Spirit vs. Hillbilly, my personal thoughts.

Okay so, first off this is MY opinion. Some of you respect that, and therefore I respect you. Others not so much. Keep in mind I've been playing this game for almost 3 years. If you disagree, thats okay. Just because I put a lot of time into this game doesn't mean I'm right. This stems from a discussion from a tier list I made, which looking back may not be the most accurate (I made it rather late at night). Therefore, I've been experimenting with different killers the past couple of days to really get a good grasp of them.

So, which do I think is more powerful? Well, I'm going to say it straight out: Hillbilly. Now, hear me out here. I've talked to a few high-tier players and they generally agree that Hillbilly is the better of the two. But I'm not going to base this argument off unnamed players alone, I'll throw in the strengths and weaknesses of both killers.

One more thing, this is about the BASE killer. No perks or add-ons.

About the Hillbilly. Some say Hillbilly is weak against loops. However, I disagree completely. When it comes to loops, its all about mindgames. You're not going to get a hit just by running around the tiles. There are some advanced Billy techniques that are hard counters to looping. Chainsaw feathering, for example. You rev up the chainsaw as if you were expecting them to throw down the pallet. Instead, you keep the chainsaw bar at around 5-10%. This makes them think they're safe for another loops, then you quickly unrev and get a free hit. Or, an even trickier tactic, curving. In the split second when you start the chainsaw sprint, your sensitivity is really high, allowing for some crazy corner mindgames. I've heard that Billy doesn't take nearly as long to learn than Spirit, which may be true actually, but Billy isn't an easy-to-master Killer. He has a lot behind him.

Now, this is the most important thing. Hillbilly has two things the Spirit doesn't: Consistent Movement and an instadown. Instadowns are massive in DBD, as they allow you to take your map pressure to its limit. Hillbilly's Chainsaw sprint allows him to move 2x as fast as your base movement speed. This allows you to cross the map in seconds, with only a 3 second cooldown.

Hillbilly has unremarkable map pressure and can singlehandedly keep all survivors in check while getting downs left and right. His ability to end chases in mere seconds is unrivaled by any other killer.

Tactics like feathering, faking, curving, zoning, etc. has the potential to shut down his weaknesses. Like jungle gyms and loops.

However, mindgames can always be outplayed. If a survivor knows exactly what you are trying, then you just have to deal with the loop.

Now, for Spirit. At this point, I'd put her at 3#. I don't think she's bad, not even close. I'm not new to Spirit, I even almost mained her one time. I've been playing Hillbilly for almost 2 years, so I understand him quite well. I'm less experienced with Spirit, but thats due to her release being quite recent compared to Billy's. However, I do have a firm grasp on how she's meant to be played. Lets cover her strengths.

If a Spirit can track, then she can know exactly where a survivor is without scratch marks or vision of them. This separates good Spirits from bad ones. Spirits ability to shut down loops is only rivaled by that of Nurse (obviously) and Clown. She does have fast mobility, with a lot more control over it than Hillbilly, however this wastes power and potential chases and you have to wait 15 whole seconds for it to recharge.

With Spirit, it puts the survivors in a panicky position. Unlike Hillbilly, who you have sight of 100% of the time, you can't see Spirit. This kind of stress causes mistakes on the survivor's parts. For example, when you stand still to fake out a phase, they have to take a 50/50 chance on whether you are phasing or not. Or when they are at a dropped pallet while you are phasing, they have to take a 50/50 chance on which side you will phase to. This kind of quick decision making will stress a survivor, making them more prone to mistakes.

However, Spirit does have counterplay. The seemingly overwhelming Dead Hard + Mettle of Man combo destroys her as of right now. It will be changed, however, so don't take that point to heart. Spine Chill can shut down a Spirit if used cautiously. But, Spirit's dependence on tracking leaves perks like Iron Will to be hard counters.

For my final argument: Both killers are amazing. But I believe Billy takes the spot for number 2#, as he has so much going for him. His advanced tactics counter looping, his map pressure is enormous, he has heavy mindgame potential while also taking a good amount of mechanical skill. He has an instadown, too, which is often overlooked and underestimated. Spirit has unpredictability and the potential to cause survivors to make mistakes, which can shut down chases pretty fast. But Billy can shut down chases even faster.