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.
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
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How to Acquire |
500 Auric Cells or Stranger Things Chapter DLC |
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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. |
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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. |
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Cruel Limits |
Cruel Limits activates after a generator is completed. It provides the following effects:
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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
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
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How to Acquire |
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Old Wounds Chapter Pack DLC |
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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. |
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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. |
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Dark Devotion |
When the Obsession is put into the injured state by any means, Dark Devotion activates and does the following:
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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
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How to Acquire |
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Macabre Tales Chapter Pack DLC |
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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:
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Hex: Crowd Control |
When a survivor performs a rushed vault over a window, Hex: Crowd Control gets activated and provides the following effects:
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Starstruck |
Starstruck activates when a killer is carrying the survivor. It gives the following effects:
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
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How to Acquire |
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Macabre Tales Chapter Pack DLC |
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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. |
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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. |
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Dragon's Grip |
Dragon's Grip is activated for 30 seconds after kicking a generator, and provides the following effects:
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
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
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How to Acquire |
500 Auric Cells or Hellraiser Chapter DLC |
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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. |
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Hex: Plaything |
When there is one Dull Totem on the map, and a survivor gets hooked, Hex: Plaything activates and does the following:
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Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain |
Whenever a survivor is unhooked from a Scourge Hook, the following effects take place:
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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
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How to Acquire |
500 Auric Cells or Resident Evil Chapter DLC |
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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. |
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Eruption |
Eruption activates after kicking a generator and applies the following effects:
This perk has a cooldown of 30 seconds. |
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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: 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
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How to Acquire |
2250 Iridescent Shards, 125 Auric Cells, or Maddening Darkness Chapter Pack DLC |
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Pop Goes the Weasel |
Pop Goes the Weasel activates for 35/40/45 seconds after hooking a survivor. During this time:
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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%. |
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Coulrophobia |
Survivors within the killer's terror radius suffer the following debuffs:
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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
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How to Acquire |
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Endless Hunt Chapter Pack DLC |
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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:
Once all tokens are consumed, this perk deactivates. |
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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:
When a rekindled totem is cleansed, it is permanently destroyed. |
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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:
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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.
Dead by Daylight
- Released
- June 14, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, Switch, Mobile
- Genre(s)
- Horror, Survival