What should be the purpose of killer addons?

I completely agree! I figure when most people think of gameplay changing addons, they probably think of the infamous Tombstone Piece. I don't really have much of an opinion on the addon, personally, since I don't see it much and don't use it. But I know a lot of people hate it, which is kind of sad because I worry that people will extend the dislike to all killer addons that change how a killer is played.

A lot of people have problems with Michael Myers in Dead by Daylight, but he along with the Hag really encompass what I feel like addons should offer. Their addons provide such diversity in their playstyles. I feel like for a lot of killers, you can still achieve variety, but it's mostly through perk combinations. I love being able to play as a killer where the survivors won't immediately know what they're up against when they hear the terror radius.

Just out of curiosity, do you have an opinion on the Tombstone Piece addon for Michael Myers? I have some thoughts on it, but I feel like I don't have enough information to form a proper opinion, so I'd be open to discussing it, if you or anyone is interested. :3

I really enjoy playing as the Hag, though lately I've been trying to improve my overall chasing skills, which the Hag's methods of hitting and downing survivors is far from conventional. It's fun, I love it, but I'm not going to get better trying to smack someone down as Pinhead by playing the Hag, for example. XD

Oh yeah, the Doctor's addons are great, too! I haven't played as Giggles in a while. I should do that.

Yeah, beyond what you mentioned, I'm not really sure what to make of the Tombstone addons, myself. I know a popular point against them is that you're being heavily punished for teammates' mistakes, but I just view that as the survivor experience in general, really. I do agree that it's incredibly strong to just slap someone out of a trial without any hooking involved and that it's annoying to instantly lose the game like that for the player getting mori'd, but I'm probably getting gored by the killer anyways, so I honestly don't think much of it. XD

Since I mentioned Pinhead at the start of this reply, I'd like to add that I really enjoy his Chatterer's Tooth addon. Being Undetectable is one of my favorite things as a killer. That, and I don't like adopting what seems to be the typical Pinhead playstyle of "force a constant chain hunt and win that way." There was a period of time when people would quit anytime I tried to play as the Box Boy and I'm just like, "Dudes, calm down, I don't even care about my box. It can take care of itself!" XD

Yeah, any perk or addon that lets me smack people unaware is an instant favorite of mine. X3 Brings some actual horror to the horror game, even if it's just a jumpscare.

I love facing Pinhead, too. Resident Evil is nice and all, but I know absolutely nothing about it and while I'm happy people have characters from a franchise they love, I have no personal attachment. So having Pinhead (which is the most recent iteration of a licensed killer I'm familiar with and also the best integration of a licensed killer, in my opinion) is something I thematically and mechanically love. I have had instances of painful trials against Pinhead, though. Sloppy Butcher and constant chain hunts make it impossible to heal yourself. Constant chain hunts in general make trying to do anything miserable, honestly. But facing against Cenobites who actually use their ability in chase and don't just go on a box hunt the whole game is one of my favorites.

I completely agree. Addons that change the killer's power (and addons in general, honestly) should be something you can choose without having to rely on good bloodweb chance. I love playing as Scratched Mirror Myers, the Pig with Amanda's Letter, and other killers with exceedingly rare addons that shake up what survivors will be expecting. But I find myself just hoarding those addons more than actually using them because I know they'll be gone eventually if I do.

Even addons that don't rework the killer's power I feel like shouldn't be left to consumables. I enjoy playing as the Twins, but I'm scared to even use the Toy Sword addon because I fear I'll use it and it'll become painful to play without it. Yeah, it's a brown addon, so there should be plenty, but even if you have an unlimited amount, that still basically forces you to use half of your addon slots because now you can't comfortably play as the killer without that addon. It's what happened to Lynxi, a Twins player I've watched videos they've made, and I don't want the same thing to happen to me. It kind of feels like the Combat Straps addon for the Pig when her crouch/uncrouch action took obscenely long however long ago that was. It's just painful to play without certain addons once you're used to them.

I'm not really sure how this would be changed in Dead by Daylight, though. Earning and spending bloodpoints has always been one of the fundamental mechanics of incentives and just how the game works overall. If addons for killers and addons/items for survivors weren't something to be earned, what even would be? Offerings? Most of them are terrible.

I'm not saying that it's a system that can't be fixed, by any means. It's just that it would require a massive change in how things work. Does anyone have any thoughts on how such a change would work? I'd be curious to hear your ideas! :)