Why Dead Hard is the Most Popular Perk - Dead by Daylight

/ scottjund
/ discord

[@22luke]

Dead Hard essentially gives you a mobile mindgame in any situation. I'll be chilling in the comp corner staring directly into the killer's soul and we both acknowledge that I could, at any moment, DAB through the most vicious of attacks

[@fsherman9717]

Or press E and get fatigue on the ground

[@JoicSeth]

poetical description lmao

[@FendiOnline]

a lot of killers have mobile mind games too 😬

[@Lafret17]

balanced

[@dimitris598]

I have done this in a match vs a spirit and I run to another corner with a z wall.

[@Grushvak]

They need to make a perk to let survivors flop and if the flop makes the killer whiff, you get confettis and an air horn sound effect. You're still put in the dying state though.

[@JoicSeth]

Fifa world Cup official sponsored perk

[@mckenzieschmitt2841]

It’s called anniversary flashlights. 😂

[@Protoman4509]

I’d use it

[@keltonschleyer6367]

I would respect it and walk away as a Killer. Please make this haha.

[@Snagoot]

Plot twist moment

[@Joeyonax]

I think the thing that bothers a lot of Killers about DH is that it can feel like it's robbed you of a hit. Like it's interrupted that little dopamine rush that you get when you feel like you've gotten a leg up. I think people are less bothered by SB because it doesn't take away a hit, it just makes it harder to get.

[@WeavyCS]

nah killers bitch about sb too. killers love to bitch about everything and not blame themselves for when they get shit on bc this game is the most balanced its ever been. if you lose a killer game its because of you and nothing else. plain and simple

[@NebulousFuture]

Real

[@DevsRad265]

It can feel like u got robbed of a hit but then again the old dead hard also didn't give killer hit just like sb, it just delayed it...by a lot

[@Katana314]

This was actually part of why I stopped playing Overwatch. A general feeling in Team Fortress 2 is, even if you're at combat mid-range just contributing extra rockets/shots downrange to your team, the damage is contributing; maybe you're getting assist kills or finishing people off. But if an Overwatch opponent is using Zarya shield or Genji deflect, you have to be *VERY* careful about when to attack - you might harm your teammates or charge up Zarya's shield. It would be truthful to say that it's originally a thoughtless affair, and Zarya/Genji/Dead Hard is making that suddenly an intense mindgame. But having some amount of downtime/relaxation in those games is actually maybe a *good* thing; for the game to be fun, you don't WANT to be super-tightly engaged in the decisionmaking behind every attack. "Oh, I just dropped down from spawn and there's a Scout in front of me. Do I fire a rocket? Or do I wait to see if he uses his Bonk Parry? Oh, he just shot me instead." The game already has a complex thought process behind "Who do I chase? Which loop are they going to? Can I cut them off before this window, or do I go around to the side? Or *fake* going around to the side?" I guess the argument is whether people prefer having that final mindgame *AFTER* all the others have gone through.

[@jon_with_no_n3065]

Exactly. It just feels bad.

[@JudojugsVtuber]

The reason people use DH to me has always been because it's basically the only usable on demand exhaustion perk. Meaning unless you have exactly a 99'd sprint burst (way WAY more simple to say to do during a match than to actually do consistently when you need it) every other exhaustion perk is either super telegraphed, or just straight up is too situational to make use of in chase. Lithe is too easy to proc (i think you should have a "lithe vault" by pressing E at a window or during your vault animation so you can still do regular vaults) balanced landing is too hard to proc. Smash hit is inconsistent to proc if the killer ends up respecting pallets or has a power that forces pallet drops. Overcome is useless against a variety of killers (plague, instadown killers, legion most of the time, etc.). Dh is used because realistically it's the only usable exhaustion perk that will consistently get you value with every killer and that you won't be forced to use at any time. It's the only exhaustion perk that isn't entirely one note.

[@swatson5699]

Dead Hard is useless against Legion, Deathslinger, and any killer that hits your Borrowed Time off hook. It’s useless at the start of the game if the killer has an insta down power or perk. It can easily be baited by M1 killers as well as some M2 killers (Blight and Nurse come to mind). The only time Dead Hard shines is against ranged killers (Huntress, Trickster, Demo, Wesker).

[@swatson5699]

@@Tbot_2 I know. That's why I said: "It’s useless at the start of the game if the killer has an insta down power or perk." A killer with an early Haunted Ground proc can get a massive snowball at the start of the game if all the survivors are healthy and running dead hard.

[@The_B_Button]

@@Tbot_2 Based off of a clip showed on the forums, Oni getting countered isn't an issue. A Oni in a tournament won against 4 Survivors, eating multiple DHs and still 4king. DH isn't as amazing as you might think against non-M1s.

[@TwinSnakes89]

People use Dead Hard because there is no downside to using DH. You either use it and get insane value or fail to use it and go down in a situation you would have gone down in anyway if you didn't have it equipped. You can't "waste" Dead Hard. You certainly can waste Sprint Burst and Lithe.

[@viniciusespindola7238]

Dead Hard gets value even when when you don't have it lmao

[@ABSDTC]

That's some next level bullshit lmao. How is being exhausted on the ground not a downside? It's literally a wasted perk slot that's not giving you any value. There's also no reason to waste lithe considering you don't have to fast vault outside of chase.

[@clux5305]

@@ABSDTC I prefer Lithe personally over any exhaustion perk but it's certainly not better than Dead Hard. It's not uncommon to run into situations where either you don't have a good window to proc it on, or you're forced to proc it when you don't want it, like if you're already at a strong structure and don't want to leave it yet. Dead Hard gives you more control than any other exhaustion perk, and being able to possibly tank an extra hit matters way more than gaining pure distance against mobility-oriented killers.

[@DeputyFish]

@@viniciusespindola7238 this^ exactly even if you dont have the perk the killer has to assume you do. or risk losing the game basically

[@DeputyFish]

@@ABSDTC for one stop with the bullshti you cant be exhausted on the ground, its not a thing anymore this aint 2021. the only reason people were exhausted on the ground. was because dead hard didnt give you immunity like it does now. so you would dead hard but the server still said it connected. it cant do that anymore. because if it does that. well get this if the server says it connected you get deep wounds and live. so not a thing anymore stop with the bullshit two. because being exhausted has no downside other than not using a perk. which mean you went down got put on a hook. thats probably gonna be like 40 seconds atleast. so you will have it back up once you get unhooked most likely have it back, there was no negative to using it. the killer still had to wait it out most likely. you just failed your timing then you get a 2nd try. then a 3rd. if you didnt hit one of those. thats on you being bad

[@udn5006]

I personally feel part of why I get frustrated with dead hard requires a more mental explanation y'know. Usually if someone sprint bursts, lithes or something like that I was usually not be near them and rarely whiff attacks, these perks don't frustrate me because they're used in a way that doesn't trigger the same reaction you have to dead hard, 99% sprint burst can make me whiff, but its okay. Thing with dead hard is as a killer you think the chase is about to finally end, you'll hook this guy and spread pressure, chase other people etc... BUT what happens is they press E and you get pissed because now they're gone and you're standing there doing a animation watching them run off after you thought the chase would be over, sure every other exhaustion perk is better, but they don't make you as pissed as a dead hard. It's just how the perk functions, sure its fun but the problem with the perks in this game are they don't appeal to both sides, sprint burst isn't hated, lithe isn't hated, head on will probably get me on a bad day but not hated or op, dead hard has a impact no perk other than old ds could put on you which is you think the chase is over, you pick up, 7 second stun. Just make dead hard less frustrating, no one likes to wait it out, no one likes to constantly assume its there which is another reason its hated. I reap the benefits of dead hard by not using it cause the perk left a literal wait 6 seconds before downing someone stain on killers and I gotta admit I love running at the killer and they just stand there staring at you cause they're waiting for E.

[@akatsuki1929]

Deliverance and Unbreakable are actually equally doing that just outside of chase. And I think every side has a pair of perks they don't like to face and I think thats okay aslong as the game stays fun. And I personally cannot say if dh is actually stronger than other exhaustion perks since I had enough moments where I could either counter it or where it didnt get to be used since I attacked early. Same is when I play survivor: Against m2 killers like nurse or blight I feel bad for not having it and for some maps and other killers having sprint burst or balanced landing helps me much more. Dh is just a super versatile (usable nearly all the time) but in the same moment rly inconsistent (amount of times you get use out of it as intended) perk.

[@IreFang]

​@@akatsuki1929 not really, I can counter those perks by camping or not slugging. Deliverance is only once per survivor and unbreakable once too. Dead hard is run much more frequently and can be used every chase. The scariest thing about dead hard is it's chase extending power when you really need that pressure. Dropping chase because they sprinted burst to shack at the beginning isn't bad but you can't drop chase when they're injured and no one's nearby.

[@pukerat7562]

"sprint burst isn't hated, lithe isn't hated" I will never understand why killer mains feel this way. There's nothing more fucking boring while playing killer than people rocketing away every time you get near them.

[@Josh651Pro]

​@Puke Rat Dead hard is the exact same thing dude. You hit the survivor while they dead hard and they hold w with their speed boost and they get a third health state

[@somethingfunnyyt]

@@Josh651Pro sure but that’s IF they get you with a dead hard, which is something you can prevent more times than not

[@akatsuki1929]

I find balanced landing to be one of the most fun exhaustion perks too since it provides additional loop variety with connecting hills and stuff

[@BoostedComposer]

Balanced landing and vigil is disgusting given the boosted Mount Ormond and Dead Dawg lol

[@Porkwhitemeat]

I like balanced too but some maps its literally worthless on minus basement stairs.

[@juggernogsoda4515]

@@Porkwhitemeat why it isnt used as often

[@swatson5699]

@@Porkwhitemeat Once the new PTB changes for Shelter Woods are implemented every map will have a good balanced landing spot. The issue will be solo queue teammates finishing all the gens near drop downs on maps with limited elevation like Lery’s.

[@3014604785]

I love using Balanced Landing. Killers never expect it, and on some maps like RPD or Haddonfield it’s super clutch.

[@bryanE26]

I think it comes down to consistency ironically. You may use sprint burst to get somewhere after completing an action and then the killer finds you. Then you have to build sb in chase. But you will pretty much always have the option to use dead hard when starting a chase. The option isn’t forced on you

[@leonthegamer2839]

Sure but dont forget that DH also comes with an requirement. You need to be injured which can result in the survivor not having any exhaustion perk during the first chase against a one shot killer or killers using one shot perks. You could stay insured after you get unhooked of course. Well lets ignore the fact that some randoms dont unhook you or that facecamping is a thing which basically could mean that you only have one chase and during that chase you cant use DH if the killer really tries to use their one shot ability/perks. But you can always sprintburst away or use lithe against any type of killer. Also using your sprintburst at the right time is something survivors need to learn while also not walking arround 90% of the game. Its more or less like survivors have to learn the right timing for DH.

[@swatson5699]

SB is way more consistent. Even if you never use it in chase, it saves travel time between gens. Meanwhile DH is useless if you’re at full health against an insta down power or are already in deep wound.

[@mckenzieschmitt2841]

Insta downs and exposed counter dh unless a swf warns others

[@peppapigsaw9181]

Would legitimately prefer a Sprint Burst meta over a dead hard meta just because I feel like I can do more against Sprint Burst than I can dead hard. If a survivor has Sprint Burst, it's usually pretty obvious because people walk everywhere which makes going around the map take longer. If they're group up I can scare them off, force them to use Sprint Burst and then chase later when they don't have it. Dead Hard I do not have that option. I don't know they have it until they use it. If I'm an M1 Killer like Sadako, Dredge, or Wraith, then pallets become even harder to play around. If I use an M2 power like with Demo, Blight, Huntress, Wesker, Pyramid Head etc then I just have to deal with 3 hits every time I chase that person and try to use my power. As those killers I am actively punished for trying to use the fun part of that Killer's kit because I did a play and had it completely invalidated because "E". Even if I'd lose more against a 4 man Sprint Burst, at least my chases would be more fun.

[@ratshinx6797]

The reason DH is so popular is because it gives you an extra health state, thats literally it. No other perk does that without a downside of you having to do absolutely nothing until you get hit or it runs out ect. Obviously a "hit button to not die" perk is going to be popular even if its inconsistent.

[@Dizzifying1]

Literally this.

[@JudojugsVtuber]

also all the other exhaustion perks are too situational. They basically all read (this is an obvious exaggeration) "vault a pallet on a full moon during the summer equinox while the killer vaults a window to get a 3 second speed boost that gives you basically zero distance with the killer". I would LOVE to use perks like balanced landing or Sprint burst or Lithe. But they suck 90% of the time and once the killer knows you have it they play around it super easily.

[@auctoritate8254]

Forgetting about Adrenaline?

[@ComradeMaryFromMars]

​@@JudojugsVtuber There's no real play around Sprint burst besides just not wasting your time chasing them anymore also most exhaustion perks are super simple besides like head on and smash hit

[@JudojugsVtuber]

@@ComradeMaryFromMars I play around sprint burst all the time when I play killer. It's called "run up to them for .5 seconds until they shotgun it then move on to someone else". Which is made even easier if you are defending a 3 gen. Sprint burst is basically just "ignore me and go for my teammates" the perk

[@dragonslair951167]

The "Slippery slope" argument is considered a fallacy for a reason. Sprint Burst doesn't punish the Killer for hitting you, invalidate several Killers' powers, or remove full-length lunges as an option.

[@broevil4027]

Invalidating lunges is actually a huge issue that I don't hear anyone talking about. If a survivor is about to round a corner into a jungle gym, or reach a window, etc., you should be able to lunge and catch them. DH invalidates what should be a secured down.

[@AverageGamerNub-qf6sp]

Yeah and sprint burst is directly countered by fearmonger

[@derix6755]

It’s so satisfying hitting a dead hard as survivor; on the other side, it can feel defeating as killer.

[@dbdstuff]

Yes.

[@Lyahrklol]

nah its not so bad if the killer has save the best for the last

[@liandre9035]

@@Lyahrklol has the same energy as saying "just wait it out bro" when people were mad about eruption

[@strongwolf8534]

it's especially defeating as killer to know that after beating you twice in chase I have to then beat you again a third time. this is why it feels like the killer is being robbed, because they are. I literally have to win three chases in order to down someone with DH or let them go and have to do it all over again. the killer equivalent would be a perk that made it so survivors gained hook states for completing generators, imagine losing because you were winning. Survivors would cry foul and they would be right to do so (for once). When put into perspective, DH is popular not just because it's strong, but because it's unfair, that's the kicker.

[@liandre9035]

@@strongwolf8534 there even are retrospectives. Imagine killer doesnt get sht done whole game but at the end noed proccs. Now in our duo swf both of us dont know the totem spawns THAT well. And it appears most of our random teammates dont either. That guy now gets free downs because he caught us off guard, making it to a 1k or 2k for litteraly being outplayed all round because he followed my friend for 5 gens straight (litteraly happened 1 time, he looped him like a god and at the end he and a random died because of Noed. He was so p1ssed he layed the game down for a full week, cant blame him.) Thats what DH feels like. As you said, youve done something well and then the other player just presses some E button.

[@na976]

Dead hard is also the most flexible exhaustion perk in the game. It doesn’t require a vault or a drop down or a locker and it activates only when you want it to. It’s also the only perk in the game that can allow you to correct for an error in looping. Got mind gamed? DH. Got blood lusted? DH. Ran to a pallet only to find it was already broken? DH. It gives you full control of when it is used without any backdraws and this is why it is hands down the best exhaustion perk.

[@paulodelima5705]

This sounds like skill issue more then DH being good.

[@na976]

@@paulodelima5705 if you’re gonna try to bait, try harder.

[@gantref9202]

I really don't think this is accurate and is completely glossing over when SB and DH activate. SB (unless it's 99%ed but that has other drawbacks) will activate at the beggining of the chase, so the Killer can decide that it's not worth the the investment with relatively little time lost, whereas DH activates when the chase would have originally ended. This gives the Killer the option to either break chase and essentially lose all of the time invested or continue with the chase.

[@nolanthedude]

This is how I see it 100%. You can negate sprint burst by dropping chase. Since the chase likely just started, you don’t lose much. DH requires the killer and survivor to be neck-deep in a chase, where the time of said chase is pretty important, so like you said, abandoning chase isn’t really an option. You have to just eat the DH and the extra time.

[@darkchicken7389]

I definitely do somewhat agree with your statement, but I mean if that was fully the case, why not run lithe? You can use easily use that midchase with the same effect as sprintburst with the difference being one is used to leave the loop and the other is used to fix bad positioning, either way the killer might still need that down but just got lithed half way into their chase and lost a shit ton of distance

[@ScottJund]

every time people bring up this scenario i have to point out that without sprint burst you would have gotten a hit there, as you wouldn't sprint burst until the killer was close enough to actually bait it out. at that point, you negated a hit with zero risk.

[@darkchicken7389]

@@ScottJund Also just like dh you can yk, sprint burst while you're injured and get away even though the chase would have normally ended there, especially if you're injured on a gen

[@nolanthedude]

@@ScottJund at which point the killer drops chase, and the survivor can either return to the gen and risk getting caught without SB, or let the killer regress the gen. The time investment on the killer side is still far lower with SB than DH.

[@TheMrFancyKiwi]

The most fun I had in this game was after the big perk overhaul when it wasn't just DH on 3/4 survivors every game like it was before. Now we are back to that and it doesn't matter how fun the mind game with it can be because it gets very old doing it every game.

[@Letycs]

You mean the same way every single killer is running the exact same handful of perks, most running some of the most meta and strongest builds on their respective killers and still tunnel/camp one guy out at 4-5 gens to turn the game into an unwinnable 3v1? And I'd argue that THOSE perks are FAR more consistent than DH ever was. What y'all want is more perks to end up as entirely useless as current DS is just so you can move on to complaining about the next best thing there is for us, like Scott said.

[@iswiftyfox8997]

@@Letycs true we need more op perks on both sides. Screw nerfs. This game thrives off being op

[@DeputyFish]

fun? the mindgames not fun. its really boring and stupid. its like oh i can hit you. but i cant. so were gonna sit here for god knows how long. til you either use it or i DC

[@SissypheanCatboy]

I'm gonna be real, Dead Hard is frustrating in the same way going against a really good Spirit or Nurse is. I don't care that it takes skill, its still not fun to go against as killer. Any decently competent survivor is going to be able to use it to extend the chase, either by taking an extra hit with it or by forcing you to wait out the Dead Hard. Sprint Burst also extends the chase, but it requires the survivor to walk around until they want to use it, which slows them down. Head On is absolutely the most fun exhaustion perk, without a doubt. It is a complete meme and it can make people so mad.

[@ttray1744]

Your comment about it adding 50% more gameplay to survivor is so perfect. I have been running Head On, Flashbang, Blast Mine meme builds or Built to Last Tool Box builds because it makes the lockers an actual important part of your gameplay loop which feels better than just Gen or Run.

[@goblinking1349]

Another reason why Dead Hard is so popular: it absolutely destroys inexperienced killers. There are a *lot* of videos of survivors looping baby killers for 5 gens, and typically the killer just hits every single Dead Hard.

[@bradypahl]

I also think part of it comes down to the skill gap of sprint burst. A lot of players see it & just go "oh I have to walk everywhere I don't wanna waste it" but sprint is so much more then that once you learn how to 99% it & manage exhaustion. Sprint burst 99'ed can be lithe, it can be smash hit, it can even background player if you want it to be. I would much rather go against 4 survivors all using dead hard then 4 survivors all using sprint burst.

[@adanmartinezpiano]

Amen. SB gives you incentive for long-term planning, strategizing and pushes you to be better. Not to mention it has no condition other than to not be exhausted, making it a great choice for all kinds of plays. DH duds run at the killer then go down.

[@sorin_markov]

Straight facts. The PTB was one time where survivors used SB way more than DH because everyone wanted to combo it with Blood Rush, and it was just WAY harder to chase people on the PTB because of it. Once/if the community as a whole gets used to using SB and gets good at it, I think killers will wish for DH back.

[@JudojugsVtuber]

I think people drastically overestimate how easy/hard it is to fluidly 99 sprint burst when you need it. You are not going to have 99 sprint burst every time you need it and ESPECIALLY not every time you get in chase. Using 99 sprint burst requires a world where: You haven't been working on a gen for more than 39 seconds The killer is after you they don't have high mobility or range to catch up instantly That's a tall ask considering if you aren't in chase you should be doing what? generators. And if you are in chase you probably aren't working towards a 99'd SB that you'll actually get to use. Just for any blight, a decent huntress, Billy, etc. to already make that pointless.

[@lostgavin9422]

Very true that sprint burst is the best exhaustion perk, however I never see people doing that so in practice it's more mid than anything else. Weird situation for a perk.

[@Racc-Kun_YT]

​@@sorin_markov The community isn't going to overwhelmingly get used to sprint burst until it becomes a fun perk to use, very cool to use and all but hitting shift and getting free distance before chase even begins isn't even remotely fun unless the killer is visibly getting pissed about it.

[@ItssLevii]

Its just because its on the a button. If they added something like a half sprint burst on a button people would probably use that more (althought that example would be really broken)

[@TheGreatCrazyJake]

The main problem I see with it is the no win situation at pallets. If you hit the dead head you get stunned, if you wait it out 90% of the time you get stunned. It’s not as bad as old deadhard, but many would argue that the situation hasn’t really changed.

[@gageowo9527]

But they also have to mend and are out of an exhaustion perk. Also in a world where it doesn't exist they would just drop the pallet one loop earlier and you would get no hit, and they would probably sprint burst away at the start of every chase, denying that first hit and getting to a much safer area

[@DevsRad265]

​​@@gageowo9527 the new dead hard gives surv way more distance than the old one so yeah they have to mend but in the end it's worth it..dh is still the best comfort exh perk

[@Bread-kun]

@@gageowo9527 old DH gave you 1 more free loop either to reach the window or pallet safely. New DH gives you a free speed boost to rocket off to a safer area and I do think it ends up buying you much more time then the old DH. It's just harder to do then the old DH because old DH was brainless in comparison.

[@akatsuki1929]

@@DevsRad265 my most comfy exhaustion perk is balanced landing yeah doesnt work on some map variations as well but yeah I find it more consistent on maps where you can use it and it's way easier to use while dh is only great for m2-killers and mediocre for m1's.

[@DeputyFish]

@@gageowo9527 out an exhaustion perk? no they arent. they used there exhaustion.

[@tawney1023]

I've been trying to use SB more because of your videos. And it absolutely ends my games with me being the only teammate not hooked. But I always wanna swap back to DH because of being able to tank a hit. On demand endurance gives you so much utility. Especially when doing stupid plays with SWF

[@clux5305]

I'll make it even quicker: -Dead Hard will never proc when you don't want it to -Tanking an extra hit is objectively better than gaining distance against the most popular killers in the game (Blight, Huntress, Nurse, etc.) -Dead Hard's conditions are guaranteed to be met in essentially every chase (save for first chase against instadown killers)

[@kagus360]

All i want is a different run animation on injured people who has dh So you can see who has it and don't. it will still be really good and then you don't need to play like everyone has it.

[@envy7455]

Bro what lol

[@lizes5950]

ummmmm lmao

[@NachozMan]

The problem is that it feels bad as a killer because you have to waste time assuming people have it and waste time if you fuck up the mindgame. Still a lot better than it was tho and I love the animation lol

[@PlagueOfGripes]

It gives you an action game dodge in a game that shouldn't have one. But yeah, survivors don't have much interplay with the system beyond pallets and windows. I personally hate it for a lot of reasons but I get it.

[@KsanUwU]

Dh is popular because it lives rent free in everyones head. the value you get from DH is way more presented to you than just reaching your destination quicker.

[@atrozzorta9602]

Exactly this. Playing around a perk every game all game even if it's not present isn't healthy for the game. Nothing better than seeing someone SB or Lithe away because then I know when I'm in range I can just M1 and I don't have to get in their ass and play a mind game.

[@VeilInfinity]

Reasons why Dead Hard is the most popular perk: 1.) Dead Hard can be used whenever you want, given that you're injured. You're not going to accidentally waste it (unless you're trying to play with totems, lol) and you don't have to be near a structure to use it. 2.) Having another chase mechanic just makes chases more fun. As was said, you're adding something to just vaulting and looping. 3.) You feel like you've actually accomplished something hitting a good dead hard. There's an actual challenge to using the perk, so you just feel good about yourself successfully using DH. 4.) It's more demoralizing to a killer. You're robbing the killer of a down in a way other exhaustion perks don't. At pallets, it can be free against a lot of killers and you know you're going to extend a chase for another 20+ seconds. 5.) Free mind games. You get a couple extra seconds so often out of a killer just because they fear you have DH. Which, if nothing else, is just funny. 6.) This one may sound weird, but peer pressure. A good number of matches have 3-4 Dead Hards. There's that implicit reasoning that it must be a good perk. And then when you see people seemingly hit dead hard like a god, it makes you want to try and use it, practice it, become a DH god yourself. 7.) Moonwalk dabbing out the gates, baby!

[@PistolSlinginMothMan]

I'm so glad Sprint Burst isn't more common than it already is. Easily the best exhaustion perk and very unfun to deal with for most killers.

[@nolanthedude]

I disagree. You can bait out a sprint burst and abandon chase, negating the entire perk. DH requires the killer to be neck deep in a chase before it gets value, which is usually when the killer desperately needs pressure.

[@textoffender3410]

@@nolanthedude then you have to walk across the map to chase another one who hopefully doesn't also have sprint burst

[@codified_]

@@textoffender3410 Or just remember that every time they run away they won't have an exhaustion ready for 40 seconds. SB is powerful, but limiting

[@nolanthedude]

@@textoffender3410 no, most of the time dropping chase off a survivor that sprint bursted away from a gen will make them want to go back. You can mindgame them into returning to a gen that they can now no longer sprint burst away.

[@ScottJund]

@@nolanthedude i mean baiting a sprint burst requires you to get in almost melee range, at which point if they didn't have sprint burst you'd have gotten a hit. sounds like you didn't bait them so much as they just negated an entire hit

[@sewak7142]

Well scot the difference of SB and dh is that you can still attack them when they are using sprint burst and just like other exhaustion perks but dead ahrd ? It's a force wait just like eruption and that is nerfed because it's deemed UNFUN for survivors and but it's alright if dead hard is deemed UNFUN for killers

[@ABSDTC]

eruption: - 25s incapacitated where you can't do anything in the game, might as well watch a youtube video - gen keeps regressing - can hit multiple gens and multiple people - info perk since the killer knows what gen you were on - countered by 4 man swf's, but a disaster for soloq players (the hardest role in the game) dead hard: - timing not that easy - if you're playing a strong killer it won't extend the chase for long and the perk is hard to use against weaker m1 killers - countered by insta down powers and perks - countered by legion and slinger - countered by the mending state that killers can put you in (like pinhead with the add-on) - you can actually wait it out unlike eruption where soloq players have no idea when you're going down - the killer is involved in hitting the dh whereas eruption punishes people just sitting on a gen - hitting a dh still gives you stbfl stacks, meaning hitting dh isn't entirely useless it may seem like it but the perks aren't similar at all.

[@sewak7142]

@@ABSDTC my man tell me how many killers can fucking get in you the mending state , it's countered by 2 strong killers blight and nurse only , bro if timing is not easy we would alhave rarely seen it in game since it's no easy , wait out? You mean paly that stupid boring ass mindgame of kissing the back of the survivor ? It's equavalan to touching the gen repeadly to avoid eruption. Plus getting hit by dead hard is a slap on your face since the case you rightfully won is extended and now the killer has to decided to drop chase that he spend a while chasing or stop gens . Plus who tf cares about stbfl? You rarely see it on killers other than nemmy and demo . Listen there should be no perk that forced killer to expect all survivors to have it when they don't , if eruption did that y'all would be crying

[@ABSDTC]

@@sewak7142 first of all killers that can get you in the mending state with their basekit: - legion - slinger - knight - wesker with an add-on: - pinhead - trapper - pig killers that counter dead hard with insta down powers: - ghostface - myers - oni - bubba - billy - trapper (technically) 2) we're literally commenting on a video explaining why dh is used so much despite the timing being hard: it's fun. 3) and no it's not the same as tapping the gen over and over again. that doesn't even make sense. waiting out a dh costs 5-10 seconds (anything above 5s is basically your own problem) while i have no idea if my teammate can loop the killer for 5 seconds or two minutes 4) huntress also can just throw another hatchet right after, not just blight and nurse

[@sewak7142]

@@ABSDTC my man tell when will the add on work , they are almost useless. Plus wesker and knight putting mending on survivors are stupidily rare , how often you can throw a survivor into a nother or be hit by the assassin who you can outlast. 2) I mean just like eruption it's satisfying downing someone and hitting 3 people with eruption but it's annoying for the other side right? Just like dead hard but the difference is you lose more time on dead hard 3) my man 5-10 second is dumb when you against 4 man who has it , Now imagine a perk where survivor has to play around it which they have to wait 10 seconds to bait it out or survivor a 50 seconds time lost

[@akatsuki1929]

@@sewak7142 answering the question: eruption, pain res, dead mans switch

[@jorgejoker2409]

Personally the main frustration I have as killer against dead hard is I cannot hit injured survivors when I get close to them. Ever. Every chase. Every game. Every day. Because its the number 1 most used perk out there. Waiting out dead hard or risk what feels like getting robbed because a "nice timing" close range is a gamble more than a skill as I see it and even I can hit a dead hard 80% of the time if the killer does a fat lunge instead of humping me to bait it. For context I play slightly more survivor than killer. EDIT: Forgot to add why Waiting it out feels bad. It has been the common sense that "mind gaming" dead hard is a good thing. I think the complete opposite, as a chase simulator fast paced horror theme action multiplayer game, "Waiting" as a universal mechanic multiple times per game is a very unfun and dumb thing IMO. Its like if DMC or another action game had enemies that are invulnerable/impossible to deal with im any other way for a few seconds and heavily punish you for not waiting in a corner. Multiple times during gameplay. Does that sound fun? Engaging? Of course not, but in dbd dead hard has lived rent free on everyones mind for so long people think its normal.

[@liandre9035]

its not "common sense" dead hard mini mindgames are a good thing, let me ensure you. Its only smurf mains like scott appearantly who think DH is fine, i alredy unsubbed.

[@Luna.Tenebra]

​@@liandre9035 and yet you are here

[@liandre9035]

@@Luna.Tenebra i mean it was this video that made me unsubscribe?

[@Luna.Tenebra]

@@liandre9035 ahh ok that makes more sense

[@transcendtient]

Depending on who you ask its definitely a hot take. Angry killer mains just call it a "free health state" and overstate how often survivors pull off a successful DH.

[@gabrote42]

To be honest, I think they overstatw that because they have to wait every time they try to down a survivor, sometimes for a full cooldown duration. If that makes them reach a pallet, that's a successful DH even when they don't have it.

[@BoostedComposer]

I find the whole DH fake mind game really fun/funny. 99% of the time the survivor will fake the first time, then once they know you wait, just hit them again instead of baiting and you win lol! Although you can't really bait at pallets.

[@Skillfulstone]

I don't know, while being "fun" in the sense that it kinda feels like a one-time "parry", I'm still pretty sure it's one of the most used perk because it's a literal get-out-of-jail free card in the right hands. It can make injured people able to bodyblock and take protection hits or deny a hook trade if timed correctly. Given a pallet/window, it can essentially make a chase twice as long. While injured, it can be used to tank insta-downs _and_ get a speed-boost out of it. It's one of the only way to get 30% more time against a Nurse semi-consistently.

[@Dizzifying1]

You also forgot to mention that Dead Hard invalidates the entire concept of The Knight. You can guaranteed DH the soldier when The Knight is attempting to sandwich you. He goes around the other way, you turn into the soldier and DH. Shift+W for another 30 seconds.

[@akatsuki1929]

@@Dizzifying1 While the knight can also guarantee hits with his power which is ironic.

[@Dizzifying1]

@@akatsuki1929 Guaranteeing your DH is far more impactful than him guaranteeing a hit. That should be quite obvious.

[@karmicknight]

I think the reason people seem to prefer dead hard is that you get to choose when to activate it, you don't need to have a vault, or to have to walk everywhere, you just get to pick when to use it. Having the choice to use your exhaustion precisely when you need to is very appealing and makes it feel the most versatile.

[@MythicTF2]

Honestly, the problem with DH right now is that there's no real way to nerf it without neutering it completely. It's already so weak and inconsistent that you can't really nerf it without just killing the perk. The upside when it works is strong but a lot of killers tend to face "Survivorship Bias" (IE you ONLY see the DHs that work, not the 60-70% that don't). My ideas for a DH change: Make it only active after being hooked. In doing this, you can remove the exhaustion penalty and deep wound BUT it'll only be active for 90 seconds after hook (or until used). If you go this route you could even bring back the distance since only being able to use it while being tunneled gives it some leeway for being a bit stronger. I'd hope this isn't the change that is settled on but it's certainly something that will fix the problem. Rework the perk completely. Remove the idea of a 3rd health state from the perk and make it do something else completely. You can make it an exhaustion perk to instantly pick yourself up from the slugged state and it makes it an "anti-slug" perk. I think the game doesn't have many "anti-slug" perks and being slugged is annoying and boring. When you're slugged you always think of Unbreakable because its the only good perk that fixes that. No Mither technically does but it's No Mither. Exponential does but you have to be within a boon radius (that the killer can hear at that point). I think making an exhaustion perk for slugging would be a neat idea and would help. This idea is kinda weak since it will still function as a 3rd health state unless if you delay the self pick-up to like 3-5 seconds. Another idea for a complete rework, make it so the perk is a "fake vault". People LOVED that bug on the survivor side and they should really turn it into a perk. You can press your active ability button during a vault and when you do it will reverse and be a fake vault, still applying the normal exhaustion. You could also forgo the exhaustion status and turn it into a "Token based" perk. Maybe every 45 seconds in chase you get 1 token, with a max of 3 tokens, starting the trial with 1 token. I just want this idea to be a perk so badly. It was such a fun bug that added so much to survivor in chases and I feel like it'd easily take over current DH if it's implemented in a balanced way. My last proposed change is just tweaks to make the animation lock after using it longer. That way you can't use it through a pallet and immediately drop it if the killer doesn't swing. This is probably the change they will settle on to be real, but I still think people won't be happy with this change and it's usage rate will not change a bit.

[@textoffender3410]

I didn't really use DH much at first after the rework because when I decided to use an exhaustion perk it would either be sprint burst for the value of head on for the memes, but after using dead hard quite a bit lately I honestly think I get more value out of it than any other exhaustion perk. While I think sprint burst would be the best option if everyone played perfectly, most of the time sprint burst just results in me being dropped immediately and one of my team mates getting chased and downed too quickly to make the time loss of the killer walking to them a loss for them, and a suprising number of killers just don't seem to respect dead hard. I'd say I probably pull a dead hard off in about 60% of the games i run, which is a lot more than i thought would be possible but it seems so many killer players just aren't very good.

[@liandre9035]

yeah yeah so skillfull pressing E or not doing it and no matter what having the killer to need to mindgame your OP perk. You do realise the work is much harder on the killers end right? because with just a flinch you can press E and you get safed for a bad play you did. If the killer came close to you in the first place you didnt loop well enough but now DH is there to safe you its the same as with NOED killers. They dont get sht done all game but because they have their totem they can get at least a 2k if its not a hardcore 4k hours comp squad. Or facecamping bubba, DH is just the same. requires 0 skill and here you are talking about how bad killers cant bait it.

[@textoffender3410]

@@liandre9035 I'm a killer main bro. I don't think dead hard is healthy for the game and I would like to see it nerfed. My comment is just me saying why I use it on survivor

[@liandre9035]

@@textoffender3410 ok im sorry but im kinda fed up over peeps like scott abusing their reach to just nullify any complaints whatsoever. "its not so bad, people are so wrong" actually disgusting. When half of killer gen-perks got gutted because they were appearantly too strong but DH hasnt changed at all. It maybe has changed from excsessively annoying to super annoying. I dont want to see it nerfed but completely gutted at that point.

[@arkirron7172]

@@liandre9035 I think it being the top of the survivor meta for like half a decade means it’s just about time for that perk to be nerfed, like properly this time. If it gets a proper nerf, like the pop or ruin treatment, doesn’t matter how fun Scott or anyone else thinks it is 90% of people will not run it.

[@liandre9035]

@@arkirron7172 sadly that will most likely never happen with these devs. And im not saying even like they are survivor sided or something. They nerfed DS too for example. But something tells me they have no clue how to change Dead hard or dont even want to.

[@yourablizardlarryyes5148]

Auto deadhard is op and almost impossible to tell with sprint burst the counter is just making them waste it and leave them be

[@GentrifiedPotato]

In a game balanced around two health states per Survivor, adding a third health state needs careful design planning and that's where I think Dead Hard fails. Mettle takes a lot of time and effort to pull off, Off The Record requires you to be useless for a significant amount of time. Dead Hard requires you to press E. Before it was so easy most people could pull it off, now it's just slightly harder. But the effect is still the same: you press a button and get an instant third health state.

[@eliasar5051]

And since it is so common, even people who don´t run it are somewhat safe unless killer sees them use different exhaustion perk, because every killer by default now MUST assume that every survivor in the match has DH. So what killer have to do every single time is to waste time walking behind survivor like an idiot, nod like retard in attempts to bait it out, fight with FOV "techs" in hopes to get a down. Not to mention possibility of auto DH.

[@PrismaticFitness]

Exactly my point, regardless of mind games, it’s still a free health state most of the time. The amount of games where people have survived with 8-9 hooks mainly because they pressed E a few times every time they get caught out is hard to count.

[@Madickus]

I'm sorry but most of the dead hards i get hit with are lazy when they are at a pallet. You either get hit with the pallet if you don't swing, or you hit their dead hard. It's also pretty annoying hitting EVERY survivor three times, when you feel like you should've won the chase. 99ing Sprint burst needs planning and you can't really do it while you're doing gens. Also, if sprint burst is at the start of the chase, you can decide if you'll commit or not, with dead hard you're just fucked as a killer if they're good. Even after all the killer buffs, survivor nerfs, the killrates and all the quality of life changes for killer, i still only see the BP-insentive for killer, hmmm... i wonder why.

[@serioustable8659]

You already know the most fun thing in dbd is when you pull off a big fat overcome

[@ChaosRevealsOrder]

00:57 You actually do, have you noticed sometimes survivors go directly into dying state, without the falling animation? They just snap from upright, to down, that happens when the dead hard is slightly too late.

[@deltaloner3649]

I think that the problem with dead hard is its popularity, the fact people see it so frequently is why it's so despised, because you have to basically play every chase the same if all four people have dead hard. It would be the same if every survivor had sprint burst, lithe, or even balanced, because it makes the game feel stale. I feel like everyone would have more fun if in every game there was variety in exhaustion perks, because chases play out differently. I think it's the same for CoB-Eruption people hate the combo because they see it so often, but people run it because it is considered the strongest slowdown combo. Eruption wasn't so despised until people realized its place in the meta. Pain-Res DMS was despised because of how many people used it, but I think it was way healthier than the Eruption meta we have, because it was still counterable, but still could provide decent slowdown. People will always find meta perks annoying because people love using the meta, because people like to win and the easiest way to do that is having a strong build. If there was a larger variety of perks that were on the same level and could be consistently used, I feel games would be way more fun because you are less likely to go against the exact same perks super frequently

[@The300Player]

Nothing is worse in this game than doing a really cool snipe with Pyramid Head but the survivor simply uses dead hard

[@gageowo9527]

They had to predict where you would fire and times their reaction based on the range and range add ons. I could just as easily counter You by saying "Nothing worse than spending thousands of hours getting good at lupine, only to have a boring pyramid head is on you away from every loop by faking his power. " Or " Wow that Pyramid Head puts his sword into the ground every time I get to a pallet or window. If I take it and I'm animation locked, he gets a guaranteed hit with this power. If I don't take it, he cancels and hits me with an m1.- Or "Gee I love how he gets notified where an uncaging happened And can tunnel me without consequences, along with most unhook related perks not working and no endurance. "

[@udn5006]

​@@gageowo9527 don't predict if its a PH and you have dead hard, you press e when you hear him shoot, miss or hit you get get away.

[@gageowo9527]

@@udn5006 how is that less skillful or interactive than the majority of pyramid heads just zoning you away from Loops into free hits? Or hitting you while animation locked? I'm sorry but Pyramid Head is a miserable killer to face and his design is more problematic than dead hard. Which is sad considering that I've put a lot of prestige into him, love silent Hill and had a phase pretty recently where I played as him a lot

[@The300Player]

@@gageowo9527 bro the projectile in PH is fucking slow, you can see it coming from miles away theres no way you can't use dead hard on it

[@gageowo9527]

@@udn5006 not saying that you said any of that or anything. But depending on the range, the line-of-sight breakers and so on. You do have to give some sort of prediction or reaction with dead hard. You also have to adapt to the fact that there are three different range add ons he could be using any combination of.

[@Dr_Minty]

As someone who plays huntress, I can confirm that both dead hard and sprint burst can ruin your will to live, if the survivor is competent. If it’s just some newbie who’s cocky it’s easy to counter, but if it’s the former, it’s a very sweaty and not fun experience

[@wilsy4527]

Easily the best perk is deja vu

[@PistolSlinginMothMan]

Dumb*ss, it's clearly Premonition

[@Eyesovereasy]

What about this is not happening?

[@MasterMike_]

What about "Poised"?

[@processing4426]

​​@@Eyesovereasy That perk has synergy with hyperfocus

[@Eyesovereasy]

@@processing4426 I was being serious

[@IcemayneXXV]

I remember a time before Dead Hard and people used Sprint Burst a lot, nobody really complained, it was chill. I personally prefer going against SB than DH.

[@Firellius]

I honestly think CoH is in the same boat. I think its value is overestimated, but I think it's a popular pick because putting that boon up feels like you've accomplished something tangible and helpful to the team, even if you don't actually get any value out of it and all you did was waste 14+ seconds setting up a boon.

[@complain9269]

I don’t agree entirely. I can’t see why people would hate SB as much as DH. Sprint Burst can be EASILY countered. Just make them run to a bad loop. Lead them somewhere worse. I don’t see why people think SB is more annoying than DH. With DH, it’s LITERALLY a third health state, but it gets a pass because you gotta time it right. A timing of which is entirely unpredictable as proven by the “just wait it out” videos. I much rather KNOW someone can’t hit E and get out of jail then sit there… waiting… until… BAM! Please, can someone, anyone tell me how SB can be more annoying then getting your hit taken away?

[@akatsuki1929]

stealth killers would like to have a word with you

[@complain9269]

@@akatsuki1929 As someone who played Ghostface, yeah SB can be annoying the FIRST time. But once you know they got it, you 99% them, get up, they run, THEN pop it. Or with ANY OTHER one, you just stay cloaked and follow. Unless you’re pig. But she’s just as sad against DH.

[@Nocing]

Sprint burst in a 3 gen with four survivors alive can be infuriating let’s say they all have sprint burst they’ll just spread out on all 3 gens and as soon as you get sorta close they’ll just pre run to the other side of the map with SB

[@AverageGamerNub-qf6sp]

Start running fearmonger to directly counter sprint burst since they can't recover on gens

[@paulodelima5705]

@@AverageGamerNub-qf6sp Only works if the killer is stealthy.

[@AverageGamerNub-qf6sp]

@@paulodelima5705 yeah but say they run sprint burst and then get back on a Gen, then they cannot recover

[@joaovlct0r]

No, bro. It’s the most used because it’s a broken perk for survivors, simple as that. Survivors don’t play this perk because it’s “fun” to use, it’s only to allow them a second/third chance to escape the killer, while sprint burst you can still die if the killer is clown/blight etc. Head on is a much more fun perk to use, but to work it right you have to have other perks to make sure the killer doesn’t hear you in the locker etc, and still it doesn’t protect you from a hit, while dead hard you only have one perk and it’s a guaranteed protection hit, for those who knows how to use it. That’s why people use it, not because of fun shit

[@grifffourn8200]

I think over-nerfing dead hard would be akin to what happened with nerfing ruin. If the best perk for achieving your goal incentivizes not being chased, then the game becomes less fun, because chases are the fun part. CoB, Eruption, Overcharge, etc, all being the best slowdowns has made the game more boring because they disincentivize chasing. As compared to ruin, which incentivized it. Running dead hard, incentivizes survivors to play riskier and stay at loops. Making SB the best exhaustion perk will make survivors play way more safe, take way fewer chances, and overall incentivize them to not get chased. I think so many killers are so obsessed with the bad feels from being robbed *cough* outplayed *cough* by dead hard that they fail to consider what a world without it would look like, and it would be less fun but not any less powerful.

[@Tericho]

3:18 No sarcasm this is probably the wisest thing you have ever said. I would never take Dead Hard off if it did this. If only the devs thought more about fun and less about the meta.

[@Dark_Tale_1985]

Dead Hard has become so commonly used though that it has almost become boring to come across it. You know 9/10 times someone is going to have it. To be honest, I'd rather they just take out every gen slow down for killer/every second chance perk for survivor and then see what kind of meta we would get.

[@PapaMerlz]

Dead hard IS just so fun to use lol When it works, its great. When it fails, at least i dabbed, which is hilarious. It also helps to think about what the killer might be saying out loud when they see that I have dead hard. Which THEN leads to the mindgames of when or if I’ll use it again in the match. The real value is the friends we made along the way

[@steve_rogers_usmc1990]

But I have seen many streamers say, "oh well he Sprint Burst away to a God pallet so I am not going to chase that". That is consistent (for the most part) whereas, I have seen you consistently bait out a Dead Hard (DH) so in that respect DH may be more popular but less effective. I can't tell you how many streamers I have seen bait out a dead hard but when someone does a fat burst to a safe pallet they have lengthened the chase considerably more so than a failed DH attempt.

[@latrodectahespara2728]

I've been saying this for a while, myself. I don't think you even need to go into analysis of the game's core options, I think it's genuinely as simple as, "Dead Hard lets you stay in chase longer and the other Exhaustion perks are better at _breaking_ chase". You'd be surprised how much this is a hot take and people on some platforms (cough, cough, the forums) will start arguing that it's clearly the strongest perk ever and wildly overpowered and so on and so forth.

[@gageowo9527]

DanielMaster87 on the forums always arguing in favor of everything for killers and survivors are always bad. Or people with nurse and blight profile pictures saying that alchemist ring and eruption are fine because you have to get hits or downs, but dead hard is skilless because they play 1 Survivor game a month against a noob killer and hit every dead hard

[@latrodectahespara2728]

@@gageowo9527 The forums are a magical place, aren't they?

[@Reinami66]

i disagree. I would rather deal with sprint burst all day, because sprint burst has an actual downside. If you 99 it, then you can't work a gen, or heal a teammate, or even drop from a high spot, or else it isn't 99'd anymore. Additionally, you can't run around everywhere without burning it, forcing you to walk, or to risk not having it when you really need it. Sprint burst also happens at the very start of a chase, so if someone uses it, i can just not chase that person, and leave, and if they all have it, then i just make them use sprint burst, then go back to my dead zone/generator setup i got. Dead hard happens at the end of the chase, right as i am about to down them, and is far more frustrating to deal with. And the 2 main counters to dead hard are: - Wait it out - Hard tunnel off the hook. Waiting it out creates a stupid game where as a "bloodthirsty killer" i just have to dance around with a survivor and not hit them, it is very against the spirit of this game. The other counter is to just hard tunnel them off the hook. Intentionally hit them right as they get unhooked, so they get deep wounds, and then they can't use it. That way i deal with 1 health state, instead of potentially 3. Both of these lead to unhealthy gameplay. Sprint burst is for the "hold w" but the problem of "hold w" is little to do with perks, and more to do with map design and several maps just being so damn big.

[@Unsolver]

"timing" a dead hard is still ENTIRELY a completely blind guess in a scenario where the killer is point-blank staring-you-down & intentionally not attacking so as to bait out the dead hard. It doesn't really boil down to skill at all. If I'm a Killer it's both frustrating to mindlessly stare them down for however many seconds, and frustrating to be hit with a dead hard, as it's both a third health state & a sprint burst, it MASSIVELY extends chases & "forgives" survivor mistakes for a tiny tiny tiny amount of effort. Then, on the Survivor side, I never feel "GOOD" about successfully hitting a dead hard because it feels insanely cheesy & completely un-earned. The ONLY way to actually solve dead hard's core issues, without completely changing the perk mechanics & identity, is to make it have a (STILL VULNERABLE) telegraph animation before the actual endurance effect kicks in. That way, it creates a new paradigm in which it doesn't "rob" killers of hits that are otherwise completely guaranteed, yet also raises the skill ceiling on how survivors can most effectively utilize dead hard by making it a MUCH more "purposeful" interaction; No longer entirely random & unpredictable.

[@Jilldo]

I think a 0.5 second window to hit it makes it earned. Far more than any other killer perks. Almost all killer perks are 'earned' by them just playing the game as normal. Almost 0 require any skill if any actually. They just work. At worst you get some by what, hooking people, which is your main objective.

[@Unsolver]

@@Jilldo "earning" something is only half of the issue; Like I said before, dead hard in its current state also gives a huge reward for very little effort. Almost every single one of the Killer Perks that require little effort to activate also give comparatively little reward.

[@ES_DCSAVIOR101]

Im a consistency kind of guy so Sprint burst is my go-to exhaustion perk.

[@manman-oy2mc]

99-ing Sprint Burst takes alot more skill & game awareness to use compared to Dead Hard

[@manman-oy2mc]

@@ABSDTC That's not 99-ing Sprint Burst at all, 99-ing Sprint Burst is when you purposely try to balance your exhaustion to have it easily cleared by walking for a second or two so you can run 'n' loop 'round properly without usin' Sprint Burst & then reactivating it when you need it to avoid taking hits

[@Malicious_Malachi]

I've always preferred Sprint Burst as my exhaustion perk my way of having fun in DBD is to never be seen or caught by the Killer so Dead Hard has never appealed to me.

[@r_c1]

honestly i love dead hard when playing as a killer, i’m not exactly top mmr but i’d say i’m somewhere between mid and top mmr and it’s so easy to bait out most of the time, not to mention the goofy dab they do into going down cracks me up 😂

[@mckenzieschmitt2841]

Yeah. Good killers we just look at them. As survivor I act bc ashamed. Look left then right. Slow crouch in the corner😂🎉🎉

[@DeputyFish]

its only easy to bait out. when your vsing bad players. like you kinda say in the first part of your sentence.

[@r_c1]

@@DeputyFish yeah true

[@elettro4620]

I disagree with "dead hard being nerfed will just shift the complains to sprint burst", remember that sprint burst can heavily hinder you if you wanna use it effectively, since you can't sprint meanwhile, also if you wanna keep it 99% you can't do gens. This considered you can't "always use sprint burst" unless you decide not to run half the match unlike dead hard where you actually can use it every time and technically killers can't do anything about it if the survivor manages to hit the timing.

[@dotdot3203]

It's also an incredibly easy cheat to run. Play in Asia for a week. You will whiff force dozens of dead hards across a pallet or a window in one damn night.

[@gabrote42]

I think the problem is that by it's very design it blueballs the killer, and in a very punishing way. You are finally getting to the end of that 2 minute chase with your Pop/Painres/Whatever right on time to interrupt that gen...! And now you lose 3 seconds, the dude is 15 meters away and you gotta track them back down. SB and Lithe just make them be farther, and at most it's a bit annoying or unnoticeable. You don't get the dopamine interruption. Also, SB either is there or it isn't. DH conditions you even when it's not there. That's why I hate it. If it was displayed somehow I guess it could be less frustrating, but getting blueballed sucks.

[@3xpression296]

simple and short answer: dead hard is a perk that is best (and most likely) used during the most fun part of the game -- being chased.

[@masterweapon334]

This is basically the exact same argument we were having a year ago before the nerf (minus DHing for distance)

[@iheartblock3792]

Exhaustion perks are just generally badly designed tbh, head on is the exception because it’s not based around just w-ing away from the killer, and dead hard is stupid with ‘mindgaming’ humping a survivor and hoping they don’t press e, where you have to assume ALL players have dead hard because it’s so strong and so prevalent

[@piralos1329]

As others have said, dead hard feels painful to go against for most killers because of the mental aspect. It feels like you're being punished for playing, which isn't what you want! This is arguably the same issue eruption had, and the same issue post rework Thana had! The other big thing I think that makes dead hard so frustrating is that there is no real competition for it. Sprint Burst is STRONGER, but there's no other exhaustion perk that is as fun - except for head on. And with Head On, you have to wait in the locker for 3 seconds and time it right. I don't even think DH countering specific killers is necessarily a bad thing. Head On is incredible vs the Chainsaw Bros, since you can locker whilst they're sawing to basically negate the charge up, a well timed 99'd Sprint Burst or Balanced can make a Legion lose a chain hit, etc. The issue is it feels like it's punishing people for playing the game. I don't know the solution to this. Eruption was fixable by removing the incapacitated, but for DH, I genuinely don't know a fix that doesn't fundimentally change how the perk works. The only thing I can think of is having it deactivate if you touch the killer, so that the killer has some kind of counterplay, but even that doesn't feel great.

[@liandre9035]

M1 killers are weak enough in chase, survivors dont need another health state.

[@william4996]

People use deadhard because it's the best exhaustion perk. Full stop. I feel like most of this video is just sort of copium. If deadhard stopped giving you a hit and just meme'd on the killer it's usage would spike and then slowly die off until just the memers were left and everyone would be using Sprint Burst because it's the next best option.

[@fereleth2672]

Any killer who wants to lunge, and sometimes if you just want to do a basic M1, it's wasted. If you have a projectile with a travel time, you're not downing somebody with it if they have Dead Hard. Saying 'oh but that isn't a big deal because it's hard' is like saying, 'the game is only fun when you're up against bad players'.

[@dollmaker6599]

I disagree, people use it cause of the extra health state on command. And it hurts considerably worse than SB, SB at most will delay the first hit a couple of secs or save you from a bad spot at the start of the chase, DH can make an already long chase into a complete waste of time, which if you commit you likely lost the game already, and if you don’t, the person will likely just heal back up in seconds due to how stupid Med-Kits are. And DH also makes lunge attacks pretty much obsolete against injured survivors, on top of being lose-lose situations on close hits, for example hits that you will only get if you lunge, like right before a vault or pallet, but DH denies that hit by making it a DH trigger or losing the hit altogether. It’s unfun and increasingly tiring to go against.

[@MidnightSlasher]

This is why I've been saying Death Garden was ahead of its time and made teamplay amazing. If we had that Smoke bomb ability in DBD I guarantee you that perk would be used in 90% of matches BECAUSE IT ADDS A NEW OPTION FOR SURVIVORS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF .

[@gouth9515]

we have flashbangs?

[@honkbrother8000]

​@@gouth9515 not the same?

[@gouth9515]

@@honkbrother8000 explain maybe

[@noatak6852]

Just like killers taking advantage of tunneling survivors for their scourge pain res stacks or re-applying call of brine and eruption over and over

[@Luna.Tenebra]

​@@gouth9515 one blinds you and one is denying you line of sight. Its not that hard

[@TheSlin90]

I'd take four Sprint Bursts over 4 Dead Hards anytime. With Sprint Burst survs maybe get like 10 seconds of extra time until you catch up to them, maybe less depending on the pathing and the killer you are playing, while one good Dead Hard will rob you all the pressure you would've got with a down which has the potential to ruin the whole match for a killer. Not to mention that it actually is a really consistent perk against the most popular/strongest killers like Nurse, Blight, Huntress etc.

[@ABSDTC]

I don't know, a perk (DH) that's consistent against the best killers in the game sounds more fair for survivors than a perk (sprint burst) that's very inconsistent against the best killers in the game considering they can just catch up with you with one blink, a rush or a hatchet.

[@totenmaple317]

PLEASE give me 4 sprint bursts every match, fuck dead hard

[@lettuchia]

Ppl will still say dh is the most used bc it's "op" or the best perk, I'm guessing those ppl agree with the self care nerf

[@Seph2079]

I was using exponential as an exhaustion perk and get decent value from it. I ran dead hard and have been tunneled less in my matches lately. It’s just that good. It’s annoying to face because people always use it at a window or through pallet. It’s easy to extend a chase with it. Being able to take three hits makes a chase much longer than other exhaustion perks. The world would be better if it was removed

[@floofzykitty5072]

I think Head On isn't used that often even though it's fun is that it basically takes up two perk slots. You CAN use it without Quick and Quiet, but the perk is significantly worse. You can just do so much more and use it so much more often if you have Quick and Quiet it's basically necessary. A good mindgame I like to do is head on the killer the first chase, then the next time I walk past the locker but don't actually enter it. 9/10 times they think I'm in the locker.

[@mckenzieschmitt2841]

I bring an entire build with head on. Just not sustainable to depend on just that as my exhaustion perk. I don’t understand why it’s an exhaustion perk either. Put a longer cooldown on it. Remove exhaustion.

[@mckenzieschmitt2841]

Add deception into the mix. 😈

[@DeputyFish]

@@mckenzieschmitt2841 because imagine getting head on'd then see them sprint burst away. leaving no scratch marks or anything and making no sound. ye theres a reason its an exaustion

[@thomasebert5289]

Scott… nobody misses DH at high MMR. In fact, you cant even wait out DH at those levels because survivors have such good timing. It’s essentially a 3rd health state with a speed boost… it’s OP af.

[@Free_Hugz]

Here is an actual legit rework of dead hard. (scroll to the bottom for the simplified explanation) Dead hard, allows the survivor to survive a hit they otherwise for 10 seconds and gain 5% haste for 10 seconds, after the 10 seconds are over the survivor goes down at what ever location they are standing at after the 10 seconds expires. During these 10 seconds the killer can see the aura of the survivor in the effects of dead hard and the survivor can see other survivors auras, hooks and the auras of pallets map wide, (the other survivors can also see the aura of the survivor under the effects of dead hard with a white aura rather than the standard yellow even on the ground waiting to pick themselves back up with the next part coming up) The survivor can also pick themselves up if they fully recover by themselves (ONLY if they went down under dead hards successful activation after the default standard speed recovery time, so will cancel out recovery speed perks) what does this do? It's still allow survivor to tank hits (even letting you do cheeky end game tactics) but doesn't allow for chase's to be extended a crazy amount of time so it doesn't automatically Steal all of the moment from the Killer. It also allows the survivor to see exactly where their teammates are if they are working on a gen to avoid them or bringing them closer to teammates putting themself under pallets and in position for easier saves, or it could literally just be used to shift w to comp corner if you just wanna waste a bit of time dead hard is used only have 10 seconds to make a decision on where you want to go down to benefit your team, or put yourself in a location where there are no hooks to try and deny a hook at all. The Perk now has strategy, and is not just a (Not alway consistent but) free health state like it currently is while actually living up to the name of what it means to be "Dead Hard" The built in unbreakable to it can be counted by not slugging someone who activated DH successfully so there is counter play around that aspect too. So simplified dead hard gives you 10 seconds of 5% haste extra and time to reposition your self elsewhere before you go down, where you can self recovery if you used DH correctly in the default recovery time. Survivor gets auras of all survivors, (And untill you go down hook and pallets) Other survivors see your white aura so they know you have dh until you are picked back up, Killer sees your aura (Untill you go down) Thats how I would rework DH

[@elija_hernandez457]

The blatant head on disrespect is absurd.

[@ponglenis9273]

I think dead hard got even stronger. Harder to play but more distance and the killer potentially wastes a hit (stbfl., noed reveal, coup de grace etc) Also it sounded like he called ds3 uninteresting, I will consume my rage. For now.

[@WWFanatic0]

I will forever say Balanced Landing is the most fun exhaustion perk. It sucks that it's very map dependent but it's so satisfying even if its nerf and map variance means it's got mixed value. There's the route planning part which is fun, but also the mid-chase speed burst. Sure lithe has that too, but it doesn't get what balanced landing gets: seeing the killer miss their swing as you speed away. The killer thinking they had you, swinging with the fall but then you're speeding away? So satisfying. There's buildup for it, then release.

[@DeputyFish]

ye atleast they are trying to give some maps such as red forest now has a high ground

[@Katana314]

Here's a very weird idea that might make Dead Hard interesting. Dead Hard no longer plays an animation. Instead, if you are struck while using DH, you still go down. BUT, for the next 10 seconds, you receive 500% boosted recovery speed, and can pick yourself up from the dying state, with a 2-second Endurance effect. Killers can counter it IF they pick up instantly - but we all know in a lot of situations as killer, that's not the first thought.

[@liandre9035]

so SWF can only use DH. great

[@evelynnsingleton1211]

Its super fun for one side but turns gameplay for the other. Can't Lunge at times where the Lunge means it because they *might* dead hard, Can't swing and they might get to a Pallet because they *might* have dead hard

[@epticmaniac5764]

I think overcome is extremely underrated i think it’s basically a better dead hard but you just don’t miss and with med kits and with syringes it’s busted you can run the killer for 30 seconds get hit take off takes 20 seconds for them to catch up by the time they catch up your already healed then if they hit you again you get another speed boost

[@davidleivaarias9498]

I love dead hard but the amount of times I pressed the button just for the sake of ending on the ground can be annoying and hilariously sad

[@Wrawny]

The amount of copium in the comments….. “well of course this every other exhaustion perk is better because you can guarantee you activate it! Which equals value!” Nah DH is a pocketed free hit. that is the only reason it’s the most popular perk. I doubt people would be complaining about SB or any other exhausted perk tbh. Most SB players waste time trying to save up their “value” by walking around the whole map wasting time anyways. As a survivor main and partial killer player I’ve seen it. The whole perk activating= value isn’t always the case. I’d say it considerably in some cases depends on how you position yourself to get value out of these perks honestly.

[@firefax69lol38]

The simple fact I can never ever lunge attack is just the most BS thing imaginable. I swear it's soooo satisfying playing Ghost Face and never ever injuring someone after they dead hard.

[@pukerat7562]

You can lunge. If someone's ping is above 60, they won't be able to do it on reaction. Also, just read the kind of player you're going against. If they're looking behind them, then you know they're going to try to time a DH.

[@firefax69lol38]

@@pukerat7562 you uhh only look behind for dead hard?

[@squalltheonly]

Dead is so good that even when you don't run it, killers will still wait it out lol

[@usedhalfcart]

just like unbreakable (and old DS) !

[@christianftt3136]

@@animaIpath this isn’t new to this game though we have perks like pain res , ds etc

[@omniboredom6410]

ive always said there should be some loops where instead of a window its like, a hole in the bottom of the wall and you can slide under it, different, kinda fun

[@MrCensury]

I think you overlooked the fact that you ALWAYS get value out of DH, even if you are not running it. The simple fact that it is so popular makes it that every killer has to second guess themselves and bait it, even though the survivor may not use the perk. I don't know if DH should get nerfed, but at least lets admit that this is the sign of an oppressive perk.

[@Free_Hugz]

^This^

[@crabbypatty10fefrefe]

Remember when they all cried after it got "nerfed"? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

[@onetwo9865]

The reason DH is by far the best exhaustion perk, even after it's nerf, is, that it prolongs a chase after the killer committed time into it. Using sprintburst in wuch a way is a lot more inconsistent and way harder. Also it gives endurance for risky saves where SB would simply do nothing. Basically, an exhaustion perk at least on par, if not better than SB should not be triggerable on a button press. Period.

[@Sonix07pr]

I quit right after the perk rework when everyone was bitching it was a dead perk. People still complain about deadhard?

[@xxprototypexx5056]

My opinion on it Being popular is because it's essentially a free mettle of man that that's skill to use rather than earning it and having it on all the time. Regardless if it's hard to use, a third healthstate is always satisfying and very powerful.

[@xxprototypexx5056]

*takes skill to use. Sorry, typos.

[@Punishment_for_Decadence]

Dead hard can turn a hook trade into both survs getting away. Doesn't work all the time but when it does, damn it's satisfying

[@twisted5576]

I don't run dead hard, but if it caused a reverb fart sound effect I absolutely would.

[@arkirron7172]

I still think the reason most people run it is simply because of how effective and strong it is, if it was shit you wouldn’t see anyone running it no matter how fun.