Best Survivors In Dead By Daylight

The asymmetrical multiplayer game Dead by Daylight from Behaviour Interactive is an absolute treat for horror fans. Pitting four Survivors against a ruthless Killer, Dead by Daylight forces players to work together to survive their very own version of a slasher movie.

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With all DLCs combined with the base game of Dead by Daylight, there are currently 44 Survivors and counting for players to choose from and for Killers to get their hands on. Featuring a wide variety of gameplay features and tricks, as well as a unique combination of original and famous horror characters, it can be daunting for players to decide who to play.

Updated on February 18th 2025, by Mara Cowley: Dead by Daylight is still alive and well, constantly churning out new chapters and paragraphs that expand its list of Survivors, bringing even more playable figures and perks into the rotation. New releases have since arrived, breathing a fresh breath of air into the hearty roster of available survivors, including the famed explorer and archaeologist Lara Croft from the hit game series Tomb Raider — as well Dracula and Trevor from the hit Capcom series Castlevania. Now that players have had their fill of crossovers (for now), it is time to put the spotlight back on original Survivors like Taurie Cain, but where will they rank among the best survivors in DbD?

45 Quentin Smith

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Quentin Smith from The Nightmare on Elm Street series, specifically the remake, seems to not offer as much as other characters. The "Wake Up!" Perk is only useful in the final moments of the game and only within a specific range of the Exit Gates. "Pharmacy" guarantees a Med-Kit but doesn't really offer anything else. The perk that seems to be the most helpful is "Vigil," which offers a boost to each Survivor's recovery.

Quentin Smith's Perks

• Wake Up!: This perk only unlocks once all generators are completed. The auras of exit gate switches within 128 meters are revealed. The player also opens gates 15, 20, or 25% faster.
• Pharmacy: Chests unlock 70, 85, or 100% faster. The first unlocked chest also guarantees a Med-Kit. This perk reduces the audible range of chest unlocking by 8 meters.
• Vigil: The player and others within 8 meters recover 20, 25, or 30% faster from Blindness, Broken, Exhaustion, Exposed, Hemorrhage, Mangled, Oblivious and Hindered effects. This perk lasts for 15 seconds.

44 Laurie Strode

The Halloween Chapter

From Halloween, Laurie can use "Sole Survivor," so her aura can't be read by the Killer within a certain range. "Decisive Strike" can be used to easily escape the Killer's grasp, while "Object of Obsession" can provide a unique challenge of having Laurie's and the Killer's auras visible to each other.

Laurie Strode's Perks

• Sole Survivor: The player gains a token each time a Survivor is killed or sacrificed. Each token grants a stackable radius of 20, 22, or 24 meters where the Killer can't read the player's aura. Being the Last Survivor increases repair speed by 75%, and Gate and Hatch opening by 50%.
• Object of Obsession: When the Killer reads the player's aura, the player can also see the Killer's aura. Action speeds are increased by 2%, 4,% or 6%.
• Decisive Strike: This perk activates after being unhooked. Players can perform a skill check to escape the Killer when grabbed. The perk deactivates after 40, 50, or 60 seconds of being unhooked, or once the Exit Gates are powered.

43 Ace Visconti

Of Flesh And Mud

Most of Ace's perks aren't very useful. Both he and other Survivors can gain stackable Luck bonuses for up to 9%, which isn't very helpful for the game. "Ace in the Hole" allows him to retrieve an add-on with a Very Rare rating or lower, which can be nice but doesn't help with the game's overall goal of survival. "Open-Handed" is perhaps the most useful of Ace's abilities, allowing him to increase the range of his Aura readings.

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By  Amy Cowley

Ace Visconti's Perks

• Open-Handed: This perk increases all aura-reading ranges by 8, 12, or 16 meters.
• Up the Ante: The player gains 1 token for each Survivor still in the game. Each token applies to a stackable 1, 2, or 3% Luck bonus to all Survivors for a maximum of 3, 6, or 9%.
• Ace in the Hole: There is a chance that an add-on will be attached to an item retrieved from a chest. Add-ons can have any rarity level up to Very Rare.

42 Ash J. Williams

Ash Vs Evil Dead

It's quite unfortunate that Ash from the Evil Dead series isn't very engaging. The most useful perk is likely "Man of Mettle" but more so for the other Survivors than Ash himself.

"Flip-Flop" is also somewhat useful, depending on whether players prefer recovery or wiggle progression. "Buckle Up" is essentially useless, simply allowing players to read the recovery progress of others.

Ash J. William's Perks

• Flip-Flop: While players are in the Dying state, 50% of the recovery progression is converted into wiggle progression for 40, 45, or 50% after being picked up by the Killer.
• Buckle Up: When healing another Survivor from the Dying state, the Aura of the Killer is revealed, and both players gain Endurance for 4, 5, or 6 seconds.
• Man of Mettle: After the third protection hit, players are protected by the Endurance effect. Any damage that puts players into the Dying state is blocked. After being healed, the player's aura is revealed to the Killer when the player is 12, 14, or 16 meters away.

41 Yoichi Asakawa

Sadako Rising

While fans of the 1998 Japanese horror film The Ring may remember Yoichi as a young boy, in the events of Dead by Daylight, he's now full-grown and ready to take on the vengeful spirit of Sadako. His skills range from niche to semi-useful. "Parental Guidance" allows players to have their scratch marks, grunts of pain, and pools of blood suppressed for 5, 6, or 7 seconds after stunning the Killer. It's a fine perk but useful only in the specific circumstance of being able to stun the Killer.

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"Empathetic Connection" is Yoichi's most useful perk, as injured Survivors within a 32, 64, or 96-meter radius will see Yoichi's aura. Yoichi will also heal Survivors 10% faster, making this perk useful for anyone playing medic. His boon, "Dark Theory," which gives players a 2% Haste status effect that lingers for 2, 3, or 4 seconds after leaving the boon radius, is nice in theory but not very useful overall.

Yoichi Asakawa's Perks

• Parental Guidance: After stunning the Killer, players will have their scratch marks, grunts of pain, and pools of blood suppressed for 5, 6, or 7 seconds.
• Empathetic Connection: Injured Survivors within 32, 64, or 96 meters of the player will see the player's aura; the player heals Survivors 10% faster.
• Boon: Dark Theory: Survivors have a 2% Haste status effect, which lingers for 2, 3, or 4 seconds after leaving the totem radius.

40 Trevor Belmont

Castlevania

From Castlevania fame, Trevor Belmont is now lending his vampire-hunting expertise to the realm of the entity, where his nemesis Dracula has also been brought. His perks help him keep a close eye on the Killer and give him the edge he just might need to survive long enough to fight another day. Though his perks might not be the best in the meta right now, they are worth checking out for the Belmont experience alone.

Trevor Belmont's Perks

• Exultation: Stunning the Killer with a Pallet upgrades the Rarity of your held Item to the next tier. Recharges the Item by +25 %.
• Eyes of Belmont: Whenever a Generator is completed, the Aura of the Killer is revealed to you for 1/2/3 seconds. Extends the duration of all instances of the Killer's Aura being revealed to you by +2 seconds.
• Moment of Glory: After performing the Unlocking or Rummaging action on Chests a total of 2 times, Moment of Glory activates: After becoming injured, instantly suffer from the Broken Status Effect. Automatically heal 1 Health State after 80/70/60 seconds.

39 Taurie Cain

Doomed Course

Introduced in the Doomed Course, Taurie is a Survivor with Scottish flair, inducted into the cult, The Black Talon, which all of her family were part of. She was intended to be a sacrifice, and now, in the Entity's realm, she will find herself in the role of sacrifice time and time again. Hopefully, she can find a way to escape with her perks, but they do fall a little short when compared to all the other survivors.

Taurie Cain's Perks

• Clean Break: Press the Active Ability button while being healed by another Survivor to trigger the following effects:

1. Suffer from the Broken Status Effect.
2. Automatically heal one Health State after 80/70/60 seconds

• Invocation: Treacherous Crows: When in the Basement near the circle, press the Active Ability button to begin the Invocation, which takes 60 seconds to complete. During an Invocation, their Aura is revealed to all other Survivors, and they can join in, accelerating the process by +100% (if they too have an Invocation Perk equipped) or by +50 % (if they do not). Once the Invocation is completed, the following effects apply:

1. Whenever the Killer scares a Crow while a Survivor is inside their Terror Radius, their Aura is revealed to all Survivors for 1/1.5/2 seconds.
2. Automatically enter the Injured State from any previous Health State, and suffer from the Broken Status Effect for the remainder of the Trial.

• Shoulder the Burden: Trade one Hook State with the other Survivor for their benefit, causing the Survivor to scream. They then suffer from the Exposed Status Effect for 60/50/40 seconds.

38 Elodie Rakoto

A Binding Of Kin

Arriving on the scene with the Twins Killer, Elodie is a rather adept Survivor, but her perks sadly fall short when compared to others that shine strongly in the meta. Though she can potentially beguile Killers with either Deception or Power Struggle for fun game moments, they don't see much practical play as they are entirely situational.

Elodie Rakoto's Perks

• Appraisal: Appraisal has 3 Tokens at the start of the Trial: Consume 1 Token to perform the Rummage action on an already unlocked Chest in order to retrieve a second Item from it. Increases Rummaging speed by 40/60/80%.
• Deception: Interacting with a Locker while holding the Sprint button has the following effects:
  • Prevents the player from entering the Locker, allowing them to run past it.
  • Causes the doors of the Locker to swiftly open and close.
  • Triggers a Loud Noise Notification at the location of the Locker.
  • Suppresses the creation of Scratch Marks and Pools of Blood for 3 seconds.

• Power Struggle: Reveals the Auras of available Pallets whenever the player is in the Dying State. While being carried by The Killer, reaching 25/20/15% Wiggling progression activates Power Struggle, allowing the player to drop a nearby, standing Pallet to stun the Killer and escape their grasp.

37 The Troupe - Aestri Yazar & Baermar Uraz

Dungeons And Dragons

One wondered whether fans might see familiar faces from the vast library of Dungeons and Dragons heroes such as Drizzt, Minsc, or Dove Falconhand. Instead, players were given two completely new survivors, collectively known as the troupe, two bards called Aestri and Baermar. Players can swap between the two bards through the cosmetics tab, as both Survivors share the exact same perks, and function more like a legendary skin of other characters such as Chris and Sheva, which are cosmetics available to purchase for Leon and Jill. These perks, while fun to use and definitely fitting for niche scenarios, simply aren't as well-rounded as others.

The Troupe's Perks

• Bardic Inspiration: Press the Active Ability button while standing and motionless to enter the Performance interaction that lasts up to 15 seconds and empowers other Survivors within 16 meters of your location. The empowering effect depends on the result of you rolling a d20 and lasts for 90 seconds after completing the Performance:
  • 1: You scream, but without notifying the Killer.
  • 2 - 10: Skill Checks grant +1 % Progression.
  • 11 - 19: Skill Checks grant +2 % Progression.
  • 20: Skill Checks grant +3 % Progression.

• Mirrored Illusion: After repairing Generators for a total of 50 %, Mirrored Illusion activates. Press the Active Ability button when next to either a Chest, Exit Gate, Generator, or a Totem to spawn a Static Illusion that lasts for 100, 110, or 120 seconds.
• Still Sight: After standing still for 6, 5, or 4 seconds, Still Sight activates. The Auras of the Killer as well as any Chests and Generators within 24 metres of your location are revealed to you until you start moving again.

36 Alan Wake

Alan Wake

From the excellent Alan Wake, the eponymous hero arrived in the fog shortly after the second game's release, bringing another horror game icon to DbD's Survivor roster. His perks are more focused on items and their usefulness than outfoxing the Killer, which can make them situational, but they are still very valuable when such situations arise. As expected of Alan Wake, there is one perk that makes good use of light, just like in his own game.

Alan Wake's Perks

• Boon (Illumination): All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius: The auras of all chests and generators are highlighted in blue, and action speeds are increased for Blessing and Cleansing by 6, 8, or 10% while active.
• Champion Of Light: Gain 50% haste upon shining a flashlight. Blinding the Killer inflicts Hindered for 6 seconds.
• Deadline: Increases the odds of skill checks by 6, 8, or 10% when in an injured state. Missing one of these skill checks reduces the penalty by 50%.