in chase. Once I down the Survivor I hook them and then proceed to patrol generators. Under this system I will not go back and patrol the hook. I will not go back to hit the newly unhooked Survivor if I haven’t found someone else yet. I give a free unhook every time basically.
I continue to do this until the game ends either with a 4K or X amount of escapes. I play this way as a means of slowing the game down enough to feel heart-pounding and thrilling. It works because I usually get to chase and hook all four Survivors at least once a match.
However, there is one issue. Sometimes the game is over too quickly. When I play this way with say Trapper, it’s not rare that I will get 3-4 hooks total the whole match before everyone escapes. For the Survivors escaping that’s great! But in terms of providing a thrilling game, it leaves some room for desire. So I kept thinking, how could I slow the game down (without over relying on generator slowdown perks)? How could I slow the game down but keep it thrilling without it feeling cheap to the Survivors?
Then it hit me, slug them! What I mean is slugging the first person I chase and then hooking any other Survivor after. Always having one slug on the floor makes it so that a lot of time is sunk into healing instead of being on generators.
It seems like I have found my gold standard for playing. Let’s say I leave a slug on the floor and then go to find another Survivor. The slug takes more time to heal than an unhook. By the time I down my second person often times the slug is still on the floor. In this way the Survivors have received two chases for the price of one hook. If by the time I down the second Survivor the first slug was picked up, then the second Survivor becomes the new slug.
If this keeps happening to where the slug keeps getting picked up before I can down a second Survivor then the Survivors are getting massive value since they are still doing generators as I am not gaining hook states. However I am still personally winning as the matches are going by slower and the generators are not being completed as quickly.
Philosophically I enjoy this play style because I believe that I have integrated slugging into normal gameplay that feels thrilling, interactive, and provides variety for different perk builds. There is always this feeling of pressure to act. And since slugging is built into my system of play, every Survivor that has dying-related perks will get the full use and benefit of said perks. There are so many times I want to use No Mither, Tenacity, or Unbreakable to their fullest extent but rarely ever get the opportunity. In this way any Survivor that wants to run such a build will receive the full chance to do so.
I play this way only when there are four Survivors in the trial. As soon as one Survivor dies then I go back to my old system of keeping chase, hooking the downed Survivor, and then leaving to patrol gens. I don’t slug for the 4K or to deny hatch. There are of course normal caveats like if you down a Survivor but another Survivor is right next to you then I will of course chase the most recent Survivor I see.
Overall I really enjoy this play style because it slows the game down without it feeling like there is no counter-play. In fact the Survivors have ample opportunity to punish this way of playing. I hope it doesn’t feel overly oppressive and instead feels thrilling and whole for everyone involved.
I know that this play style is probably common knowledge to veterans of the game. I am just so thrilled to finally find a way to play that makes the game exciting (hopefully especially for Survivors) that doesn’t feel unfair.
What are your thoughts? Is this way of playing with slugs unfair? Is it too oppressive? Is there a place for “fair slugging”? Thank you so much for entertaining the concept and my musings.
Comments
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Whatever brings you joy is what you should do in a game. As long as you don't break the rules or go out of your way to make others miserable. This doesn't seem to be the case and you clearly have found something that makes the game fun for you. So, more power to you as far as I am concerned.
Good luck and see you in the fog.
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I believe youre a little confused when it comes to how youre buying yourself time from slugging. Its not by slowing the game down, its you not having to go out of your way to get that Survivor on the hook. Depending on how far the hook is were looking at roughly 10-20 seconds, which you are now spending looking out for other Survivors. Its a risky way of doing things since usually getting that first hook is how you get the ball rollin. If you dont get another down before they get up then it might just make the game go by faster.
Its the same effect and the same strategty thats effective on killers with high snowball potential like Oni or Plague. Their powers are explosive and a good chunk of the time leaving a downed Survivor to get the most value out of their power is the correct play. This is basically the "fair slugging" you mentioned.
Healing as well is actually not slowing them down either since the Survivor can still recover all the way, and then they can decide if they want to be fully healed. Just like they can decide to heal under the hook.
Now with all that said, by all means do not take this reply or any reply for that matter in a way that you should stop playing the way you enjoy. If youre having fun thats all that matters.
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Oh no no I totally get where you are coming from!
Absolutely I comprehend that “technically” this way of playing does not slow down the game. There exists a pathway of efficiency that heavily punishes this play style. It is as you mentioned, risky.
Despite this, I have come to observe that the human psychological aspect of this game often times makes it impossible to achieve said efficiency to punish the slugging style. The efficiency required is more involved than the efficiency required to unhook quickly while completing gens quickly.
When you hook a Survivor, it is not uncommon for another Survivor to be lingering nearby and get the unhook faster than it takes a slug to heal themselves to max. It’s not always the case but it is also not uncommon. Survivors do let Survivors die on hook or get to the next hook state. But some Survivors are also impatient and unhook as quickly as possible. This impatience can be exploited by slugging. If a Survivor lingers when the slug is created and the Killer gives the impatient Survivor the leeway to heal, it still takes time to pick the slug up.
Another aspect is that the slug does not always heal themselves right away or to max either by crawling around or for reasons of their own.
There is also a built-in paranoia that the Killer at any moment can make their way back to the slug which causes delay in some Survivors’ healing efforts.
Slugging a Survivor creates a window of efficiency for the Survivor team to capitalize on. Picking up the slug erases the gains a Killer made in the chase except for the time occupied that took the Survivor off a generator. It’s too tempting not to exploit. I have personally experienced how difficult it is for Survivors to resist this temptation. Sometimes when my path brings me around to the slug it is not a rare occurrence to see 2+ Survivors helping the slug. Ironically this altruism is the very thing that reverses the exploitation back onto the Survivor team since they are actually completing generators at a slower rate.
I appreciate you bringing up the 10 second hook walk. It may seem menial on the surface but over time it does add up to more chase/occupy time.
Overall I agree with your assessment that it is a risky play style. I fully agree, it is risky and can easily be used against the Killer. However I found that in reality the coordination required to punish this play style is not always present in ways that hook/generator efficiency is.
For me personally it feels like games last longer and are filled with more interaction and thrill. That’s not to mention the satisfaction I receive when knowing I have created a pathway for dying perks to be fully realized and enjoyed.
I appreciate your comment and engagement. Thank you for reading and participating. Thank you also for the words of enjoyment and fun.
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