Michael isn't a brawler — he's an escalation engine, and he's slow: he cannot run down a healthy civilian without an ability. He wins by points (3,000+, earned from residents killed and lost for residents who escape), and he cannot be killed — only knocked down, and arrested if cops swarm the down.

Bloodthirst & Stalk

Bloodthirst runs in three tiers — tier 3 is hard to reach, and each tier means less damage taken, more dealt, and a much harder knockdown. Stalk is per-civilian, three levels, applied in first person; a level-3 target is far easier to kill and gets scared passively, though stalk decays over time. Context executions and fully-stalked kills pay more Bloodthirst than plain violence. Full system: Bloodthirst & Stalk explained.

Loadout & controls

The kit is 2 fixed abilities + 3 optional picks: Shape Jump and Killer Sense always; Reality Tear, Blackout, and Detection Pulse in the pool (plus the unverified Evil Presence). The game never shows you a control list — ours is at controls & keybinds, including the hidden right-click stalk zoom.

The opening game plan

• Stalk NPCs and gold-dot Special Targets first — players are a low priority until you're strong.
• Destroy power and phone lines rather than switching them off — destroyed lines need a scarce repair kit.
• Break the unused CB radio to deny the guaranteed Dr. Loomis respawn.
• Shape Jump from darkness; don't chase — lit houses can't be jump-entered, and flickering street lights betray your transit.
• Avoid grouped, armed civilians until tier 2.