Summary
- Unique killers in Dead by Daylight have different abilities: Trappers catch off guard, The Nurse teleports, and The Blight speeds up.
- Certain killers are quick and mobile, making it harder for survivors to escape on wide-open maps.
- Each killer has specific strategies for effectively hunting down survivors, providing diverse gameplay experiences.
Every Killer in Dead by Daylight has a set of unique abilities and traits that they bring to a match, and depending on which cards they are dealt, they will often be slotted into a specific group. For example, trappers excel at catching the survivors off guard when they least expect it with gadgets, but there are also plenty of fun killers who instead excel at chasing, considering their high mobility and speed attacks allow them to close the gap in barely any time at all.
Dead by Daylight: 5 Survivors You Should Unlock First
Some Survivors in Dead By Daylight have specific advantages, meaning players should strive to unlock them first.
While survivors will still be able to outmaneuver these killers if they're smart enough by using pallets and windows, it's fair to say that trying to make a quick getaway, especially on the bigger and more wide-open maps, is much harder when these freaks are on the field. Anyone interested in diving into some brand new killers for the first time, or is simply on the hunt for a new character who can keep the pressure on for an entire match, should definitely try out these quick and mobile Dead by Daylight killers.
8 The Cannibal
Swinging For The Fences Will Increase Bubba's Speed
- Ability: Charge up the chainsaw and unleash a devastating sweep attack, instantly downing any survivor caught in the path. The Chainsaw can use up to 3 charges for an extended sweep, recharging whenever it's not in use.
When Leatherface fires up his chainsaw, he will begin wildly slashing around the nearby area while receiving a small boost to his movement speed. While the attack seems fairly basic on the surface, it does feature a small risk and reward system. Players will have 3 swing attack charges, but if they use up too many, Leatherface will go into a mindless state, swinging his chainsaw in thin air, which can allow a group of survivors to escape.
On the other hand, if he does manage to get close enough, his ability is also one of the few in the game that can cause multi-downs. Being able to hook two survivors for the price of one swing puts an immense amount of pressure on the others to get the team back on their feet, making him a great pressure killer who can greatly bolster his speed, though not without consequence.
7 The Dark Lord
Dracula Can Assume Numerous Different Forms To Grant Him Specific Buffs, Including Faster Mobility
- Ability: Dracula can shift between 3 distinct forms: Vampire Form (default), Wolf Form, and Bat Form. Each form specializes in a different aspect of the hunt.
Dracula is often considered one of the trickiest killers in the game to fully master, primarily because he has multiple different forms that need to be learned in order to use him effectively. In his regular vampire form, Dracula is able to use dangerous attacks, while Wolf enhances his senses so that he can see blood marks a lot easier, but it's the bat form that allows him to track down survivors with ease.
Being able to hunt a survivor before then taking them down with a wolf pounce or vampiric blast is immensely satisfying, and because of the bat's small size, it makes it difficult for the survivors to even see Dracula coming their way if they aren't paying enough attention. Being able to fly over vaults and pallets is also an incredibly powerful bonus, which makes Dracula a nightmare to escape from.
6 The Nurse
Being Able To Teleport Across The Map Makes The Nurse A Dangerous Foe To Meddle With
- Ability: Charge a Blink to teleport a great distance, quickly gaining the ability to charge a second Blink. Once all charged Blinks are expended, the Nurse may elect to attack before she is briefly struck with fatigue.
The Nurse is a tricky killer to use effectively, but in the right hands, she can become a real nuisance for the survivors to deal with thanks to her Blink ability. As the name implies, this unique attack allows Nurse to teleport herself in the blink of an eye, though the distance traveled will depend on how long the button is held down for.
Dead By Daylight: 5 Best Killers To Unlock First
Every killer in Dead by Daylight plays differently, and it will benefit new players to focus on unlocking some over others.
Unless survivors have some environmental debris that they can use to try and break the line of sight, they'll struggle to stay on their feet when trying to outrun the Nurse, especially on maps with long corridors like the RPD and Midwich Elementary School. Though she can get easily tired after using her ability too much, she excels at killing survivors in short bursts when using Blink.
5 The Dredge
While Not All That Fast When On Foot, Dredge Can Traverse The Map In Seconds By Using Lockers
- Ability: While The Gloaming is activated, Dredge can teleport to any lockers across the map, allowing for heightened mobility and surprise attacks.
While being mobile in Dead by Daylight usually means a killer can catch a survivor while on foot, there are also some others who are able to navigate the map in slightly different ways. A prime example of this is The Dredge, which is able to teleport between lockers up to three times before needing to recharge.
This can be used in many different ways to outmaneuver the survivors. For example, skilled players will be able to drive a group of survivors in a certain direction before then jolting themselves to a locker in time to catch them off guard. In fact, if a survivor is getting a little too locker happy, it can even be fun to hide in one as The Dredge to score an easy grab.
4 The Oni
Charge Up Blood Fury To Trample Over Survivors Who Stand In Oni's Way
- Ability: Absorb Blood Orbs left by injured Survivors to build Yamaoka’s Wrath. When fully charged, unleash Blood Fury to charge at breakneck speed with Demon Dash and strike down Survivors with a powerful one-hit blow.
Over the course of a match, The Oni will be able to acquire Blood Orbs from wounding survivors. The purpose of this is to eventually unlock his Blood Fury, which is a ferocious charge attack that, while hard to control and slightly sluggish, allows him to move across the map like nobody's business. Needless to say, he's an incredibly hard chaser to shake off once he enters this mode.
It's easy to play games on the survivors while playing as Oni, making them think the dangerous demon is heading one way, only for him to rush towards the other side to rain his club down on those who try to evade him. Survivors need to focus on keeping Oni underpowered to have any hope of fixing enough generators to escape, since he's a killer who can snowball very easily, until eventually, he's too fast to handle.
3 The Blight
The Blight Is Capable Of Going On Quick And Chaotic Murder Sprees Thanks To Its Terrifying Speed
- Ability: Use tokens to initiate a high-speed Rush, during which the Blight cannot attack. After colliding with a surface, Blight can use another token to initiate a Lethal Rush that he can end with a quick attack.
Similar to Leatherface, The Blight can enter short periods of being able to dish out tons of damage at incredible speed, but will also face a nasty side effect once the carnage is over. When entering a chase, The Blight can charge up to enter a running state, and will have up to 5 boosts to keep the buff active. While this is obviously ideal when tailing a survivor from behind, it can also make for a nasty surprise when a group is working on a generator around the next corner.
Dead By Daylight: 8 Loudest Survivors
Being quiet is crucial in Dead by Daylight, and these characters are quite the opposite for players wanting (or avoiding) an added challenge.
Once the ability is over, though, Blight will need to fuel themselves back up with an injection, and the ability itself also has a fairly lengthy cooldown, so it does come at a cost. It's also easy to bump into a rock or tree while trying to hunt down a survivor, though considering the blistering speed, it's more than worth it.
2 The Hillbilly
When Fully Charged, Billy's Charge Ability Can Send Him Across An Entire Map In Mere Seconds
- Ability: Rev the chainsaw to begin a Chainsaw Sprint and travel great distances at blistering speed. Hit a Survivor with the Chainsaw Sprint for an instant down.
Hillbilly is a killer who has been adjusted and tinkered many times over the years, slowly turning into a freakishly fast and fun character who possesses one of the quickest abilities in the entire game. After revving up his chainsaw for a few seconds, Billy will gain a massive boost to his movement speed while also being able to one-hit down anyone who gets in the way of his chainsaw.
Thankfully, it's very difficult to control him once he enters this frenzied state, so he won't be cutting down everyone the moment the game starts. In that sense, he can take quite a bit of practice to master, but those who can get the hang of his ability will have a merry time cutting down survivors with the Hillbilly.
1 The Ghoul
The Tokyo Ghoul Can Scour The Map With Ease Thanks To His Tentacles
- Ability: Tap into Ken's Ghoulish abilities to charge and launch the Kagune, tentacles that attach to vertical surfaces, propelling him forward. He can quickly chain a second Kagune Leap for additional mobility, allowing him to traverse the map with heightened speed.
Ken Kaneki is, without a doubt, the fastest killer in Dead by Daylight, and it's all because of his ghoulish tentacles, which allow him to throw himself to the other side of the map in an instant. Though he will definitely be a killer who is adjusted over time, his core ability is so incredibly quick to use that it will always allow him to get in close without even breaking a sweat.
Kaneki's tentacles will fling him forward so that he can keep up with survivors, but because he also floats in the air momentarily after throwing himself, it allows him to move at a blistering pace. However, being able to control the heavy movement of the attack can take some getting used to, though the Tokyo Ghoul is definitely shaping up to be one of the best killers in the game thanks to his absurd mobility and speed.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 47%
- Released
- June 14, 2016
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Genre(s)
- Horror, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, Switch, Mobile
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair