Leaders are often mistakenly thought of as support survivors in Evil Dead: The Game. It's understandable that a character who specializes in an aura will often be thought of as a support unit based on playing other games. But that's not really the main role of the character.
The aura itself boosts damage, in contrast to the support survivors that focus more on healing. And, with the right skills, the leader can contribute to damage just as much as any hunter or warrior in Evil Dead: The Game. But to do this, gamers will need to carefully invest their points into skills that are the biggest difference-makers.
10 Fear No Evil
- Reduces the amount of fear received from any source.
Leaders are already more resistant to fear than the other survivors. With just a bit more help from the skill tree, they can assure themselves that fear will never become an issue at any point. This skill would rank higher if it translated to playing with friends, but it's plenty strong as it is.
9 Devastating Force
- Increases melee weapon damage.
It doesn't matter what platform teammates are playing on, deadites are going to get close and players are going to need a solid melee weapon at their side. Leaders become more than just pretty faces when they take to the frontlines and dish out some mean damage in close. Given their aura, it will help and inspire other survivors to get in close as well.
8 Wig Splatter
- Increases headshot damage.
It's time to be real; players who don't aim for the head will never be able to beat the fifth mission and win the game. So since it is granted that the player should be aiming to score headshots, it makes a great deal of sense to boost this type of damage. The total number could be higher, but with the gun, it's enough to end most basic units in a single strike.
7 Hollow Points
- Increases ranged weapon damage.
Extra damage is important; if it wasn't the leader class wouldn't exist and be recognized as critical to the party. So don't pass up on more ranged damage, even if it's just a bit. These boosts stack nicely with the aura and make the leader a legitimate contender for the highest damage output. Having a leader who doubles as a primary damage dealer is invaluable.
6 Tougher Than Hell
- Reduces the amount of damage you receive.
Reducing all damage, regardless of the source, is a huge boost to the odds of winning. With an extra bit of health, that's another hit, another chance to react, or another swing to take out an opponent. The boost might seem like a few measly percentage points. But over the course of a long match, this can be an effective thirty-plus hits taken. The leader won't even be confused with a tank, but staying on their feet longer gives the whole team a better chance of winning.
5 Industrial Strength
- Increases maximum health.
The support survivors already have their hands full. They'll be managing everyone's health bars and pushing the limits to use their abilities every time they come off of a cooldown. Extra health will make their jobs much easier. It's not just about kindness to these characters, though. Shemp's Colas become more effective and are slightly less crucial. Much like with Tougher Than Hell, this little skill becomes the equivalent of taking an extra thirty or more hits across the course of a standard match.
4 Echoes Of The Aura
- Teammates retain the effects of your aura for a short time after leaving its range.
Smart teams stay tightly clustered, that's just sound strategy. But that's not always realistic. Deadites don't like to behave in a convenient way. Ranged damage dealers will occasionally get separated from their melee counterparts before finishing off an opponent and getting back to safety. Instead of casting them to the wolves, leaders can allow for some leniency with their aura, giving players the same boost for a few seconds while they take care of business before getting back into range.
3 Fast Forward
- Reduces the duration timer for objective events.
No leader skill will irritate an opposing demon more than Fast Forward. It contends with the most annoying skill for any survivor when they go up against it. Objective points are an opportunity for demons to work their magic and stack as many minions and traps as they can. Cutting this by even a fraction shaves off the worst part of the attack. Before the demon commander can unleash their finishing touches, the survivors are moving on.
2 Great Influence
- Increases the range of your aura skill.
If there is any one complaint that all leaders have, it's that pathetically small circle that counts as the radius. Survivors basically have to hug each other to get the bonus. Thankfully, the remedy is not far off. The very first survivor skill, Great Influence, expands this. With four skill points, the area coverage is more than tripled, giving teammates plenty of space to kill deadites however they see fit.
1 Master Of Influence
- Strengthens the effects of your aura.
If the leader is defined by their aura, then it becomes a no-brainer to make that aura as pronounced as possible. With a boost to the total damage output of one player, this would be incredible. Given that this goes across the entire party, it's borderline required to max this out. Teammates will be thanking you as they return deadites back to the hell they came from.
Evil Dead: The Game was released on May 13th, 2022, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.