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New DS being used "offensively" why is it considered toxic/wrong?

With the new DS buff, many are talking about how they hate that people are using it as offensively instead of defensively. My question is why is it considered toxic to use it this way? I don't see many people talking about using a perk "wrong" unless it's about DS, I didn't even know you could use a perk wrong. It feels like a strat that people don't like, similar to tunneling or slugging, but it is still a valid strat, no? Not saying outright it's hypocritical I just don't understand how it's considered to be unfair or wrong when these other strats in the game are widely accepted and often encouraged. Thank you in advance for giving your explanations! Just trying to understand everyones point of view.

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Comments

  • crogers271
    crogers271 Member Posts: 1,809

    I don't get the argument either. If the perk was only anti-tunnel it would have to be way stronger. If a survivor runs over and blocks with a styptic/dead hard/health state etc it's all a normal part of game play.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I think that's my question. The "it's not the intention". I don't think tunneling or holding 3 gens is the intention of the game either, which is why the devs have implemented some base kit things to try and deterr it. But both are still considered a valid playstyle, and are typically defended pretty strongly. I understand why they are, as it can be the easiest and most fastest way to win, but it feels like a double standard a little, and I'm trying to understand why it's not. Thanks for the reply, I see you in the forums alot. You always offer intersting perspectives :)

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I can understand it feeling bad, but the point of my post is more so, why are some strats considered okay and fair while others aren't? DS in question in comparison to tunneling. People acknowledge how bad it feels to get tunneled, not many deny that, just like I'm sure it feels bad to be baited with a DS and forced to take the hit. There's been posts for years about tunneling and how it feels "punishing", but most explain that it's not personal and to gg go next. Why isn't DS being treated the same?

  • Spare_Them_Mori_Me
    Spare_Them_Mori_Me Member Posts: 1,665

    So OP, in this, there is already the decision made to tunnel. But, if you body block with DS, he WILL tunnel. See? So, again….

    Just follow this rule and try to enjoy the game, because "Since the DS buff, I've tunneled a lot more." You will get tunneled because BHVR buffed a survivor perk. Its what you deserve for being in a trial.

    But I am curious, what would make you go out of your way not to tunnel? Something has to happen in game? You just need to be in a good mood? Lemme know! @Xernoton

  • tyantlmumagjiaonuha
    tyantlmumagjiaonuha Member Posts: 573

    For a long time, this game has been about four VCPTs overrunning one mediocre killer with a variety of stumpers and flashlights. Not surprisingly, the game has been around for a long time.

    The M1 killer was dropped to an even lower position by the obsolescence of Butcher, STBFL, and buffed DS (by the way, have you forgotten BhVR's argument about Enduring being able to mitigate or not?)By doing this, you will only see Nurse and Bright above a certain rate band. Other than that, it's no wonder there are now too few playable killers.

  • sizzlingmario4
    sizzlingmario4 Member Posts: 6,898

    It isn’t necessarily toxic. It’s more that it isn’t the intended use of the perk and puts killers in lose-lose situations that feel bad for them and sometimes aren’t really avoidable, and isn’t really fair. It’s why DS + UB is a strong and popular combo. Usually it’s when you’re either bodyblocking or otherwise interfering with the killer while they’re trying to chase someone else (and thus not tunneling). Even if they slug you and you get up with UB, that gives the other survivor more distance for not a lot of gen time lost, as long as the other survivors are busy. If you do it properly it is more than worth it in terms of efficiency. If they eat the DS instead, then you have a bunch of distance on the killer and that other survivor is long gone.

    It’s always been something you could do, but the previous DS was a lot weaker (and wasn’t really good enough for actual anti-tunnel, 3 seconds was a joke in a lot of cases) so using it aggressively was a lot more risky because it was easier for the killer to punish the strategy (after all, you can’t use DS twice). Now it’s a lot safer again like it used to be before 6.1.0, so it essentially boils down to giving too much value for a strategy that isn’t difficult to do and doesn’t really involve any risk for the survivor. I have no problem with 5 second DS for actual anti-tunnel. The problem is it also punishes killers who are not tunneling.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    To this day 3-genning, tunneling, slugging, and proxy camping are still regarded as valid strats., which they are because there's no rules against it. The Devs have tried to make those strats less oppressive by adding some base-kit features, but people were very upset about those changes and some still are because they are/were deemed and accepted as valid playstyles, and despite the changes both strats can still be used effectively in certain hands. Most times when facing against playstyles like this, people say it's nothing personal, gg and go next. I don't understand why DS isn't being treated the same. Thanks for your perspective

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I can understand where you’re coming from. I just still don’t see how it is any different than tunneling or slugging or 3 gens etc. You could say tunneling punishes the person being tunneled, but the reply to that is that it’s nothing personal and gg go next. You could say that slugging for the 4k is punishing the last 2 survivors who are forced into this cat and mouse game, using a slugged survivor as bait and left to bleed out for 4 minutes, but again I’ve seen the reply as it’s a valid strategy and slugging for the 4k is perfectly fine. Etc. My point is that this idea of something not being used as “intended” isn’t new, and when anti-face camping, base kit BT, when generator kicks became limited, people were very upset because they believed all were valid play styles that didn’t deserve to be changed, even if those ways to win were not intended to be used in that way. Those play styles are still strong and still defended and accepted to this day. But adding 2 seconds to the DS so it becomes viable as a defensive perk, and usable as an offensive perk, is not being accepted as a strategy at all. It feels like a double standard, and I don’t understand it.

  • ChaosWam
    ChaosWam Member Posts: 1,841

    This is a great breakdown of it, and I'd like to add it's also killer dependent.

    Nurse, Blight or Spirit? They can afford to eat the 5 second stun and catch up quickly in most scenarios. Other killers, not so much. If you have survivors running OTR/DS, they can do things like activate all of Hag's traps they find, follow an Artist and deny any anti-loop crows by running into them, or go as far as willingly step into one or two of Trapper's traps because if Trapper grabs them they get their DS anyway.

    The buff didn't address this at all and lots of people warned BHVR of it. Something like restricting a killer's power for x seconds post 3 second stun or allowing killers to walk through survivors trying to bodyblock with it would have been a better step in the right direction. We already know good survivors were able to get value from the 3 second stun as is, and arguably 4 seconds would have been good too if it was accompanied by one of the two alternate changes.

  • Junylar
    Junylar Member Posts: 2,005

    DS should be disabled on interaction with a locker, so that it can't be abused. BHVR is being typical BHVR having made such a ridiculous oversight. That stock BT should also remove survivor's collision, and BHVR still are not able to implement it due to the spaghetti code.

  • sizzlingmario4
    sizzlingmario4 Member Posts: 6,898
    edited April 30

    Basically it comes down to this:

    3 second DS is too weak when used defensively (ie. for anti-tunnel), and balanced when used offensively. (I say balanced here as in, it still isn’t the way the perk was meant to be used, but it had a more appropriate risk factor if the killer eats the DS because it’s a lot easier for them to punish the offensive-use strategy.)

    5 second DS is overall balanced when used defensively (it gives the tunneled survivor a proper chance to get away now, which it often didn’t do before), and too strong when used offensively.

    BHVR saw that DS was too weak when used defensively (and it was), so they buffed it to a point where it is overall balanced when used defensively. But in doing so, they made it too strong when used offensively because there is nothing that prevents the perk from being used this way in a safe manner, and so it is frustrating to face when used this way. If it was only viable as a defensive option (ie. if there was some provision in the perk that prevented it from being used offensively), then there would be no problem because it could then be completely avoided by not tunneling.

    As you said, this change is not being accepted or well received by a lot of players - it’s because there were other ways the perk could have been changed to avoid this happening (or even to at least reduce the likelihood this could happen) while still making the perk good for anti-tunneling like it once was. Instead, it just got buffed back to 5 seconds with no other change and it was already clear that this would be a problem, because it was a problem for the exact same reason before the stun duration got nerfed in 6.1. The only thing that is different now compared to pre-6.1 is it’s not usable in endgame anymore.

  • Spare_Them_Mori_Me
    Spare_Them_Mori_Me Member Posts: 1,665

    If thats the case, I'll issue my apologies. But it just sounds like anything, EVER, is reason enough to do whatever it is killers feel they need to give a reason to it. And what gives more reason than an abundance of no reasons at all? Making everything a reason!

    Buffed DS? Time to tunnel. Survivor brought the invocation perk? Tunnel! (Sometimes by other survivors.. ugh). I -think- they tried to body block me. Tunnel. It will just go on and on and on. Even no reason is reason enough.

    Just tired of the broken record. Certain things make the game unfun. Both sides seem to take pleasure in making that the 'meta'. Its just getting old and I guess its starting to wear me down.

    So to be safe, ignore everything, and keep doing what you do, because why not?

  • Nun_So_Vile
    Nun_So_Vile Member Posts: 2,419
    edited April 30

    If they are offering themselves up to you, then why does it matter when you can ignore them, just slug the body blocker, or give them the attention they want if you're inclined. They are not doing gens during all the time they try to catch your attention. And as long as you don't pick them up they can only bodyblock once with endurance.

    Also, if I'm a surv with DS, and I have fewer hooks than the teammate unhooking me, then why shouldn't I be bodyblocking for that teammate? Especially in scenarios where the unhooker is on death hook? That's just advanced strategem.

  • Nun_So_Vile
    Nun_So_Vile Member Posts: 2,419
    edited April 30

    They could always do that to be trouble makers on live tho. The only difference is 2 seconds. Refer to my above comment. 2 Survs are not on gens progressing the objective and you know where they are leaving at max 2 doing anything actually useful for escaping (and thats assuming all survs are alive by that point)… sounds like an advantage you can capitalize on in your game.

  • CountOfTheFog
    CountOfTheFog Member Posts: 2,336
    edited April 30

    Oh yeah for sure. I was thinking of you this weekend! I played as The Pig to do her Tome 10 challenges lol. I got them all done! It was so different, being in control of The Scariest Killer in the game, The Pig 🐖

  • Nun_So_Vile
    Nun_So_Vile Member Posts: 2,419
    edited April 30

    What I'm seeing is the rise of DS Derangement Syndrome (DSDS). Players have all this hatred for DS that it clouds their judgment.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    Thank you for the very in depth response. I know from other posts I've seen you in that you and I probably have some different perspectives on this game, so if my replies or responses feel disrespectful or belittling in any way, please know it is not my intention. I'm not trying to pick a fight or invalidate your opinions, and if need be I will be the first to say respectfully, agree to disagree with no hard feelings because I appreciate being exposed to different points of view.

    That being said, your post breakdown does show how this can be very oppressive in the right hands, with the right perks, and the right survivor team. I can definitely see how this has potential to be a very frustrating time waster, and gives alot of value if played correctly. However I can't help but feel as if the example you picked was the worst possible outcome, and sort've writing off any other ways a game could go by saying "a typical game at high level with good teams", implying it will always go that way, using the worst case scenario as the base-line comparison. For example I can say that, "because nurse on midwich with something like starstruck, lethal, knockout and infectious fright exists, you have to balance an entire perk or game etc. around her", when of course we know that while god-tier nurse mains do exist, you likely aren't going to face one every single match, and those that play nurse likely won't have that level of skill, therefore it's unfair to try and use her as an example as to why something should or shouldn't happen. I believe there's plenty of items, perks, killers, add-ons, offerings, and playstyles that can easily seem "op" or unfair under specific circumstances that can vary anywhere from gen placement, maps, the other competitors perks etc.

    What I agree with from your post is that if everyone played as efficiently in your message, with a person running that exact build, against a killer that might struggle to catch up compared to other killers, that it indeed does not feel fun to play against. I understand why people are uncomfortable with this sort've thing being possible to do in the game, but my issue stems from the fact that many other things that are uncomfortable and acknowledged as so aren't treated the same. Tunneling, 3 gens, camping, slugging, things like that can also be extremely unfun to play against, and extremely effective, and often do not need special cirumstances or perks to work very well, and can be done by anyone ranging from Trappers to Blights (although one will have a much easier time of doing so of course).

    For clarification, I'm not saying these other playstyles shouldn't be allowed, as in the current state of the game, all of them are viable strats that have very high success rates and aren't against any kind of rules. I used to feel very slighted about being tunneled or slugged and was so confused how something so strong and unfun was allowed, but after spending time in the community and playing more I realized that they're simply strats that work, and to just move on to the next game. (This doesn't mean I don't have ideas to change some of these things) But I disagree with how readily accepted and often encouraged those other playstyles are in comparison to this one.

    To sum it up as basically as I can, I don't agree that the value you get from the new DS gives more value then the other strategies I've listed above. Equal? I suppose if every single survivor has that build and uses it as efficiently as possible, then yes. But not more. I think compared to something like MFT, where you got alot of value for just getting injured, this is much different than that, because you're not on gens, you're putting yourself at risk to get hooked again, and if the killer slugs to counter two survivors could end up going down when only 1 was going to, and that's still 2 less people on gens, plus the other who is going to have to unhook. It's wasting the killers time, but at the cost of two others time as well (the person using the DS offensively and the other person being chased). I don't feel it's "free", if that makes sense.

    Sorry for rambling, hopefully I've explained it clearly. Anyway thank you for your time and our reply!

  • Nun_So_Vile
    Nun_So_Vile Member Posts: 2,419
    edited April 30

    Haha, hopefully it was good things! Yes, Mandy is such a sneaky menace. I played against one yesterday on Nostramo Wreckage and she was appearing out of the fog like a movie monster! lol. Ended up getting us all; she did good. I am currently working on Slingers tome…i'm so behind 😂😭

  • Reinami
    Reinami Member Posts: 5,503
    edited April 30

    Its not the worst possible outcome. I'm tired of people telling me that "high level SWF kill squads are super rare" when i see them every other game. This is the kind of thing that happens to me multiple times in a single hour with teams exploiting the power of this perk and others along with discord. Just because YOUR MMR is low enough that it is rare for you to encounter them, does not mean we all have the same experience as you.

    I'm also tired of trying to explain, that just because something is rare doesn't mean it is balanced.

    Imagine a world where there was a killer only offering. And this offering did the following:

    • All survivors are mori-able immediately with no hook requirements
    • All survivors are permanently exposed
    • All survivors have 50% reduced repair speeds
    • All survivors have their aura permanently revealed to the killer.
    • The killer has a permanent 150% movement speed increase.

    Now lets say that offering has a 0.01% chance to appear in the bloodweb. This means that you would see this 1 out of every 10,000 games.

    Would that offering be balanced? Would it be fair? It would certainly be super rare, so you wouldn't see it that often.

    You can't just keep balancing for the "average" survivor player without doing something to these high level, high mmr survivors who often play in groups with discord. It cannot be allowed to continue, or you'll slowly kill this game, as has been evidenced by the slowly dwindling numbers that i, and many others, have constantly been saying for years at this point.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I understand what you mean by this, as it doesn't feel "fair" to use this perk against a killer who wasn't trying to tunnel. I think the issue stems from the fact that many killers who do tunnel also don't do so because a certain survivor "deserved it" they just tunnel the first person they see at 5 gens and don't stop until they're dead. I could flip this around and say, "Is it truly unreasonable that survivors trying to play the game are tired of tunneling because killers want constant value regardless?" And while many do complain about tunneling, it is often met with a simple answer of, "It's nothing personal, just trying to win, gg go next" That's my entire point with the post. Both strats are valid, both are unfun to go against, but one is accepted while the other is not. That's where the double standard comes in.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I never meant to imply that you personally never face survivor teams like the one you described, I was trying to explain how most of the playerbase doesn't play as optimally and efficiently as possible (and that's on both "sides") which is why I didn't feel it was a justifiable reason to revert the buff. If you are facing builds like this constantly and always facing a SWF then that means you're a very good killer! :) So congratulations on the skill, I'm sorry if it feels like such a sweat match for you every time, but I've heard that once you get very high in MMR that games like that are just to be expected. I hope you get more chill matches in the future.

  • Nun_So_Vile
    Nun_So_Vile Member Posts: 2,419
    edited April 30

    Maybe if it were any lesser-known perk, but DS has been hated since its inception. So even the tiniest whisper from the perk is amplified 50-fold. Other forum members have already posted about the double standard. It's been infamous for so long, and with so much content out there on it its hard not to already have a non-biased opinion of it, even if you've never faced it at its strongest. People already have their minds made up.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    Also sorry I accidently sent that mesage without finishing my reply. But on the post about the offering you mentioned, absolutely i agree it wouldn't be fair. I think the differnece is I don't think that this new DS gives as much value as the example you gave. I think even if played as efficiently as possible with the aformentioned SWF you talked about, that the game is still not unwinnable or broken. I think we just disagree on the amount of value this perk gives.

  • 100PercentBPMain
    100PercentBPMain Member Posts: 1,038

    perk value bad, mkay

  • WolfyWood
    WolfyWood Member Posts: 471

    Again this isn't a threat. Most killers are already doing this.

    I like having the ability to play optimally and expect my opponent to do the same.

    I think you should stop worrying about imaginary rulebooks and internet karma and just play how you want.

  • Yippiekiyah
    Yippiekiyah Member Posts: 488
    edited April 30

    When survivors are using decisive strike offensively it's totally obvious, dont pick anyone up after they've been hooked for 60 seconds just slug them to be sure.

  • hermitkermit
    hermitkermit Member Posts: 420

    I agree with this. If a person goes out of their way to weaponize DS then slugging is the counter, and shouldn't be complained about. I just disagree that it can't be used in any way that someone wants. My reason for this being 3 genning, tunneling, etc. valid playstyles that may not have been intended to be used they way they have been but are still accepted. I believe this DS offensive tactic is just as valid as those. Good luck in your future matches!

  • VomitMommy
    VomitMommy Member Posts: 2,257

    I don't think it's toxic, but it can definetly be annoying. Normally even if they bodyblock I would slug them, if they were just unhooked. If they jump into locker and force it, then I am going to actually tunnel them for it.

    But doing it is not really toxic in my opinion. They just want to use their perk, I am going to kill them for it, but they can try.