Holliday Idea Dump

[Starboard]

I've been playing a bunch of Holliday, and, besides a visual update, I think the general consensus is that she needs something more to her kit. I have a bunch of random suggestions in no particular order, accompanied by some less-than-stellar paint visuals.

Parry Idea:
I think a quickdraw stance could be cool, plus if you wanted to add something here, perhaps she fires an automatic headshot if Crackshot is off CD. Although I don't think that's necessary.




Slide Animation:
I think her spurs should spark while sliding.

Barrel Ideas:
Shooting her barrel is very rarely done, so I think that if you do shoot it, it could add some damage. Alternatively, shooting her barrel while scoped in could bounce the barrel higher/further, adding to the damage.




Bouncepad:
I think the main thing with Bouncepad is that it's incongruous with the rest of her design. I've seen people suggest horse's hinds and bull's heads. I'm partial to spirit snakes (Really keeping with the Donkey Kong vibes) and spirit oil wells/springs (maybe it's the ghosts of her past here to help)




Crackshot:
I like Crackshot, but a lot of people seem to find it frustrating. In the Pathfinder ttrpg, the gunslinger has an ability called 'Called Shot' where, depending on the body part shot, a different effect occurs. This would be a whole headache to implement, I'm sure, but I'll put it here anyway. Perhaps it would only trigger while zoomed, but I'm not sure how fun that would be. Another Idea is that the T3 Upgrade puts airborne opponents into the tumble animation, but that might be unfun for fliers.

Obligatory Testing Abrams


Lasso: The lasso could go a couple of ways. The most common idea I see is that she should be able to hold the lasso and twirl it in the air, perhaps for an increased hit radius at the end. It could be a trade-off, grabbing one person quickly or two or more people slower. Another idea is that she could recast the lasso and leave the would be nere-do-wells tied up. Finally, she could lasso a barrel and launch it for a much more powerful blast.



These are all just some random ideas I came up with, but more than anything, I just hope our rootin' tootin' barrel bootin' cowgirl gets some love

 

[yoncreator]

I really like a lot of these ideas. Holliday is a genuinely cool character concept, but I agree that some of the finer details aren't quite there yet, and I want to focus on what I think is the biggest friction point in her kit: Crackshot.

To be clear, Crackshot feels incredible when it procs. The damage chunk and the sound design are both fantastic. The problem is the underlying mechanic.

Headshots are already difficult to land consistently in a movement-heavy 3D game like Deadlock. Gating a satisfying proc behind that, and then adding a 20-second base cooldown on top, means the ability rarely fires when you want it to and often fires when you don't. The worst case is shooting a trooper, accidentally triggering it, and burning the cooldown on nothing meaningful. That kind of accidental proc is the opposite of satisfying, and it highlights a core tension: passive abilities that reward precision feel awkward in a game that requires constant world navigation and target-finding.

One direction that might address this is converting Crackshot into an active. Something like: activate to enter a short window where Holliday's weapon gets buffed with increased damage and a fading move speed debuff on targets, with those effects significantly enhanced on headshots. This shifts it from a passive that procs every 20 seconds in unpredictable moments to a deliberate, player-driven window that rewards skill expression. It would also fit naturally with what seems to be her identity as an initiator: use the bounce pads to get in position, activate Crackshot, then commit with spirit lasso.

I'm not sure that's the exact solution, but the core issue is that Crackshot currently lacks intentionality, and I think that's worth solving.

Curious to hear your thoughts. I like the the Pathfinder TTRPG inspiration you suggested; however, my concern is that it might run into the same core issue I raised: in a chaotic teamfight, players are rarely making deliberate, body-part-specific aiming decisions mid-combat. The in-the-moment thought process of "I'm going to aim for this specific part of the body to trigger a specific Crackshot effect" feels unlikely to happen in practice, which means the ability might end up being statistically effective without ever feeling intentional.

That gap between "good ability" and "satisfying ability" is what I keep coming back to with Crackshot. The best abilities in games like this create a clear fantasy: you picture the play, you execute it, and the feedback confirms you did something cool. Right now Crackshot doesn't quite close that loop, and I worry the targeted body part variant might not either, even if the numbers work out.

 

[Cutzematic]

I've been playing a bunch of Holliday, and, besides a visual update, I think the general consensus is that she needs something more to her kit. I have a bunch of random suggestions in no particular order, accompanied by some less-than-stellar paint visuals.

Parry Idea:
I think a quickdraw stance could be cool, plus if you wanted to add something here, perhaps she fires an automatic headshot if Crackshot is off CD. Although I don't think that's necessary.

View attachment 93378


Slide Animation:
I think her spurs should spark while sliding.

Barrel Ideas:
Shooting her barrel is very rarely done, so I think that if you do shoot it, it could add some damage. Alternatively, shooting her barrel while scoped in could bounce the barrel higher/further, adding to the damage.

View attachment 93394


Bouncepad:
I think the main thing with Bouncepad is that it's incongruous with the rest of her design. I've seen people suggest horse's hinds and bull's heads. I'm partial to spirit snakes (Really keeping with the Donkey Kong vibes) and spirit oil wells/springs (maybe it's the ghosts of her past here to help)

View attachment 93396


Crackshot:
I like Crackshot, but a lot of people seem to find it frustrating. In the Pathfinder ttrpg, the gunslinger has an ability called 'Called Shot' where, depending on the body part shot, a different effect occurs. This would be a whole headache to implement, I'm sure, but I'll put it here anyway. Perhaps it would only trigger while zoomed, but I'm not sure how fun that would be. Another Idea is that the T3 Upgrade puts airborne opponents into the tumble animation, but that might be unfun for fliers.

View attachment 93408 Obligatory Testing Abrams


Lasso: The lasso could go a couple of ways. The most common idea I see is that she should be able to hold the lasso and twirl it in the air, perhaps for an increased hit radius at the end. It could be a trade-off, grabbing one person quickly or two or more people slower. Another idea is that she could recast the lasso and leave the would be nere-do-wells tied up. Finally, she could lasso a barrel and launch it for a much more powerful blast.

View attachment 93416

These are all just some random ideas I came up with, but more than anything, I just hope our rootin' tootin' barrel bootin' cowgirl gets some love

i absolutely love all these ideas, theyre so charming and really stay true to her character! absolutely bookmarking this; if you have any more ideas of any more characters i encourage you keep posting ^^

 

[Starboard]

I really like a lot of these ideas. Holliday is a genuinely cool character concept, but I agree that some of the finer details aren't quite there yet, and I want to focus on what I think is the biggest friction point in her kit: Crackshot.

To be clear, Crackshot feels incredible when it procs. The damage chunk and the sound design are both fantastic. The problem is the underlying mechanic.

Headshots are already difficult to land consistently in a movement-heavy 3D game like Deadlock. Gating a satisfying proc behind that, and then adding a 20-second base cooldown on top, means the ability rarely fires when you want it to and often fires when you don't. The worst case is shooting a trooper, accidentally triggering it, and burning the cooldown on nothing meaningful. That kind of accidental proc is the opposite of satisfying, and it highlights a core tension: passive abilities that reward precision feel awkward in a game that requires constant world navigation and target-finding.

One direction that might address this is converting Crackshot into an active. Something like: activate to enter a short window where Holliday's weapon gets buffed with increased damage and a fading move speed debuff on targets, with those effects significantly enhanced on headshots. This shifts it from a passive that procs every 20 seconds in unpredictable moments to a deliberate, player-driven window that rewards skill expression. It would also fit naturally with what seems to be her identity as an initiator: use the bounce pads to get in position, activate Crackshot, then commit with spirit lasso.

I'm not sure that's the exact solution, but the core issue is that Crackshot currently lacks intentionality, and I think that's worth solving.

Curious to hear your thoughts. I like the the Pathfinder TTRPG inspiration you suggested; however, my concern is that it might run into the same core issue I raised: in a chaotic teamfight, players are rarely making deliberate, body-part-specific aiming decisions mid-combat. The in-the-moment thought process of "I'm going to aim for this specific part of the body to trigger a specific Crackshot effect" feels unlikely to happen in practice, which means the ability might end up being statistically effective without ever feeling intentional.

That gap between "good ability" and "satisfying ability" is what I keep coming back to with Crackshot. The best abilities in games like this create a clear fantasy: you picture the play, you execute it, and the feedback confirms you did something cool. Right now Crackshot doesn't quite close that loop, and I worry the targeted body part variant might not either, even if the numbers work out.

You're probably right. I personally like the ability, but its more of a lane thing and some okay poke out side of that. She is a poke character afterall. I think an active where she stances up and hits a big shot or two could be cool

 

[CatboyFemboy]

OKAY SO REAL QUICK
I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU SUGGESTED THEY ALL SOUND SUPER COOL BUT
THE HOLLIDAY FEEDBACK CHANNEL UNDER HERO FEEDBACK IS WHERE MOST LIKELY THE DEVS WILL SEE THIS TYPE OF FEEDBACK AND ACT ON IT!!!!
Please please repost this thread there cause like I want to see at least the crackshot and lasso changes you proposed!

 

[Neynite]

I really like the parry animation idea. For her bounce pad I was thinking a simple trampoline could work to keep it grounded with the rest of her kit, and you could have little fireworks on the sides that attach to her boots when you first launch from it for that air control and landing damage. Somthing like this:

Also I’ve been saying this in the feedback forums but Doorman’s gun is what Holliday’s should have been like, they should lower her bullet count to 6 like an actual revolver but give her a fast reload speed to compensate, like 1 second. And her bullets should also pierce like Doorman’s.

 

[Starboard]

OKAY SO REAL QUICK
I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU SUGGESTED THEY ALL SOUND SUPER COOL BUT
THE HOLLIDAY FEEDBACK CHANNEL UNDER HERO FEEDBACK IS WHERE MOST LIKELY THE DEVS WILL SEE THIS TYPE OF FEEDBACK AND ACT ON IT!!!!
Please please repost this thread there cause like I want to see at least the crackshot and lasso changes you proposed!

I just put it in there, thanks

 

[Starboard]

I really like the parry animation idea. For her bounce pad I was thinking a simple trampoline could work to keep it grounded with the rest of her kit, and you could have little fireworks on the sides that attach to her boots when you first launch from it for that air control and landing damage. Somthing like this: View attachment 93497

Also I’ve been saying this in the feedback forums but Doorman’s gun is what Holliday’s should have been like, they should lower her bullet count to 6 like an actual revolver but give her a fast reload speed to compensate, like 1 second. And her bullets should also pierce like Doorman’s.

You're so right about the gun. Your trampoline idea makes me think she could get some magic spurs

 

[CatboyFemboy]

You're so right about the gun. Your trampoline idea makes me think she could get some magic spurs

She's got spurs that jingle jangle jingle

Who said that???
(Sorry I'm not very funny)