It’s been a little over three months now since Gun Interactive’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released. As it proves to be one of the next big entries in the hit asymmetrical multiplayer genre, its player-base has been diving deep into gameplay mechanics, strategies, and playstyles for optimal chances of survival (or slaughter).
While Texas will continue to evolve with future updates and more DLC, there’s a handful of tips and tricks that I’ve picked up on during my 100+ hours of survivor gameplay that I’m confident will be handy to keep in mind any time you go head to head with the family.
Focus on Multiple Escape Routes
This may seem like a no-brainer, but a common mistake that I see many players continue to make on the survivor side is the tendency to focus on a single objective when attempting to escape. It may seem tempting to just instantly jump out the front window and go for the generator when you spawn into The Family House, or to focus all energy on the pressure valve exit of The Slaughterhouse. Players on the Family side have picked up on these “easier” escape routes over time and have developed strategies to monitor and snuff out survivors. It’s best to focus on as many objectives as you can, keep your options open, and be adaptable.
Wells Can Be Your Greatest Assets
There are multiple benefits and little downsides to the wells that are on each map. As a general rule of thumb during a chase, when in doubt, find the nearest well to jump down. As soon as the animation of your character starts climbing into the well, you can no longer be killed, and most of the time a killer won’t pursue you into the basement to finish you off. Sure, you take a chunk of damage from falling down (which is where the Stunt Double perk comes hugely in clutch), but you’re typically no longer in immediate danger and the basement boasts more healing items than anywhere else on each map.
Additionally, wells are in fixed locations in each map, making them incredibly reliable once you start to get familiar with each map. A huge advantage of wells is that there’s typically one that drops you down extremely close to the basement exit that the fusebox opens. A great strategy in The Gas Station is to always unlock one of the gates to the Back Field, because the well in the Back Field will drop you directly in front of the fusebox exit. This way, you can focus on the Back Field exit, but as soon as you hear that the basement exit is opened, you can quickly drop down into the well to make your escape.
Ladders Can Also Be Your Best Friends
This tip is much more situational, but in each map, there’s at least one ladder that is always near one of the basement doors that can be used as a great escape option. If you ever find yourself being chased in the basement and the basement door near a ladder is already open, you can typically pull off an escape by slamming the basement door shut before the Family member can reach it and immediately climbing up the ladder before they have a chance to re-open the door and attack you.
It’s a bit of a tricky and risky technique to pull off since you need time to shut the door before they get inside, but once you do, you should have enough time to get high enough on the ladder that you’re outside of their hitbox by the time they re-open the door and reach the ladder. Once you’re up the ladder, you have ample time to plan your next move as the killer slowly climbs up the ladder after you.
Leverage Distractions
Slamming doors and triggering noisemakers may always seem like detrimental moves, but if you play it strategically, moves like this can actually be huge boons to your escape. Capitalize on the fact that in many cases, the Family doesn’t expect you to be thinking ahead during intense moments like chases or the last stretches of the match when exits start opening. A great strategy during a chase is to slam a door open but immediately hide in a dark corner or behind an obstacle instead of running through it. You’ll need a decent amount of space between you and the Family member during the chase to create the illusion that you’ve run through the door, but you’ll be surprised to see the amount of players who won’t investigate the surrounding areas and instead go immediately towards wherever a noise has beckoned.
Objective points are also vital options for distracting the Family. Even if you have no intention of going for the fuse exit, the simple act of unlocking the fusebox will typically put pressure on the Family to begin surveilling it, which buys you more time to focus on different objectives. The same can be said for the pressure tank – turning the tank on almost always guarantees one or two Family members will make a beeline towards it which gives you time to unlock gates or go for other objectives.
Unlock Anything and Everything
This may seem like another no-brainer, but it’s another issue I often see players run into as they’re trying to escape as quickly as possible. When a match begins, it may be tempting to spot another survivor unlocking a basement door and just wait for them to open it to escape the basement. Instead, get some unlock tools and find another basement door to open; in fact, unlock as many basement doors as you can before you make your way upstairs. The basement is (ironically) the safe haven in each match, and having as many open basement doors as you can grants you and your teammates much more maneuverability as you’re trying to escape chases and falling down wells. There’s nothing more tragic than trying to run down steps to the basement to escape a Family member chasing you only to see that the door at the basement landing is locked and you’re now trapped. Avoid this by unlocking basement doors ASAP!
Curate Your Perks to Your Playstyle
Texas’ perk and attribute system gives you immense control over the type of Survivor you want to be, and it helps to approach it like there’s different classes. Do you want to be a tank that disrupts the Family and protects other teammates? Go for characters like Leland and Ana, who naturally have high Toughness and Strength stats, and give them perks that increase their survivability like No Sell and Tougher Stuff. Do you want to be a saboteur that can easily take care of objectives and make a quick getaway? Focus on characters with high Proficiency and Endurance stats like Connie and Julie, and give them perks that allow them to quickly unlock things and evade the Family as much as possible like Choose Flight and Highly Skilled.
As a general rule of thumb, it helps to always adapt your perks for each match (which is why the option for multiple loadouts is so helpful). Another good rule of thumb is that if you see that the Hitchhiker is going to be in a match, instantly add Bomb Squad to your perks if you can, which allows you to quickly destroy his traps without needing a bone shard.
In conclusion, whether you’re aiming for competitive ranks or just trying to buff up your chances of survival a bit, these tips should do you well, and I don’t foresee them becoming obsolete with future updates. I hope they serve you well as you avoid being Leatherface’s next victim!
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