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Is it worth learning flashlights?
*If your arguments rely on the killer being a noob for it to work, then your argument is bad*
In dbd, flashlights are seen as an item that reward skill and is very good. However, is it worth the learning? I am gonna check the different uses. You can either blind the killer at a loop or flashlight save.
For the blinding part, it can be funny to see the killer going in the wrong direction. doing it randomly is not worth it, because you can just run away and gain distance. This has a few good uses, but only in the right case: if you are on the wrong side of a loop (you are cornered), you can blind the killer and run right next to them to get back in a place where you are not cornered. However, killers that are good can follow you by sound or guess where you are going. Also, if your the last survivor trying to escape the killer to get hatch or something, it can be useful, however it is very situational.
Now, the flashlight saves. It requires good timing: this is fine, it adds skill to survivors and seems fine for being able to save someone. However, this is where this item use becomes complete garbage: if you are against a beginner or a average-beginner killer, you will be able to flashlight save. However, there comes the problem: the killer can easily counter flashlights by looking at walls. Obstacles can also make it really hard to get one. If the killer sees a flashlight in the lobby, then he has warning that survivors will try to flash him. He has tons of options: if there is a wall, he is completely protected. Also, he can fake the pick up, which works at least once and give the killer a free hit. Not to mention that if he is in the open, he can just be unpredictable for what angle he will pick the survivor.
Also, they are a lot of killer perks that counter it: franklin, infectious fright, lightborn, etc.
In conclusion, a good killer can easily turn a flashlight in a slaughter fest. And since people will still try to argue using beginner killer cases, here is the deal: get your flashlight and go in a KYF lobby and prove your point that flashlight is useful. If you can beat me because of it, then you proved your point. However, if you cannot get to use it, then it just proves my point that you rely on bad killer plays to get it to work. do not use flashlights, they rely on killer mistakes: instead, use medkits: being able to heal in some situations, especially due to the medkit speed, can make all the difference in a chase. Yes, keys are good, but they are just cheap escapes tbh.
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it's worth to learn flashlights because they work.
that's the entire argument.
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I half agree and half disagree.
I disagree because learning to flashlight for the sake of expanding your skill set is a good idea. With the exception of the first matches where you are learning the proper area to shine at having the ability to flashlight save or blind at pallets can only be an advantage because it opens up more options.
That being said flashlights are my least favorite of the items tied with maps. I like blinding them while they are breaking a pallet and running through them but i always prefer to have a medkit, toolbox or key.
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Eh. The thing about flashlights is they only work when they're not expected. If you come barreling into a trial with a clickimus maximus then the killer is either gonna face a wall to pick up survivors or run lightborn. If you happen to see one and get the chance, there's your practice opportunity, but flashlights rely on the killer not expecting it. My flashlight saves were born from treasure chests, not ones I bring in. I'd say those are more for kick the pallet type situations.
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I often equip a flashlight, however do not usually actively seek out a flashlight save. I usually go for a flash save if I'm in the right place at the right time, hence do not lose much time and could hugely help the team. Since the killers I face do not see me actively seeking a flash save, when I do go for one they are less aware of a flash save.
Even if you don't get the flashlight save or are spotted by the killer, you can still put pressure on them and waste valuable time. They'll either have to commit to you and hit you (wastes time), chase you away or risk the flash save if they are not near a wall.
Flashlights are therefore still very useful, although I would use them passively and not actively seek out a flash save in most cases. If killers don't see me and aren't near a wall and don't want to waste time checking the area, they can make the mistake of picking the survivor up in my direction. I've had killers do a 180 to pick a survivor up, only to be looking right in my direction as my presence was unknown.
So yeah, they're good if used correctly and the payoff after getting a flash save feels really good. Just don't run behind the killer all game actively seeking a save because a) you're wasting time that could be used repairing a gen and b) you might not even get the save.
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It's also useful for getting other survivor's attention (like when you need heals) or getting the killer's attention (like when you want to loop them while your teammates do gens).
On the other hand, if you have one and don't go for a flashlight save, you might get some angry comments after the game.
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100% worth. Don't go out of your way to do it though. Although it can be countered, if youre smart enough,you can get it even against sentient killers. The trick is, hide until they start the animation and then go for it. Baits don't work against good flashlighters.
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From a killer perspective, not at all. Even when I'm NOT expecting it people just fail SO OFTEN. It's a hard timing to get, and the amount of time you waste trying for them instead of progressing the match stacks up. You make like 20 matches a lot harder for yourself and your team for the 1 match where you luck out and get one, and it's not like that decides the match, though it is a large impact.
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The timing is pretty simple. I literally learned it from watching ayrun. You pretty much have to be a potato to miss it.
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I am not gonna reply to dumb arguments, only to the worth it ones:
@Hearhbound like I said, good killers can counter the pallet quick. Also, just get the habit of watching the wall and thats it. I do not get why killers do not take the habit of making a 180 turn before picking survivors, it is literally the EASIEST thing you can do in the game.
This replies to 90% of people. I also should mention that using a flashlight increase the chances of getting camped or tunneled.
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The most important part of flash lighting is knowing when or when not to go for a save , it kills me when I'm in a match and the killer has infectious on and is hunting the flashlighter after every down but yet they still prioritize attempting a save over a gen , knowing that its gonna turn into a slugfest and multiple hooks, knowing how to use a flashlight is easy but it's how you go about using it that determines whether its gonna be worth it or not
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Flashlights are the second best item for solo-queue survivors and the best for SWF. For that reason, I'd say yes. Also, if you are a good looper then flashlight is very valuable to learn as you can piss off some killers into tunneling you. But be prepared to be a hinderance while you are learning it, especially on flashlight saves. You will cost your team a lot of time/maybe even create a losing situation because you fail at flashlights. But the survivors who are good at flashlight saves can instill a lot of fear into killers, forcing them to check areas before they pick anyone up.
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Well, you best bring one in every match, next Tome. I ain't vsing Hag's almost every match without a Flashlight and Urban lol
But yeah, learn them, stopping a killer getting a hook can be vital to winning or losing. And definitely hurts the killers momentum too.
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I would say they're worth learning. While yes, it's true that you're probably not going to get a save on a good killer, they still have their uses.
- If they are out in the open, facing a wall isn't going to be an option. This is something you (as the survivors) have control over. If you know you're going down and you're not going to make back around to the pallet or window, you can split off away from the loop to make the flashlight save easier.
- If going somewhere open is not an option, being in front of a locker or window will also suffice. The game prioritizes the thing you're looking at, so they won't be able to pick you up while staring at the locker/window. This gives you some control over which direction the killer faces.
- The threat of a flashlight can be enough. If you can keep the killer occupied for long enough for the guy who's on the ground to use Unbreakable, the end result is more or less the same (minus an Unbreakable being used).
- If you find a flashlight in a chest and nobody brought one in, most killers are going to have their guard down and not bother facing walls.
Short version, yes, smart killers will play around them, but the survivors can also do things to make that harder for them to do. It'll never be a guaranteed save (as it should be), but it can completely change the game when it does happen.
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It's nice to know how to use them even if you don't bring them into the match or go out of your way to go for saves.
I've lost count of how many times I find a simple yellow flashlight in a chest, someone goes down near the gen I'm working on and the killer picks them up facing in my direction. If I didn't know the timing, I wouldn't be getting saves in situations like that.
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@Peanits you have a point for the number 2. However, for the following numbers:
1) If the killer is in the open, he has multiple options. He can bait, which will work once after which the survivor will adapt. The killer can just make a 180 turn to avoid the flashlight, which never failed in my entire dbd experience. Also, solo queue teammates will not go away since they are not so good, so it only works for swf. However, having an item that is only useful for swf is dumb.
3) Having unbreakable is situational and once again, the killer can just pick up the survivor in the right direction.
4) Looting items in a chest is a waste of time, your better of just gen rushing and bringing your own items.
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Flashlights will hurt you more than they help against good killers. You can simply fake picking up the survivor, and the flashlight saver will run up and give you a free hit or maybe even a down. If they blind at pallets, just use sound.
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Learn them. There's no reason not to if you're playing at high levels.
You'll still get off flashlight saves at red rank. You can still use iron will and juke at pallet breaks.
This idea that every red rank killer is a god-tier player is completely untrue.
I would suggest not bringing it into the game though. With the new buffs to lighborn/franklin's that will be coming to live, one of these perks will be taken by many red rank killers the second they see a flashlight in their lobby. Plunderer's is a great option if you're wanting to hunt for flashlights and surprise the killer. But what about "Searching through chests isn't optimal!!!"?? Well, the utility you can get from the higher tier item can be game-changing in the case of a flashlight/key, and time-saving in the case of a medkit/toolbox.
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I only bring a flashlight when there is a challenge for it 😄Don't like using them. Maybe it's just me but those SWF toxic blinds and clicking made me hate flashlight both as survivor and killer 😅
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@TheVVitch if the red rank killer is not picking the survivor the right way, chances are, its a noob that you can easily defeat flashlight or not.
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Unless you main Dwight (since he's bugged), then yes.
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i hate flashlight can't use them and i get blinded alot even facing a wall.
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Can I add something? Using a flashlight helps you learning how to moonwalk, just saying
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I have recently learned the locker flashlight tech timing and boy that is just like og pickup animation its un counterable and it's a guaranteed save if you know the timing. Not to mention the animation Is so long you can be far away and still make it.
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I don't understand your point here. Red ranks make mistakes and get lazy too. Just because they "shouldn't" give you the opening, doesn't mean it won't ever happen. It's a part of the game, and as a survivor you should learn it.
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A good survivor can get flashlight saves on a good killer. It's not like if you're against a good killer you'll never be able to use it. I personally only use them in swf because I don't care about going out of my way to save randoms.
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- so you say one survivor has to leave his objectives just to gamble a down in the open? Worth it?
- You can pick up a survivor while looking at a window. Idk about lockers but windows works. I do it sometimes just to flex that I did not vault the window.
- This scenario is more often a "downed on a pallet" situation. Bc all you have to do as a killer is baiting the survivor away (or hit) and looking into the opposite direction when you pick up. So if the survivor is more than 8 meters away from the opposite poisition you're picking up he can't to anything.
- That's the only valid answer and even then you mostly just have 1 single chance maybe
Sorry Peanits but flashlight's are the most bad designed items in the game beside the 3rd best key. But this isn't an item and more a "you are a fool". When the dev team don't plan to make some better addons for the flashlights with things like "at a wider angle" or "from a greater distance" or "slightly faster" flashlights are trash at high skilled games and only works when you get badly matched with low skilled killer.
And they're definetely NOT worth it.
Here a short list why
Medkits can heal you 2,3,4 times extremely fast (especially with botany)
toolboxes can speed up gens by miles.
maps can track hex perks very efficient.
keys let you free escape when you're still alive.
and now the big boom: all those items are stacking.
you can't get a higher use from 4 flashlights, but from medkits, toolboxes, maps, keys.
If you find a flashlight in a chest and the game how it goes allows you a possibility to go for a safe, yea sure. But otherwise they're not worth it running and you can affect the outcome of a match way higher through other items.
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@azame not everyone wants to play swf.
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