TGON Survival Guide for “Friday The 13th: The Game”

TGON Survival Guide is a new concept piece where I take a game that has a steep learning curve or unknown mechanics and try to help you to understand it. — Mark Francis.

Last month, Friday The 13th: The Game finally released to great fanfare. While fun to play, it may frustrate newer players every time they die. Trust me you die a lot in here if you’re not playing as Jason.

Below are some tips, tricks and other useful info to help you survive against Jason Voorhees or kill all the Counselors as the famous hockey masked lunatic. Please note: This Survival Guide is based on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, since PC/Steam controls may vary depending on player).

THE SETUP

A typical match consists of 20 minutes but can be ended quickly if the Jason player can kill all 7 other players, who are the Counselors — or they all escape. 

Usually when the game begins  all counselors are scattered to key specific points of the map and start off blind (no weapons, map or walkie-talkies. Jason starts at his cabin and has full access to the map, able to see generators, phone boxes and all the escape vehicles.

Throughout the beginning stages of the game, Jason is relatively weak and grows stronger with each “Ki Ki Ki Ch Ch Ch” which all players in game can hear. Each time this is heard, Jason unlocks a new skill to use. 

It is during this phase of the game that the Counselors should act quickly in finding the escape parts, calling the cops or try to kill Jason. Since by the end of the 20 minutes Jason will enter Rage mode – his final skill – which will make him enter an uber state where he gains 2x in stats until the game ends. 

In this opening phase, Jason should lay out traps to ensnare the counselors at notable hotspots were they are bound to go through like fuse boxes, cars, boats, etc. Also Jason should destroy any and all generators on the map. This does two things, it will increase the Fear (explained more later) and also prevent players from calling in Tommy Jarvis (who is needed to kill Jason). 

If you’re a counselor in any of these hotspots, it’s imperative that you lay low until the coast is clear then proceed to repair the phone, car or boat. Since high-level Jason players will hit these spots first. Also if you screw up repairing, Jason can hear it and instantly warp to your location for the kill. It’s best to leave the item behind by pressing down on the d-pad and letting someone else repair if you’re not good at it. 

ADVANCE STRATEGIES FOR COUNSELORS 

• Never click the left joystick in to run in a full sprint! If you do, you instantly give away your location to Jason. Instead only hold the movement button to lightly jog if you’re a high-stat stealth counselor like A.J, Deborah, etc. You can go unnoticeable to Jason’s Sense ability. If you are other counselors, crouch-walk is your best option for movement without notifying Jason of your position.
• Keep an eye on your stamina — the red meter under the map. If you run out you can’t you sprint or attack and will have to stand still until it recharges.
• Key items needed to repair the boat, car and phones are usually located in the buildings right next to the particular thing that needs to be repaired. I.E: Fuses are normally found in the same house as the phone!
• Fear is a big mechanic in the game. The more fear you have = the more you panic = Jason can easily spot you via his Sense ability. To reduce fear, stay inside, stick with other players, have your flashlight on, or remain hidden under a bed, tent or closet. You can also lower fear by knocking out Jason with a weapon and saving others – being the hero. 
• Fear can be increased by seeing and being chased by Jason, being in the dark, seeing a dead body, getting caught in traps and going through broken windows. Staying inside Jason’s cabin can also cause a slight fear increase. 
• When total fear occurs, you will lose your mini map and the screen will turn black. Your character will also have a startled face on them. You are in a weaken state, and your attacks will do little to Jason. It’s best to hide or stay with a group. 
• Good weapons to seek out and keep are Baseball Bats, Axes, 2×4 and Pipes. These weapons can instantly down Jason within one or two hits depending on the counselor. 
• Radios are used to distract Jason into thinking there is someone in the cabin. Use these as decoys if you’re chased by Jason. Leave one on and exit the building. However, don’t turn on the radio while you’re still searching the cabin or others are still inside, Jason will know!
• Boats and Yellow cars can only hold two counselors. The Blue cars can hold four counselors. What exactly spawns is completely random. They must be driven off the main roads and into the fogged off zones. 
• If the cops are called, they will arrive in five minutes on either side of the main road of the map. The main roads look like typical two lane roads with stop signs – they are not covered in dirt or only one lane.
• You can dive/climb through open cabin windows and make it safety inside. However if you dive/climb through a closed window you will generate noise and also get slightly injured.

• Once you’ve gained enough experience points – called CP in game – Remember to buy perks to increase your odds of survival and equip them to your counselors before any match starts. 
• You can only hold a certain amount of perks, so sell off any you don’t need or are weaker when compared to duplicates. You’ll gain back extra CP at a loss. 
• Most counselors are locked at the start of the game. Play more matches to level up and unlock all of them by level eighteen. 
• In order to play as Tommy you must first radio out to him from his cabin – which you can easily spot by the radio tower sticking out of the cabin. Find the radio located somewhere inside and call out to him. Jason can’t hear you calling Tommy unless he’s right outside. Tommy will usually arrive within five to ten minutes into the match. Tommy is always played by a random player who either escaped or died already. Tommy has perfect stats in the game, but he isn’t all powerful and still be killed. 
• As of this writing Tommy is the only one who can kill Jason with a machete. 
• Don’t swim for long distances. 
• Close and barricade all doors when you enter a building. 
• Jason is around whenever you hear his stalking music
• To get out of grabs, either button smash the action button twenty or so odd times, or use a pocket knife to instantly break free by pressing the small item button. 

ADVANCE STRATEGIES FOR JASON

• Jason is near-invincible until his mask is finally removed after enough melee hits to him. However for Jason to die, it requires specific teamwork from all surviving counselors and Tommy. 
• You have limited bear traps, place these at key locations. Once all used you can not get them back again
• There are knives scattered across the map, these are Jason’s only long distance attacks. A knife thrown to the head will result in an instant kill. 
• Certain Jason’s can’t run, while others can. If you can run, run as much as you want; Jason never runs out of stamina!
• Use Morph – Jason’s first ability – to teleport across the map. 
• The Shift ability causes Jason to turn invisible and zoom across the map, Evil Dead style. Use this to cover ground when you’re unable to morph. You can also chain grab using this to catch fast counselors. 
• When using the Sense ability, don’t leave it on. Use it sparingly to survey around you and then turn it off by pressing the same exact action button. It’ll recharge quicker!

• Break windows every chance you get to hurt any escaping counselors. 
• Swimming counselors are easily dispatched by swimming to them and attacking. 
• Place a bear trap at the entrance of your cabin
• Normally one isolated counselor will spawn near you at the start of the match. This counselor may/may not realize that they are close to Jason’s cabin. 
• If a door isn’t barricaded, simply open the door to scare anyone still left inside 
• The Stalk ability does two things. It first cuts off the music so counselors wont know that you’re nearby. Secondly, it generates a Fear field that can slowly drive a counselor to be easily frighten. However, don’t run or walk fast while using Stalk, they can still hear your footsteps. 
• Grabs work in relation to where you’re standing. The bigger the grab kill animation is, the more room you’ll need. 
• Environmental kills work like grabs do, but you need to drag a counselor to certain spots and tap the action button to execute the kill. Certain environmental kills occur if you find a counselor hiding in a tent, closet, bed, etc. 
• If someone is escaping by boat or the cars, chase after them. Jason can flip the boat from any angle and stop the cars by touching the hood.
• Each Jason has different pros and cons depending on your play style. Some excel at trapping, some for killing and others are good at destroying. Play to your strengths.

TRICKS, TIPS & EASTER EGGS

• The game has a hidden combat stance, click the right stick in to enter it. While in combat mode, the left trigger will allow you to dodge, the right bumper will let you block all attacks and actually attacking like this will cause more damage. Both Jason and the counselors can do this!
• Friendly fire is always set to on. So everything can hurt everyone. Even shotguns!
• When using first aid, it is possible to heal someone hurt standing right next to you.
• Standing still will let you regain your stamina, you don’t need to crouch to get it back.
• Jason’s cabin is usually at one of the former camp fire spots. Which means if the camp fire icon was there on the same map in the previous matches and isn’t there now, then most likely his cabin is in that spot now. 
• Female counselors can wear Pamela Voorhees’ sweater, which can be found in Jason’s cabin. It allows you to stun Jason for a brief time. This is very important in trying to kill Jason. 
• When in doubt, just stand still. You may completely evade Jason’s sights by luck!
• Each map gives the edge for specific sides. Crystal Lake is even for both, Packanack is for Jason and Higgins Haven is best for the Counselors to play on. 
• Be sure to stay in the game until the very end, when you return to the main lobby. If you exit, crash or rage-quit before the match gets finished you will lose CP and never level up to unlock things. 
• Wearing specific clothing on a counselor could lead to better camouflage depending on the map.
• If no one has joined your room, wait a few minutes, people should join shortly after. 

• While you can’t choose who Jason will be in a public match, you can normally tell it’ll be you if you don’t see your counselor in the opening cinematic. Dying first in a previous game increases your odds. 
• That one guy who Jason always kills in the opening cinematic can be found in one of the cabins randomly. Seeing his body does not give you fear. I usually find him in a bathtub within the phone cabin. 
• Sometimes you may get lucky and be fully equipped to take on Jason or  escape within five minutes. Remember this is purely luck. 
• If you’re taking on Jason alone, it’s best to only stall him so others can get the escape ready. Use the cabins to slow him down by moving between them by window jumping. 
• To voice chat in the game you must turn it on in the sound settings, otherwise no one can hear you.
• Voice chat, once activated, is by proximity So you can only talk to whoever is near by, be careful Jason can hear you! 
• If you have the walkie-talkie, then you can talk to anyone else who has one long distances. 
• If using Xbox Live or PSN Party no one in game can hear you, only your party can. 
• If you want to play as Jason or the counselors more, you can choose so in the Preference setting under customize in the main menu. It’s not a guaranty that you’ll always get your choice, but it’ll increase your odds even more so. 
• To play as Retro/NES Jason, click the right stick in when highlighting Jason Part 3, it’ll change his color scheme to purple and his stalking music to the old Friday The 13th NES game’s theme song – sadly his stats are still the same. 
• It’s better to buy perks first for the counselors then buy all the moves for each of the Jason’s since you’ll play as the counselors more often then not. 

CLOSING

That about wraps it up on the ins and the outs of playing Friday The 13th: The Game. It’s only been a month since initial release, and the actual meta-game along with the far more advance gameplay still has time to develop. Not to mention there may be even more secrets out there to uncover in this game, like the mysterious Pamela Tapes that give a backstory to the events of the game.

So don’t fret if you find yourself at a loss when you play it the first time, we all have to start somewhere but hopefully this Survival Guide gives you an edge as you spend the night at Camp Crystal Lake.