Killer Instinct

Overview

Killer Instinct shuts down the entire Ability Regeneration system and replaces it with one rule: 2.5% of the total ability pool per enemy kill. This means that classes with 2 Ability Charges (Vanguard and Assault) are effectively granted 5% per kill towards a single charge.

Killer Instinct's three effects, applied in parallel:

1. Zeroes the default passive regen for all classes including any perks that modify passive regen

2. Disables event-based restore perks

3. Installs the replacement perk which gives 2.5% per kill.

Multi-charge classes refresh their first charge in half the kills of 1-charge classes.

Assault's "Furious Strikes" class perk is the only other way players can gain or regenerate ability charges.

Modifier Info

Mutual Exclusion

AbilitiesMutatorsPool only has two members - Killer Instinct and Technological Revolution (PveMutatorIncreaseAbilityRestore). A random daily stratagem cannot roll both at once. Preset weekly stratagems could in principle bypass this.

How It Works

Effect 1: Passive regen zeroed

ABILITY_ULTIMATE_REGENERATION is the only modifier listed for ULTIMATE-slot passive recovery. Killer Instinct applies bonus = -100, applyType = PERCENT_MULT to every player. The damage/regen formula (per findings/systems/modifier-stacking.md) is:

final_rate = base_rate × (1 + sum_PERCENT_SUM) × (1 + sum_PERCENT_MULT)

With Killer Instinct's -100 PERCENTMULT, the final is base × (anything) × (1 + -1.0) = 0. So passive regen halts completely regardless of any +20% PERCENTSUM regen-rate helix perks the player has equipped.

Effect 2: Event-based restore disabled

When a PerkApplicationRestoreAbilityEnergy fires on an ULTIMATE-slot perk, the engine checks the player's DISABLE_ULTIMATE_ABILITY_RESTORE_BY_PERKS flag. Killer Instinct sets this flag, so all ULTIMATE restore applications are silently dropped UNLESS the application's shouldCheckPerkDisableFlag field is set to False.

Effect 3: Replacement perk installed

The replacement perk institutes the following rules for ability charge regeneration:

• Only the killing blow triggers the restore. Damaging an enemy then watching a teammate finish them gives YOU no charge.

• All six threat tiers count equally. A Hormagaunt is worth the same 2.5% as a Carnifex. No damage-type filter; finisher kills, gunstrike kills, melee kills, firearm kills, grenade kills all count.

• No cooldown between activations. Chain-killing fodder gives stacking 2.5% per kill in real time.

• Uses the percentage restore path rather than adding whole charges.

• The 2.5% is of the entire bar, not one charge's worth. For 1-charge classes (Tactical, Bulwark, Heavy, Techmarine), total bar = 1 charge = 100% energy, so 2.5% per kill, 40 kills for full bar. For 2-charge classes (Vanguard, Assault), total bar = 2 charges = 200% effective energy, so each kill adds 2.5% of 200% = 5% of one charge. 20 kills = first charge ready, 40 kills = both charges ready.

Exception to the Rule

One class-specific perk also bypasses the flag:

Furious Strikes (PveRaiderRetoreChargeAfterHitDash)

This perk gives 1 charge on dash-strike hits with canRestoreWhenAbilityActive = True and a 10-second cooldown.

Game Files

• ssl/player/mutators/game_mutators_factory.sso

• ssl/player/perks/perk_server_factory.sso

• ssl/player/perks/applications/perk_application_restore_ability_energy.sso

• ssl/abilities/ability_logic_server.sso

• ssl/abilities/ability_library.sso

• ssl/main/user/mutator_challenges/mutator_challenges_library.sso

• ssl/ui/screens/hub_selectors/select_pve/ui_mutator_challenges_library.sso