With the release of Friday the 13th: The Game on the Nintendo Switch, players may be diving into the survival-horror action for the first time, and we have all the best perks and counselor choices to help you survive as best you can.

Although the game was first released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017, the AI remains quite poorly designed in the new Switch Port, and strategy can be all but ignored when playing offline. The real challenge comes to those who venture forth online, and these tips will help keep you on top.

Via: fridaythe13ththegame.fandom.com

Perks

For those who have played Dead By Daylight, Perks function almost identically here. Perks can be equipped by counselors to specialize their toolkit towards a playstyle of their choice. These can be acquired by spending 500 CP to randomly “Roll Perk” and come in a total of 6 rarities based on color:

  • Poor - White
  • Common - Blue
  • Uncommon - Yellow
  • Rare - Orange
  • Epic - Red
  • Legendary – Fuchsia

Each perk also comes with a downside to be weighed against its benefit. However, the upside almost always justifies the downside if selected with a strategy in mind.

Via: forums.f13game.com

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The Best Perks

This is somewhat subjective, however what follows are the best perks with an explanation regarding how best to take advantage of its benefit. Take a look here at all the perks that can be obtained to create your own custom playstyle:

Sneaky – This is a great example of a perk that works well for those who are looking to run and hide from Jason rather than try and fight him. Since you receive a penalty to damage taken, this perk encourages the stealthiest of play.

Lone Wolf – As the name implies, this is great for players who are going at it alone. Fear resistance increases when alone, which means that Jason cannot track you as easily, or better yet, is more likely to see the fear of one of the other counselors.

My Dad’s A Cop – This reduces the amount of time it takes for the police to show up after being called, with a downside of making Car Speed slower. This perk may not be that useful if you are playing alone with strangers who do not work together, but in a group of friends with the goal of calling the police, this is among the best. Along the same theme, “Grease Money” makes the car start faster at the cost of the boat taking longer to start, so these perks work best with a clear plan in mind and punishes deviation to anything else.

Medic – Playing the role of doctor with a full group of seven online friends is often a boon. A skilled Jason is likely to cause some terrible damage among the group, and this perk provides additional healing, reduces damage taken, and gives two sprays per Medical Spray. If your friends are accident prone, or simply are new to the game, this can be a great help.

Hypochondriac – This provides a healing spray at the start of the match, meaning that it synergizes well with Medic to help those teammates.

Slugger and Sucker Punch – These perks synergize together in that the first provides a player with a baseball bat at the start of the match, and Sucker Punch provides an increased chance to stun Jason when hitting him.

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The Best Counselors

With fourteen different counselors to choose from, fifteen if we count Thomas “Tommy" Jarvis, there is a broad range of play for everyone. Only a few are available from the start of the game, but all unlock gradually after leveling up. Arguably, the best counselor unlocks at level four with A.J. Mason, but all are viable with a good team.

A.J. Mason has great stealth and can often move around undetected. By equipping perks like Low Profile, one is likely not the be found in the first place, and if one also takes the Marathon perk, they can either run away from Jason until they are able to hide again, or simply to lead him in circles while the team focuses on an escape objective. This works great with My Dad’s A Cop.

Via: primagames.com

Brandon “Buggzy” Wilson is a great choice for those who see Jason coming in the distance and say “No, no more!” He has great strength, which means that with taking perks like Slugger, Sucker Punch, Heavy Hitter, Friendship, or other boosts to offensive ability will give Jason the fight of his life! This works best with a group of friends who have all decided that they are going to fight Jason and can often be a major pain in the villain’s behind. Paired with Chat Kensington and Adam Palomino, Jason will be in for a world of hurt.

Via: primagames.com

Vanessa Jones is a great alternative if A.J. Mason is unavailable, because while she does not do as well with stealth, her Speed and Stamina are great. Perks like Marathon are great for getting away from Jason and potentially kiting him from allies who should be busy working the objective.

Via: gameskinny.com

Deborah Kim is an outstanding choice to repair objective based items efficiently, but she often needs a team for protection or to distract Jason. With low stamina she is not ideally suited to survive alone unless she takes Marathon as a perk, but the perk slot should instead be used for something like Tinker, or rather, anything that helps get that objective done soon. Paired with Eric ‘J. R.’ Lachappa, and the repair jobs will be wrapping up in no time.

Via: gamersdecide.com

Chad Kensington is the trust-fund baby of the group who offers balance in his character traits. If he needs to work an objective, run away, or fight Jason with weapons, Chad is well-suited for the task with an appropriate perk. The preppy Chad is available right from the start and is a great character to learn the game.

Via: steamcommunity.com

Ultimately, all the counselors are viable when one selects perks that synergize well, even if playing online without having the ability to communicate well with a team. However, when combined with a group that has a single-minded objective as a plan, you should be able to dominate even a skilled Jason!

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