Best Killers In Dead By Daylight

Sometimes everyone has a dark fantasy of being the killer in a horror movie, right? Tons of players love to be on the prowl hunting down survivors in Dead by Daylight. With killers from famous horror franchises, among original creations, there's a ton of fun to be had in the game.

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Still, not all killers are created equal. They all come with unique abilities that offer major upsides and downsides. When players want to be successful in Dead by Daylight, they need to know the best killers to use to do the job. Favorite movie villains aren't always the best choice for those players who want to be competitive.

Updated June 24, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Dead by Daylight is currently celebrating its 8th year on the market, and it is still going strong, with many more anniversaries to be celebrated in the future. Recently, Behaviour just secured the IP for Dungeons and Dragons, bringing one of the most famous and dreaded villains from the game to the fog, alongside an original Killer that might be the game's most terrifying yet. Most players are dedicating most of their game time to playing these two Killers, but are they really the best Killers Dead by Daylight has ever introduced?

36 Freddy Kruger – The Nightmare

The Nightmare World Makes Survivors More Suspectible To His Powers

Freddy Kruger is just as much of a nightmare on Elm Street as he is in Dead by Daylight. He was once the worst character in the game, received a powerful rework, and then was nerfed again, pushing him back down the list. All Freddy has to do is make survivors fall asleep for them to be in the realm of nightmares, where he can best use his unique Killer abilities to take them down.

He has the ability to keep up strong pressure with his teleporting, has decent stealth capabilities while in the dream state, and can make things difficult if he keeps survivors isolated so their allies can't wake them up. His anti-loop blood pool ability isn't great, but it's still much more reliable than the fake pallet alternative. He's an easy killer to learn, but no longer the monster of nightmares he once was.

Perks for The Nightmare

• Fire Up: This perk charges every time a generator is completed. There is a stackable 3, 3.5, or 4% action speed to breaking pallets and breakable walls, damaging generators, vaulting windows, and picking up or dropping survivors.
• Remember Me: The killer gains 1 token each time they attack the Obsession with a basic attack. The opening time for the Exit Gates is increased by 6 seconds for each token, up to a maximum of 12, 18, or 24.
• Blood Warden: This perk activates when an Exit Gate is opened. Survivors standing within the area of the Exit Gate have their Auras revealed. If a survivor is hooked while this perk is active, The Entity will block the Exit Gates for 30, 40, or 60 seconds.

Power: Dream Demon

The killer is invisible to players further than 32 meters. The presence on the trial grounds causes survivors to fall asleep for 60 seconds and enter the Dream World. In the Dream World, survivors are inflicted with Oblivious and are susceptible to Dream Palettes and Dream Traps. Basic attacks will transport players into the Dream World.

35 Michael Myers – The Shape

The Shape can Insta-Down Survivors, Or Outright Kill Them With The Right Add-On

Yes, this is the Michael Myers! This horror movie icon is able to stalk survivors and gain more strength for taking them down as he does so. If killers can get to Tier III of Evil Within, Michael becomes beyond devastating. It's just not always easy to make that happen, and it doesn't last forever.

Almost any killer with an instant takedown attack is high tier and strong, but the Shape suffers from an extremely weak early game due to his slow speed and reduced lunge range in Tier I. Overall, the Shape is weaker than his cinema infamy would suggest, but players should never dismiss him because his Tombstone add-ons grant him the ability to instantly mori Survivors, regardless of their Health Stat. But even with this add-on, the Shape still suffers, as he takes much longer to grow into Tier III, and players can get around this by hopping into lockers.

Perks for The Shape

• Save the Best for Last: The killer gains 1 token for each Survivor they hit with a Basic Attack who is not the Obsession. Tokens result in a 4% cool-down reduction on attacks to a maximum of 32%.
• Play with Your Food: The killer gains 1 token each time they chase the Obsession but let them escape. These tokens apply toward a stackable 3, 4, or 5% Haste effect.
• Dying Light: Each time the killer hooks a survivor who is not the Obsession, they gain a token. Survivors other than the Obsession suffer from a stackable 2, 2.5, or 3% penalty to repairing, healing, and sabotaging so long as the Obsession is still alive. The Obsession has a permanent +33% bonus to Unhooking and Healing other Survivors.

Power: Evil Within

The killer is gifted the Undetectable effect. Evil Within II reduces the Terror Radius and vault time. Evil Within III causes all survivors to be inflicted with Exposed for 60 seconds.

34 Lisa Sherwood – The Hag

Unsuspecting Survivors Can Trigger Traps, Allowing The Hag To Teleport To Them

Lisa Sherwood, better known as the Hag, can set down phantasm traps that allow her to directly teleport to the location of survivors if they draw close enough to them. As long as she can set these up well, it allows her to keep immense amounts of pressure on the survivors. Common tactics are to track Hooked Survivors or pivotal Generators to stall the Survivors, and maybe even grant her a kill.

She's technically one of the slower killers in the game, but the teleportation makes up for that easily. Her traps can be tough to spot, making it much easier for survivors to fall into them compared to other killers. But eagle-eyed Survivors can find them, and even erase them if they have brought or find a flashlight in the trial. With ten of them able to be on the map at once, players have to take their time and be cautious. The Hag is one of the game's most strategic killers, but players that master her web of traps can be close to a true menace.

Perks for The Hag

• Hex: The Third Seal: Survivors hit with a basic or special attack are inflicted with Blindness.
• Hex: Ruin: Generators regress at 50, 75, or 100% of their speed when not being repaired.
• Hex: Devour Hope: The Killer gains 1 token when a survivor is rescued from a hook within 24 meters of the Killer. With 2 tokens, Survivors have a 3, 4, or 5% Haste status for 10 seconds after being unhooked. With 3 tokens, Survivors permanently are inflicted with Exposed. With 5 tokens, the killer can kill all Survivors with their own hands.

Power: Blackened Catalyst

The Killer can have up to 10 Phantasm Traps. Survivors within the area of effect will spawn a Mud Phantasm. The Mud Phantasm disorients the player and emits a fake Terror Radius, and the Killer can teleport to them if they wish.

33 Evan Macmillan – The Trapper

Traps Set Across The Map Ensnare Unsuspecting Survivors

Evan Macmillan was the first killer in the game, and is essentially the mascot of the franchise at this point. His name might make his ability obvious, since he uses bear traps to ensnare and injure Survivors. The major problem here is that it isn't easy to set up bear traps quickly. They need to be perfectly located so that the player can make sure to down survivors or else all the time will be for nothing.

Since players can also help free Survivor allies from the traps, those that travel in groups can negate the ability quite quickly. Oh, and players can actually set off traps safely if they spot them. It makes it far harder to use them effectively, so there are better killers to use. That said, few things in the game are harder to escape than a basement trapped by this Killer. Furthermore, certain add-ons can ensure trapper Survivors are immediately downed by stepping into one.

Perks for The Trapper

• Unnerving Presence: Survivors repairing generators or healing within the Terror Radius are affected by this perk. It will increase the odds of a Trigger for skill checks by 10% and decrease the Success zone by 40, 50, or 60%.
• Brutal Strength: The action speed for pallets, breakable walls, and damaging generators is increased by 10, 15, or 20%.
• Agitation: The Terror Radius is increased by 12 meters and the carrying speed is increased by 6, 12, or 18% when carrying a player.

Power: Bear Trap

The Killer begins the trial with 2 Bear Traps; 8 Bear Traps are already spawned on the map. Bear Traps will trap players and put them in the Injured State. The Killer can also be trapped by a Bear Trap, but only temporarily.

32 Amanda Young – The Pig

Reverse Bear Traps Stall Survivors, and Can Outright Kill Them

Inspired by the famous Saw franchise, The Pig has a lot of artillery at her disposal. She can put reverse bear traps on the player, enter stealth by crouching, and can charge at Survivors with the longest lunge attack in the game. Still, each of these moves has problems. The bear traps take far too long to count down and are almost guaranteed to get taken off by survivors. Plus, they are severely limited, so once they are out that tool for pressure is totally gone.

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Not to mention, her stealth strike is also easy to telegraph and dodge because of the loud lion's roar she makes before striking as well. The combination of all these weaknesses makes her have a hard time taking out survivors. The Pig has received a number of (arguably unnecessary) nerfs, but she remains a fun though challenging Killer to play.

Perks for The Pig

• Scourge Hook: Hangman's Trick: The killer will receive a Loud Noise Notification when a player starts to sabotage any of the four Scourge Hooks. The Auras of any Survivor within 8, 10, or 12 meters of the Scourge Hooks are revealed when a player is being carried.
• Surveillance: The Auras of regressing generators are revealed to the killer. If the regression of a generator is interrupted, it is highlighted in yellow for 8, 12, or 16 seconds.
• Make Your Choice: This perk activates when a survivor is rescued from a hook within 32 meters of the killer. The rescuer is inflicted with Exposed for the next 40, 50, or 60 seconds.

Power: Jigsaw's Baptism

The killer begins the trial with 4 Reverse Bear Traps, and 5 Puzzle Boxes spawn. When players are in the dying state, the killer can place a Bear Trap on their heads. Bear Traps are activated whenever a generator is complete. Players must search around the map to find a key to free themselves from the Bear Trap before the timer runs out, or the trap will be activated and kill them.

31 Tarhos Kovács – The Knight

The Guards Help Track And Down Survivors

The Knight is a somewhat difficult character to rank in Dead by Daylight. Since he plays far differently than other killers in the game, some players won't find him to be much of a threat. Most players are used to playing killers that actively stalk, chase down, and kill players throughout the game. Anyone playing The Knight in a similar fashion is going to find it very difficult to appear as much of a threat to the players in the round.

Instead, it's more appropriate for players to approach The Knight as a character who guards and defends regressing generators rather than a character who actively seeks out players. The Knight can then strategically send out the three various Guards to help make sure the generators don't progress. The Carnifex can be used for breaking pallets, the Assassin for chasing players, and the Jailer for general patrol. Ultimately, The Knight can be a powerful enemy when in the right hands, he just requires a fair amount of strategy to be menacing. With most players playing him as a simple chase-and-kill character, however, he'll seem like a weak addition to Dead by Daylight's offering of numerous villains.

Perks for The Knight

• Nowhere to Hide: After damaging a generator, the Auras of all players within 24 meters are revealed for 3, 4, or 5 seconds.
• Hex: Face the Darkness: If there's still a Dull Totem on the map, after injuring a player, "Face the Darkness" activates. That player is cursed, and all other survivors outside the terror radius scream every 35, 30, or 25 seconds. If the cursed survivor is healed or enters the Dying State, the perk deactivates.
• Hubris: When the killer is stunned by a player, that player has the Exposed status effect for 10, 15, or 20 seconds.

Power: Guardia Compagnia

The Knight can summon three Guards in a fixed order, each with their own unique ability:

• The Carnifex has a longer hunt phase and can break or damage objects faster.
• The Assassin moves faster while hunting and can inflict Deep Wounds on survivors.
• The Jailer moves faster while patrolling and patrols for longer and has a larger range for detection.

30 Victor & Charlotte Deshayes – The Twins

Victor Can Pounce and Incapacitate Survivors

The Twins have some unique mechanics to work with, and are the only Killers that give players two for the price of one. Victor can be faster when separated from his sister, but can also be crushed by survivors or simply be torn off of them once he pounces. It takes a long while for him to regrow once inside Charlotte, which can make it difficult if they didn't damage players enough to take them down.

The Twins nonetheless suffer from some punishing cooldowns when swapping between siblings, keeping many players from learning these otherwise unique characters. Still, in the right hands, it's possible to find success as The Twins.

Perks for The Twins

• Hoarder: If a Survivor opens a chest or picks up an item within 32, 48, or 64 meters of the killer, a Loud Noise Notification will trigger.
• Oppression: 3 other generators will regress while the Killer damages a generator, and triggers a difficult Skill Check for Survivors working on any of those Generators.
• Coup de Grace: The killer earns a token each time a generator is completed. They can use the token to increase the distance of a lunge attack by 70, 75, or 80%.

Power: Blood Bond

This ability unleashes Victor, who can traverse the environment at great speeds. If Victor finds a player in a locker, player control will be reverted to Charlotte, and Victor will hold the survivor in place for 10 seconds. Victor can also let out a shriek that will trigger killer instinct on nearby survivors.

29 The Unknown

Killers Can Leave Behind Husks to Trap Loop Points

The Unknown was teased with one of DbD's scariest trailer to date, showing a poor camper fall victim to a terrifying creature, promising to inject true horror into this horror multiplayer that has lost some of its tension for long-term players, and so far the Unknown has been enjoying some popularity.

Although Killers such as the Huntress will likely be all-time favorites, the Unknown has still been seeing a lot of play, with perks that can be quite useful for slowing down Survivors, and a power that can cut Survivors off during chases, which is arguably the strongest part of the Unknown's kit.

Perks for The Unknown

• Unbound: Grants 5% Haste for 10 seconds after vaulting a window when a Survivor is injured.
• Undone: When a Survivor fails a Skill Check, gain 3 tokens up to 18, 24, or 30. Damaging a Generator applies the following:

1. Instantly regresses the Generator by -1% per token
2. Blocks the Generator for 1 second per token
3. Causes the Generator to regress once it becomes unblocked

• Unforeseen: Damaging the Generator transfers the Terror Radius to it, and grants the Killer Undetectable.

Power: UVX

The Killer can fire a projectile that weakens Survivors and gives them the Hindered Status Effect. The Killer can leave behind Hallucinations that can be dispelled by Survivors, but the Killer can teleport to Hallucinations that are at least 3 meters away from the Killer.

28 Danny Johnson – The Ghost Face

The Stalk and Lean Ability Make Survivors Vulnerable to Ghost Face's Attacks

From the hit movie franchise Scream, Ghost Face has a unique ability that requires him to stalk survivors individually. If he does so well enough, he can manage to down them instantly for a short period of time. His major strength comes from his stealth, so patient players can make him work nicely.

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The only issue is that once his stealth fails, he becomes quite useless. If the Survivors spot him or hit him in any way, he loses all those advantages he was building up, and it can be annoying to get them back again, especially as he doesn't have any significant mobility advantages. Lethal Pursuer and other information perks can help combat these weaknesses, however, giving Ghost Face some lethality back.

Perks for Ghost Face

• I'm All Ears: Survivors performing a rushed action within 48 meters of the killer will have their Aura revealed for 6 seconds.
• Thrilling Tremors: Generators not being repaired are blocked by The Entity for 16 seconds after picking up a survivor.
• Furtive Chase: Everytime the Killer hooks the Obsession, they gain the Undetectable Status and 5% Haste for 14, 16, or 18 seconds.

Power: Night Shroud

The Killer is Undetectable. If a Survivor reveals the Killer, their location is revealed through killer instinct for 2 seconds. If the Killer fills up the stalk meter, that Survivor becomes exposed for 60 seconds, and can no longer reveal him.

27 HUX-A7-13 – The Singularity

Can Quickly Teleport To Survivors

As cool of an idea as a villain like The Singularity is, his perks and abilities don't quite live up to the terror he could potentially inflict. Many of his perks are more focused on hindering the Survivors rather than actually helping the killer, such as Genetic Limits which gives healed players the Exhaustion effect, or Forced Hesitation which gives certain players the Hindered effect.

The Singularity's special ability is a unique one, albeit quite complicated to learn, let alone master. The Singularity can release up to 8 biopods to help observe the environment and highlight survivors. He can also inflict survivors with Temporal Slipstream, allowing the Singularity to teleport to infected players and initiates the Overclock Mode, making the Singularity more menacing for a few moments. While this may be an interesting and potentially devastating feature, it requires players to be familiar enough with the killer in order to be pulled off effectively. Without practice, it's a cool idea that will likely be unused, at least not to its full potential.

Perks for The Singularity

• Genetic Limits: When a survivor finishes a healing action, the survivor will have the Exhausted status effect for 24, 28, or 32 seconds.
• Forced Hesitation: After a survivor is put into the dying state, any survivor within 16 meters will have a -20% Hindered effect for 10 seconds.
• Machine Learning: This perk activates after performing the Damage Generator action on a generator. The next Generator the Killer damages will become compromised until it's completed. After completion, the Killer will have the Undetectable and +10% Haste status effects for the next 20, 25, or 30 seconds.

Power: Quantum Instantiation

The Singularity begins the trial with 8 biopods. Each biopod can be released into the environment and is remote-controlled by the Singularity, who can use them to observe the environment or teleport to Slipstreamed survivors. Survivors within 20 meters of a biopod will have their aura outlined in white. Tagging players will inflict them with Temporal Slipstream.

When the Singularity teleports to a Slipstreamed survivor, they are put into the Overclock Mode. While in the Overclock Mode, the Singularity can't be stunned by pallets. Attempting to stun the Singularity with pallets will only cause the pallet to break and briefly slow the Singularity, ending the Overclock Mode.

While in Overclock Mode, the action speeds of breaking breakable walls and pallets and vaulting windows are increased by 75%. Overclock Mode lasts 4.7 seconds, though its duration is increased by 1 second for each Slipstreamed survivor, for a maximum of 8.7 seconds.