Summary

  • Dead by Daylight features 37 killers with unique powers including notable icons like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers.
  • The game has 124 killer perks, with some killers having more appealing and powerful perks, making them top choices early on.
  • Killers like The Blight and The Nemesis have strong perks like Hex: Undying and Lethal Pursuer, useful for different playstyles.

Dead by Daylight has 37 killers with their unique powers that aid them in hurting survivors and sacrificing them to the Entity. Over the years, some of the most notable horror icons have joined the Entity's realm, such as Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Dracula, and more. These killers also bring teachable perks that bring various effects to help hunt down survivors.

Naughty Bear shouting, Hillbilly and his weapon, and Nea surrounded by purple skeletons
All Dead By Daylight Moris, Ranked

For extra style, Dead by Daylight Killers can use Memento Moris to sacrifice Survivors. Some Moris are pretty tame, while others are wonderfully gory.

There are 124 killer perks in the game, with 111 of them being exclusive to particular killers. Naturally, certain killers have more appealing and powerful perks than others. This makes these killers top choices to unlock and level up early on so that their perks can be accessible to all other killers. Here are the Dead by Daylight killers with the best perks that players should consider acquiring.

1 The Demogorgon

Terror From The Upside Down

Demogorgon DBD

How to Acquire

500 Auric Cells or Stranger Things Chapter DLC

Surge DBD

Surge

All generators within a 32-meter radius of the killer instantly regress by 6/7/8% after putting a survivor in the dying state through a basic attack.

Mindbreaker DBD

Mindbreaker

Survivors repairing a generator suffer Blindness and Exhausted until they stop. If a survivor is already Exhausted, the recovery timer will be paused while repairing. Blindness and Exhausted will last for another 3/4/5 seconds after a survivor stops repairing.

Cruel Limits DBD

Cruel Limits

Cruel Limits activates after a generator is completed. It provides the following effects:

  • All Vault locations on the map are blocked for 20/25/30 seconds. The vault locations are revealed in a yellow aura.

The Demogorgon from Stranger Things is a great killer for new players to pick up as it has a fun playstyle while having two amazing perks, Surge and Mindbreaker, to utilize. Surge is one of the best generator regression perks as it has a very simple condition to activate its effects.

7 Dead By Daylight Survivor Perks That Will Always Remain Viable
7 Dead By Daylight Survivor Perks That Will Always Remain Viable

The meta may change over time, but there are a few Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight that will always be viable no matter what.

Mindbreaker hard counters a lot of the popular exhaustion perks and can allow chases to end much quicker. Cruel Limits is the only weak perk that the Demogorgon has. While the effect is quite powerful, it is very map-dependent and rarely achieves its full potential.

2 The Plague

The Babylonian Priestess

Plague DBD

How to Acquire

4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Old Wounds Chapter Pack DLC

Corrupt Intervention DBD

Corrupt Intervention

The three generators farthest away from the killer are blocked for 80/100/120 seconds at the start of the match. This effect ends early if a survivor is put in the dying state.

Infectious Fright DBD

Infectious Fright

When a survivor is put into the dying state by any means, all other survivors within the killer's terror radius will scream and reveal their location for 4/5/6 seconds.

Dark Devotion DBD

Dark Devotion

When the Obsession is put into the injured state by any means, Dark Devotion activates and does the following:

  • The killer's terror radius is transferred to the Obsession for 20/25/30 seconds, and the radius is set to 32 meters.
  • The killer gains Undetectable for the same duration
  • The Obsession with the terror radius is also considered to be 'inside the Terror Radius' for other purposes.

Ever since the Plague's release, she has remained a go-to choice for many players to prestige early on purely due to Corrupt Intervention. It is one of the strongest killer perks in Dead by Daylight, and it is viable for every single killer.

Her other perks are not bad, but they are nowhere near the level of Corrupt Intervention. Infectious Fright used to be a meta perk, but it has had a fall from grace over the years. It is still a decent perk, but it is much more situational nowadays. Dark Devotion is an extremely niche perk that has further been overshadowed by one of The Unknown's perks, Unforeseen. However, it is worth to prestige the Plague to solely acquire Corrupt Intervention.

3 The Trickster

Psychopathic Pop Star

Trickster DBD

How to Acquire

4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Macabre Tales Chapter Pack DLC

No Way Out DBD

No Way Out

No Way Out gains one token when a survivor is hooked for the first time. This perk activates once the exit gates are powered, and does the following:

  • The killer will receive a loud noise notification when a survivor interacts with an exit gate switch. After this, both exit gate switches will be blocked for 12 seconds, and an additional 6/9/12 seconds per token, up to a maximum of 36/48/60 seconds.
Hex Crowd Control DBD

Hex: Crowd Control

When a survivor performs a rushed vault over a window, Hex: Crowd Control gets activated and provides the following effects:

  • The last 3/4/5 windows are permanently blocked
  • Successive triggers unblock the oldest blocked window.
Starstruck DBD

Starstruck

Starstruck activates when a killer is carrying the survivor. It gives the following effects:

  • Survivors are Exposed when inside the killer's terror radius
  • They continue to stay exposed for 26/28/30 seconds after leaving the terror radius.

Starstruck deactivates after hooking or dropping the carried survivor. Survivors stay exposed for 26/28/30 seconds if they are within the killer's terror radius during this time. This perk has a 60-second cooldown after a survivor is no longer being carried.

Ji-Woon Hak, better known as the Trickster, has one meta perk and two situational but powerful perks. No Way Out is simply the best endgame perk in Dead by Daylight as it has been in the meta ever since its release.

Starstruck used to be a phenomenal perk for killers such as Nurse before her blink attacks became coded as special attacks. It is still a decent perk against survivor squads that tend to play altruistically. Hex: Crowd Control is a more cruel yet inconsistent version of Bamboozle. Its effects are incredibly strong, but it has the same problem as Cruel Limits along with the fact that it is a Hex perk. While the Trickster is not a beginner-friendly killer, his perks are quite viable, which makes him a good choice to prestige early on.

4 The Blight

The Scientist That Went Too Far

Blight DBD

How to Acquire

4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Macabre Tales Chapter Pack DLC

Hex Undying DBD

Hex: Undying

Auras of survivors within 2/3/4 meters of a dull totem are revealed. When another Perk's Hex totem is cleansed, it is transferred to Hex: Undying's totem, along with any accumulated tokens. Hex: Undying is deactivated in the process.

Hex Blood Favor DBD

Hex: Blood Favor

When a survivor is put into the injured or dying state, Hex: Blood Favor activates and blocks all pallets within 24/28/32 meters of that survivor's location for 15 seconds.

Dragon's Grip DBD

Dragon's Grip

Dragon's Grip is activated for 30 seconds after kicking a generator, and provides the following effects:

  • When a survivor interacts with the kicked generator, they will scream and reveal their location for four seconds.
  • The survivor becomes Exposed for 60 seconds.

This perk has a 60/50/40 second cooldown.

The Blight is the second-best killer in Dead by Daylight, behind the Nurse, and he comes with two of the best Hex perks in the game, along with a deadly generator-kicking perk. Hex: Undying is a staple in any Hex-based setup as it gives the other Hex perks an extra life. This is unbelievably useful to waste the survivors' time and pairs exceptionally well with Pentimento. The bonus aura read is the cherry on top.

7 Dead By Daylight Survivor Perks That Will Always Remain Viable
7 Dead By Daylight Survivor Perks That Will Always Remain Viable

The meta may change over time, but there are a few Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight that will always be viable no matter what.

Hex: Blood Favor is a better version of Crowd Control as pallets are generally more useful than windows on a wider range of maps. Its effects are also quite easy to activate, making it a top choice for killers reliant on basic attacks. Dragon's Grip is the Blight's weakest perk, but it can change the tides of a trial when it is properly used. The Blight is an obvious choice to prestige early despite his steep learning curve, as he is an overwhelmingly strong killer with powerful perks and add-ons.

5 The Cenobite

Great Suffering Awaits

Pinhead DBD

How to Acquire

500 Auric Cells or Hellraiser Chapter DLC

Deadlock DBD

Deadlock

When a generator is completed, the next generator with the most repair progress is blocked for 15/20/25 seconds. The blocked generator's aura is revealed in white.

Hex Plaything DBD

Hex: Plaything

When there is one Dull Totem on the map, and a survivor gets hooked, Hex: Plaything activates and does the following:

  • The hooked survivor suffers from Oblivious and Cursed.
  • Only the cursed survivor can cleanse the Hex Totem for the first 90 seconds.
  • The aura of the Hex Totem is revealed to the cursed survivor within a 24/20/16-meter radius.
Scourge Hook Gift of Pain DBD

Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain

Whenever a survivor is unhooked from a Scourge Hook, the following effects take place:

  • The unhooked survivor suffers from Mangled and Hemorrhage for 90 seconds.
  • After being healed, the unhooked survivor will have 10/13/16% reduced healing and repair speed until they are injured again.

The Cenobite has a conundrum similar to the Blight. He is a very hard killer for newer players to master. However, his perks are some of the very best in the game and a core piece of many builds. Deadlock is a universally applicable perk on any killer. It has a very straightforward but strong effect that buys precious time for the killer to stall out a game.

Hex: Plaything is one of the standard perks on any Hex-based build as it encourages survivors to cleanse totems, which pairs very well when running Pentimento. Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain is the Cenobite's weakest perk, but it has made a big comeback recently thanks to the buffs to the Skull Merchant's perk, Leverage, which pairs superbly with Gift of Pain.

6 The Nemesis

Unstoppable Bio-Organic Weapon

Nemesis DBD

How to Acquire

500 Auric Cells or Resident Evil Chapter DLC

Lethal Pursuer DBD

Lethal Pursuer

The auras of all survivors are revealed for 7/8/9 seconds at the start of the match. All instances of survivor aura reveals are increased by two seconds.

Eruption DBD

Eruption

Eruption activates after kicking a generator and applies the following effects:

  • Kicked generators are shown in yellow.
  • If a survivor is put into the dying state, all the affected generators explode and immediately regress, removing the yellow aura in the process.
  • The generators are instantly regressed by 10% of their maximum progression.
  • Survivors repairing the affected generator scream and their aura for 8/10/12 seconds when the generator explodes.

This perk has a cooldown of 30 seconds.

Hysteria DBD

Hysteria

When a survivor is injured, all injured survivors suffer from Oblivious for 20/25/30 seconds. This perk has a cooldown of 30 seconds.

The Nemesis has two very useful perks and a largely useless perk not worth running. Lethal Pursuer is the best aura-reading perk for killers. Allowing the opportunity to pick a chase and get quick downs at the start of the match generates immense amounts of pressure on the map. It also pairs well with aura-reading add-ons and perks, making it a versatile choice for many killers.

dead by daylight chucky logo fog background the good guy
Dead By Daylight: Best Builds For The Good Guy (Chucky)

With these powerful perks and add-ons for Chucky, The Good Guy in Dead by Daylight, killing Survivors will be child’s play.

Eruption used to be the king of the generator regression meta until the removal of the Incapacitated effect from the perk. It is still a powerful perk, but it requires the player to be a bit smarter with its usage. It also remains the best perk in a three-generator situation for obvious reasons. Finally, Hysteria is simply a bad perk that only pairs well with killers like the Plague and the Legion.

7 The Clown

Tonics Of Doom

Clown DBD

How to Acquire

2250 Iridescent Shards, 125 Auric Cells, or Maddening Darkness Chapter Pack DLC

Pop Goes the Weasel DBD

Pop Goes the Weasel

Pop Goes the Weasel activates for 35/40/45 seconds after hooking a survivor. During this time:

  • Kicking a generator instantly regresses it by 20% of its maximum progression.
  • Normal generator regression is applied after the initial regression.
Bamboozle DBD

Bamboozle

After vaulting a window, it is blocked for 8/12/16 seconds. These windows cannot be vaulted over by survivors. Additionally, the general vaulting speed is increased by 5/10/15%.

Coulrophobia DBD

Coulrophobia

Survivors within the killer's terror radius suffer the following debuffs:

  • Healing speed is reduced by 30/40/50%
  • Rotation speed of healing skill checks increases by 50%

The Clown has been a top killer choice for players to prestige thanks to Pop Goes the Weasel and Bamboozle. The former is one of the best generator regression perks in the game, while the latter is a godsend for killers that can get easily looped.

Coulrophobia is a pretty weak perk that never really works on any killer, as survivors will usually not heal inside the killer's terror radius. However, unlocking the Clown and his teachable perks is one of the top priorities for any player looking to have the best killer perks in the game.

8 The Artist

Commander Of Crows

Artist DBD

How to Acquire

4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Endless Hunt Chapter Pack DLC

Scourge Hook Pain Resonance DBD

Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance

This perk starts with four tokens. Each time a survivor is hooked on a Scourge Hook for the first time, a token is consumed, and the following effects take place:

  • The most progressed generator explodes and instantly regresses by 10/15/20% of its total progression.
  • Normal generator regression is applied after the initial regression.
  • Survivors repairing the generator during the explosion scream, but they will not reveal their location.

Once all tokens are consumed, this perk deactivates.

Hex Pentimento DBD

Hex: Pentimento

The auras of cleansed totems are revealed. With this perk, killers can rekindle cleansed totems. For each rekindled totem on the map, Hex: Pentimento provides the following effects:

  • 1 totem: All survivors' repair speed is reduced by 20/25/30%
  • 2 totems: All survivors' healing speed is reduced by 20/25/30%
  • 3 totems: All survivors' recovery speed while downed is reduced by 20/25/30%
  • 4 totems: All survivors' gate-opening speed is reduced by 20/25/30%
  • 5 totems: All totems are permanently blocked

When a rekindled totem is cleansed, it is permanently destroyed.

Grim Embrace DBD

Grim Embrace

Grim Embrace gains a token whenever a survivor is hooked for the first time. This perk activates when the killer is at least 16 meters away from the hook and provides the following effects:

  • 1–3 tokens: All generators are blocked for 6/8/10 seconds.
  • 4 tokens: All generators are blocked for 40 seconds and the Obsession's aura is revealed for six seconds.

The Artist is the only killer in Dead by Daylight that currently has three supremely powerful perks. Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance continues to be the best killer perk in the game, while Hex: Pentimento is the cornerstone in every Hex-based build. Both of these perks can single-handedly win games for a killer due to their strong effects.

Grim Embrace used to be a mediocre perk. However, it has become a meta perk ever since its buff in Patch 7.5.0. The Artist is also one of the premier killers with strong anti-loop mechanics and top-notch reconnaissance tools. She is quite easy to master if players are dedicated enough to invest time in her. For these reasons, every player wanting to be a killer main should prioritize getting the Artist and her teachable perks.

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Dead by Daylight Tag Page Cover Art
Dead by Daylight
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Released
June 14, 2016
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Developer(s)
Behaviour Interactive
Genre(s)
Horror, Survival