Halloween: The Game Strategy — Win as Michael or Survive

This playbook covers both sides of a match: Michael's kill economy, the civilian rescue meta, and the scoring rules that decide who wins.

Playing Michael: the kill economy

1. Chase gold, not blue. Golden dots and golden noise pings are the high-value special targets (always NPCs). Killing them is worth far more than trading blows with players.
2. Stalk to tier 3 before every kill. Stalk (middle mouse, then right-click zoom — it tracks much faster) raises a victim's stock; level 3 weakens them, marks them longer, and boosts your kill score. Stock decays over time, so refresh it.
3. Prefer context executions. Environmental kills — kitchen counters, toilets, poles, graves, fire pits, windows, gym equipment — pay more bloodthirst and XP than plain attacks. Kitchens and bathrooms are execution buffets.
4. Run the bloodthirst economy. Tier 3 bloodthirst means more damage dealt, less taken, and weapon executions. It drops when you stand in light, take damage, or get knocked down — so cut power boxes, work from the shadows, and disengage from groups.
5. Manage shape jump carefully. You can only enter or exit it in darkness and out of line of sight; it also lets you phase through unlit doors. Blackout (Ctrl+F) kills nearby lights first — and it knocks riders off bikes.
6. Sabotage communications. Cut or break phone lines so victims can't call the police. Broken devices force survivors to spend a repair kit to restore them.
7. Bait with the 99 trick. Leave a stalked victim at 99 stock — when they approach, you get a hold-E kill prompt.
8. Watch the detainment meter. Authority figures with flashlights fill it (three stars max). Never brawl in the open against a group with flashlights; you cannot win a straight fight against a coordinated team.
9. Win condition: score 3,000+ points. Civilians are worth more than cops, so protect your kill priority.

Playing civilian: the rescue meta

1. Wait for a full 1v4 lobby and pick a character with decent stats — Eric's low athleticism and poor stamina make him a bad pick; sturdier characters take no damage through windows.
2. Prepare your perk deck before queueing: roll perks with your points, equip the good ones (stamina reducers are top tier), scrap the junk. Equipped perks are the ones that show up in your matches.
3. Run the rescue loop: walk near NPCs to reveal them on your minimap, convince them to follow you (press both mouse buttons), lead them away from Michael, then hide them — hidden civilians are much harder for Michael to find. Give spare weapons to NPCs (R).
4. Learn the escapes and their items: the car needs a repair kit, gas can and sedan key; the edge-gate needs bolt cutters or a padlock key; police wagons arrive if someone phones the law; hatches and storm cellars spawn around the map. Exits have limited slots — coordinate with voice chat.
5. Carry anti-grab items: a butterfly knife or ice pick escapes Michael's grab once; an amulet saves you automatically. Save them for the moment he actually grabs you.
6. Don't waste ammo mid-execution — Michael is immune during the animation. Shove instead to interrupt and rescue.
7. Save yourself last. Escaping removes you from the match; every civilian saved before you leave is more team score.

Detainment: how it actually works

Downing Michael isn't enough. Cops and Loomis must pile onto him and complete skill checks to detain him — it needs several authority figures, and flashlight beams speed the meter up. Even experienced players see successful detainments only rarely. Once dead, a Loomis stays out of the round, and revived cops keep coming.

Scoring

Residents are worth the most points, players less, cops least. Michael wins at 3,000+ points; otherwise the civilian side wins on points. If you die early, don't quit — spectator mini-games grant perks to your team and a chance to return.

Match scoring quick reference

Side	Priority	Points
Michael	Golden special targets (NPCs)	Highest
Michael	Regular civilians (NPCs)	Medium
Michael	Players / cops	Lower
Civilians	Special targets rescued	Highest
Civilians	Regular civilians rescued	Medium
Civilians	Own escape	Team bonus — go last