Trickster Update

While the new VFX is a definite improvement, Trickster’s kit feels rather clunky and worse than his Live Version. To accommodate the style system a lot of his basekit was nerfed, which seems rather overkill.

I like the Style System, I think those are buffs that Trickster can keep, however I believe the Haste Increase from the Cut Thru U Single Add-On should be basekit as well.

His base 4.4m/s movement speed makes Map Traversal just that more difficult for Trickster, so it’s harder for him to get close enough to effectively use his power. You should test 4.6m/s & even 4.5m/s.

The 3.68m/s base movement speed that decays to 3.16m/s when throwing knives makes it difficult for him to combo his knives and overall makes him even weaker at loops, when this was a Killer that already struggled at certain ones. Live Trickster’s 3.86m/s was fine & it didn’t have a decay. Maybe make it 4.0m/s that decays to 3.68m/s?

Memento Blades Add-On should be basekit & toggleable. Making QOL locked behind an Add-On should NEVER be a thing.

The reduced knives to 36 can easily be felt, especially when he’s already so slow and Laceration decays faster than in Live. Keep the Live Decay & give him an even 40 Knives.

S Rank shouldn’t increase the Terror Radius, it encourages pre-running and punishes Trickster for reaching the rank. It also pressures players to run Undetectable Perks, which is a detrimental in any other Rank due to Trickster’s Lullaby.

Main Event being deactivated near Hooks makes sense: Trickster benefits a lot when using it as someone unhooks. However, the range of this deactivation is too big & it shouldn’t occur if Trickster is in Chase. I know the developers want to discourage Camping, however this is a bit overboard, especially when you consider indoor maps.

Overall, it seems Trickster’s Weaknesses are accentuated with these changes & his Strengths are dulled. The Top Trickster players may be able to get more value than with current Trickster, but everyone else is going to struggle to match it.

(I didn't write this with my own hands, but with the help of a translator app, as English is not my native language, so some words may be strange or unclear. I apologize for that.)

Developers, I've been maining Trickster since 2022, and this update is incredible. You've managed to make Trickster stronger, more enjoyable, more soulful, and more charismatic, and he's finally become an even more skill-dependent maniac. However, there are some nuances. For the sake of objectivity, I'll provide a detailed analysis.

1) The number of knives. This change significantly complicates the game for players who mindlessly hold M2M1, throwing knives in all directions just to hit, which is a good thing. Experienced players who carefully approach the ability of this assassin have also received a weakening, but it's not as significant. It would be fair if the add-on for replenishing knives after the climax wasn't red. Specifically, I would suggest limiting the number of knives to 32, while incorporating the red add-on into Trickster's base. This proposed change encourages accurate throws and severely punishes mindless use of the ability. However, it doesn't affect good Trickster players.

2) The speed of 4.4. I don't see any issue with this, considering the existence of the "CUT THRU U SINGLE" add-on, which makes Trickster a 4.6 kicker at S rank and a 4.5 kicker at B rank, which can be achieved very quickly. This speed is just right for Trickster to feel comfortable. The add-on is not red but purple, and obtaining it in the bloodweb won't be a problem if you frequently play as a maniac. However, considering the reaction of players to the change in his speed, I believe it would be a wise decision to incorporate this add-on into the base. It's not ideal when an assassin is a victim of a specific add-on. Additionally, without this add-on, the rank-ups don't feel sufficient. I also want to highlight a crucial detail: the add-on also encourages accuracy, punishing mindless use of knives. It's magical. Ranks will be challenging to achieve if you constantly lose knives.

3) Style ranks. With each new rank, the trickster really feels stronger (considering the speed addon). At rank S, his lethality is insane, considering his throw speed and movement speed of 4.6 with the aforementioned addon. The rank reset time is perfect for completing actions to increase the rank. The sounds of rank increase, rank reset, and the trickster's reactions are all well-designed and provide a satisfying experience.

4) Throwing speed. The base speed is enjoyable, and it's great to see the return of the boost.

5) Culmination. The developers' decision to prevent the use of the culmination near a hooked player does not prevent the player from camping the hook, considering the base throw speed at rank S. This anti-mechanic only hinders the ability to replenish knives using the pink addon. The radius is too large, and it's pointless, as this feature heavily punishes the Trickster and provides no assistance to the survivors. There were a lot of moments on the PTB where the survivors were running away from me about 12 meters away from the hook, but I couldn't use the culmination on them, even though I wasn't camping the hook. And when I had to camp, I didn't need the culmination.

As for the speed of the throw during the culmination, it's generally what I need, but I think it could be a bit faster, but it's still fine.

6) The cut scale: it starts to drop off quickly for survivors, which is normal considering how quickly the Trickster can fill it up again. It might be worth slowing it down a bit, but I haven't seen any issues with it.

7) Sound and visuals: the fact that the survivors began to see the climax is magical. How was it implemented? Bad. The purple glow of Trick is ugly. It's enough to add a purple/bright pink "burning" or fog behind it, as it happens during a pressed climax. It will look spectacular and noticeable. What is now on the ptB is bad.

The sound of knives hitting teammates when playing on survival is terrible, because you don't hear the growing sound as the 6th knife approaches. Both the 2nd and the 5th knife sound the same. Because of this, I didn't realize that my teammate's cut bar was almost full on the survivor, which resulted in me not giving him back at the right moment.

8) New lines. The voice actor did a very good job. The only thing is that the old lines stand out among the new ones due to the quality of their recording. Ideally, they should be re-recorded, but again, it's also fine. In general, after playing the "new" Trick for a long time, I stopped noticing the difference between the new and old lines. Maybe it's just a matter of habit? I don't know.

9) Addons: the rework is good. I was very amused by LUCKY BLADE, it's a good idea. The red addons are all strong, as they should be. Naturally, not all addons are useful, but it's almost impossible to make all addons good, so it's okay. The only thing I really hope for is the return of trick knives. As for the "EDGE OF REVIVAL ALBUM" addon, 32 meters is too far away to reach on most maps. To make it playable, the distance should be at least 24 meters. If we continue talking about incorporating "DEATH THROES COMPILATION" into the base, we can replace it with "EDGE OF REVIVAL ALBUM" but reduce the distance to 16 meters. This would make it a good, playable, and powerful addon.
Here are the most useful addons:
1)CUT TRHU U SINGLE
2)DEATH THROES COMPILATION
3)IRIDESCENT PHOTOCARD
4)TEQUILA MOONROCK
5)KILLING PART CHORDS/LUCKY BLADE/DIAMOND CUFFLINKS/TRICK POUCH
I don't consider the others to be useful enough to take them.

I think I've covered the most important points. I sincerely hope that the rework will be released, and I hope it will be improved.
You guys have really made me happy and ignited a fire within me. I haven't been able to get out of PTB for days, and I don't want to return to live servers.