2v8 Feedback

I'd like to start off on a positive note and say that 2v8 has been some of the utmost fun I've had playing this game since i started 2 years ago. I've finally been able to play killer with my best friend for the first time since 2v8's inception and have been every time it's brought back. I don't want this post to be entirely negative and I'll for sure delve into these positives but for now, as 2v8 currently is, it's not the greatest and can be so much better.

My biggest gripe with 2v8 right now is the on demand Sprint Burst the survivors have with the Escapist class. I believe it is unfathomably unhealthy, unfair, and just boring to go against. Having played the class I can appreciate the alternative use for it being used as Background Player. Playing against it however is a different story. Personally I have gone into way too many games with 4 Escapist classes and it's been an absolute misery to play - especially having waited ~25 mins for said game. The class gives poor survivors an absolute crutch in evading killer abilities, surviving tag teams, and ultimately their poor decision making. I have a clip of a survivor staring at me, running into a rock/chest, then pressing their "E" button, and then reaching a pallet - completely screwing me over and not being able to punish the survivor. My best friend and I notice this at a minimum of 10 times EVERY single match, it's genuinely shocking.

MAPS

The maps in 2v8 also need to be taken into consideration when balancing the mode. I understand they're meant to be big and have all these pallets but sometimes when I want a break from playing some of the stronger killers, there's just nothing I or my partner can do. Today even, I was playing Deathslinger on the cinema map, I felt genuinely hopeless playing a 4.4 mobility killer trying to traverse such a large and open map. The fillers and tiles and loops on every map being changed to accommodate… what? I don't even know. There was no reason to make such large loops on these large maps. I can only assume the thought of adding them was to combat tag teaming which rarely happens. The only killer that doesn't really care about these changes/loops is Nurse - that's it. Killers like Slinger, Huntress, even Spirit on some of these loops, struggle so much that you kind of need to call over your friend, and good luck getting that help solo queueing. Killers like Trapper, Wraith, Blight, Wesker, ranged killers; Pyramid Head, Dracula, Nemesis, all struggle to outplay some of the loops and tiles in this mode. It's truly degrading having to chase some of these survivors into these loops knowing you're forced to either waste time or break the pallet and watch them run to another that's 5 metres away.

I would like to also add that on the Greenvale Square map, the cinema map, when a survivor inevitably finds a Smoke Bomb (or two, or three, or four, or five), the entire map gets unbearably foggy and it becomes nearly impossible to see further than 30 metres in front of you. This has been a known bug since the map was added.

CLASSES

Builds for both survivor and killer are incredibly different. It feels like the survivors constantly have the upper hand having SB, Blast Mine, instant healing during chase, and rebuilding pallets. All while the killer has undetectable, haste… and some extra range on a basic attack.

I'll start with the Guide class. Being able to see generators, place Blast Mine on gens, and being able to open exit gates 15% faster - base kit. Upon being hooked they then get the Wiretap perk. It's already bad enough that gens fly in this game mode but being able to put Blast Mine and waste even more time is very crucial in the killer's eventual loss. I want to note that it was a really good call to remove the ability to repair gens faster with this class and I'd like to give props to that decision - I can see you guys care, even if it's just a little bit.

The Medic class has the Botany Knowledge, Leader, and half of Iron Will perks, and has their Scratch Marks removed after being hooked. Their ability is to heal surrounding survivors by 50%. I'm not sure if this was intended but I've seen a lot of survivors coordinate their Medic powers during chase, resulting in all pressure being lost and a lot of time being wasted. Something like this is incredibly unhealthy and unfair for the killers - especially the ones that don't have much chase power.

Scout is the final survivor class and arguably the best (interchangeable with Escapist). Being able to have Alert, Urban Evasion, have permanent killer aura as you stare at them as well as for other survivors, being able to rebuild pallets (like shack pallet, like strong pallets, like the crazy strong fillers mentioned above), and Fixated. This is absolutely insane. The fact 4 survivors can do all of this is just not okay. Rebuilding Shack pallet and generally really strong pallets is detrimental to killer's chances of winning or even getting downs/hits in general.

KILLER CLASSES

Because I genuinely care so much I'm going to go over the killer classes to compare them.

Brute gives you Brutal Strength, 10% Haste to your fellow killer if they're within 32 metres of you, and adds 8 metres to the gen kick aura reveal. That's it. Not to mention the Brutal Strength aspect of the class goes on cool down for 30 seconds. It just isn't enough for killers who rely on it like Slinger, Trapper, and Wesker, etc. N

Enforcer is an interesting one and is pretty innovative. 3% Haste while chasing an injured survivor is pretty minute and half the time doesn't do enough. When your killer friend injures a survivor they get a mark, once you down them with the mark, your friend gets 60% lunge on their basic attack for 15 seconds, this is not enough time to use it effectively, and quite useless on some killers like Huntress, Nurse, Nemesis even. This class also gives you a 4 second bonus to the aura reveal timer after kicking a generator - i think this speaks for itself.

Fearmonger is only good on 2 killers; Wraith and Spirit. 5% Haste while unseen is such a niche ability that it's useless on 95% of the roster. you give your friend 10% Haste when downing someone if they're further than 16 metres away from you for only 10 seconds. Then you lose the Haste bonus. When a gen is completed any survivor that hasn't been hooked yet are revealed for an addition 4 seconds… yeah…

Shadow is my favourite class. Undetectable for 60 seconds after hooking a survivor is so nice. 5% Haste while within 32 metres of your teammate and 25% cooldown reduction for the ability just isn't enough to be honest plus it's pretty counterintuitive to be near your team mate on such a large map. The reveal skill is just an extra 4 seconds after starting chase with someone. These are just so minute and barely have an affect on the match. I love this class with Billy, Oni, Slinger, and Wesker the most but i do think it's nice on anyone. That's all it has going for it; the versatility.

Now that we've compared the vast range of buffs the survivors have to the minimal and lackluster changes the killers have, I implore anyone to test killer out and truly find some kind of value in such small numbers in stats.

KILLER BUFFS

I'd like to talk about killers and their personal buffs, I won't go over every killer but just 4, Billy, Oni, Pyramid Head and Dracula.

Billy's personal buffs are something… Spiked Boots and Low Kickback Chains (minus 3% for some reason) are not enough for Billy. I understand he's strong already but with so many obstacles and pallets and loops, he's just very meh to play.

Oni on the other hand as more to his changes: 15% extra movement speed in Demon Dash, bonus 10% in Demon Dash activation timer, 15% passive power gauge increase, added 12 metres to Blood Orb pick up range, and Increasing the turning speed of Demon Dash by 20%. These are good changes, Oni is actually balanced.

Despite these vast differences, 2 very strong killers struggle greatly to win games or even tie them.

I won't go into Pyramid Head's exact stats but he has increased recharge time, increases the Rites of Judgement (Jam, Sauce, Barbed Wire, etc.) by 20 seconds, increased range by 1.5 metres, killer instinct increased by 3 seconds. This is a lot for an already weak killer, but everything else about 2v8 overpowers this killer. The range isn't enough, the width needs to be increased (Black Strap), and there's currently a bug where his ranged attack doesn't even go out properly (I know verticality is a factor, this was not a factor in which this bug occurred for me).

Dracula is considered a high tier killer, of which he is not in 2v8. He only got a pounce increase by 1 in Wolf Form, 10% decrease cooldown of Hellfire, teleport distance in Bat Form by 20 metres, and a Shapeshift cooldown of 10%. These simply aren't enough to combat the pure clunkiness of Dracula trying to win constant 1v1's on a pallet riddled massive map.

Me and my best friend are fans of both of these killers, especially their respective franchises, and we were so hyped to play these killers in 2v8. We were sorely let down after playing these two to the point that I refuse to play either of these killers because I want even just the slightest chance at an enjoyable match.

2v8 went from a fun experience to having to constantly think about which killer which of us is playing and deciding if it's worth running the risk. If my friend wants to play Dracula, I will actively choose a killer that is strong. If i want to play Slinger, my duo will choose a killer that is strong. To balance it out is to disregard comfortable mains and choose stronger killers. This can't have been intended.

Another feature of the game is slugging. This is quite a topical point of discussion within the community. I think killers that snowball like Billy and Oni have half of their power denied when survivors can get themselves up in 12 seconds. I have encountered many instances in which I've downed a survivor in a pallet and I can't pick them up because there are multiple survivors around for a pallet/flashlight save. All the survivors have to do is bait me or my duo for a few seconds and voila! The slug is already up - all pressure gone, all time wasted, all for nothing. I understand survivors don't like it and I also have personal experience in the field as well, but that's kind of what they're designed for, especially Oni.

SURVIVOR POV

Survivor gameplay is very chill and laid back compared to killer. I'll go in for a game, auto pilot a gen, open a chest, save a survivor, and boom we're down to 3 gens in what felt like 2 minutes. I can comfortably run to a pallet and drop it with no consequence, run to the next, and the next, and into a new tile, and back out to another pallet, all the while a Scout behind me is rebuilding the pallets I dropped. It's seriously such a different match for survivors than the killers and goes to show how much harder the killers have to try and win compared to survivors.

It really does suck being tag teamed but in having it happen I know my team are getting free gen progression. It's a smart tactic for a short time but it really isn't long term.

Another factor is the gen count. I think it should be 10 gens to complete instead of 8. I say this because in 1v4 five gens need to be completed. It isn't fair.

END

All in all, I love 2v8. There have been so many ups and downs for this game mode and currently it's been in the worst state it's ever been in. Overall it isn't a fair experience for killers at all and I hope the devs make some adjustments in support of the killer players who keep the mode alive. I believe we're owed just that.

If I may implore any survivor mains who might see this as an attack to try killer out and see for yourself. I myself am a 50/50 role player and see both sides of the coin. If I've made a mistake anywhere please let me know.

This post isn't to create discourse or drama, I am giving in my two cents on 2v8 as a whole and I admittedly have had enough. I feel like I need to say something.

Have a good day :)