How Mandatory Is A Slowdown Perk For Killers?

I run at least one of what I consider the "Big Three" (Pop Goes the Weasel, Ruin, Corrupt Intervention) on pretty much every killer. Though usually only one at a time, I don't tend to get great synergy between any of these perks with either of the others.

While they are certainly not necessary perks all the time, it is safer to always have at least one of them to help mitigate the occasions where RNG makes things harder for the killer off the bat. Very large maps and maps that don't allow specific killers to use their power effectively (example: Oni on Lery's) make it extra difficult to keep pressure up to stop the generators from rapidly slipping away. Even more so when against a few competent survivors.

Plus all three of these perks will inevitably play some role in the match (Corrupt always provides a benefit, Ruin guarantees a decent effect for at least 14 seconds, and Pop is directly tied to the killer's main goal of hooking people).

It's the classic expression "better to have and not need than to need and not have". Pretty much every load-out I make starts with one of these perks and then develops from there.

Pop has become a perk I use nearly 100% of the time on every killer unless I'm doing a specific build. This is just a figure I'm pulling out of my ass but I'd assume I'd lose about 50% more of my games if I didn't have Pop. Hell, the amount of games where Pop alone has given me victory is insane.

Any kind of 3-gen with Pop becomes a whole new ball game which is how I tend to play most of my matches. Play normally at the start hooking who I can while keeping an eye out for any potential 3 gen and protect that area a bit more than others. When it gets down to two gens left I protect the area super hard. Work on getting all the pallets gone in the area and if I get a hook close I can protect everything at once usually meaning I get a trade and another Pop for free. I've had really good teams where I couldn't even get a hook fall to this strat.

It hardly works every time as really good groups can still push through without a problem but it still lets me win a lot more matches then I otherwise would.

Edit: I don't use it much on Oni though. I like to use the Infectious build and be a lot more aggressive and not care about gens at all.

How mandatory? Ummm you need at least 2 every game and they have to synergize or you need 3.

I always use a slow-down perk. Even if it's just Thanatophobia, I'll always run one. I generally run Sloppy, Thana, Pop or Ruin on any Killer, occasionally Surge. If it was better, I would use Dying Light all the time too. But I can't really imagine playing without any slow-down perks, Gen pressure is easily my weakest part of play.

The difference getting my first slowdown perk had was absolutely immense. If you want to actually have fun as a killer I'd say it's pretty damn important. If you're pulling some op addons or something you can probably go without but these days I just run 3x slowdown, 1x info because what the hell else do I need a perk for? There's not that much point punishing altruism because altruistic teams are the good stuff, I can mindgame chases well so no need for chase perks, what I need is m1 minimum altruism gangs to not just finish and walk out.

Seriously starting out the game with only noed to deal with gen speeds sucked ass for like 200 hours till I got ruin atleast lvl 1 on most killers, got surge first but that didn't help at all on it's own because it's crap. Now that I finally have pop starting to filter in on my killers I just slap them all in and to hell with other perks for the most part.

Once it ends it's a dead perk. But those minutes it gives is often VERY much worth it as that time can allow a Killer to start snowballing before Survivors do.

As for me. I normally have to run some type of gen stall perk on all my Killers. Only a few Killers can get away without one, but you can mix up what perks you use depending on the Killer.

Demogorgon I use Surge as the main gen stall. It combines well with Save the Best for Last and Surveillance, Surveillance combines well with Demo's tunnels and STBFL combines well with Demo's Shred. Games often can end either way, but it is a fun build to play.

Executioner I don't have much in gen stall as the main build focuses on anti healing. Distressing for negative stealth, Coulrophobia for anti healing and Distressing combo, Deathbound for tracking and bipolar stealth, and the 4th perk can be swapped as needed. Pop, Thana, Corrupt, you can use anything you think you'll need but the bulk of the work this build does is done by exploiting how much Survivors want to keep heathy against an Exe thanks to him being so good in loops. And the more time they spend healing or avoiding my terror radius the less they will work gens.

But for the most part. Corrupt or Pop becomes a more and more vital part of any build for any Killer the higher you rank up. Luckily you can squeeze at least one gen stall perk into other builds and don't need to run pure meta.

I never play without some form of stalling perk. Nearly always PGtW because it's pretty easy to trigger and buys a big, clear chunk of time every time it goes off.

Ruin is nice but being a hex makes it too unreliable.

The developers noticed that hex ruin was being used in almost every single killer build, and so they nerfed it. But it was the only reliable perk guaranteed to slow down gen rushers at the start of a match. Without it, all generators can be completed in less than 4 minutes (even less than that if someone has a new part) provided you have a team that works well together.

I'm not going to say that there aren't other reliable perks to slow the game down, because there are: corrupt intervention, PGTW, etc, but imo none were as effective as the original hex ruin.

You need at least pop Goes the weasel

Because If the survivors play efficient you are done

You make good points, but your point about how pop isn't even that reliable against high red ranks just solidifies why the original hex ruin was so often used. And you're right, hex totems are high-risk high-reward, but it was the only guaranteed way to slow down the start of a match.

When I play Huntress I'll always have Lullaby on, it's funny when no one cares to cleanse it until the 4th hook and suddenly every generator is popping off like the 4th of July.

But other than that I can't say I really use slowdown perks. Mostly just stuff to track survivors down or help deal with hooks being too far sometimes.

More intended as you will always get to use Corrupt Intervention's full effect every match, as there is nothing that survivors can do to stop it from happening.

It's not a constant effect throughout a match, but rather a consistent effect in EVERY match. Hence why I said it always provides the killer with some benefit, where it's theoretically possible (though unlikely) that Ruin and PGtW could be prevented in their entirety.

There are multiple videos on Otz and Tru3's channels where the first gen is done before they can even get to it, despite making a mad dash across the map

I always use Thrilling Tremors and usually pair it with either Corrupt or Pop. The ability to pressure is dependent on both map size and the awareness of the survivors. Two survivors, one with prove thyself, gets a gen done in about 40 seconds. If they do 2 to a gen with this strat, the game is over ridiculously fast. Gen slowdown perks are an absolute necessity.

The Ruin nerf was the worst thing to happen to low-tier killers imo. Old Ruin prevented survivors from just gangbanging the gen down before you could even get back there after a hook. New ruin only helps hypermobiles than can pressure multiple gens at a time.

Only on certain killers do I use a slowdown and when I do it's corrupt. Except for Wraith who I use pop on with shadow dance. The killers that don't need any kind of slowdown against the majority of survivors imo are Nurse, Legion, Pig, Freddy and Billy.

I run Corrupt and Sloppy... But I consider them delay perks not slowdown perks

Of course I play: Pig, Huntress, Spirit, and Hag the most while the I play the other less

They are mandatory if you want to compete. Sure you can snowball some games without them, but overall you can't play against good survivors if you don't use them.

The problem with antiheal builds is that survivors don't heal at all. They rush gens even better with resilience, and they are confident off being injured cause dead hard, nobody wastes time healing up (except maybe against...Oni? but he is bugged now).

Corrupt intervention is a must in almost all killers, you can even see that on the good builds Otz recommend on youtube. Having those 2 minutes on early game is crucial. Pop is fine, but sometimes feels not that useful when they finish the gens before you get there, and Surge is super situational. Tremors requires you to hook and sometimes is a waste of time and is better to slug so is not that good. About ruin, the last 3 times I used ruin the totem got destroyed in 15 seconds so yeah.

Overall, they are needed, even more than the old ruin.

Although not slowdown perks per se. Discordance and tinkerer (especially the new one coming in the update - new tinkerer with ruin will be a good combo) are really good perks to know where to apply pressure. PGTW is the only slowdown perk I run on nearly every build currently as knocking off 20 sec of a gen is pretty good (where it would take new ruin 40 secs to do the same - if it lasts 40 secs in the first place).

Pop is almost mandatory. 20 seconds may not sound like a lot on paper, but when you're a survivor (I play Survivor, to be able to predict them more. Overall, I'm a killer) and you have to work 29 seconds, just to get back to the repair progress you were at, it sucks. What sucks even more, is if he pops it, and then chases the person that was working on it with you. You get back on it, and he pops it again, when you've only been on it for 5 seconds. That's 35 seconds regression on one gen. (Sorry if I'm wording this weird) overall, PGTW is very necessary. Btw, for me and my friend's (think everyone), Pop Goes The Weasel is in the shrine of secrets for everyone.