Concept Proposal: Balanced System to Address Tunneling & Slugging Without Hurting Killers

If the hook is broken, then you carry a survivor to another hook. The radius of the downed survivor stays with the survivor, not the spot where you downed them. The guaranteed hook comes from the Killers immediate decision to hook the survivor within the 45 second window of downing the survivor. If the Killer, for whatever reason, cannot hook within 45 seconds, then they get the hindered effect. So again, this is to deter Killers away from slugging survivors by pushing them to hook, otherwise they get the debuff.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed response — you bring up some solid concerns, but I think the proposed system actually covers more of these issues than it might seem at first glance. Let me break it down point by point:

“This isn’t enough. Quieter is irrelevant… 10 seconds is very little… does nothing about tunneling off hook.”

I get where you’re coming from — if the protection window is too short or weak, it doesn’t meaningfully help against tunneling. But full silence or longer invulnerability-type effects can easily swing things too far in the other direction and make fair chases impossible for Killers who aren’t tunneling.

The goal isn’t to eliminate tunneling entirely — it’s to make it less efficient. The 5-second Haste and reduced scratch marks/grunts of pain give the unhooked Survivor a small but meaningful chance to reposition. Killers can still commit if they want, but they’re spending more time and losing map pressure if they do.

This version keeps the gameplay interactive — the Killer chooses whether to continue the chase knowing it’s less efficient, or to spread pressure for better long-term results.

Also, tunneling off hook is indirectly discouraged through the Killer Incentive system, since the bonuses disable if the Killer tunnels (i.e., hooks a Survivor twice before everyone’s been hooked once). This gives an ongoing reason for Killers to rotate targets rather than chase the same person immediately after unhook.

“Too difficult to implement for the minimal change… Killers could play around it easily.”

Anti-Slug system is designed to be simple under the hood. It’s not a complex behavior tracker — it’s based on a timer + radius mechanic, both of which already exist in DBD’s codebase (think of mechanics like Terror Radius or Boon ranges).

A Killer would only receive the Hindered debuff if they choose to remain near a downed Survivor for 45 seconds or longer. That’s not punishing tactical slugging; it’s punishing intentional bait camping.

If a Killer slugs strategically and moves on, they never get the debuff. Survivors who try to bait the slug lose that advantage since the Killer can simply leave the radius — they’re stuck waiting or recovering. This keeps it fair, functional, and consistent with DBD’s design philosophy: reward active gameplay, discourage stagnation.

“Killers should be encouraged to play strategically and spread pressure, not punished for being aggressive… making things harder isn’t punishment…”

Completely agree — and that’s actually the foundation of my concept. The Killer Incentive system doesn’t punish aggression, it rewards smart aggression.

Killers still have freedom to tunnel if they want — but the optimal play becomes spreading hooks to earn bonus Bloodpoints and temporary aura reads on first hooks only. The moment a Killer tunnels (hooking someone twice before everyone has been hooked once), those incentives shut off.

This means the system doesn’t force Killers to play “nice”; it just makes smart, spread pressure more rewarding. Aggression still exists, but it’s refocused — Killers now benefit from making impactful plays across the map rather than locking onto one Survivor early.

As for the 3-second aura reveal: it’s intentionally limited to prevent abuse. It’s a small nudge toward awareness, not an overpowered wallhack. It lets Killers quickly decide where to go next after a hook without giving them excessive information.

“PTB isn’t big enough or long enough for proper testing…”

That’s a valid criticism of BHVR’s testing structure in general — but this concept accounts for that. Each of these features can be tested piecemeal or in combined sets without major reworks to existing systems:

• Momentum Protection can be tested as a standalone modifier to post-unhook states.
• Anti-Slug Radius can be applied to a single Killer or in a limited map rotation to measure behavior change.
• Killer Incentives can be toggled on or off server-side for specific matchmaking brackets.

This modularity makes it easier to test than large reworks. Even in short PTBs, you’d get measurable telemetry (time spent slugging, hook distribution, post-unhook survival time, etc.).

In Summary:

• Momentum Protection reduces early tunneling efficiency without removing Killer agency.
• Anti-Slug discourages bait-camping but rewards active play and decision-making.
• Killer Incentives reinforce strategic, map-wide pressure instead of repetitive tunneling.
• The system remains modular and testable even within BHVR’s current PTB constraints.

In other words, it doesn’t punish Killers for being aggressive — it rewards Killers for being efficient, strategic, and dynamic. Survivors gain tools to recover, Killers gain reasons to diversify targets, and overall match flow becomes more balanced and engaging.

I get where you’re coming from — tunneling and early eliminations at 5–4 gens are definitely frustrating, and I completely agree that something needs to address it. But punishing Killers through game-altering mechanics like gen progression boosts would cause more balance issues than it solves.

Your suggestion would make every early hook a potential game-ender for Killers. If one Survivor gets tunneled out early and the next gen pops for double progress, the Killer instantly loses almost all map control — especially on large maps or against efficient teams. That would completely swing the match, not by skill or strategy, but by an arbitrary rule.

The idea behind my concept is to address the same problems in a fair, systemic way that doesn’t punish legitimate Killer play:

• Momentum Protection makes tunneling less efficient, not impossible. The Killer can still chase the same Survivor, but it costs them time and pressure — creating a natural deterrent instead of a hard penalty.
• Anti-Slug discourages bait-camping and promotes active gameplay, again targeting abusive playstyles without removing tactical flexibility.
• Killer Incentives encourage Killers to spread hooks and pressure without forcing them to — they’re rewarded for balanced play and lose those bonuses only if they tunnel early.

All three systems work together — they don’t punish Killers for playing aggressively, but they redirect aggression toward strategic gameplay that keeps matches healthy for both sides.

In contrast, a mechanic that doubles gen progress for early eliminations would create a “swingy” meta where Killers are punished for securing downs too early, even when playing fair. It would end up discouraging good Killer play entirely and lead to Survivors rushing gens to force an artificial power shift.

I get that you want harsh early-game penalties to deter tunneling, but making early hooks a “potential game killer” for Killers creates extreme swings that punish all players, including new or inexperienced ones. Not every early down is unsportsmanlike, and mechanics like double gen progress would unfairly favor Survivors while heavily discouraging Killers from playing strategically. Not only that but I think Killers would be more inclined to tunnel and camp to secure kills if they know the game is over. Seems like it would create more problems than fix them.

My concept tackles the same problem in a balanced way: the Hindered debuff only triggers if a Killer actively chooses to camp a downed Survivor, and Killer Incentives are disabled if they tunnel early. This discourages early-game tunneling without punishing legitimate play, keeps matches interactive, and gives Survivors a fair chance to reset or recover.

It’s a system that targets behavior, not outcomes, reducing unnecessary tunneling at the start of matches while keeping the game fair for both sides — rather than swinging the match drastically based on one or two early hooks.

You're right, it does punish avoiding pickups due to flashlights/pallet saves. At that point the Killer can either decide to down the other survivor within 45 seconds or go pressure those working on gens. And the Hindered debuff can be adjusted to whatever is deemed fair and balanced by the devs. Just enough to be a literal hindrance but also allows them to gain on those trying to save their teammate.

As for the 3-second aura read, you’re right — it’s minimal and mostly reinforces information Killers could already infer with map awareness or other perks. The goal is just a small strategic nudge for slower Killers without overpowering mobility-heavy ones.

And I appreciate you noticing — this kind of discussion is exactly what the community needs to focus on solutions over complaints.