http://dbd.game/killswitch
Does BHVR have any plans for Invocation or is the perk type dead?
It has been well over a year since the last time we have gotten a new Invocation perk, the last one was released in november of 2024 with Doomed Course. Invocations are a perk type with so much potential, forcing survivors to give up something in order to gain a buff that will last the whole trial. But it is strange to see BHVR seemingly forget this perk type exists. Seeing the new survivor coming with the Grimoire chapter not coming with a Invocation was disappointing to say the least. I'm not sure if BHVR has run out of ideas for Invocations or they are just waiting to show one off with the anniversary chapter if it comes with a survivor, but i do not want to see this perk type go to waste from neglect before it really gets started.
Comments
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My guess - they're dead. I'm sure they have plenty of ideas, I suspect when the introduced the concept they had already mapped out lots of Invocation designs, but there are two huge problems.
The new idea about diminishing returns - so I don't know if this has been an overall philosophy change for BHVR, but one of the ideas with boons/invocations was whether they should be balanced around an individual perk, or if the idea was that a player should always be going all out (all boon perks). If they're totally changing their focus and looking for a balance point of view that each perk should be able to be balanced on its own, then they probably need to rework the idea of Invocations to fit that concept.
Radically, hilariously, overvaluing what these would be worth to survivors - The current version isn't worth running and it used to be so much worse, especially if we go back to the PTB were the original design the progress wasn't even permanent. I really, really want to know how the design team thought this perk would actually be used because it seems to be comically out of line with what survivors actually need to do in a trial.
So I imagine they have lots of designs, but after their previous versions were openly mocked and sit in the absolute dumpster of perk usage, they don't know how to adjust the concept in a way that people would actually use the Invocations so they've just moved on (okay, I'm sure its somewhere on their roadmap to 'rework Invocations', but it probably keeps getting pushed down the list).
All that said, I agree the concept is very interesting and wish they had a way to make them a viable game element.
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the concept itself is fine; it's just that all the Invocations could be problematic if buffed too much.
all I've ever wanted from treacherous crows is to remove the terror radius requirement then y'all will be dreading them birds as we enter pre run city
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Those perks are such cool concept, but failed in practice
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I actually really like the concept of Boons/Invocations, I just think they’ve caught such a bad rep that BHVR have decided to sideline them.
I think Invocations are probably a nightmare to balance. How do you design it so that the trade off for the survivor (being in basement for 60 seconds + being broken for the rest of the match) is actually worth it? But then they can’t make the effect too powerful because, unlike Boons/Hexes, once the Invocation is complete there’s no way to counter it. Sure, one survivor is permanently injured, but that doesn’t mean much if you play a killer like Legion/Plague/Ghoul, or if the survivors a good looper. Most survivors who are at least at an intermediate skill level are comfortable with being injured.
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I agree. I like the concept and I’m glad the devs are trying new things. The invocations could be fine if they were adjusted just a little bit to make them worthwhile to run. In their current state the downside is far greater than the upside.
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The concept itself is the reason it's dead, actually.
A perk that requires a survivor to spend a whole minute in one of the worst locations for them to be in, on top of requiring them to give up a whole healthstate, permanently, would need a colossal pay-off on the other side to be worth it.
And any survivor perk that gets remarkable pay-off is going to be the subject of complaints.
So these perks are by definition extremely underpowered, because balancing them properly would make them feel OP for the killer to face.
Invocations are therefor an unworkable concept and will always result in 'killer perks' where the benefit does not even match the cost. And remember, for perks, the benefits are supposed to exceed the cost.
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The main problem is the absolute ass condition that you get Broken after completing it.
Not only does it fully drop the risk-reward ratio into the basement, especially with Taurie's perk, but it also functions as a neon "Tunnel ME" sign.
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Invocation: Revealing Rodents
Upon completing invocation Revealing Rodents
Rats continuously chase the Survivor that has done the least Repair, Healing, and Rescue actions, or has been Chased the least.
When that survivor is in the killers Terror Radius, Rats lead the killer to their location.
Every time the killer chases this survivor, the rest of the survivors get a 10% Bonus to healing and Repair speeds. If that survivor is killed or sacrificed, this bonus becomes permanent for the remainder of the trial.
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Funniest part is that this would likely target the one doing the invocation.
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Well Invocations are supposed to be high risk high reward, so yeah, but if your team has a Rat problem, then it works as intended. 😋
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Not really, it just adds another rat.
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I'd honestly prefer if they gave up a hook state or something instead of perma injured, or some other kind of debuff
Or just temp broken, the time sync and a health state is more than fair for what they give.0
