Why Walter the Fearless is a Flawed Character (Don't Starve Together)
4,253In this video I discuss Walter the Fearless' recent addition to DST as the latest player character, and how he is a flawed character, due to possessing a large number of perks with minimal impact on gameplay, as well as lacking a coherent playstyle.
Timestamps:
00:00-00:17 Preface
00:17-01:56 Character/Lore
01:56-03:21 Gameplay (Preface)
03:21-09:15 Gameplay (Major Perks/Downsides)
09:15-12:00 Gameplay (Mini Perks)
12:00-13:32 Verdict
13:32-15:01 Addendum/Outro
đź–’Like if you liked the video, that's why it's called a likeđź–’
Right off the bat, I just want to say that my biggest issue with Walter hands-down is that he has a lot of unneccessary perks that don't contribute to a playstyle.
In my eyes, what makes a DS/T character effective is a series of simple, and concise perks that greatly impact the way you play the game. Because for me, that is what makes a character interesting and engaging in the long term, as opposed to a one who can generally be described as 'Wilson except x.' When I think about the effectiveness of a character, I will generally rank them against this criteria, although, of course, this is simply my opinion and you are free to disagree.
So basically, in accordance to this, Walter is not a well-made character. He has a lot of unneccesary perks that ultimately have little to no impact on how he is played, and can as such be described as 'Wilson with a slingshot. And a companion. And a tent. And a bunch of other stuff.' Ahem.
The sheer volume of perks is the second thing that takes away from his potential in my eyes. Now, it's common, especially with Klei's newer works, to compare characters to something that someone from the community might have made. To a mod character. But in Walter's case, I feel that it is more than justified - because, I mean, just look at him.
It's hard to divulge the original intent behind Walter's creation - what was he supposed to be? A ranged character seems like the most obvious choice - but then how come he has so many other perks that have nothing to do with ranged combat? Obviously there is the slingshot and the different ammo types, but beyond that there is nothing. Instead, we have what I like to call a 'perk soup' - a concoction of mildly random perks that have no significance other than loosely relating to Walter's position as a scout.
Walter definitely adds up to be a pretty good addition to the game. His character is well-made and fitting to the game's setting, however his perks are almost good, but not quite.
Overall, the main problem that I have with them is definitely that there's too much going on. Far too many little tidbits that don't have much consequence. As I stated earlier in the video, in my eyes the strongest characters have perks that shape definitive playstyles, instead of less significant ones cobbled together erratically. Which is sadly what Walter has. There is definitely potential here for a unique ranged character playstyle which we've sort of seen before with Wheeler, but her playstyle was definitely more of a hit and run type thing instead of a true ranger. In order for Walter to be a character for whom ranged combat is truly more viable than close quarters, he needs a downside which will force him to rely upon shooting instead of stabbin', as well as new or reworked upsides in order to actually reward him for doing so. Lower melee damage seems like a really predictable choice for a downside, but I actually think it would do just fine in making Walter more dependent on ranged combat. Making him crippled in melee combat in some other way could also work, such as a slower attack speed. In compensation for something like this, his slingshot abilities would need to be made more potent. This could likely be achieved with some simple number adjustments, such as different resource costs and crafting payouts or just higher damage. Additionally, the utility ammo types could definitely do with some major changes involving crafting costs and ability, because as of now they are absolutely not worth making in most scenarios.
And finally, trim the fat. Get rid of the unnecessary perks.
♫Music Used: ♫
♫Windows彡96 - Underwater (Glass Prism)♫
♫HOME - 19 (Resting State)♫
♫Windows彡96 - Inicio (Glass Prism)♫
♫Windows彡96 - Laugh Away (Glass Prism)♫
♫Ridiculon - THE ARID FLATS [In Game Version] (The End is Nigh Soundtrack)♫
♫HOME - 10 (Resting State)♫
♫HOME - Faking Future Funk♫
I AM NOT CLAIMING OWNERSHIP TO THE MUSIC USED
Oh hey! You're at the bottom of the description! You actually read it! Well, congratulations, I guess. Most people just kinda skip the description.
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*sips coffee* Still here?
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