Focus on a Worthy Rework for Michael Myers

The proposed rework has good intentions, but in my view, it strays too far from the original essence of the character. The new dash ability, while fun, does not align with Myers’ identity in Dead by Daylight. As someone who mains this killer, I believe a faithful and balanced rework would be much more deserved. Below I present my thoughts and suggestions:

Slaughtering Strike

The implementation of this ability as the core part of Myers’ kit does not feel appropriate. Ideally, it should either be removed completely, or at most, incorporated as a mechanic exclusive to Pursuer Mode, without applying the Exposed status and breaking pallets more slowly than Evil Within does now. However, in my opinion, full removal would be the best option, as it would be more lore-accurate.

Evil Within

The best approach would be to keep the current version with 60 seconds of duration, which applies the Exposed status effect to Survivors, but with some additional improvements. Upon fully charging his power, Myers could receive a moderate bonus to Brutal Strength and Endurance, carefully adjusted so as not to be excessive, as a reward for activation. I noticed something similar already exists in Pursuer Mode, but I believe including this benefit also in Evil Within would add more value.

Another essential point would be to preserve the 50% increased lunge, which currently exists in the Tuft of Hair add-on. This trait strengthens Myers without breaking his originality, making the dash unnecessary.

Switching Between Tiers

This was by far the best change of the rework. For a long time, I had hoped for the ability to freely switch between tiers, and seeing it implemented was exciting. This update removed the need to hold power at 99%, making the gameplay smoother. Additionally, the buff to Myers’ lunge in Tier 1 (Stalker Mode) was excellent, finally fixing the infamous “T-Rex lunge” issue the character had for years.

Power Activation

One negative aspect is the slow knife inspection animation when activating the power. Previously, the transition was instant when the power was at 99%, which created fluid gameplay. This delay adds nothing and only hurts the flow of the match. Fixing this would not make Myers broken, just more functional.

Add-ons

In general, the rework of the common and uncommon add-ons was very positive. For example, the Flower Memorial turned out great by giving Myers 4.4 m/s movement speed while stalking, finally making the Scratched Mirror viable without needing closed-map offerings.

Among the uncommon add-ons, I think the Glass Shards could be reworked: instead of providing buffs to the dash, they could slightly increase Evil Within’s lunge (5%–10%), creating synergy without relying on Coup de Grâce. Another good one was the Hair Brush, allowing Myers to break pallets 50% faster, which works well in certain builds.

As for the rare add-ons, I have no major criticism, since they are situational but functional in the right builds.

Very Rare Add-ons

Lock of Hair: It became nearly useless, since the power can now be stopped at any time. With the faster stalking, there is no real benefit to interrupting the ability midway for only 50% of the remaining duration.

Tombstone Piece: Giving 20 seconds of Undetectable is almost irrelevant, considering how many perks already offer this effect. The better option would be to bring back the old Tombstone, removing the basekit mori on death hook when equipped, but allowing Myers to instantly execute survivors during Evil Within. This was the defining feature of the character: the constant tension of Survivors not knowing if they were facing a Tombstone Myers. This atmosphere was lost in the PTB.

Ultra Rare Add-ons

These could be redesigned to be more versatile in other builds, such as by using the old Tombstone Piece. For example, Judith’s Tombstone could remain as the PTB version, where Survivors are forced to hide in lockers to avoid direct death, which would in turn recharge Myers’ power. In this way, the Tombstone Piece could be nerfed beyond the current 300% to 375%–400%, just like it used to be. This would preserve Myers’ unique impact without making him unfair.

And the Fragrant Tuft of Hair, instead of being the old power, could be the current Slaughtering Strike, applying Exposed, usable in Evil Within with a 60-second duration, while removing the Exposed effect from basic hits. This way, both Ultra Rare addons could be combined while keeping everything balanced.

Conclusion

Myers’ rework brought some interesting ideas, but it strayed from the essence that makes him iconic. The removal or implementation of Slaughtering Strike only in Pursuer mode, the emphasis on Evil Within with the Exposed effect, the fixes to power activation details, and the return of the tension created by the original Tombstone would be much more faithful changes while remaining balanced and fully enjoyable.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I really appreciate your attention and consideration!