Quick question for killers - keys

To set the record straight, I play both sides, survivor and killer. I don't really wanna flamewar so I'd like to phrase it a different way:

"What is it with you guys and keys?"

Keys hardly ever pop up, as a survivor I've used them once in a blue moon and most of the time the keys I see others bring in are broken keys no good for escaping. For some reason though a lot of killers seem to think that a key is automatically toxic. Why? It's a game mechanic for starters and it's no more or less toxic than say NoeD or MoM, it's no more toxic than running anything in particular.

When a survivor brings in a key most killers I see, will tunnel and/or camp the survivor with the key, bring Franklins for no other reason than "you brought a key," and for the first time I have ever seen: Camping the ACTUAL key. I died, I dropped my key, whoop-de-doo, no big deal. It was a throw away broken key...

so "What is it with you guys and keys? What makes them that big of a threat?"

Comments

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  • OmegaXII
    OmegaXII Member Posts: 2,201

    Whether the game got to 2 survivors with 2 gens left, or 3 survivors with 1 gen left, the game is basically over for me as killer. 9/10 they're gonna get a key to escape. I can do nothing to counter it. Literally nothing.

  • angematias
    angematias Member Posts: 86

    Except that there are no true ways to counter a mori, keys have responses that don't even demand a mori.

  • DWolfAlpha
    DWolfAlpha Member Posts: 927

    I actually don't mind keys. Usually, if one gets used, it's already pretty much over by then anyway. Keys themselves aren't toxic. But it can be annoying to have the last 3 survivors tea bagging around the hatch making noise so I can come witness them all jumping in together. I find it hilarious when they do that and I manage to close the hatch before the second person escapes, though, and they start raging at me. Personally, I just wish that using a key took a second. Like, 3 seconds for a dull key, 1 second for a skeleton key. I hate that it's instantaneous and can be used in a chase.

  • Accullla
    Accullla Member Posts: 984

    I don't care if keys are used in my matches, i get where some people come from... to an extent.

    First of all, let's make this clear - keys can only be used in the endgame (i.e. once the hatch spawns), meaning that there's not much time left in the match anyway. 2-3 minutes max, Therefore everyone who claims that the reason they don't like keys is that they end matches prematurely, please have a think about whether you're being completely honest with yourself and others. An exception to this is when the game goes into a 3 gen scenario that lasts ages and the game does end prematurely if you get keyed in that instance, but that's so boring that I'm absolutely content with survivors using a key, so I can get out of that match and on to the next one.

    With that said i think the actual reasons people don't like keys are the following:

    • they rob killers of kills that they feel they're entitled to get if they were on track to beat those survivors
    • killers miss out on a bunch of bloodpoints
    • people miss out on pips they would get if they were able to kill everyone

    Personally, I don't care about any of these, which is why i don't mind keys, but I do see why people could get upset if they don't get their kill/bloodpoints/pip.

  • xEcoLog1cDuk3Xx
    xEcoLog1cDuk3Xx Member Posts: 441

    Keys are pretty much "Press one button and win" they have no real counterplay other than Franklin's Demise, but using Franklin's is kinda of a waste on a perk slot in today's current game meta.

  • FFabeq
    FFabeq Member Posts: 530

    Lol atleast they have kinda a counter, moris don't have any, (just don't die lmao).

  • AlbinoViera
    AlbinoViera Member Posts: 169

    For me personally, I only dislike them due to the ability to rob me of a kill in what I believe to be a very unfair manner. It's a similar situation to NOED, which I believe to be a MUCH better comparison than Keys vs Mori's, in that both allow the person to do poorly to get rewarded, they have similar counters, and it feels unfair when you're robbed of a win because of them.

    To two examples. As survivors, you're team has been dominating the game for your side and are quickly on track to an escape. The last generator pops not even 10 minutes in. Then someone instantly goes down, you see in the corner that NOED has been activated. They've been hooked so your teammate tries to save, while you try to find the totem. However, killer had been camping the hook and you see the other person go down and are then hooked as well. The third person on your team tries to save the person who was hooked first and succeeds, but not a minute later they have rescuer has been hooked and the rescued has been slugged. You hear it soon after, the heartbeat. NOED is still up, your scratchmarks hadn't faded yet and they've led him right to you. You've been found. The speedboost from his perk is too much and you're downed as well quickly after. No-one has unbreakable, no-one had been hooked even twice. Yet your team has lost because he got rewarded even while doing poorly. You had lost because you had done too well.

    Then you have the killer version, once again, you're dominating the game. Every chase ending in less than thirty seconds, you've been pressuring them hard, to the point some have been barely able to unhook even without you camping. The first survivor dies after you hook, then the second, then the third. Not three gens have been done, you've become the power role once again and with one final kill your merciless victory is all, but assured. You find the hatch, victory will be sweet. Your foot crashes down upon it, shutting off the survivor's escape, and yet, you see them running towards it. You laugh, thinking they're giving you the last kill for free. You hit them once, then you watch them approach the hatch. It reopens. They hadn't brought one in, no-one had.. They must have found it.. The blood drains from your face as you watch them jump through to escape. Your merciless victory that you were sure to have gotten, the adept achievement.. Foiled by a key, and not just that, but one they had found in the match itself.


    Those experiences of course, aren't THAT common. They just happen enough that you end up being wary of them in every match you play. So in short, keys sometimes cost you a win or more and it's really annoying.

  • goatslinger
    goatslinger Member Posts: 522

    They are as fun to the killer as being morid off first hook is to the survivor. That is why when someone brings a key I bring a mori and do just that. Both things suck.

  • Rivyn
    Rivyn Member Posts: 3,022

    How you counter it doesn't matter, at least in this area. Keys and moris are both meant to end the game sooner than it would have. I know from my own experience how titled I can get if I'm actually in a good match, a lot of back and forth, when somebody pops a key and I black pip. It's annoying.

    Again, this is just about the intention of the item, not any sort of balancing for it.

  • Crazewtboy
    Crazewtboy Member Posts: 1,259

    It is annoying when it ends the game early and people who shouldn't have gotten an escape get to leave. Half the time, you don't even notice the key because the item is so small and you can't see it in their hand. Furthermore, it offers a free escape at end game. You find the hatch first as killer, close it, patrol the doors, but they get a free escape anyway because they had that key. It's frustrating to see people get out just because of a key

  • Mew
    Mew Member Posts: 1,832

    its kinda annoying when used but its whatever, its only an item

  • MadArtillery
    MadArtillery Member Posts: 826

    Early key escapes are super frustrating as killer. I don't even get bothered as much facing an ebony mori as survivor as I do facing key as killer.

  • sulaiman
    sulaiman Member Posts: 3,219

    I think this perspective is a bit to binary.

    As a survivor, if i dominate the game anyway, i wont fall for noed, because it has a counter, and i know totem spawns and can count to 5. In a close match its much more likly noed comes to pass. Is it fair then? Well yes, because the killer was equal the whole game with just 3 perks.

    On the other hands, i had games (i play solo most of the time) where i did 3 gens all alone, and they were the only one that were finished.

    I did hook rescues, i lured the killer away but could juke him, while he camped or moried the rest of the team. But i got a key and got out anyway. Is it fair?

    some might say yes, because ireally did my part, some might say no because its a team effort and the team failed.

    But thats the problem with solos. You cant chose your team. But keys and the hatch is something to balance that out for you as a solo survivor, and keeps you going in a match thats boring because its otherwise over.

    As a killer, i dont mind keys. its seldom that all escape, and i even had funny situations, like 3 people standing around the hatch, one with a key, he gets out, second one follows, third one stands there because i closed the hatch...he basicly lost because the one with the key had to teabagg before leaving.

  • OutcastEric
    OutcastEric Member Posts: 495

    I could accept keys as a killer if they werent able to be found in a chest. That's the most infuriating thing to me. Especially when it's a good game and I finally, finally, finally got the upper hand just to watch it slip through my fingers because some FTard found a key in a chest. Happens more than you think to be honest. Also why did they take away the hatch grab? Do they play their game? If a survivor has the key and is near the hatch at full health, there is literally nothing the killer can do to stop them. Nothing. It has to be extremely specific to be able to stop them now. Like tier 3 michael, maybe hillbilly, maybe LF and maybe Franklin's. Even Franklin's isnt guaranteed though. They can pick it up and hop through the hatch before your recovery animation

  • GrootDude
    GrootDude Member Posts: 14,110

    Whenever people escape with a key, I usually just say “oh, they had a key.” Then I just go to the next match.

  • Vampire
    Vampire Member Posts: 90

    Still crying over how many times a key has ended a match after i earned 5 stacks of devour. RIP


    (not crying but ya know)

  • TheRockstarKnight
    TheRockstarKnight Member Posts: 2,171

    Eh, it's mostly just cause of those few edge causes where the Survivors are all on comms and find the Hatch so they can taunt around it.

    Or when you do really well against a really good team only for someone to yoink a Key out of a chest and then you get a 2k instead of a 4k.

    They don't happen that often, but it's one of the few situations as Killer were you can be 100% powerless. Feeling powerless is never enjoyable, at least for me.

    This said; I don't get angry at Keys or the people who use them. I'm just going to try to keep them from being able to use them as best I can if I see them.

    I mean, if you saw a Devour Hope totem you wouldn't just leave it up would you? You don't destroy it because you're angry at the Killer or want to ruin their fun; you destroy it because you don't want everyone getting Moried.

  • KingFrost
    KingFrost Member Posts: 3,014

    The problem with keys is when you've got a 3 gen situation, and then all three remaining survivors hightail it out the exit gate. All your hard work, for nothing.

  • PassarinoT
    PassarinoT Member Posts: 910

    As a killer main, I'm fine with keys. What I wish, however, is that you couldn't just open the hatch with the click of a button. Often from this, survivors just sit on hatch teabagging until I'm close. I think it should be a progress bar like finishing totems, that way nobody can 99 the hatch and teabag on it. It's either leave or don't.

  • Waffleyumboy
    Waffleyumboy Member Posts: 7,318

    3 survivors escaping my 3 gen from one key is bogus. Plain and simple.

  • csandman1977
    csandman1977 Member Posts: 2,358

    Only problem with keys are finding them in chests mid match. Want to risk bringing one, go for it. Just the rng free escape from a box shouldn't be a thing. And yes if you cut the game short without completing your objective, its a, to be fair, highly discounted escape

  • HellDescent
    HellDescent Member Posts: 4,883

    What do you mean? What's wrong if killer tunnels and camps or brings franklin's or mori? It's a game mechanic.

  • PigMainClaudette
    PigMainClaudette Member Posts: 3,842

    I don't really care. Keys rely on generators getting done. As a Pig main, if there's one thing that I'm good at is making sure that generators do not get done.


    I did have two games back to back where someone found a key in a chest and escaped after I'd shut the hatch and went "Well. That was unexpected." but at that point, I'd basically gotten the 4k and they got a little bit lucky. Still got Ruthless/Merciless, so no real issue there.

  • NekoGamerX
    NekoGamerX Member Posts: 5,288

    (Keys are meant to end the match sooner than it should/may have)not really?lol i play both side 50/50 and to use a key you got to do some gens that takes time.that one with killer closes the hatch and last survivor reopens with key it happens sometime i do feel key should take time to open hatch tho like the exit gate but less time then the exit gates.

    btw if you can get 9 hooks in you can still get adept achievement even if one survivor gets out but i do think that achievement should be changed a little because survivor adept achievement are crazy easy.

  • Reinami
    Reinami Member Posts: 5,480

    Because as a red rank killer, if someone brings a key and i don't play like a dick to counter it, then i am guaranteed to depip. If you bring a key, i'm bringing ebony mori and tunneling.


    What's worse IMO is survivors finding a key in the match. There is literally no counter to it, it is pure RNG, and i setup a 3-4 gen in an area of the map with no pallets left, i lose because of RNG.

  • BlooperReel
    BlooperReel Member Posts: 127

    I'm not upset about it, I'm just confused is all. If you don't bring a key for several matches it's mostly usual stuff, you bring a key for several matches and there's a spike in the aforementioned plays. I just don't get it is all.

  • HellDescent
    HellDescent Member Posts: 4,883

    You win by avoiding completing your primary objective, that's why. It allows you to end the game early for the other side and "outplay" them same as mori

  • inago
    inago Member Posts: 11

    the main issue I have with keys are that most of the time I don't even know they have one till they leave perhaps having an icon over the survivor heads in the lobby saying what type of item they have and not the lv of the item?

  • Boss
    Boss Member Posts: 13,616

    I just ignore their existance.

    Maybe that's a defense mechanism my brain subconsciously set up to not be bothered by Keys, but if they successfully use a Key, i mostly just go: " 'Kay. "