Summary
Dead by Daylighthas 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.
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 theDead by Daylightkillers with the best perks that players should consider acquiring.
500 Auric Cells or Stranger Things Chapter DLC
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.
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.
Cruel Limits
Cruel Limits activates after a generator is completed. It provides the following effects:
The Demogorgon fromStranger Thingsis 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.
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.
The Babylonian Priestess
How to Acquire
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Old Wounds Chapter Pack DLC
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.
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.
Dark Devotion
When the Obsession is put into the injured state by any means, Dark Devotion activates and does the following:
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 thestrongest killer perks inDead 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 ofThe Unknown’s perks, Unforeseen. However, it is worth to prestige the Plague to solely acquire Corrupt Intervention.
Psychopathic Pop Star
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Macabre Tales Chapter Pack DLC
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:
Hex: Crowd Control
When a survivor performs a rushed vault over a window, Hex: Crowd Control gets activated and provides the following effects:
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 inDead by Daylightas 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.
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.
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.
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 inDead 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.
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.
500 Auric Cells or Hellraiser Chapter DLC
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.
Hex: Plaything
When there is one Dull Totem on the map, and a survivor gets hooked, Hex: Plaything activates and does the following:
Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain
Whenever a survivor is unhooked from a Scourge Hook, the following effects take place:
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.
500 Auric Cells or Resident Evil Chapter DLC
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.
Eruption
Eruption activates after kicking a generator and applies the following effects:
This perk has a cooldown of 30 seconds.
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 thebest aura-reading perkfor 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.
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.
Tonics Of Doom
2250 Iridescent Shards, 125 Auric Cells, or Maddening Darkness Chapter Pack DLC
Pop Goes the Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel activates for 35/40/45 seconds after hooking a survivor. During this time:
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%.
Survivors within the killer’s terror radius suffer the following debuffs:
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.
Commander Of Crows
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Endless Hunt Chapter Pack DLC
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.
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.
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:
The Artist is the only killer inDead by Daylightthat 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.
