Identity V Lanternist Counters: 60s+ Kites & 81s Ciphers vs Season 39

Lanternist Breakdown in the 2025 Engine Update

Her Core Abilities, Unpacked

Living Image: 10s self projection/8s teammate delay, +10% invisible speed, 75% terror reduction 20m chairs. Static Projection: +10% cipher/gate 20s/5s chair delay. Optical Illusion: 1.5s indestructible pallets (10s CD).

1. Pop Living Image mid-chase for those dual trails—and boom, 60s+ kites.
2. Chain an Optical pallet with Knee Jerk (30% speed 3s/40s CD).
3. Wrap it up near chairs to dodge All Thumbs (-10% decoding).

Ever chased your own projection into a dead end? Yeah, don't.

What's New from the 2025 Patches

Season 39 (Sept 17): 10-15% faster chairs, 5-10% healing nerfs. Lanternist test Sept 22, official Oct 10, hotfixes Oct 11 08:00 UTC+8/Oct 16 vault bugs. Toy Merchant buff Oct 31: 4% vault/item (max 12%). Post-Oct 16: 20-30% viability boost.

1. Projections near chairs: 75% terror drop.
2. Static + 98-99% cipher for Borrowed Time (50% speed/heal).
3. Test Oct 16 fixes in customs.

These tweaks? They're why she's spiking now—chairs fly faster, heals hurt more. (Editor note: I've seen squads melt post-patch without adapting.)

Matchup Stats: Before and After

Pre-39: Living Image S, Optical/Static A. Post-Oct 16: 15-20% wins in 129 builds, 81s ciphers, 60s+ kites, 70% escapes. 129 meta: 15-20% duo wins; 36 rescuers: 90% success.

1. Track 2-3 stuns/loop in replays.
2. 5-7 ciphers/6-7 min (Mechanic 81s base).
3. Cap heals 165%, gates 98-99%.

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Survivors That Actually Counter Lanternist

S-Tier Power Duo: Mechanic and Priestess

Mechanic: 200% undetectable robot decode. Priestess: portals for 3-step leads/stuns/Hospital denial. 20-30% cipher gains post-vaults; +65% ranked wins.

1. Mechanic remote ciphers/39 persona (Borrowed Time + Knee Jerk).
2. Priestess portals post-Optical Illusion.
3. Robot + Static: 81s ciphers.

Mechanic's bot is a game-changer—undetectable decoding while you kite? Chef's kiss.

Seer and Antiquarian: The Interrupt Squad

Seer owls: shields/Revelation/burst counters, extend chairs 30%. Antiquarian flute: knockback for 60s+ kites vs projections.

1. Seer owls during Merc soak (3 hits).
2. Antiquarian flute + Knee Jerk on windows.
3. Pair Forward for basement rescues.

A-Tier Kite Machines: Mercenary and Forward

Merc: 60s+ kites/30% chair extensions. Forward: rugby stuns on windows. Merc+Seer boosts Euphoria decoding.

1. Merc rescue 49% Stage 1/Tide Turner (20s invincibility).
2. Forward dash stun post-projection trails.
3. Max 2 rescues/player with body-block.

Merc's dash immunity feels endless against projections. Trust me.

Kiting Essentials Against Lanternist

Persona Builds for Those 60s+ Loops

129: Flywheel (0.5s dash immunity) + Borrowed Time + Knee Jerk (20-30% vaults, 15-20% wins Lakeside/Moon River). 39: Knee Jerk (30% vault) + Weber's Law (50-60s kites). 129 > hybrid (60s+ vs 30-50s).

1. 129 on large maps/vault post-illusion.
2. Chain Flywheel + projections.
3. Prospector pairs +15% wins.

129 shines on big maps—why settle for 30s loops?

Decoding and Rescue Rhythm

1 cipher/survivor; stop 98-99% for Borrowed Time. Rescue 49% chair/right body-block/20s Tide Turner. 36 rescuers: 90% success; max 2 att/survivor.

1. Quick chat: 'Stay put, I'm coming!'
2. 2-3 decoders (Mechanic/Prisoner) on hunter cooldowns.
3. Prime endgame 18s gates split.

Mastering Vaults and Projection Chains

Relentless vaults +10% Projection speed; Knee Jerk + Flywheel for 60s+. 30s/cipher savings, 35% escape boost hybrid routes.

1. Zigzag on terror heartbeat.
2. Swap loops at 1-2 min.
3. Transition exhausted pallets.

Map-Specific Kite Routes That Win Games

Tight Spots: Arms Factory and Red Church

Arms: pallets/windows 1-2 min chases. Red Church: alleys >60s kites/Forward chokepoints/verticals. 36 meta optimal; Coordinator flares stun.

1. Forward stun alleys post-illusion.
2. Chain vaults/39 persona.
3. Seer revelation for cipher clusters.

Small maps force aggression—alleys in Red Church? Pure gold for Forward.

Open Fields: Lakeside Village and Big Maps

Trail-kite village/Static/portals; 129 dash immunity. Merc delays/Priestess portals. +15-20% wins; Prospector +15%.

1. Living Image trails for repositioning.
2. Mechanic remote decode 20-30% gains.
3. Seer multi-story vertical freezes.

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Squad Comps Built for Lanternist Hell

Go-To: Balanced 1-1-1-1 and Killer Duos

1-1-1-1: Forward kiter/Merc rescuer/Mechanic decoder/Seer support (+65% wins). Duos: Mechanic+Priestess (decode/portals), Merc+Seer (soak/owls), Antiquarian+Forward (interrupts/stuns). Large maps Merc/Priestess/Seer 129; small Coordinator/Forward.

1. Pre-assign roles via replays.
2. Quick chats: 'Focus on Decoding!', 16 customs.
3. Aggressive 2-3 decoders.

1-1-1-1 is meta for a reason—covers every angle.

Syncing Roles and Smart Bans

Ban Seer/Priestess/Mechanic (75-80%) vs Lanternist; adapt Dream Witch. Hunter ban small Sculptor/Guard 26.

1. Kite Squad multiples Forward/Thief.
2. Sync cooldowns/pre-plan loops.
3. Endgame 98-99% prime.

Pitfalls to Dodge and Pro Tricks

No More Over-Rescue or Pallet Fails

Avoid >49% rescue/>2 att/survivor; no pallet spam/20m chairs (75% debuff). Max 2 projections/team. Double Tide: 90% success; 'Get out of here!' chats.

1. Practice 1-1-1-1 customs.
2. Manual-end projections.
3. No early ciphers without prime.

Over-rescuing? Biggest noob trap.

Mindgames and Key Metrics

Fake vaults/heartbeats; exploit 10s Optical CD. Track 81s ciphers/60s kites for 70% escapes. Perfumer recall + Flywheel; triple Euphoria +15% heals.

1. Loop swaps on exhausted pallets.
2. 2-3 stuns/loop via replays.

(Subjective take: Fake a vault into a heartbeat spike—Lanternist bites every time.)

FAQ

What are Lanternist's main weaknesses in 2025?
10s Optical CD, 20m chair debuffs, max 2 projections/team; counter Knee Jerk chains/49% rescues.

Best survivor duo vs Lanternist?
Mechanic + Priestess: 200% decode + portals for 20-30% gains/route denial.

How to kite 60s+ on Arms Factory?
Pallets/windows + Forward stuns; 39 persona vaults post-illusion, avoid clustering.

Optimal team comp for ranked Lanternist?
1-1-1-1 (Forward/Merc/Mechanic/Seer); +65% wins, pre-assign roles.

Persona 129 vs 39 for Lanternist counters?
129 large maps (15-20% wins/Flywheel immunity); 39 small (50-60s kites/Knee Jerk).

Season 39 changes impacting Lanternist?
10-15% faster chairs/5-10% heal nerfs; favors projections, post-Oct 16 buffs.