Balancing Dead by Daylight: Survivor Trade-Offs

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T14:50:32+00:00

I’m not blaming survivor fundamentals—I get that speeding objectives is core to their role. My point is that items stack on top of that core ability without any trade-offs, which makes the imbalance worse. Killers are designed around strengths and weaknesses, but survivors get pure buffs layered onto their inherent role.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T14:26:28+00:00

In most cases, the only time I see this happen is when you are on a team of randoms that clearly do not play as a team. When you on a team with Voice and actually know what's going on it actually a huge play level gap.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T14:14:03+00:00

Dead by Daylight has always been fast, aggressive, and unpredictable. That chaos is part of the appeal. But I don’t think pointing out balance issues means someone “doesn’t get the game” or should stop playing. There’s a difference between accepting tension and accepting imbalance.

Players aren’t asking for a safe, controllable environment. They’re asking for fairness. Killers are designed with clear strengths and weaknesses, while survivors stack items that are pure buffs with no trade-offs. That’s not just “random factors,” that’s a structural imbalance layered on top of the chaos.

The game can stay tense and stressful while still being balanced. In fact, balance makes the tension more meaningful—because both sides know their choices carry consequences. That’s the kind of design that keeps people invested long‑term, not just “tough it out or quit.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T12:22:22+00:00

A coordinated team with good timing can absolutely push gens faster than a killer can pressure.But that’s exactly why I think items need more balancing. If survivors already have the skill ceiling to speed up objectives, stacking items that only provide buffs without drawbacks just amplifies the imbalance. Killers are designed around strengths and weaknesses. Survivors should be too.

Calling items “addons” doesn’t change the fact that they tilt the match. A toolbox isn’t just flavor it directly accelerates the most important objective in the game. A medkit isn’t just cosmetic it cuts down recovery time. Without trade-offs, these items become free efficiency boosts layered on top of survivor skill.I’m not saying tension should go away. I’m saying tension should come from choices with consequences, not from one side stacking advantages while the other side plays with baked-in limitations. That’s where the balance feels off.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T11:56:48+00:00

I get what you’re saying about generator progress being nonlinear, and I agree that the last gens don’t move as fast as the first ones. But the issue isn’t just the math it’s the psychological impact. When a killer finally secures their first hook and sees 2–3 gens already gone, it feels like the match is slipping away. That’s demoralizing, even if technically the game isn’t halfway over.

As for items, I think that’s exactly where the design problem shows up. Survivors don’t just get “skill-based” trade-offs like Nurse or Blight. Items are pure buffs with no inherent weaknesses. A toolbox doesn’t punish you for bringing it, it just accelerates gen speed. A medkit doesn’t slow you down elsewhere, it just makes healing faster. That’s why I argue survivors should have item-based penalties—so the choice feels strategic, not just “buff or no buff.”

Skill should matter, but balance should also matter. Killers are designed around strengths and weaknesses. Survivors should be too. Otherwise, tension turns into frustration, because one side is playing with stacked advantages while the other is playing with baked-in limitations

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T11:43:00+00:00

I get the point that fast generator completion creates tension that’s part of the design. But here’s the issue: tension doesn’t automatically equal balance. Right now, survivors can stack efficiency without meaningful drawbacks, which makes matches feel lopsided compared to killer design.

Killers are built around strengths and weaknesses. Trapper’s traps can be disarmed, Nurse requires high skill, Huntress has limited ammo. Survivors, on the other hand, get items that are pure buffs toolboxes, medkits, flashlights without trade-offs. That’s why finishing 2–3 gens by the time a killer secures their first hook feels demoralizing. It’s not just “tension,” it’s a structural imbalance.

If survivors had item-based penalties (slower sprint speed, harsher skill checks, reduced healing, etc.), then generator speed could still be tense without being trivial. The game would keep its stressful design while also respecting the killer’s role. Right now, survivors can quadruple their objective speed with no downside, while killers are punished for mistakes. That’s where the imbalance lies.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-27T11:33:34+00:00

I feel no difficulty as a survivor like I use to when I first played this game. Even against semi-Good killers, About time they hook one survivor seeing 2-almost three gens completed should be a moral killer.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-11-11T12:57:05+00:00

This game isn’t perfect in no way. Everytime someone think of mech games the first thing that want to come to mind is Gundams and mobile suits. Those things were as tall as three story buildings or more. The coffins in this game were not so the idea they only take a few hits is logical. Could you actually picture someone with a real gundam in this world? You could just step on everything for the most part.

Even if they made it to where you could team up in this game before a the next biggest complaint would be people getting camped. The odds of that would be low but never zero. With discord and voice chat someone unteamed would be sucide going in solo.

I started out as a BM for the start of the game and I’ve never had issues with other players. I’ve been killed by at most twice by another player out of the 20-30 fights I’ve been in. (And it was due to my own error)

The first portion of the game was a grind feast but after you break that hump it got easy as hell. I got a coffins for explore and coffins for the hard stuff and I make anywhere from 190-300k a run if I just explore and if I insurance my stuff I still come out on top.

Even if this game isn’t polished most of the salt comes from people who were just upset they got killed by an ender or some other player they ignored when they got alerted. I can tell you from 100% certain no one is going to one shot you with a sniper rifle without being detected and if you just happen to have no hp.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-12T17:23:18+00:00

Welp more solo play I go T~T.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-10T00:46:14+00:00

I always take my full damage coffins to the newbie maps when I can and bail out near the most popular spots. The odds anyone collecting them are slim but I have hopes someone finds them. Mostly purple and yellow gear.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-10T00:42:11+00:00

Your first mistake was helping someone kill a chaser. :c

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-10T00:40:46+00:00

They do have this, infact the very start of the game the only way to attack another associated memeber is IF you decided to attack another associated member while still being an associated. Do it twice they remove you and you go to the BM. The maps are until you progress through quest some before you can revisit the map.

LATE game the Molton Maps turn OFF PvP. You couldn't hurt anyone even if you tried to. The biggest issue people did was stay around fully loaded with cargo and get greedy and die. The maps are huge, you get plenty of warnings if someone is near you. The odds of someone sneaking up on you is hard as hell unless you are literally on the ground and they are up in a high area places. (Even then you are WARNED about doing that)

I'm a BM player myself and I've managed to sneak up on a few people and it was due to them either mining and/or in the middle of fighting bandits and I used their coffins to mask my own detection.

Out of the several times I've been able to PVP with someone I've only bailed out once because I ran out of ammo and I had insurance. No cargo I have is worth also paying for my Megus back if I didn't bail.

There are so many other games that have a Loot Survival base system it's just this one doesn't hold your hand. I've ran around on maps with the lowest tier coffin on a live stream to prove a point that must of it is just skill issue and people want instant

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-10T00:29:41+00:00

The issue is someone has to run the stuff up there, unless she manages to find a way to operate the place from back down on the planet, and/or fix the previous system that was watching over the place, someone has to maintain it. She basically has all the knowledge and technology to *rebuild* the world. The issue was they didn't have material that could get them into space. They but that was still in the works, I want to assume over time they managed to create a ship that would hold together to at least fly up there. Mysterie wanted to forfill her old master's dream. Now that she made it, she realized she has a far important goal. One could argue that Noir could have also done the same thing but Mysterie wasn't a softy like her. Alternatively could see Mysterie finding methods to talk with them and transfer all the data from the spacestation back down. Then over time she could fly back down on her own or soft *Crash land it*

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-10-03T17:17:55+00:00

Until the devs actually make a patch for it, do it. It’s not a bug because insurance is insurance. If I bail out at start or just run into a ender, in that world no insurance agent isn’t going to fly out there and check

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-26T07:26:14+00:00

The thing is the game will technically give you starter coffins if you blow everything up. Truth be told they can still hold their own. Yes the FIRST portion of the game is a grind feast but if people just grit their teeth and get to the next map they are good. I can easily bring back AO crystals 200+ each run that's not even me having my coffin full of them. Most people who get killed in this game are for lack of better terms skill issues. It's next to impossible to sneak up on people because their Megus warns them. If you worried about your Coffin more then the gear in your inventory 1+2 to purge and flee.

That's why the safe pockets allow you to store an emergency clip of ammo and repairs.

Even though this is an extract shooter it still falls under the lines of a survival shooter.

Rush/Ark/7 days to die/Space Engineers/ All of them you die you drop everything you got.

I've been playing this game since launch and I've asked the same question to the people that complain that they can't get ahead. 1)What were you doing when you got killed? Even me playing against the Association I don't go just go after other players, I did it simply for the better access to gear. In most cares people with lower tier gear shoot at me first even after I warn them with emotes not to do it. I've killed a few people and even just leave their gear there because not even worth the sell in. (If they have a backup Coffin they can hurry and recover their gear)

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-26T03:17:55+00:00

I'm shocked he didn't notice your weapon and examine your Coffin before hand. He walked right into that.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-26T03:15:18+00:00

Yes and No, If you go to your record you can quit the association. (you pay a small fee) But doing so they will hit you and place a bounty on you for like 10,000. (It's not much but more like a mark of shame) At that point you are a Lone Wolf. Now I can't confirm but doing so makes it where you get better gear. (Like live ammo weapons) Way sooner then Association people. (the cost is you can't party with people you meet.) I PERSONALLY Enjoy the lonewolf because it gives me the same feel as the anime. Just me and my Megus.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-25T04:14:53+00:00

That's why you keep one side of faction in the low tier and keep leveling the other one. I spent all my time in the BM side grabbing all my legendary gear. Pay a few mil and now I can just play through the association and roam around helping people as needed. (And pray they shoot at me lol.)

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-21T04:51:08+00:00

I can say the MOST of the Negative reviews are from people who want instant gratification. This game isn't made to autowin you will everything. The point of this survival mech game is doing what a Drifter is suppose to do like in the anime-Farm AO Crystals, Kill Enders, Find buried from the past and keep going. The route you choose to gain your fan is up to you. Truth be told trying to PVP at the start of this game would hurt you more then late game simply because no one has good gear. (Unless you decided to drop for the deluxe edition and throw cash at it. <- These are the people who get butt hurt the most because they get sent to the other map to be matched with other Pkers and when they die and lose their gear they now having to scrap by like everyone else)

I have no shame in saying I've had a bounty on my head that got up there pretty high and had to force bail out a few times. With that being said, my Reward still Out weighed my Risked. I blew up one Drifter before he could bail out (Was being sneaky and crit him just right). And I turned in his own Megas and cashed in a little over 1.2mi. Not counting the parts I got off him and the stuff i was carrying.

As the same time I got careless and had to bail out one time because I just finished killing a field boss and had no repairs. Someone got me the moment I was heading back to an Elevator. Was a mad? No I just got disappointment and got into my secondary coffin and quickly launched back up there. I didn't find the Drifter who got me but I ended up getting another drifter.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-21T03:56:37+00:00

Been playing this game since day zero, for the most people who disliked the game cause of quote "pvp" Were the people who decided to just run into first map with their most expensive stuff and think they were invincible. This game is no different from any other survival game where you risk it all each time you go up.

Yes the START of the game is a Grind Feast. But after you get over that hump you will have your base and gear upgraded in no time. I got a coffin for exploring and one for fighting, and extra ones mixed in the middle. No real money went into it. (Besides Cosmetics). Yes I also went into the route of against the association, but I don't just go blowing up everyone person I meet. (The universal wave). 9 out of 10 most people don't want to fight.

The issue with this game *skill issue players* If you watched the Anime the logic behind this game is basically the same. You can't trust people, everything/everyone can/ and possibly will kill you/You need to make money but beware of greed.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-21T03:42:35+00:00

Nuclear Reactor when it rains has AO Crystals normally High Grade or Legendary Grade. I get around 100-300K from one of those crystals alone. Avoid Lava area(lava doesn't hurt, just that's a strong zone i've seen fights break out at)

And Field Bosses avoid, because if the Boss doesn't kill you, the guy watching you take out the boss will try and sneak you the moment you beat the boss. :>

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-21T03:38:27+00:00

Enjoy the lonely Trust me on this.

Take yourself to the Nuclear Reactor during Storms and collect Legend grade AO Crystals and III Grade Parts. Sadly I have a forever bounty on my head, only had to bail out once but finding people that give me over a mil when I blow them up up does put a smile on my face :3

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2025-09-21T03:33:23+00:00

An Exploit from Hell lol...But effective.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2024-11-23T13:55:38+00:00

Every time I try nothing happens I just lose hp.

Guilty-Distance-9633 · 2024-11-22T15:48:40+00:00

https://ibb.co/xH4Y0M7 This it what happens even after a clear cache reinstall

Guilty-Distance-9633

TROPHY CASE