Survival Tips for Counselors – Updated 6/11/2017

Beginning of a Match / Searching Cabins

  • (NEW) You have a 5-second chance at the beginning of a match to run to your nearest cabin and barricade it.  The Jason-player  will likely be walking outside of his cabin in the first 5 seconds and then choose a place to morph after looking at his map.  To reduce the chance of Jason morphing right on top of you when you’re exposed to the wilderness with no weapon, get inside a cabin within 5 seconds.  Your stamina should recharge completely by the time you open and close a door or window.  (Just make sure you don’t accidentally crash through a window).
  • Shine your flashlight when outside. Although you might be able to see clearly on your computer screen or television, your flashlight will help illuminate the area and maintain your composure.  If you’re tempting to hide from Jason outside however, know when to keep your flashlight on or off to avoid detection.
  • (NEW) Be sure to shine your flashlight inside the cabins because although they have electricity, some objects you need to escape might be hidden in corners of the cabin where it’s dark.
  • Lock doors behind you and barricade them before Jason catches up or shifts inside a cabin.

Communication 

  • Find a walkie talkie early and communicate with your teammates. Come up with a plan and act fast.  Jason gets stronger over time, so the longer a match, the less likely you are to escape.
  • (NEW) Let your teammates know when you’ve found an important item such as the fuse, gas, propeller, battery, and keys.  If you’re about to die and you’re holding an important item, let your teammates know where your corpse can be found.  Try to remember words or names you saw on your mini-map before you died. Remember, once you see the “You Died” screen, you can’t communicate with anyone except players who have already escaped or were killed.
  • Communicate with your teammates and keep tabs on the Jason player. Letting your teammates know where the Jason-player is could give them time to move quickly across an area or repair a vehicle.
  • (NEW) If you find extra items that you don’t need such as med spray, weapons, or a pocket knife.  Let your teammates know where they can find them.
  • Use your counselor’s strengths to help stay alive and figure out where you’re needed most.  (Example:  If you’re playing as Vanessa, don’t try to repair the vehicles or be stealthy.  Focus on kiting Jason away from players or search cabins and retrieve items and drop them off at objective points).
  • Watch your step around the car, boat, fuse box, and generators since Jason may have placed a trap nearby.  Let your counselors know if you encounter traps near an objective item or near a particular cabin.

Defending Yourself and Outwitting Jason 

  • (NEW) Unless you’re next to a cabin when this occurs, pickup your weapon when you break free of Jason’s grab.  Otherwise just run to a nearby cabin, lock the door, and find another weapon or hide.
  • Unless you have a very high stealth rating, sticking with other counselors in the beginning is a good idea.
  • (NEW) If you start hearing the Jason music and you hear footsteps inside a cabin, hold your breath.  If you hold it for too long and mistake the timing, your character will let out a huge breath and the Jason player will hear you.
  • (NEW) Placing a trap by the front door is a good way to buy yourself some time when you know the Jason-player is most likely to attack that door.  Also when placing a bear trap by the door, approach the door from the sides rather than the front.  This way you’ll be more likely to center the trap and prevent Jason from walking around it.
  • (NEW) After stabbing Jason with a pocket knife, use your flares.  If you time it just right where you wait 2 seconds once the pocket knife animation begins, you can throw your flares for a second stun, thus giving you more time to pick up your weapon and put some distance between you and the Jason-player.
  • (NEW) If Jason smashes a car be sure to get out and attempt to hit him.  If you successfully knock him down it will take him longer to stand back up compared to the time someone gets back in the car and starts it.

Street Smarts

  • (NEW) Strength in numbers is your best bet for survival, but choose your partner wisely in the beginning.  Don’t team with Vanessa when you’re a stealth type character with limited mobility such as A.J. Mason and Eric LaChappa.  It’s best to partner up with someone who has similar stats to you so you can both run and have a chance at surviving.
  • Pay attention to the “ki ki ki ma ma ma” audio throughout the game. This is an audio cue letting everyone know Jason gained a new ability and is stronger.
  • Listen for the Jason music to know when he is nearby.
  • (NEW) After 8 minutes into the match be careful and rotate your camera every so often. If Jason uses ‘Stalk’ he might be creeping right behind you and wouldn’t even know it.  Also don’t exit a cabin immediately when it looks like Jason uses ‘Shift’.  He may have stacked ‘Shift’ with ‘Stalk’ and is actually waiting right outside a cabin window or door to seize you.  Talk to your teammates or listen to a death scream to confirm that Jason is not nearby so you can move freely.
  • (NEW) If you’re playing as a speedy character and you have the option of leading Jason to a group of counselors, take some responsibility and lead the Jason-player away from the herd.
  • (NEW) Tommy Jarvis will make the least amount of noise allowing you to be the most likely to sneak up on Jason.  If you see Jason cornering counselors in a cabin, sneak up and shoot him from behind and help everyone escape.  Remember, Tommy Jarvis was the hero in the series, so take action and save the day!
  • If you have room in a vehicle and the opportunity to give your friends a lift, help out and let them in.
  • Take caution using the boat if the Jason-player is Jason Parts VII (Enchained Jason) and VIII (Manhattan Jason).  These Jasons can move slightly faster than the boat.
  • Look for the radio tower connected to a cabin. Players can call Tommy Jarvis from this cabin and bring back a player who either escaped or was killed. Think of it as an extra life for your group.
  • Running depletes your stamina gauge so keep an eye on it throughout the match. To recover your stamina, walk or crouch.  Escaping Jason’s grasp will also replenish your stamina meter a little bit.
  • (NEW) The quickest way to recover your stamina is to stand perfectly still and not move.  Crouching even when you’re not moving will slowly replenish your stamina (unless you have crouch perks), but not as fast as standing perfectly still.
  • If you’re character is freaking out, get inside an illuminated cabin, hold a weapon and shine your flashlight.  This should help calm your character down and make you less likely to show up when Jason uses his ‘Sense’ ability.
  • Be active! Repairing vehicles, calling Tommy Jarvis, calling the police, and hitting Jason (only as a last resort), earn you points you can use for upgrades in future matches.