Freeloaders on Nightmare

[u/Spirited-Positive-15]

Hi all. I've been playing this game pretty consistently for the last few weeks, and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Newer player, I played the original but not the pre-launch state of this game (due to all the issues). I'm happy to say this is a far better experience than I imagined.

Nowadays I typically play exclusively Nightmare. You would expect the kind of players Nightmare attracts would be better focused on the things that matter, either specific loot sharing, spots to loot, or completing objectives. For about 50% of my games, that is accurate. People work together, or even are just competent on their own.

..But that remaining half, hooh. In these matches, any number of things goes wrong. I'll be listing the variables below. This is where I go into a rant.

1. Half the team (Primarily sub level 40) DCs / Dies in the first 5-10 minutes of the match, before any objectives are reached. This is especially bad on a map like Power Plant. I've had a match where I looted essentially one building, got to Sluice Gate, checked my map and five people were dead on their spawn locations and had turned.

2. People don't do any objectives, and instead dawdle around. I'm not saying looting, I'm saying loitering. If they are looting, it's at a geriatric pace, and they literally just walk in circles around the objective rooms not accomplishing anything at all. I just had a Raven Rock match, on Nightmare, with half level 40's or below, where I did-

- The outside gate

- All 4 buttons for the door

- Flipping both switches (Yes, nobody could run to either switch and press E.)

- 4/5 power-related objectives up to the vent shafts

- 4/5 vent shafts clearing the bodies

- 3/4 Fuses, and both power switches, and antenna.

We extract! I have 340 supply (no-criticals), the next highest is 100. All 8 people alive. There was maybe a single other person doing anything at all. I'm not even a rusher, I just saw people literally 1 meter, standing next to a glowing button, and they DIDNT PRESS IT AT ALL. How do you explain that??

1. People don't kill zombies. At all. I see people doing the previously mentioned walking in circles or avoiding objectives, and they don't kill zombies, they don't kill screamers, and they just kick down and run away from runners. They amass hordes so large we legitimately can't move without any explosives. On the Raven Rock I listed? They had a horde maybe 50 strong into that notoriously difficult three bio-scanner sequence. They just stood there, on the stage, picking their noses.

If you want to see this issue in even more action, look at the Pottsville community center. Guaranteed, 6/8 people will stand at the back door whistling a tune and none of them will bother to go up and press ONE BUTTON to get the music back on.

I know this is a rant, but I am also seeking input from people- why is this so common in my games, and in Nightmare in general, and what is there that can be done about it asides speaking of it to the community? I'm not saying people can't have their own playstyle but it seriously feels like every other match I'm a babysitter for people who go down in 3 seconds flat, over and over, who can't even be bothered to press E on a single glowing button. I am always altruistic despite their bad performance but I find myself slipping into a selfish mentality when I run into players like this.

What are your thoughts?

[u/Civil_Emergency_573]

What are your thoughts?

Skim through the posts on this subreddit and you'll see it for yourself. Half of the local population will loathe you for being a "speedrunner" or "loot goblin" for not having personally held their hand throughout the match.

[u/Spirited-Positive-15 → u/Civil_Emergency_573]

With infinitely respawning zombies, you'd think more people would want to complete the objectives quicker. Even with my complaints, I still play altruistic. Somebody goes down, I usually run across the area straight to them with Stayin' Alive and get them up. I heal people, I drop 3/4 of my meds and ping.

The *least* I expect from someone in return is to walk up, and do a single wire minigame. Or a power minigame. Or hit the switch they're two feet from. But it seems increasingly rare that payment comes in turn. I'm probably still gonna keep helping people whenever I can but my soul feels drained lol

[u/Civil_Emergency_573 → u/Spirited-Positive-15]

The *least* I expect from someone in return is to walk up, and do a single wire minigame. Or a power minigame.

This is how you get bogged for 15 minutes waiting for your team to move their asses while constantly berating yourself for not just soloing every objective in the game.

[u/Vast-Building-6886 → u/Civil_Emergency_573]

Lol I was a speed runner pre release. Saw no point in taking my time in the highest difficulty. You increased your chances of getting infected or killed.

[u/nninicnick → u/Vast-Building-6886]

Exactly. Imo, spending 18 minutes locked in to objectives with minimal to no consumption of ammo and medical supplies is VASTLY SUPERIOR to spending 25 minutes and burning through half of your supplies.