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Under what conditions do you let Survivors escape?

HerInfernalMajesty
HerInfernalMajesty Member Posts: 1,976
edited November 2023 in General Discussions

As my go-to rule if I see a Survivor has an event item I automatically always let them escape. I would hate for them to lose the item.

Other times when a Survivor makes a blatant mistake I will sometimes give them a small head-start or even just let them escape too.

When do you (if ever) allow Survivors to escape?

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Comments

  • HerInfernalMajesty
    HerInfernalMajesty Member Posts: 1,976

    I feel so bad sometimes because I can see they are trying. Plus, not many people have much free time and out of all the games they choose to play it’s DBD. I’m not sure what the average amount of games per player is but I’m sure that many people play 5 or less games a day. I feel like sometimes it’s okay for people to have an “easy” game here and there.

  • Spare_Them_Mori_Me
    Spare_Them_Mori_Me Member Posts: 1,763
    edited November 2023

    I play pretty hard with my Trappy boy. If a survivor stops running and is clearly submitting... Mmm It is the best win the Entity could serve me. They can go. Submission is always a ticket out.

  • Iron_Cutlass
    Iron_Cutlass Member Posts: 3,362

    If they are kind, I give them the Hatch or Exit Gate; Basically, if it was a good match, they played well, and dont BM, Ill let them go. Sometimes I dont though, mostly if it is required for an Archive or Adept, which just makes me feel bad when I do it (I really wish they were changed to be a 3K, not 4K).

    Sometimes they give me an item, and if they do that, I 100% let them go and normally swing at the item to indicate "pick it back up" since offering me an item deserves the escape and keeping the item imo.

  • ChaosWam
    ChaosWam Member Posts: 1,845

    If playing the match more results in more suffering so I want it over with, if hatch opens up nearby where I'm taking a survivor to hook (challenges get priority though), if it's a match where we farm because multiple survivors DC/Throw on hook, or if one survivor is such a pain in the butt to their teammates as much as myself then everyone else gets to go.

  • Agt_Scully
    Agt_Scully Member Posts: 163

    I always let 2 Survivors escape after sacrificing 2. I play sweaty until I get the sacrifices but I never camp, proxy camp, or tunnel. If I see a Survivor going for a save, I let them go. In addition, end game hooks seem cheap to me so I typically back off at 1 gen remaining. My goal in every match is to earn a Pip while having fun. The "2 and 2" play style is great for earning a Pip while keeping your MMR down. However, there are still occasional matches against good groups where I'm unable to get two sacrifices.

  • akaTheBARON
    akaTheBARON Member Posts: 378
    edited November 2023

    I'm the same with event items. For the most part. If they have an item from the event currently going on, or maybe JUST ended, especially when the event items now are the same as the previous year's event, I take that into account and don't necessarily feel bad if they lose that item. But also they may not 100% do the same design for the next year's event but even so, it's fairly common at the time. Easy to get more. But an older discontinued item, for sure (unless they have a death hook/mori coming to them for being crazy toxic). Not too long ago I saw someone with a 5th anniversary medkit. I mean why bring it? I never bring old stuff like that LOL. But still, I wasn't going to take it from them either, and they were being cool.

    This also doesn't count as letting someone go but if I see someone doing a gliff or they have to interact with something that's crazy obvious for a challenge, I don't interrupt them. Winning isn't so gd important I can't let them have the 5 seconds. When I was playing survivor during the Halloween event, and was trying like crazy to get a killer to bump into a ghost it meant the world to me when I stood near one, pointed at it, and finally got a killer that didn't just try to down me immediately and they went ahead and ran into it for me. So I like showing the same courtesy (again... not if they're going out of their way to be crazy toxic).

    And no, I don't think the killer is under any obligation to let a survivor keep their items, escape, or let them do a challenge, it's just nice when it happens is all. You never know, they may have had 4-5 bad matches in a row, and that's enough to turn their night around.

  • Xernoton
    Xernoton Member Posts: 5,887

    I don't really have a go to rule for this. I just let them go when I feel like it and I can live with 4 escapes when I was beaten by pure skill. It's not like absolutely have to kill someone after the gens are done. I tend to let survivors go more often, when someone kills themself on hook / disconnects. Or when someone has proven themself in chase. As a sign of respect. There have been quite a few times when I played against survivors that were incredibly good in chase and I gave them either hatch or let them escape.

  • Aven_Fallen
    Aven_Fallen Member Posts: 16,355

    In general I decide spontaneously if I let someone go. E.g when they drop their Item at the Gate, depends on my mood.

    If I slug to get the last Survivor, because they were either annoying or bad towards their team, I will let the person on the ground go (especially if I take long to down the last Survivor).

    When someone suicides or DCs early, I play chill, but I dont let the rest go. Even tho, from my experience, if someone is out of the game early, the others suicide as well, because there is not really a point in playing a 3v1, except for some BPs.

    I give second chances if the Survivor tried to farm with me at the start (e.g. a Kate two days ago dropped her Medkit at the start, I downed her. When I downed her the third time, I let her on the ground because I got the first Hook for free), was AFK at the start of the game and I hooked them or when they reached second stage.

  • Evan_
    Evan_ Member Posts: 547

    Last one goes unless I really need that double-pip to secure the next Grade.

    If the Mmrntity does an oppsie and I get 8-10 hooks at 3-4 gens, I tend to "ask" them if they want a farm or a quick sacrifice.

  • BooperDooper
    BooperDooper Member Posts: 275

    I tend to only let survivors go if... they're the last survivor and they drop they're item (I'm weak to people doing this, it's like they're putting up a little white flag and saying "spare me", generally an unexpected let them escape moment). Another is if they've just been cute the whole game... idk how to explain it but sometimes a survivor has just been cute and you gotta let em go. And if a teammate has ended it early I'll let at least 1 if not the whole team go, cause that was just unfair for them since the beginning.

  • CaulDrohn
    CaulDrohn Member Posts: 1,596

    Some rules for me to let a survivor escape or not:

    • If you bm'ed or annoyed me during the game or played overly selfish at the end (not unhooking a teammate even though you had ample time to do so safely), you most likely won't get any mercy.
    • If your whole team threw the game by giving up, killing on hook, I'll let you out. But I won't farm with you, if you waste my time, chance is you get killed for it.
    • If you are the last survivor, admit defeat to me (standing still / not running away or sacrifice your item) and I most likely let you escape.
    • If there are still more than one survivors, I'll not let you run free, even when admitting defeat. But if you are dead hook and others don't, I might let you slugged to find some target (I usually spread hooks if I can afford it).

    Of course all that is not set in stone and may vary depending on my daily mood.

  • tjt85
    tjt85 Member Posts: 988
    edited November 2023

    These days I normally let the last Survivor go. Either as a mark of respect for a well fought match where everyone tried their best (because someone ought to get out) or a consolation prize for a very rough match up.

    The exception being if there are two left and I only find one Survivor still on the gens, then I go looking for the other. If I can't find them and I have to sacrifice the other player, I will try my best to make sure the last Survivor who hid doesn't escape.

    No mercy for players that hide and wait for hatch.

    I also let Survivors go if it's early in an event, if they make a peace offering early game (dropping their items) or they just want to meme around. Then I'll probably turn friendly. Depends on my mood, though.

  • adsads123123123123
    adsads123123123123 Member Posts: 1,132

    Never.

  • Grigerbest
    Grigerbest Member Posts: 1,836

    Here how I work with that xD:

    1. When survivor played so good, that it's almost cost me a game (they run me for a really long time and outplayed me at many loops) - there is no way, I'm letting you die on this match, it will be not fair.
    2. "Giga-chad" survivors who always there for their teammates, even if it means that they will die, they will make sure YOU escape. (For example: 2 last survivors, 1 of them got hooked, the other one on death hook going for a save anyway, going down while doing so but saving a teammate) - I will even carry their body to the exit gates, I don't care.
    3. The most common one - If you the last survivor and you gave me a "gift" (put your item down). But it depends, on how much you BM-ed me in the match.

    It also depends on my mood tho. Usualy I'm not playing a game when I'm not in the mood, but If I do, I don't think I'm gonna let anyone escape, despite these points above...

  • Xernoton
    Xernoton Member Posts: 5,887

    Depends. Will you be a good survivor and loop really well?

  • Dwight_Fairfield
    Dwight_Fairfield Member Posts: 7,096

    If they're Dweet 🥹

  • Evan_
    Evan_ Member Posts: 547

    You should also master holding 'W', and you are likely in the top 20% of survivors. :]

  • Evan_
    Evan_ Member Posts: 547

    If I'm spared, I won't touch a gen for the rest of the trial. Mainly because I always wished the cute rookies I didn't finish off in the past did the same. Finding them on gens all the time afterwards always makes me question if I made the right call. :]

  • MarylinMonhoe
    MarylinMonhoe Member Posts: 132

    If I crushed the survivors team, like 2 deads and 0 gens

    Or if you showed personnality (the most important criteria)

  • Triplehoo
    Triplehoo Member Posts: 705
    edited November 2023

    For me, there's a 99.99% chance that I will let survivor, or survivors go, if the following happens during the match:

    1. If the first hooked survivor kills him/her on the first hook within a few minutes into the match and they have all the gens left
    2. If you play fair and square. If you're actually trying to escape and do gens, I play fair also. Some flashlight saves and rescues here and there are just fine and encouraged. But if your whole purpose is just to bully me and and not do gens, be prepared to get tunnelled and slugged the hell out
    3. If I see that all the survivors are new to the game, or aren't that good.
    4. If I see a survivor doing hacks/cheats
    5. If you're the last survivor and I see that you were actually trying to play the game and lost only because the others doing some stupid crap
    6. If someone DC's early in the game

    Keep in mind. This doesn't necessarily always occur. There are so many variables that can affect my mindset during that day.

    Post edited by Triplehoo on
  • Akumakaji
    Akumakaji Member Posts: 5,487

    Sometimes you see a survivor that falls for every mindgame, runs into the open and fast vaults when they should do it silently, then you know that it's a Newby; bonus points if they run default Dwight or Claudette outfits. These I usually let go, BUT in tight games even this players can lose you the game, because they just as easily do gens. Still, new players need not to experience the game at its worst. Whe you let them wriggle off, a clear sign that they are newbies is when they don't interact with you, but book it and never look back, like it was just some fluke that they wriggled out :D

    If there is a 3man SWF with one obviously not part of their group, I might try to orchestrate that person getting out, but that's often easier said then done.

    And I regularly let the last survivor go, even though 2/3 of the time the other survivors get angry at that and claim that I let the wrong survivor live. You can't please everyone :D

    BTW, event item users are, I admit it, one of my prime targets, especially with Franklin's, as they often will do stupid plays to get their items back, and he game is tough enough these days with survivors running every loop perfectly, greeding like mad and splitting up on gens, so I take this opportunities where I can.

  • Cypherius
    Cypherius Member Posts: 144

    If i am playing seriously i give hatch or gate if the survivors where chill and fun or if the match was unfair in my favor. For example:

    1. if someone gave up early in the match. Annoyingly common when i am playing Wesker.
    2. If the match snowballs too much in my favor
    3. One survivor was really good at looping or at least playing smart but is still losing because their team is throwing the match. That good survivor is allowed to escape
    4. If one survivor is clearly newer and struggling i will play nice towards them specifically. This is not very common though.

    If the team is playing to win with meta perks and good gen efficiency i will match their energy. No free escapes at the end.

  • MrDrMedicman
    MrDrMedicman Member Posts: 303

    Unless I have a challenge to do, if they drop their item, didn't tbag, and didn't try to blind me (any one you don't need all 3) I'll generally let folks go.


    If they get 5 generally and no kills, I'll even open the gates for them


    Even if it's a 4 stack sweat fest

  • Xyvielia
    Xyvielia Member Posts: 2,418

    Survivors go free as often as they outplay me, and/or as often as I want them to, since I’m not the Entity’s full-time sacrifice puppet.

    Last Survivor usually goes free, unless they desire endgame impalement.

    Occasionally I’ll find a group of Survivors whose skills and gameplay I enjoy, and let them all go.

    I just don’t need to be justified by a 4K

  • Krazzik
    Krazzik Member Posts: 2,475

    If one of the survivors kills themselves on hook or just clearly gives up then I'll usually get the other 3 survivors on death hook and then let them go. Course some survivors will then just give up themselves or hide and let the others die on hook so it's not perfect.

    That or if MMR gives me clearly baby survivors then I'll get them all 2-hooked and let 'em go. (though then my MMR goes down and I'm even more likely to get baby survivors so that kinda sucks too)

  • Sava18
    Sava18 Member Posts: 2,439

    Super early dc/suicide and pretty much always afk after I get 3 because playing the gate game is so boring.

  • EQWashu
    EQWashu Member Posts: 5,105
    edited November 2023

    I let survivors go pretty often (not all the time, but more than half of my Killer matches in a given night unless attempting challenges/achievements). I don't always have rhyme or reason to them, but I have a few that will curry favor with me, as it were lol

    • Played well, and did a lot to try and help the team escape, even to the point of always being in the terror radius to get the last gen done and the doors open, looping as long as possible, etc.
    • I enjoy a good game of just funnin' around with everyone (not farming, but being silly), and worth a free escape pass from me <3
    • If I feel the Survivors are new. I've had this happen before, and have gotten better and telling right off the bat, and will let them get accustomed to skill checks, may chase (and maybe hit once) to get them used to chases/healing/ being injured.
    • Snoot boops or prezzies... so long as you don't break the in-game rules during/after a match... I can't go against my personal code and give the Entity boopers & magpies 😭
  • CatnipLove
    CatnipLove Member Posts: 1,006

    Memers get the VIP treatment. If I turn around and find someone's giving my Nurse a spanking, I'll walk them to the gates myself.

  • LordGlint
    LordGlint Member Posts: 8,688

    If BP offerings like BPS are played and I can tell who played them, I try to remember how many hooks they got so I can let em go after 2 hooks. I try not to make it blazingly obvious I'm doing that since farming matches are boring but... if I down someone on deathhook, I might give em a little nod before walking away.

    I also might take pity on ppl who don't give up early. If there's 2 survivors left at 3 gens and they arnt just waiting for their teammate to die so they can get hatch... I might just let em go depending on my mood. I'll show em where the remaining gens and hex totems are, then we can do a slug race at the exit gates.

  • DragonMasterDarren
    DragonMasterDarren Member Posts: 2,873
    1. They played well/their teammates screwed them over
    2. They aren't the Obsession and I don't have Rancor

    Those are my two conditions

  • Crowman
    Crowman Member Posts: 9,570

    I don't. I've seen too many survivors be toxic over being given the hatch that I just simply no point in being nice.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,554

    Here are the big ones for me (the precondition is no obnoxious teabagging. If you teabag at pallets, etc you can die)

    -Memers get VIP treatment. As an example, you set up bar in Dead Dawg or run the store in AutoHaven, well, a serial killer has got to have a drink and some snacks to pass the time

    -The survivor asks for it. You stop, face me, and crouch respectfully and, hey, I don't know if you've had a bad day or need an acheivement but we're all just players. I'll help you out.

    -A bunch of double BP items were played in lobby.

    -A survivor plays RPD. I loathed my experience getting Outbreak Breakout and I'm assuming you played it for the acheivement. It's farm time instead and you open the gates; I won't touch them.

    -You're the last survivor left alive and never BMed. Take your pick of hatch or, if there is 1 gen left, getting your Left For Dead acheivement.

    -Someone teabagged me early at a pallet and I hard tunneled them out for it. I normally just farm with the non-BMing survivors after.

    -I quite often slug for pressure and your teammate was willing to let you bleed out to try for hatch. You get picked up and get to wiggle off while I then kill your teammate. Same thing for sandbaggers. You try to get your teammates killed; I kill you and your teammates get to farm.

    -It's a meme game for me. For example, I quite often meme with jumpscare Mikey on an indoor map or put on the winter skins and meme around with Trapper during the holidays (and with icy Ghostface for when we can jump into snowmen as well). I have Killers I meme with and Killers I kill with and try to not mix them.

    A game's supposed to be fun and I don't find being really competitive to be relaxing hence my list above.

  • Vanishlord
    Vanishlord Member Posts: 555

    Newbies I feel really bad because they really are trying but sometimes they don't know how to escape I try carry them to the exit gates and they don't get it so I just try my best. and if they are trying to be friendly I will let them go. If I am pig I put bear traps on their heads and sometimes they understand what I'm trying to do and we have our own little live or die game. Those who pass get to escape those who's heads explode are dead. I'm not someone who cares about 4ks or winning all that much so.

  • RaSavage42
    RaSavage42 Member Posts: 5,566

    If I get 9-11 hooks before 3-4 Gens are done I'll let the last one escape... hatch only

    Or if I play Observer Wraith

  • NerfDHalready
    NerfDHalready Member Posts: 1,749
    edited November 2023

    tbh i only do it out of pity. if all the survivors looked brand new, or the person is outstandingly better than the rest, or their teammates played selfishly. or if i had to slug the person way too much (be it because i needed pressure throughout the match or didn't want to give their teammate the chance for hatch).

    edit: or if 3-4 cakes are played and i want to show my appreciation.

  • ironligma
    ironligma Member Posts: 121

    This pretty much sums up me. If you try, I'll respect it. Very rarely I'll get frustrated and not let people out.

  • Yatol
    Yatol Member Posts: 1,960

    Usually when the hatch is nearby.

  • Astel
    Astel Member Posts: 661

    When I just feel to do like that.

  • coco_shotz
    coco_shotz Member Posts: 249

    Descriptions don't take away from actual game experiences. I do not play with any of the 1% of killers you're describing since it's not exactly a common thread for killers to let survivors go. Also I don't believe that all these posts just consistently let survivors go and are probably just saying the one time tht did as if they do it all the time. Don't get smart with me

  • CountOfTheFog
    CountOfTheFog Member Posts: 2,541

    I let any and all Nancy Wheeler players escape. I love her too much to hurt her ❤️

  • pigslittlepet
    pigslittlepet Member Posts: 483

    If your team specifically tries to kill you or bodyblock you I will let you have a front row seat while I slaughter them and escort you to the hatch. Other than that mercy is a thing of the past. Since I don't like running gen regression I need to be going full throttle and that leaves little time for mercy.