Highlights

  • New Invocation perk in Dead by Daylight needs rework due to long casting time and major drawbacks for users.
  • Different categories of perks in Dead by Daylight like Hex, Boon, Scourge Hook perks impact gameplay.
  • Future Invocations need careful balance to be a strong risk/reward perk, with potential for adjustments and fine-tuning.

Dead by Daylight recently introduced a new kind of perk, but it already looks like it could be in need of a rework. Considering how often Dead by Daylight adjusts the numbers of perks and add-ons in patches, it's certainly not out of the question for newer perks to see a rework or two somewhere down the line. However, one class of perks in Dead by Daylight already has clear flaws despite only one example existing so far. That could be a sign that the developers will need to experiment a bit more with them in future patches.

Among the selection of perks in Dead by Daylight, there are a few that fall into specific categories. These categories are:

  • Hex perks: Killer perks that grant useful effects, but are tied to a totem that can be dispelled by survivors
  • Boon perks: Survivors' equivalent to Hex perks that can be cast on any totem
  • Scourge Hook perks: Perks that apply additional effects to a set of randomly chosen hooks
  • Obsession perks: Perks involving interactions between the killer and one randomly chosen Survivor
  • Teamwork perks: Survivor perks that only work if two Survivors share the perk
  • Invocation perks: Survivor perks that grant an effect upon completing a ritual
A semi-transparent Freddy Fazbear over the box art for Dead by Daylight
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Dead by Daylight's Invocations Have a Few Kinks to Work Out

Invocation: Weaving Spiders Introduced a New Perk Type to Dead by Daylight

Sable Ward from Dead by Daylight's Chapter 31 brings the game's first Invocation perk: Invocation: Weaving Spiders. In order to cast Weaving Spiders, the player must go to the basement and use the magic circle to cast it. It costs 120 seconds to cast, but the casting time can be hastened if other Survivors help her. Once the casting is completed, every generator on the map will have the amount of time required to repair them reduced for the rest of the trial. As a trade-off, the user will also be broken and unable to heal for the rest of the trial.

Invocation: Weaving Spiders is One of Dead by Daylight's Most Flawed Perks

Unfortunately, Invocation: Weaving Spiders is not among the best Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight for a few glaring reasons. First, its casting time is far too long, and depriving the Survivors of one teammate for a full two minutes is a major downside. That would be enough of a painful trade, but the user becoming broken for the rest of the trial after completing the Invocation further hampers its usefulness. No Mither has the same downside, and that perk is considered a direct downgrade for any Survivor using it. Invocation: Weaving Spiders replicating that effect only further hurts its usability.

Future Invocations in Dead by Daylight Will Need Serious Testing

This raises questions about any further Invocation perks that could come to the game. Invocations are still a new interaction in Dead by Daylight, so there is still time to fine-tune them. The casting time is the first detail worth looking at, because 2 minutes is too long to justify most effects. In addition, the effects themselves need to be checked to make sure that they aren't game-breakingly powerful regardless of casting time. It's clear that the developers want Invocations to be a strong risk/reward type of perk. In that case, the risks and rewards will need to be carefully balanced.

Invocations will probably need a bit of extra adjustment before they can find a comfortable place in the metagame. Although it's clear that the future of Dead by Daylight relies on a shifting metagame and more innovative ideas and strategies, not everything is going to work on the first attempt. Invocation: Weaving Spiders is a perfect example of this. It was an interesting concept to add to the game, but the perk's flaws are readily apparent. Hopefully, Behavior will do some more experiments for future Invocations to enter Dead by Daylight.