SQ experience

I'm spilling my own experience here, not trying to establish a discussion or argue in an objective manner why perk/addon/build/item XYZ is or isn't healthy to the game and its community.For context, I have been playing on east NA for a few years now, mostly SQ. I play killer for challenges mostly, and SWF matches were few and far between.

TL/DR: In the last months, playing SQ has become a huge struggle.

There has not been a single factor to that but a multitude of chronic and acute issues that have made the experience really difficult to enjoy. It was a slow descent into our current state and I know these forums and the community reverberate that sentiment.

Streamers I used to watch have slowly shifted their SQ time to Killer and/or SWF, either playing duo with other streamers or in group with their community. Don't get me wrong, they are free to do so, but there is something inherently enjoyable about SQ that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

There are several Chronic Issues that will take a long time or never be solved and Recent Changes that made SQ worse.

1. As Scott Jund said in his video https://youtu.be/QieBzx_wSu8 00:38-02:20, DBD doesn't provide a way to fight back or adapt in a match. If you didn't bring the correct counter to the other side's strategy, there is little you can do. No Reassurance for the killer camping? No Unbreakable while the killer is slugging? One regression perk against that team that switched to toolboxes last second? tough luck. Creating a build shouldn't feel like "What do I want to counter on the other side".
2. Leaving a match is way too easy. The Attempt To Escape mechanic has been a trap for new players since forever and an easy way out for anyone willing to leave a match. This mechanic needs to change to give the team enough time to perform a rescue and keep that player in the match. Make it so that each unsuccessful attempt will NOT consume the timer on the first hook, but rather one of 3 attempt tokens and each consumed token depletes the timer on the struggle hook by 20 seconds, if no rescues happen.
3. Besides perks and hatch, there are no real comeback mechanics for survivors. Killers can camp, slug and tunnel strategically, but once the match derails for survivors, there is little that can be done. This is also true for other games, but unlike other games, derailing in DBD SQ means you're now playing with one less player. Comebacks are really difficult if not impossible to pull-off and I have no idea how this can be fixed.
4. The Eruption buff has highlighted the chasm between SQ and SWF comms. The way it stands, there is no in-game signifier that a teammate is in chase, besides the obsession. The fact that you are incapacitated for 25 seconds just makes it worse. Eruption needs counterplay and SQ needs in-game communication. Suggestions given by the community include icons to display other teammates actions, chase status, even proximity chat, base info perks (kindred or bond) while playing SQ.
5. With the recent meta changes, killers got the better end of the deal. Kill rates went up, mostly at the cost of SQ players. That means the majority of the player-base is experiencing more adverse outcomes, more frustrations, more DCs, and suicides on hooks. The hellish match may be over, but the frustration remains. It's hard to keep a positive attitude after being stomped in a match when someone DCs when at the first Nurse screech.

Despite my love for DBD playing SQ feels like a chore. I can say I've been playing it less and less and don't feel attached to the game anymore to the point where I stopped purchasing DLCs packs since Sadako's Rising. I don't feel secure enough to invest money seeing as it is in not a healthy spot for the majority of the player base. I hope for the best though.