The guide to the healing perk with the most potential.
Why use Autodidact?
The potential for autodidact is the +50% bonus to skill checks. The problem is that you start of with a -35% progression for skill checks. Every stack you gain by hitting a skill check adds 15% bonus to skill checks. After getting enough skill checks you can almost instaheal someone.
It also counters the great skill check nerf that made great skill checks doing 2% bonus to 1% bonus.
Problems with Autodidact
The RNG for skill checks can really screw you over. It is almost like equipping the perk drops the chance for skill checks to almost none. When you do get a skill check, your first 2 give negative progress, something you don’t want. The perk also does not work with a medkit.
Faster healing speeds also pose a problem.
A problem with autodidact is that your teammates (and Dying Light if you are the obsession) can give you healing speed buffs and cause problems. If the killer runs dying light and you have Decisive Strike? Whoops, that means less skill checks for you.
How to Make Autodidact Great?
Autodidact’s poor synergy with other perks is a problem. Most people run spine chill for the increase in skill checks but there is one problem… Spine chill increases healing speed. Increased healing speeds means less skill checks. Since there are no other perks that help with skill checks what is there to help you?
The Answer? The Killer.
What do Freddy with Chain add-ons, Mangled add-ons, Sloppy Butcher, Thanatophobia, Coulrophobia, Dying Light have in common? They slow down healing speeds. (Dying Light if the obsession actually increases healing speed as mentioned before) This means more skill checks for autodidact. Another killer perk that also helps with increased skill checks is Unnerving Presence. This increases the rate of skill checks but lowers skill check success zones. More skill checks for autodidact means faster heals and countering these perks, add-ons, and killer.
Perks to go with Autodidact
Bond: To find survivors (Empathy works but bond is better.)
Second Chance Perks (Borrowed Time, Dead Hard, Decisive Strike, etc.): Good to keep you and your teammates alive.
Iron Will: For you to stay alive and to be a sneaky boi.
Solidarity: Autodidact also heals you too.
Almost every perk besides Botany Knowledge, Spine Chill (Kinda), Resilience (Unless you get healed first if injured,) and Leader (If playing SWF.) You can run leader yourself but if a teammate does it then less skill checks for you.
Ways to Get More Skill Checks
Killer runs slowdown perks.
Killer runs increase skill check perks.
Spine Chill (extra healing speed negates this though… slightly)
Eating food when healing.
Scratching an itch when healing.
When the killer runs Huntress Lullaby and you are distracted.
When you are about to sneeze
When you least expect it.
When using autodidact do not expect skill checks, the randomness of skill checks makes the perk go from god tier to meh tier. It always feels like when I’m not begging for skill checks one appears, kinda like going for a 4% from the hook.
I usually find autodidact just a fun little side perk to keep me off meta perks like Decisive Strike and Dead Hard. It makes me feel like I’m a better survivor or outplaying a stupid Freddy with chains.
You don’t have to use it, it is just a fun perk to use.
Written by: Jonathan
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