http://dbd.game/killswitch
My thoughts on Skull Merchant preview 2
Okay, let's start with the good changes:
"We’ve removed the Killer aura reveal when hacking a Drone."
Good, survivor counterplay doesn't need extra benefits. Not having to deal with a drone should be enough of a benefit.
"Any Survivor hit by Drone Propulsion is tagged and tracked with a Claw Trap."
Good, it makes the radar actually do something.
That's the end of the good changes let's move to the bad or useless changes:
"Stealth Drone scan lines are now visible, but will not extend entirely down to the ground, providing a visual indicator for Survivors to crouch-walk as a counter action."
If you can clearly see the scan lines, it's not stealthed. Decent survivors would know to crouch anyway so it only helps people who've never played against her. The issue with that is that it would be better done with ingame tutorials, rather than making survivor counterplay idiot proof you could just teach them how to play against anything even remotely complex.
"The Global Detection Power detects Survivors who are running or walking, keeping this consistent with how Drones detect players."
It's still bad. Survivors outside of chase will either not be moving at all because they're doing gens or are free to press the crouch button for a few seconds. If you removed this part of her power nothing would change, because it does literally nothing against any survivor who knows what they're doing.
"Claw Traps can be removed by Survivors following a held interaction."
Removable claw traps might as well not exist. They'll remove them the second they can like survivors do artists birds, but unlike artists birds you can't set up double taps across the map or down without them.
"Skull Merchant gains an activatable ability that fires an EMP dart from her Drone Buddy."
Why do you think the game needs more ranged killers? It's not like the game is lacking in that department. Her power doesn't need a ranged component, especially not when it necessitates the weakening of the rest of her kit.
"Stealth Drones function as previously stated, but Drone Propulsion only injures – not downs – Survivors."
This is genuinely one of the worst changes you could possibly make. If you're married to the idea of controllable drones they need to be a threat at all times. Being injured shouldn't be a get out of jail free card. All of skull merchants iterations have had this problem being injured negates half of her power and she has to play as a slightly faster m1. Let her stay a trap killer, let her traps be actual threats.
Closing thoughts:
I fail to see how these changes accomplish your goals of making her more fun to play against or making her less complicated. She'd be yet another ranged/dash killer in a roster full of them, you've not made her counterplay any more engaging either it's mostly the same with a ranged attack and dash attack thrown in. She has even more moving parts to her kit then she did before. This rework as it is needs a lot more time to cook. In the meantime you should give skull merchant small QOL buffs to offset the insane nerfs you gave her.
Comments
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I have no idea why the want to push global detection so much, when it just sounds so useless…
Also showing drone lasers make drones simply irrelevant.
To be honest, I am not sure which version is worse. Hard to tell, they clearly struggle here. So far I think we are going to see another Twins rework situation.1 -
Why? Just so much why???
I used to play SM. This is trash.
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BHVR should just give her kamikaze drones that can down a survivor (and even then it will be a much worse version of the twins), too much counter play for too weak a power, survivor can destroy a drone, drone destroys after hit, drone can't down a survivor, survivor with electro grab can break it in a couple of seconds, and drone scans are visible
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