Hex Totems (Proposed Rework)

~~~ The Issue ~~~

Hex totems have been reworked a bit to make them better for killers, though they still remain survivor-sided. Hex: Ruin has become a permanent staple in the large majority of matches across all platforms. Hex: No One Escapes Death is constantly berated, despite how easily it can be countered.

In short, the hex totems were a good idea that are balanced in theory, but not in practice. Survivors can too easily (albeit there are some placements that are disgustingly difficult to find) find and break totems just within the first five minutes of a match. This renders them useless, and the game becomes more a matter of defending your totems until the survivors make enough mistakes.

~~~ The Solution ~~~

Rather than a perk being wiped when a hex totem is broken, attach the hex to the survivor that cleanses the totem (afflicting them with the hex). The hex still affects survivors as it normally does while attached to a survivor.

Upon the next time the afflicted survivor is hooked, the hex is cleansed (removed, as it is now when a totem breaks). To prevent the killer from simply leaving the afflicted survivor to be the last alive, a random afflicted survivor is cleansed of their hex whenever a survivor dies. A survivor that has been afflicted with multiple hex totems does not have them all cleansed at once.

Make survivors who have been afflicted glow with a dark red aura at their feet (not enough to be seen from a distance, like the lanterns from the event a while back). Also allow the survivors who have been afflicted to show what they have been afflicted with on their status icons.

~~~ Examples of Situations ~~~

Hex: Ruin - A survivor cleanses a Hex: Ruin totem. The affect still remains, but the killer now wants to leave that survivor alive so that the hex remains active. This survivor now has a sense of safety, and can pressure the killer by being far more altruistic.

Hex: No One Escapes Death - To please both sides, and because this rework would allow it to work, apply Hex: No One Escapes Death to a totem at the start of the match like all other hex perks - but do not make the effects active, the perk doesn't change (in that the effects of this totem only activate after the last generator has been completed). To compensate for survivors being able to find it very early, give Hex: No One Escapes Death a slight buffer against the rework's mechanics. It cannot be cleansed upon being hooked, but it still has a random chance to be cleansed upon a survivor dying. This allows killers that fall behind towards the end to keep a card up their sleeve (not that many of the killers have sleeves), but removes the ability for killers who are already ahead to be ahead^2.

Hex: Haunted Grounds - A survivor cleanses a Hex: Haunted Grounds totem. The killer, unlike with other hex totems, would like to hook this survivor or kill another so that this hex activates. Strategically, the killer would like to hook this survivor near objectives that are being worked on so that they can immediately jump to other survivors. A survivor that has been afflicted with Hex: Haunted Grounds may also consider finding the second totem so that one is essentially wasted, or even finding a totem like Hex: Ruin so that the killer is forced to either keep or remove it.

~~~ Conclusion ~~~

Apologies for the wall of text. As you can see, this system brings about a new level of strategy among survivors and the killer. It allows the killer to be sure that their hex totems won't ever be wiped within the first five minutes of a match, and it promotes more altruism and team work for survivors. It (except in the case of Hex: Haunted Grounds) absolutely punishes tunneling and camping, favoring survivors as well.

Overall, both sides benefit and once you get past the logistics of it, the rework isn't all that complicated.

Thank ye for the read if you managed to read the whole thing. Let me know what you think.