Best Cook Build in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has its fair share or well-balanced but not entirely overpowered Victims and Family members, one of whom is Cook, a legacy character who essentially falls short when it comes to speed and agility, but makes up for in, well, just about everything else. Granted, Cook isn’t a go-to option for most, as his heightened focus ability isn’t quite as effective as, for example, Hitchhiker’s traps or Johnny’s canine senses. That said, if you’re looking to boost an entire team and have an almost overpowered (or at least the closest thing to it) frontline in every single game, then you’re going to want to wrangle old Cook into the mix.

Anyway, if you happen to be at a bit of a loose end and aren’t entirely sure where to put Cook on the playing field, then don’t sweat it; we’ve got a remedy for that. Best Cook build in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Here’s everything you need to know.

Ability

• Seek

Much like Sonny’s heightened sense ability, Cook has the power to channel his energy into deciphering noises and painting an outline of their whereabouts. And while Cook isn’t the lightning bolt of a killer you’d expect him to be, he does have the freedom to hide from Victims and strike at the correct moments. So, while Seek isn’t the most effective Ability in the world, it’s certainly a good one to have in a team that’s able to communicate and join forces to pinpoint and eradicate Victims as a unit. Without the assistance of others, however, it isn’t quite as simple.

Of course, you’ll want to elevate the Seek Ability to its maximum potential as early on as possible in order to reap all the benefits. To do this, you’ll want to invest your XP in one of three paths: Reduce Ability Drain, Increase Detection Range, and All Family See Noise. As far as all this goes, you’ll want to work your way up to the All Family See Noise Modifier, as this will not only increase your own performance, but also benefit the two other Family members on the board, too. So, for the sake of doing your part to ensure your team’s success, you’ll want to aim for that Level 3 Modifier as soon as you’re able to throw enough XP at it.

Perks

In order to knuckle in on that perfect Cook build, you’ll first need to complete a significant number of matches as either the Victims or the Family. For the sake of obtaining the best Perks in the game, you’ll also need to flesh out that Skill Tree, too, which contains several Perks and a total of 33 Extra Attribute Points for you to spend on whatever tickles your fancy. To put it short, though, here are the three Perks that you’ll want to invest in as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

• Punishment 

The Punishment Perk grants you an immediate damage boost once a Victim has been plucked out of a hiding spot. Given the fact that Cook isn’t the most agile of the bunch, you’ll want to make every swing count, which makes this Perk an absolute must.

• I Smell Blood 

In order to boost your senses, you’ll need to invest in the I Smell Blood Perk, as it will broaden your radius by a significant amount and allow you to track down Victims much quicker. Again, it’s worth doing — especially if you’re planning on using the Seek ability a lot.

• Security Pins 

As you’ll be spending a lot of time patrolling the borders for any stragglers, you should aim to fortify the compounds as much as possible by adding additional obstacles or locks to the exits. This is where the Security Pins Perk comes in handy, as it places an additional layer of security on certain two-step exits, essentially making it harder for Victims to flee.

Attributes

When it comes to dividing your accumulated Attribute Points over your core sliders, you’ll want to prioritize Endurance, mainly down to the fact that Cook, rather frustratingly, isn’t the speediest or most energetic killer on the roster. Unfortunately, his attack power isn’t all that great either, which is why you should aim to use any Extra Attribute Points from the Skill Tree on the Savagery slider, and then the odd one or two on Blood Harvesting. It is worth pointing out, however, that there’ll be other Family members around to help feed Grandpa and boost his sonar ability up, so try not to fret about boosting your Blood Harvesting level too high.

The good news is, you’ll have a solid 33 Extra Attribute Points to spend once you’ve completed the Skill Tree. If you can help it, aim to spread them between Savagery and Endurance. If you’re after something a little more balanced, then shave a couple of points from the Savagery slider and place it on the Blood Harvesting one. Just be mindful, though, that Cook’s base Blood Harvesting power isn’t all that bad, to begin with, so don’t worry too much about maxing it out when there are other pressing areas to focus on.

• +15 Savagery
• +18 Endurance

Skill Tree

After you’ve played through several matches, you’ll have enough XP to weave through certain branches on the Skill Tree, which will allow you to unlock Perks for Cook, as well as upgrade the core Attributes featured in the appropriate loadout. As far as all this goes, you’ll want to start working your way towards the top-right corner of the screen, as these are where most Savagery-related Perks tend to hole up. Having said that, if you do happen to make a wrong turn during the ascension process, then feel free to tap the Respec option and start the climb from scratch. Note that you will not lose any of the XP you’ve already collected.

As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to target three Perks in specific, which are Punishment, I Smell Blood, and Security Pins. If you fail to get ahold of one of the aforementioned Perks when activating a Random Perk node on the Skill Tree, then simply hit Respec and alternate your course.

So, what’s your take? Do you have any useful tips or Cook builds for Texas Chain Saw Massacre newcomers? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.