Separate Casual & Competitive Modes + Adjust Abandon Penalties

I wanted to share some thoughts about the current abandon penalty system and how it feels in the current state of the game.

Right now, Dead by Daylight doesn’t really separate competitive and casual players. Even with MMR, everyone is essentially in the same matchmaking environment. That means people who are playing very seriously get mixed with players who are just trying to relax, test builds, or have a more casual experience.

When matches become heavily one-sided or clearly unbalanced, being forced to stay because of escalating lockout penalties can feel more frustrating than helpful. I understand why penalties exist — no one likes rage quitting — but in a system without a true casual mode, strict punishments across the board can sometimes increase frustration instead of reducing toxicity.

It might help a lot if there were a clearer separation between competitive and casual queues. A competitive mode could keep strict penalties and focus on match integrity, while a casual mode could be more relaxed for players who just want to play without that pressure.

I also think bringing back the self-unhook luck mechanic would improve the overall feeling of the game. Even if it didn’t work often, it gave players a small sense of hope and agency in difficult situations. Without it, some matches feel overly deterministic, especially when there’s no realistic comeback.

This isn’t about encouraging people to quit matches — it’s more about reducing forced frustration in a system that currently treats every match as equally competitive.

I really enjoy the game and just want to see it stay healthy long-term.