http://dbd.game/killswitch
Full counters - should they be removed/nerfed?
I would like to talk about perks that fully counter something from the opposite sides. I find them very uninteractive to play against, and would love for them to be nerfed.
Examples:
1) LIGHTBORN - If the killer brings this, it permanently nullifies everyone's attempts to blind the killer for the entire trial. That is very, very boring, in my opinion. As a killer, if I see flashlights, 99% of the time I will *not* bring lightborn, because I find it very boring, and don't want to make the survivor's game boring. Going for flashlight/-bang saves is fun. Trying to avoid other geting a save when you play killer is challenging, but also fun.
I would much rather bring infectious fright, and/or shadowborn, and/or Hex: Two Can Play, and/or Forced Hesitation.
Much healthier alternatives imo are Franklin's Demise or Overwhelming Presence (if it would get buffed to at least 200%).
2) DISTORTION - Yes, it does have a limited number of tokens, but given how easy it is to gain them back, this perk might as well count as a "permanent" counter do aura readings. Killers are discourage to bring aura reading perks because Distortion is so popular. Instead, they bring the slowdowns, which are much more reliable.
The idea behind this perk is not bad, but it works too well. In my opinion, it needs nerfs, because it encourages survivors to avoid the killer and chases, encourages the killer to go for the same people who do not run Distortion, because those are the only people that the killer can find most of the time, and it discourages the killers from running aura-reading perks.
There are probably other perks that fully counter something. I just listed these 2, because they seem to kill a lot of possible interaction between the killer and the survivors. More interaction is what makes the matches fun. Playing killer and not seeing anyone's aura feels so bad. Playing survivors and bringing blinding items/perks, and realizing the killer has Lightborn feels bad. How about we remove these fail-safe functions?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
Comments
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Your post made me realize that I've advocated for a 90% Lightborn perk effect in the past. It's time for me to reconsider that stance. I believe there are two key questions at play here: 'Does gameplay function properly when perks like Lightborn and Distortion are in use (Yes/No)?' and 'Do these perks have other considerations?'
To the first question, I'd answer yes; while aura perks may be interrupted by Distortion, finding Survivors at generators remains feasible. Lightborn doesn't significantly alter gameplay either as there are many options other than flashlights for stopping the Killer taking your survivor team-mate. As for the second question, I think it's worth considering Lightborn as an accessibility feature for players less adept at dodging flashlight saves. I don't see Distortion user often, and I gather that being revealed might not be ideal.
The main point, however, is the help the game offers to beginners or those seeking assistance. I'm curious about the angles we're presenting to individuals who may need help mastering these aspects of the game with these suggested changes. That's what I'd like to understand better. I'm of the opinion that assuring beginners or anyone with hardships with this, that they'll improve over time without any game adjustments is a promise we can't necessarily guarantee. Instead, I'd prefer to offer a more immediate solution, encouraging them with, 'Don't worry about it; there's a perk for that. Use it and enjoy yourself now.'
Anyway I hope you find my thoughts on this topic valuable.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts! You made some very good points. I agree that Lightborn and Distortion can be helpful when someone is trying to get better at DBD. But also when someone's had rough matches and/or is tired, and just wants a few matches with a more chill experience :)
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have you considered that people that run lightborn or distortion do not find flashlight or aura reading interactive? That is why they use the perk.
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Using perks to counterpick what the opposing side brings is a core principle of how the game works. Mindbreaker counters fogwise. Botany knowledge counters mangled. Calm spirit counters ultimate weapon (and doctor). Iron will counters stridor. There are a ton of examples of this.
Flashlights are not an essential part of gameplay, it's an optional item that may give you an advantage in some games. A killer having lightborn doesn't stop you from doing anything that's essential. If a killer brings lightborn because there are too many flashlights in the lobby, that's a mistake made by the survivors. DBD is an asymmetrical game and that asymmetry includes the information you have going into the game.
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I think they're problematic but Distortion is moreso since if a Killer like say Oni, who likes Aura perks, brings 2-3 Aura perks they're basically completely useless for 1-4 Survivors. With Flashies it's an item who cares go get a chest for a Medkit or something. There's also the problem of Lightborn existing specifically because 3-4 Flashlights is just frustrating and if they're smart impossible to play against, what I mean by this is not dying next to a wall for example. It's an impossible thing to fix that though which is why Lightborn still exists in its current state.
I would like to see perks like this changed but the problem is you can't really do that without heavily buffing other things indirectly. Nerf Lightborn and now bully squads are even stronger, nerf Distortion and there's 0 counterplay to aura reading, it's a hard thing to balance.
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Really good arguments, thanks guys! You definitely mentioned some things I did not consider.
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If those perks are not 100% counters, then they are pointless. What is point of Lightborn, when you can still get stunned on picking up survivors? Even if blind would be 0,1 seconds, that perk would be garbage. It's already not really good in my opinion.
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