http://dbd.game/killswitch
2025 In Review: Perk Changes Suggestions - Survivor Edition
With 2025 now just in the rear view mirror, I think it'd be interesting to go over the perks released with the new chapters this year and see what, if anything, I'd change about them now that they've all been in the game for at least a little bit.
To cut down on this post's length so things don't get out of hand, I won't be discussing the new perks I don't think need any changes, nor will I be including perk buffs or reworks that happened this year. Strictly teachables, strictly from this year, strictly ones that need changes. This post will focus on survivor frankly just because I have way fewer ideas for how to fix this year's killer perks. Let's take this character by character:
Orela
Rapid Response:
- Aura read on activation now 4 seconds (was 2 seconds)
Notes: This is a fairly simple change for the only one of Orela's perks that really needs it. An aura read of four seconds would allow for much easier use of what is ultimately a pretty good effect, with fewer instances of losing the aura read while you're turning your camera to catch sight of it.
Rick
Apocalyptic Ingenuity:
- (Rework) After searching or rummaging a total of 2 chests, this perk activates. While active, you can build fragile pallets at the remains of any broken pallet with an interaction that takes 4 seconds. Only one fragile pallet built this way can be on the map at once.
Notes: This perk currently sucks, there's no getting around it. What this rework hopes to achieve is making the perk far more accessible without actively buffing the strength of its effect, while keeping it kept in check so the map isn't flooded with fragile pallets.
Of note is that this perk would not have a deactivation condition, like it does now. You'd have permanent access to this ability, but you can only build one at a time.
Come And Get Me!:
- After unhooking a survivor, press the Active Ability Button to activate the perk's effects. (was while crouched and stationary)
Notes: More of a QoL change than a buff, allowing players to use this perk while on the move would make it smoother and more easily accessible. It's not actually that bad of an effect, allowing a player to try and take some heat for a teammate, so let's make it a bit easier to use.
Michonne
Conviction
- Now requires 50% recovery (was 25%)
Notes: Conviction already got a good and sensible nerf, but it's not quite in the right spot yet. Raising the requirement before being able to pick yourself up moves the perk more into an anti-slug niche, and makes it far more difficult to force value in lose/lose scenarios for the killer.
Vee
Road Life:
- (Rework) While injured, hitting two Great skill checks on a generator grants one token, up to a maximum of three. Starting to perform the healing action automatically consumes a token and increases your healing speed by 100% until you stop healing by any means. Missing a skill check or only hitting a Good skill check removes one token.
Notes: A little wordy, but to me the purpose of Road Life is to be a little bit of a gimmick perk for gaining healing via doing repairs. Changing it this way allows it to be potent and accessible, while retaining the necessity of hitting Great skill checks to keep it interesting- it may be simpler to just bring Botany Knowledge, but bringing Road Life would be a small personal challenge, thus making it potentially a little more interesting even if it isn't stronger.
On any hypothetical PTB, it may become necessary to change some numbers here and there, but I think the broad shape is a much better one to start from.
—
And that's it! The perks not mentioned are I think mostly fine, even if I personally don't like them, and the changes pitched here would ideally move all affected perks into a healthier niche.
Comments
-
They all make sense to me except the change to roadlife, which sounds like nothing really changed. Unless the change is that its no longer blocked by broken status effect?
0 -
The way Road Life currently works, you need to be injured and repairing, then you need to hit five Great skill checks to activate the perk. While it's active, you can heal 100% faster, and it deactivates as soon as you stop healing.
This change both lowers the requirements to two Greats instead of five, and allows you to bank uses of it so you have a little safety net against being interrupted/can just heal yourself and someone else, or yourself more than once at different times, etc.
It's a rework that mostly just buffs the activation requirement so it's much smoother.
0 -
Some nice ideas.
2 small problems I see, though.
Apocalyptic Ingenuity being just permanently active could be dangerous. After all, what is stopping people from just endlessly rebuilding every dropped pallet? We saw in the aniversary event that even fraglie pallets can be too much.
And Road Life... still seems bad.
I heard an interesting change that could be done, that being that after unlocking the perk's effect, it would allow you to self-care at the normal healing speed (16 seconds). Currently you need a medkit or Self-Care on top of Road Life.
Also I agree with removing the not being Broken condition, it's pointless.
0 -
For Apocalyptic Ingenuity, the thing that'd stop them rebuilding every dropped pallet is that they can only have one up at a time.
Either they'd simply not get the prompt and have to go drop the pallet they've already built, or it'd work like a Hag trap and despawn the one they'd already built if they try and build another.
A fully dedicated team all bringing the perk + dedicating their offering slot to coins could have a maximum of four rebuilt fragile pallets on the map at any given tiem, which I don't think is that scary, personally.
1
