Though simplistic on the surface, Dead by Daylight features plenty of intricate mechanics and techs that can turn the tide of a trial. As an asymmetric multiplayer game, each player should use every advantage afforded to them in order to have any chance of winning. Far from the hide-and-seek game it first began as, Dead by Daylight has evolved tremendously since its release back in 2016, and players arriving at the game expecting to have an easy time may be surprised by the complexity of the game in its current state.
This guide will teach newcomers some beginner tips for playing Survivor and Killer in Dead by Daylight, covering basic techs and common mistakes to help players make the most of their time in the fog.
11 Playing Alone? Bring the Right Build!
When playing alone as a Survivor, perhaps the single best perk that can help with team coordination is called Kindred; this perk is available to all characters from the get-go and allows users to see the aura of other Survivors when a teammate is hooked, as well as seeing the aura of the Killer within 16 meters of the hooked Survivor.
It also allows other Survivors to see the same when the user themselves is hooked. This perk means everyone in the lobby is aware of who is closest to get the unhook, meaning Survivors waste less time and take the chance to unhook before someone dies.
10 Manage Generators Effectively
When spawning into a map, it can be tempting to jump on the first generator within eyesight, but this might not be ideal. As Survivors will typically spawn on the same side of the map, with the Killer opposite, the best thing to do is split up from teammates and work on multiple generators across the map, particularly ones in the middle.
Now, the Killer has to worry about 2 or 3 generators being finished instead of just one. Moreover, by leaving certain generators on the outskirts of the map, players can avoid leaving three generators close to one another in the endgame, meaning the Killer must patrol a larger area to defend the final generator.
9 Bring or Beware of Exhaustion Perks
In Dead by Daylight, there are eight perks belonging to different characters that classify as exhaustion perks; they are Adrenaline, Smash Hit, Overcome, Lithe, Sprint Burst, Balanced Landing, Dead Hard, and Head On. These are perks that give Survivors an extra boost to movement speed in a chase by committing to a variety of actions.
Survivors should typically commit to running one of these perks in their build to help extend their chases and buy time for their team. The easiest to use of these is Jonah Vasquez’ “Overcome,” which gives an extra boost when players are hit.
Killer players will want to keep track of every exhaustion perk that each Survivor is running, especially if that perk is Dead Hard. In this case, Killers will need to play unpredictably, waiting and baiting out the perk sometimes, and hitting straight away other times.
8 Don’t Run Out in the Open
When a Survivor is found by the Killer, they should always head toward the nearest “loop.” A loop is any structure on the map that features a pallet or a window, around which the Killer can be looped. To find these locations quickly in chase, players can use Kate Denson’s perk “Windows of Opportunity,” which highlights pallets, windows, and breakable walls within a 32-meter radius.
If players are caught away from a loop, it can be handy to learn some Field of View techs that abuse the Killer's first-person perspective. The most common of these is to run around the Killer to force them to miss a swing.
7 Don’t Pallet Camp or Drop Pallets Early
While in chase, it may seem prudent to waste the Killers’ time by dropping pallets while running through them, so Killers are forced to break them to follow. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however, as maps only have a limited selection of pallets available, and they’re gone forever once broken, making that loop far less effective.
Seeing the most efficient Survivors play, they will only drop pallets as a last resort, relying heavily on window vaults, techs, and mindgames to trick the Killer into wasting time. Though less experienced, Survivors should always try to leave pallets up until the Killer is close enough to guarantee a hit, keeping loops safe and avoiding creating deadzones into the late game.
6 Mindgames and Red Stains
Killers aim to sacrifice Survivors as quickly as possible, hopefully without resorting to hard tunneling or camping. As such, their powers put them ahead of Survivors in direct chases, with greater movement speed and anti-loop abilities. The only thing that gives them away is the bright red light that precedes their cone of vision, allowing Survivors to make quick decisions based on around what corners they see this light.
As a Killer, though players cannot see their own red stain, they can position their camera around corners to fake heading in that direction while heading in the opposite. Though these mindgames can get very complex in higher levels of play, even simple ones are extremely effective around difficult, Survivor-sided tiles like the Killer Shack. Consequently, playing these mindgames can save Killers time, as they needn’t break every pallet they come across, provided they can play around it well.
5 Be Wary of Flashlight and Pallet Saves
A common problem that newer Killers can run into is falling into a constant loop of stuns. These can occur when picking up a downed Survivor, and a fellow Survivor aims a flashlight at the eyes of the Killer, resulting in a stun that releases the carried Survivor from their grasp. This may also happen when picking up a downed Survivor at a pallet, though the timing and positioning must be more precise.
To avoid these problems, it’s best to quickly pick up Survivors downed at pallets, so others don’t have time to react and the Killer can’t be hit by perks like “Power Struggle.” Before picking up a Survivor, it’s best to routinely perform a quick 180-degree spin or face a nearby wall so that other Survivors have a harder time reaching the right angle for a save.
Failing this, in the case that coordinated Survivors are waiting around every corner, take the time to scout the area before picking up, chasing Survivors off, or downing them where possible. A common mindgame to perform is to stand over the downed Survivor to make it seem like a pickup is possible before quickly returning to attack the greedy Survivors.
If these techniques don’t work, however, The Hillbilly’s perk “Lightborn” prevents flashlight blinds, and The Cannibal’s “Franklin’s Demise” forces injured Survivors to drop their items.
4 Know When to Guard Generators
As a Killer, it can sometimes feel like a chase will last a whole game if a Survivor is a proficient enough looper, though it can be hard to feel like leaving them mid-chase will bear fruit. This sunk-cost fallacy can cost many a Killer, so if a chase is lasting longer than a minute (the average time needed to complete a generator is a minute and a half) then it may be prudent to peel from the Survivor to put pressure on generators.
With luck, this will lead to a much easier chase with a quicker down, getting the ball rolling for a successful trial.
3 Hook Stages and Protection Hits
The Survivor HUD is a little different from the Killer HUD in that Survivors can directly see what other players are doing, including how progressed their generators are and how many times they have been hooked. Survivors should use this information to their advantage by taking over generators with progress on them to get them finished sooner.
Most important, however, is to waste the Killer’s time. If someone who has already been hooked twice is in chase with the Killer nearby, consider leaving a generator to take chase and draw the Killer’s attention. This way, more Survivors stay in the game longer, making for a much more efficient use of time.
Regarding Killers, it’s helpful to keep in mind which Survivors have been hooked already, as knowing which ones are vulnerable means knowing who can be quickly removed from the game to gain an advantage. To best make use of time, Killers should try to hook two different Survivors consistently, alternating between them so as to not tunnel and be hit with a Decisive Strike or Off the Record play.
2 Knowing When to Heal
Healing is important in Dead by Daylight, especially if everyone is injured and no one can safely go for an unhook. However, if someone is in chase, a number of regression perks can activate when that chase is over, severely slowing generator progress. It is, therefore, ultimately up to player discretion whether healing or finishing a generator takes priority.
If the generator is a way off from being completed, healing is likely the better option, especially if perks like Eruption or Pain Resonance are in play. Alternatively, if Survivors have time to complete it before the Killer arrives, it may be better to stick the generator, even if it means the Killer gets a down.
Furthermore, if another Survivor is in chase away from a hooked Survivor, unhooking that Survivor should always take priority over using slow healing perks like Self Care and Circle of Healing.