Abyssal Escape 2017X Guide: Base Form, Broken Face & Combos

2017X is the only killer in Abyssal Escape that gives you two complete move sets in a single match, and the switch happens mid-round whether you are ready for it or not. In base form it is a rushdown killer built around constant pressure and a marked target. In phase 3 it becomes the Broken Face, a slower brawler with a stronger M1 and a completely different set of three abilities.

Learning one half and ignoring the other is the most common way to lose on this killer.

Base form

Top speed

Run to fill a small red bar under your HUD. Once it is full, top speed becomes available as a boost, and during the boost you can still swing your M1 and the game indicates every survivor on the map.

That combination is what makes top speed the best ability in the base kit — it is simultaneously a gap-closer, a damage window and a full-map scan.

Spin dash

A dash that damages whoever you run into. It hits for less than an M1, so it is not a damage tool on its own, but it is highly skill-dependent and lands repeatedly against survivors who hold a predictable line. Chain it into M1s rather than treating it as the hit.

Obsession

Hover your cursor over a survivor and activate to mark them. While you are near your marked survivor you receive three buffs at once:

Obsession is the reason 2017X can commit to one target for an entire round. Mark the strongest looper, stay on them, and the buffs do the rest.

The base form's weakness

Verticality. Base 2017X has very little, so any survivor who plays elevation gains real distance. Use top speed to reset the angle rather than chasing up stairs.

The Broken Face (phase 3)

When phase 3 begins, 2017X transforms and every input changes.

New M1

The Beast form M1 becomes a ranged ground slam that damages in front of you, and it hits for 35 damage instead of the standard 20. This is the single biggest damage jump of any killer in the game.

Passive: Impatience

Abilities play out faster. Every animation in the Broken Face kit resolves quicker, which makes the form feel far more responsive than the base kit despite being heavier.

The three abilities

Roar is the setup. Slowing a group before a pounce is what makes savage jump land, and savage jump landing is what puts someone in range of vicious grab. The three abilities are designed as a single sequence, and using them in any other order wastes the form.

Savage jump in particular is the ability survivors complain about most, because the charge is short and the pounce covers ground faster than most dodge windows allow.

How to play the transition

The mistake almost everyone makes is transforming at range and then trying to close the gap with savage jump alone. Roar first, then jump, then grab.

Is 2017X worth unlocking?

It has the highest skill ceiling in the roster and the most variety, which also makes it the worst first purchase. You are effectively learning two killers, and the form switch arrives on a timer you do not control. For players who already understand the map layout and survivor loops, though, 2017X is the most rewarding pick in the game — 35-damage ranged M1s plus a three-ability combo is a lot of pressure to hand someone.

For the rest of the roster and the phase system, see our Abyssal Escape killers overview.

FAQ

When does 2017X transform?

At the start of phase 3, which is triggered by remaining match time rather than by anything the killer does.

How much damage does the Broken Face M1 do?

35 damage, versus the standard 20 that every other killer deals in phase 1.

What is the best combo after transforming?

Roar to slow and reveal, savage jump to close and land, then vicious grab to convert the hit into sustained damage.

Does obsession work in Beast form?

Obsession belongs to the base kit. Once you transform, the three Beast abilities replace it entirely.