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Shoulder the burden what happened?

TonTon
TonTon Member Posts: 82

I seen many CC and people say STB is an extremely strong perk that will change DBD.

Except in my many matches I haven't seen this perk at all except once and they just used it to go next faster.

Why is nobody using this perk?

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Comments

  • Reinami
    Reinami Member Posts: 5,657

    Like most of these types of things that are really strong, in solo queue its a pretty bad to okish perk, but in the hands of a coordinated SWF it is extremely OP.

  • Dustin
    Dustin Member Posts: 2,325

    The same thing was said about Reassurance. The reality is most people don't want to run perks that help other survivors because they're more easily focused out of the game that way. It's also difficult to know when the right time to use it is.

    I actually have it equipped but I believe I only have a good opportunity to use it 1 out of 5 games even if I don't get hooked. I see no reason to use it on someone who has gotten single hooked and a lot of the time if they are getting tunneled I am either not present to save them and use the perk or people do not know I have it equipped and disallow me to use it.

    Then there are occasions where I can use it but it would result in me likely being focused out of the game instead. So a lot of the time without luck or communication it's a wasted perk slot.

  • LockerLurk
    LockerLurk Member Posts: 29
    edited January 2

    It is strong but it's very niche and requires high coordination to make it that strong. The perk can make or break games, but you need communication and most players really are not in SWFs with comms.

    And those that are in SWFs with comms are usually idiots like me, who just get onto Discord and shriek into the mic at each other discussing the latest films while we get destroyed by a Huntress who feels like she's in the battle of her life.

    Honestly too, I think it's better if perks that are very strong are also super niche. Potential Energy takes actual talent and skill to use right. Weaving Spiders is powerful but also takes specific setups and actual skill as a SWF to use right. I think Shoulder is in the same category and that is perfectly fine. I'd maybe like to see more Killers be this sort of "strong in the right hands with the right skill level" stage too, I think some of the stronger ones are too easy to use well and some of the weaker ones way too hard to use well.

    Post edited by LockerLurk on
  • UndeddJester
    UndeddJester Member Posts: 3,531
    edited January 2

    Fundamentally it's use relies on you trusting your teammates to make good use of it... There is no point using it on a Bambi who goes down inside 10 seconds, and there is no point using it if the killer isn't tunneling.

    You need a LOT of faith in the person you are shouldering the burden with that the risk of your own health state will be worth it.

    Then there is the fact we're in the spineless era, where a lot of survivors give up far too soon. What this perk does is grant the survivor team time... but if they've already given up and started playing for hatch, you can buy them 5 minutes and it still doesn't matter.

  • RpTheHotrod
    RpTheHotrod Member Posts: 1,989

    You probably have not been going against coordinated SWFs. That's where it's broken.

  • Devil_hit11
    Devil_hit11 Member Posts: 9,169

    i think it's the best perk in the game. adding 2 extra hook states to the team is crazy time loss for the killer. i think only downfall of the perk is that you need multiple shoulder of burden equip to get value from it and it has the deliverence effect where you don't want to use it if your the one that get hooked. that makes it a gamble in soloq. if you use it when another person is on 2nd stage, the killer might tunnel you now but when another person has the perk, the risk of the killer tunneling you goes away.

  • Gunshow
    Gunshow Member Posts: 28

    I think it's been addressed above, but ultimately it boils down to it being a very strong perk, but it requires a coordinated team to be able to get value out of.

    It would help SoloQ if the pre-game lobby, or load-in screen showed what perks each player is running, similarly to how DBD Mobile did

  • Coffeecrashing
    Coffeecrashing Member Posts: 3,904

    I'm still having games where multiple survivors bring this perk, and they are purposely stacking or daisy chaining the perk. And they will use the perk even if tunneling hasn't happened in that game.

    And yes, this also happens when I’m playing the event mode.

  • crogers271
    crogers271 Member Posts: 1,951

    We have so many perks that come out where Content Creators talk about strong it is going to be, and then they drop it as well after the first few weeks.

    I think the bigger requirement for StB, far more than being in a SWF, is the player running it being an extremely skilled looper. Because if you take a hook state and then just go down pretty quickly, you haven't delayed the killer's elimination very much (and much less than other anti-tunnel perks you could be running). But if you are an amazing looper and you aren't worried about drawing the killer to you, then it can help.

  • buggybug
    buggybug Member Posts: 529

    Cause like blood rush killers over exaggerate alot and I already knew this perk will never used or if so maybe 1% chance someone use it.

    Swfs who know how to loop like me and my 4 man do not need this garbage perk since stuff like babysitter is way better

    Those claming this is strong in swf must be joking, total waste if a perk slot unless there is a weak link in that swf I guess lol.

  • Hex_Ignored
    Hex_Ignored Member Posts: 1,973
    edited January 2

    Because the perk is bad since most dbd players don't play in a perfectly coordinated 4 man sweat swf.

    For the average dbd player, the perk only provides value in one extremely specific scenario: the killer is hard tunneling one of your teammates without proxy camping (and ideally, the killer has no idea that this perk exists).

  • BurnedTerrormisu
    BurnedTerrormisu Member Posts: 239

    I play 99% soloQ and this is my everyday build: Kindred, Shoulder the Burden, Deja Vu, Balance Landing

    Usually i only unhook with burden if my teammate is second stage and these are the usual outcomes:

    • I get in chase first and I'm the first person on hook and the killer is tunneling me so i never get to use burden
    • Another teammate is at the hook before I can unhook with burden and the unhooker dont use burden so i can't take a hookstage
    • The killer is tunneling the person anyways because it's still the weakest link even he has to get hooked one more time
    • The killer switching targets and is trying to tunnel me out of the game because I'am now the most vulnerable target
    • Burden is doing its job and spreading the hookstages

    So yes, Burden can be a very strong perk but the missing communication in soloQ makes it hard to use it.

    Survivor in soloQ are usually pretty thankfully if you use Burden on them. This boosts morale and makes soloQ more bearable. For this reason alone I leave the perk in my everyday build.

  • TheSingularity
    TheSingularity Member Posts: 314
    edited January 2

    Bambi best word to describe a teammate who always goes down fast 😂

    Gonna use this from now on. Thanks 👍

  • jjthejetplane3
    jjthejetplane3 Member Posts: 38

    Correct me if I am wrong, because it could have been updated when it first was released; but the killer can also see if its been used and who used it, potentially making them the tunnel target. Again, I could be mistaken, I just remember seeing it when I was playing my killer matches at release. So that right there definitely is a deterrent. With how matches and games have been being played and the direction the game has been, that perk can be useful only if you don't want to be in the match long and you want to be a "guardian angel" to your team before you leave.

    That would be my guess. I'm more of a stealthy, altruistic player but how matches have been its safer for all and easier not to use it and unhook/heal normally. Sub another perk to assist in escaping or hope you have a good team to help take hits so you can escape and hide to heal up.

  • alpha5
    alpha5 Member Posts: 414

    For the same reason nobody uses Reassurance or For The People. When I bring these while solo I need 10 games to even have a chance to get value out of either.

  • Coffeecrashing
    Coffeecrashing Member Posts: 3,904

    The perk is overtuned in coordinated SWFs, where more than one survivor is equipping the perk.

    Killers at the MMR soft cap, should be seeing a decent amount of games where the survivors are stacking and daisy chaining the perk.

    Killers at low or average MMR, or solo q survivors, probably won’t see a lot of games with the perk being stacked.

  • Ghostofsnow
    Ghostofsnow Member Posts: 173

    I've seen literally one time it was used and got value saving me, but i was getting tunneled any way and it only worked cause i HAD anti tunnel on me any way and was done by a player just hiding a long time during the match,.

    if i want to help me team not get tunneled as much id rather bring borrowed time or for the people and a personal healing build with dead hard and DS for anti tunnel. which is much more reliable and doesn't compromise you nearly as hard as taking a hook state for someone that might not even have protection after and go down in 10 seconds compared to those other options.

    yes, for the people can break you, but that both encourages the killer to go after you and dead hard gives you a skill shot to effectively mitigate that drawback. while also giving great time efficiency

  • JPLongstreet
    JPLongstreet Member Posts: 6,056

    Bambi that's drunk with one foot on a banana peel and the other already in the grave! 😂

  • MaTtRoSiTy
    MaTtRoSiTy Member Posts: 2,153

    I don't think the perk does a lot in a match with the average solo queue casual, or even your average group of friends in a SWF who play together once every so often.

    But if you play with friends who understand the value of hook states and forcing the killer to spread them around, the perk is very strong.

    The reason I personally stopped using it in solo queue was the same reason I don't use Deliverance in solo queue; much like the Deliverance curse when I run STB I seem to always get found first and tunnelled hard, so I get no value out of it.

  • jesterkind
    jesterkind Member Posts: 8,012

    You've mentioned people "daisy chaining" the perk twice now, but does that actually like… do anything?

    If you're not trying to tunnel whoever it was used on, surely that just kinda shuffles around the hook states without it changing anything about how close you are to winning or how much time you're investing, right?

    -

    To the wider point, I think Shoulder The Burden is an interesting example for demonstrating the difference between saying a perk is going to be very strong, and saying a perk is going to shake up the meta.

    StB's effect is, unambiguously, exceptionally strong anti-tunnel. It even does a little in some scenarios where the killer isn't tunnelling, though considerably less. It being very strong doesn't mean people are actually going to run it, though- the need for a little coordination and the lengthy Exposed make it unpopular even though it is very good.

    That being said, since it is specifically an anti-tunnel perk, I would like to see it be a little easier to use. Changing the Exposed to an aura read would be a good way of still taking aggro from a tunnelling killer but giving lesser-skilled and solo queue players a significantly easier time actually lasting with that aggro on them.

  • Coffeecrashing
    Coffeecrashing Member Posts: 3,904

    “The killer could just make their first 4 hooks on 4 different survivors” is unacceptable counter play. It’s an unacceptable expectation.

  • Langweilg
    Langweilg Member Posts: 1,503

    It’s still unbelievable to me, that they nerfed it, before it reached live! Even without the exposed it wouldn’t be a good perk, because if the killer decides to go for you, you lose TWO hook stages and you are instantly on death hook. It also doesn’t help, that your teammates will die immediately, after you gave them your hook stage.

  • Coffeecrashing
    Coffeecrashing Member Posts: 3,904

    Increasing the number of hooks it takes for the killer to eliminate one of the survivors, is bad for the killer.

  • danielmaster87
    danielmaster87 Member Posts: 9,746

    It's really strong. It's additional uses of OTR, DH, Second Wind, other people's unhook perks, etc. People just need to realize when and how to use the perk. I don't think I've had a killer match that wasn't extremely hard while Shoulder The Burden was in play.

  • emetSdidnothingwrong
    emetSdidnothingwrong Member Posts: 329

    This perk is something that makes SWF stronger, not solo que. In a good SWF this perk is a literal game changer but that is because the survivors are coordinated but in solo que there is almost never coordination so this perk isn't nearly as good, also solo que players are often more selfish and are far less likely to give up a hook state for someone they don't know who will likely not repay the favor.

  • daddroid1
    daddroid1 Member Posts: 21

    My play style tends to stealthy and patient, so StB works for me in combination with Kindred. I generally use StB on my friends (we are NOT a coordinated SWF) but have used it on randoms if they appear to be tunneled or just weak on evasion. I’m glad it’s in. It is a niche perk, but aren’t most? I’m ok w being exposed using it, although it does seem a bit overlong considering it doesn’t change total hooks and doesn’t include any endurance. Halfway between the PTB and current would seem a better balance.

  • TwinsMain2004
    TwinsMain2004 Member Posts: 52

    Perk is not so good for most of the survivor player base as they'll be either too dumb to use it properly or their teamates wont be able to take advantage of it

    It's a bad solo q perk most of the time

    But in a swf it's arguably the best perk in the game esp a top SWF

  • Massquwatt
    Massquwatt Member Posts: 449

    Share the Burden is a really good perk, it just comes with a clear and heavy cost so the situations you use it might not always be clear or even appropriate for that matter. It's definitely niche but what it does it does extremely well and personally I think that's a good way to balance it given what it does. It should be a niche perk but it should also be powerful at what it does and shoulder the burden does both. I wouldn't want it to get buffed in a way where everybody starts running it because that'd just make for a horrible experience.

  • Coffeecrashing
    Coffeecrashing Member Posts: 3,904

    You're missing the part that when a SWF stacks this perk, it just ends up making everyone unhappy. Do you know how much complaining survivors do when I throw someone on a hook 5 or 6 times in the same game?

    Because when a coordinated SWF uses this perk, they will stack the perk if I hook the same person multiple times, and they will daisy chain the perk if I instead hook the person that used this perk. This means that it doesn't matter which people I hook, because the hook states will get spread out regardless of what I do, so I might as well just continue tunneling.

  • Akumakaji
    Akumakaji Member Posts: 5,491

    I used it quite a lot when it dropped, and it is a thing of beauty when it works, ie a killer is really hung up on tunneling one survivor out of the game and you just turn that plan on a dime with Shoulder … but for each such occurence, I had about 10 games, where the perk just sat there, doing nothing, or where I hit second stage before anyone else. Ideally you would wan't to use Shoulder in a situation where you are hookless and someone else is on second stage, so that you can quite literally "shoulder the burden" - in this regard the perk is a bit like Deliverance: awesomely strong when it works, but also comes with its own little curse attached, that increases the chances of you being hooked first/reaching second stage first by +75%.

    I might run the perk again, as I think its really good and strong, but its not as easily plug and play as something like Lithe or so, you really need to get a feel when its worth to use the perk and in what situations it will do more harm then good. It also helps if you are a pretty good looper, so that you don't just feed the killer, just by using it.

  • Devil_hit11
    Devil_hit11 Member Posts: 9,169

    refer coffeecrashing explanation. killers are not spreading hooks because it is less time efficient than tunnel hooking. shoulder of burden forces killer to spread hooks which artificially increases game length for the killer allowing survivor to rush gens.

    i haven't personally experienced much of this perk but i truly do believe that this is strongest slowdown perk for survivor. it's by far best anti-camping perk and potencial best anti-tunnel. a killer that attempt camp people to 2nd stage to kill them will take 2 extra hook stages of sitting on the hook before they can kill them and a tunneler cannot use tunneling in meaningful way to shorten the hook objective. they will be forced into maximum of 3 additional chases or minimum of 2. chases are like 60 seconds so it is 2-3 minutes of extra survival time for survivor before they lose -1 player. massive for gen rushing.

  • angel_pellegrino
    angel_pellegrino Member Posts: 110

    I think shoulder the burden will never be a popular perk because most people that play are soloq. And in soloq stb is dangerous as hell to use. I don't want to take somebody's hook state and then they immediately go next or get chased by the killer and go down two seconds later. If you're dealing with a real back to hook Harry, they're just gonna run back to the hook, down me because I'm exposed and then down "their prize tunnel" right after. Three hooks states all in one.

    I think streamers were all up in arms about this perk because they're in the absolute best position to use it, since they play this game for a living. High MMR and more than likely have lots of experience in a well coordinated swf. The rest of us are lucky if two other people touch gens and everybody just doesn't start going next, hiding in lockers or go akf at the corner of the map somewhere.

    The only time I might be tempted to use this perk is if somebody showed me they could loop the killer for ages. But I'm not sure I would take up a perk slot based on that hope.