Survivors in Dead by Daylight might not have terrifying powers like the killers of the game, but they certainly have plenty of their own tricks. From boon totems to pallet stunning, there are numerous ways survivors can make the killer feel like the weakest player in the lobby. One way of saving other survivors and frustrating the killer is building a sabotage-focused survivor. Survivors can destroy hooks in a few different ways in Dead by Daylight.
The first and most accessible way to destroy hooks is via a toolbox, either found in a survivor's bloodweb or inside a chest on the map. The second main way to destroy hooks is with Jake Park's "Saboteur" perk. Finally, survivors can destroy the hooks they were just stuck on after being unhooked with Jeff Johansen's "Breakdown" perk. There are builds focused around these perks, but all of these builds will be most effective with a toolbox of green quality or higher, along with the toolbox add-ons "Protective Gloves" and "Hacksaw."
Updated on August 13, 2023, by Callum Murray: Players in Dead By Daylight have been using sabotaging ever since the popular multiplayer Horror game was released. Over time, there have been updates and improvements to the game, making it more fun for the fans to play as the survivors. The aim is to save your teammates from the killer but also to save yourself from the string of killers trying to stalk and kill you. Sabotaging is considered a niche gameplay style for survivors in the game, and in 2021, builds for survivors went through a significant change. Each survivor in the game comes with three perks that are unique to them which are based on their personality traits, and their past. Purchase of DLC chapters is sometimes required to unlock perks, add-ons, and items that are vital in progressing the survivor's stats.
10 The Unhook Build
Required Perks:
- We'll Make It (Default Survivor Perk)
- Borrowed Time (Bill Overbeck Perk)
- Deliverance (Adam Francis Perk)
- Resilience (Default Survivor Perk)
This build is meant to be played with a good toolbox and item add-ons focused on sabotaging hooks. The perks themselves don't directly benefit sabotage, but they act as a great way to ensure an unhooked survivor's safety while the player sabotages the hook that they just rescued from. Killers will often use the same hooks if it is convenient after a rescue, so destroying them after unhooking can be quite frustrating for the killer.
This build ensures the rescued survivor's safety with Borrowed Time granting them a protection hit for up to 12 seconds, and We'll Make It allows the player to heal the rescued survivor fast. Should the player be injured or hooked themselves, Deliverance and Resilience will help them if no teammates are around.
9 Lone Wolf Build
Required Perks:
- Dead Hard (David King)
- Iron Will (Jake Park)
- Unbreakable (Bill Overbeck)
- Self-Care (Claudette Morel)
There's no 'I' in team, but sometimes a player just has to go it alone when fighting the killers. The lone wolf build is used by players with advanced experience who want to sabotage the killer in every way possible. It's a very effective build that is enjoyable to use and assists the individual survivor. Players using it can also impact the outcome of a match.
8 The Latest Meta Build
Required Perks:
- Dead Hard (David King)
- Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode)
- Borrowed Time (Bill Overbeck)
- Iron Will (Jake Park)
A new build is now available called The Meta Build, which became available with a recent update. If a player wants to keep a good balanced build in the game, they should look no further than this one. It combines the best of the already established perks, and it is very effective against most types of killers in the game.
The best perks are used for this build, which is essentially a mixture of the hook rescue and evasion build.
7 Awareness Build
Required Perks:
- Windows of Opportunity (Kate)
- Open-Handed (Ace)
- Rookie Spirit (Leon):
- Bond (Dwight):
Awareness of the killer is a major factor in fighting them off and that is what this build is all about. The build also focuses on aura reading. In addition to these perks, the player can also receive Premonitions where a sound is made when looking in the direction of the killer. A perk known as Kindred reveals the survivor's Auras to the killer and other Survivors. Alerting survivors through spine chill can also be activated when the Killer is looking in their direction.
6 The Item Recovery Build
Required Perks:
- Built to Last (Felix Richter Perk)
- Streetwise (Nea Karlsson Perk)
- Adrenaline (Meg Thomas Perk)
- Any Means Necessary (Yui Kimura Perk)
This build is entirely focused on preserving the toolbox that the player brings into the game. Built to Last can recover toolbox charges and Streetwise will reduce the speed at which charges are used. Players using this build might not be able to heal themselves, as they won't have a medkit. Adrenaline will ensure that the player has a chance to escape, even if they are injured near the end of the game. Any Means Necessary is a nice bonus that allows the player to replace thrown pallets as they go around the map destroying hooks or repairing generators.
5 The Stealth Build
Required Perks:
- Spine Chill (Default Survivor Perk)
- Iron Will (Jake Park Perk)
- Sprint Burst (Meg Thomas Perk)
- Urban Evasion (Nea Karlsson Perk)
Stealth killers are some of the hardest killers to master in Dead by Daylight. On a similar note, it can be tough to avoid the killer while playing as a survivor. Stealth is a key part of avoiding a chase, and this build allows survivors to be stealthy and destructive toward hooks. Players must bring a toolbox with the "Protective Gloves" add-on to avoid notifying the killer when sabotaging!
This build allows players to know when the killer is coming their way via Spine Chill procs. They can hopefully keep low and stealth away using the increased crouch speed offered by Urban Evasion. If injured, the player should be able to hide from the killer using Iron Will to suppress their character's cries of pain. Finally, every good stealth mission needs an escape plan. Sprint Burst will allow the player to get a head start should the killer find them.
4 The Deliverance Build
Required Perks:
- Deliverance (Adam Francis Perk)
- Breakdown (Jeff Johansen Perk)
- Resurgence (Jill Valentine Perk)
- Off the Record (Zarina Kassir Perk)
It's usually not a good thing to get hooked as a survivor, but this build aims to make the most out of it. Players running this build will need to make sure to activate Deliverance (perform a Safe Hook rescue) as soon as they can. With Deliverance up, players can decide when to use it. The timing is up to the player, but know that with Breakdown, the hook that the player frees themselves of will break. This will proc Off the Record, hopefully allowing players to make a quiet getaway from the killer, and Resurgence will let the player get healed much quicker after being unhooked.
3 The Item Build
Required Perks:
- Built to Last (Felix Richter Perk)
- Plunderer's Instinct (Default Survivor Perk)
- Saboteur (Jake Park Perk)
- Ace in the Hole (Ace Visconti Perk)
Similar to the "Item Recovery Build" this build is focused on the player's carried item. Players don't necessarily have to bring a toolbox in with this build, as Saboteur allows players to sabotage without a toolbox. Players can use Plunderer's Instinct and Ace in the Hole to instead find some high-quality items in the chests across the map, and hopefully, use Built to Last to make these items last longer. If a toolbox isn't found, just rely on Saboteur to get rid of hooks!
2 The Self-Reliant Saboteur Build
Required Perks:
- Saboteur (Jake Park Perk)
- Windows of Opportunity (Kate Denson Perk)
- Dead Hard (David King Perk)
- Build to Last (Felix Richter Perk)
Sometimes, a player has to rely on themselves. This build is quite flexible and doesn't necessarily need a toolbox thanks to Saboteur. Should players bring one or find one though, Built to Last will help maintain its usefulness throughout the match.
Dead Hard and Windows of Opportunity are great perks for escaping a chase. These will be useful if the killer finds the player sabotaging or doing anything else across the map. These two perks are generally powerful across all builds and are often used, so keep in mind that the killer may assume Dead Hard is in play and will try to bait it out!
1 The Altruistic Saboteur Build
Required Perks:
- Saboteur (Jake Park Perk)
- Breakout (Yiu Kimura Perk)
- Leader (Dwight Fairfield Perk)
- Flashbang (Leon S. Kennedy Perk)
This is the hardest of the sabotage builds to play, but also the most rewarding. It requires good communication with teammates if possible and will ask the player to place themselves in danger for their fellow survivors. The goal behind this build is to sabotage hooks while the killer is carrying survivors to them. That's right, the player using this build will have to be able to read the situation well and sabotage before the killer can place the downed survivor on a hook.
Players using this build should bring the best toolbox they can with speed and efficacy add-ons for sabotaging. They will need to use Saboteur to see the auras of hooks around the killer and try to guess which one will be used. Being around the killer is enough for Breakout to proc, granting a bonus to the carried survivor's wiggle efforts. If playing with friends, the player can also try and utilize Leader if a friend is closer to the hook, allowing them to sabotage it even faster. Finally, if the carried player escapes with the help of Breakout, the player using this build can throw down a Flashbang to prevent their friend from being recaptured in the subsequent chase. Keep in mind that carrying a Flashbang prevents the usage of a toolbox, so only do this once the toolbox has been used up, or hand the toolbox to a friend!
Dead by Daylight is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Steam, iOS, and many other platforms.