Summary
Dead by Daylighthas 44 survivors and 132 perks exclusive to them. These perks can be used by all survivors only if the corresponding survivor has a prestige level. Therefore, this creates a hierarchy of survivors that needs to be quickly leveled up so that their perks are available to all other survivors.
The survivors with the best perks in the game usually have two extremely effective and consistent perks or one meta-defining perk that warrants them a spot on this list. From thebest exhaustion perks to the best anti-tunneling perks, here are theDead by Daylightsurvivors with the best perks that players should prestige as soon as possible.
Mathematical Mastermind
How to Acquire
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Endless Hunt Chapter Pack DLC
Overcome
The speed boost provided when injured by a killer is increased by two seconds. Overcome inflicts Exhausted for 60/50/40 seconds, during which the perk cannot be used.
Boon: Exponential
After blessing a totem, the survivors within the 24-meter radius of the blessed totem gain the following benefits:
Corrective Action
Start the trial with 1/2/3 token(s). When achieving a Great Skill Check, this perk gains a token, up to a maximum of 5 tokens. The perk provides the following benefits:
Jonah Vasquez has teachable perks thatfulfill a wide range of playstyles. His best perk, by far and away, is Overcome. This is a severely underrated exhaustion perk that can make killers disinterested in chasing a survivor after they trigger Overcome. The increased speed boost can be enough to get to a promising jungle gym that can waste the killer’s time if they commit to the chase.
While Boon perks are not in the meta at the moment, Boon: Exponential can break open a game if a killer decides to slug. Finally, Corrective Action is Jonah’s worst perk. It is mostly useful for beginners, as experienced players rarely miss skill checks. Acquiring Overcome and Boon: Exponential is very worthwhile, which makes Jonah a great choice for players to prestige down the line.
500 Auric Cells or Nicolas Cage Half-Chapter DLC
Plot Twist
This perk activates when the player is injured. Pressing the active ability button silently puts the player in the dying state and does the following:
After successfully recovering from the dying state, the player is fully healed and gains 50% Haste for 2/3/4 seconds.
Dramaturgy
When healthy, press the active ability button to use Dramaturgy, providing 25% Haste for two seconds. Additionally, players can get one of the following effects:
The same effect cannot happen two times in a row. Dramaturgy inflicts Exhausted for 60/50/40 seconds, during which the perk cannot be used.
Scene Partner
When inside the killer’s terror radius, Scene Partner is enabled and provides the following effects:
This perk has a 60-second cooldown.
Nicolas Cage’s perksare absolutely not beginner-friendly. However, if players are looking for good vibes, fun moments, and still have game-changing perks, then Nicolas Cage is a fantastic survivor to prestige. Mastering his teachable perks will take a bit of time, but it is a good investment.
Plot Twist is an incredible perk that can salvage players from tricky situations when executed properly. The same can be said for Dramaturgy unless players gain the Exposed debuff. Scene Partner is Nicolas' least effective perk, asthere are aura-reading perkssuch as Kindred, Poised, Alert, and Fogwise, which can provide information on the killer without being at risk.
Hopeful Songbird
2250 Iridescent Shards, 125 Auric Cells, or Maddening Darkness Chapter Pack DLC
Windows of Opportunity
The auras of pallets, breakable walls, and windows in a 24/28/32-meter radius is revealed.
Dance With Me
When performing a Rushed Action to vault a window, or exit a locker, Dance With Me activates and provides the following benefits:
This perk has a cooldown of 30/25/20 seconds.
Boil Over
When the killer is carrying you, Boil Over provides the following effects:
Kate Denson has two perks that make her very appealing as a survivor that players should prestige. Her strongest perk is Windows of Opportunity, which gives so much information to plan out chases. It is incredibly effective and has no requirements to meet, making it a consistent perk throughout a match. Dance With Me is a pretty weak perk on its own. However, pairing it with Quick and Quiet makes it a pretty effective perk.
Boil Over is her worst perk and is one of the most underwhelming in the game. The effects it provides are negligible and barely affect the killer in any way. Kate is a great option for survivors to prestige early on purely to get Windows of Opportunity as it is such a strong perk with zero downsides.
Plucky Documentarian
4500 Iridescent Shards, 250 Auric Cells, or Old Wounds Chapter Pack DLC
Off The Record
After being unhooked or unhooking yourself, Off The Record activates and provides the following effects for 60/70/80 seconds:
Off The Record cannot be used when the exit gates are powered
For The People
Press the active ability button when healing a survivor without a med-kit, while being healthy, to use For The People. It provides the following effects:
For The People reduces the chance of you being the first Obsession.
Red Herring
After repairing a generator for at least three seconds, its aura is revealed in yellow. It remains revealed until it is fully repaired, you start to repair another generator, or if you enter a locker. A Loud Noise notification happens on the highlighted generator when you enter a locker. This perk has a cooldown of 60/50/40 seconds.
Zarina Kassir has two amazing perks and one terrible perk. Off The Record is thestrongest anti-tunneling perkinDead by Daylight. It makes survivors waste the killer’s time for quite a while, which allows other survivors to complete generators and heal each other. For The People is a situational but powerful perk that works well for survivors going for an altruistic playstyle. It can save the lives of survivors who are dead on hooks and has a lot of versatility.
Red Herring is an atrocious perk that no survivor should run. It can actively be detrimental to the team and get other survivors in trouble. However, Off The Record and For The People are great perks that make Zarina a strong candidate for an early survivor prestige.
Left Behind Half-Chapter (Free)
Unbreakable
Recover from the dying state once per trial. Additionally, recovery speed is increased by 25/30/35%.
Borrowed Time
When unhooking a survivor, the unhooked survivor’s Endurance is extended by 6/8/10 seconds, and their Haste is extended by 10 seconds.
Left Behind
When you are the last survivor in the trial, the aura of the Hatch is revealed within a 24/28/32-meter radius.
Bill Overbeck’s perks are all about getting out of difficult situations. Unbreakable is thebest anti-slugging perkinDead by Daylightand is a game-changer. It has been in the meta ever since its release and is unlikely to fall out. Borrowed Time used to be the strongest survivor perk in the game until it was made into a base kit mechanic. It is still an effective perk that can catch killers off-guard, but it is nowhere near its prime.
Left Behind is a very situational perk that requires players to be the last survivor alive. However, an escape is often guaranteed if this perk is equipped, as finding the hatch becomes a cakewalk. However, players should prestige Bill to acquire Unbreakable and Borrowed Time as they are very useful perks to run.
Focused Competitor
Lithe
Lithe activates after performing a rushed vault and grants 50% Haste for three seconds. Lithe causes Exhausted for 60/50/40 seconds, during which the perk cannot be used.
Alert
Reveals the aura of the killer for 3/4/5 seconds whenever they perform the break or damage action.
Gain the following effects when repairing a generator:
Feng Min, much like Zarina, has two incredible perks and one underwhelming perk. However, Lithe and Alert are so powerful that they make Feng one of the most popular survivors to prestige early on. Lithe is the easiest and most consistent exhaustion perk in the game.
Alert is a criminally underrated perk that provides tons of information. Knowing the whereabouts of the killers is the main benefit, but it also gives awareness of loops that are safe or not. Finally, Technician is a very mediocre perk that is a waste of a perk slot. It promotes the bad habit of failing the skill check without being discovered by the killer, which is bad for beginner survivors looking to improve at the game by hitting skill checks consistently.
The auras of survivors within 20/28/36 meters are revealed.
Prove Thyself
Repair speed is increased by a stackable 6/8/10% per other survivor within 4 meters of your location, up to a maximum of 18/24/30%. This effect is extended to all survivors in the perk’s range. Survivors can only be affected by one Prove Thyself.
Leader
Survivors within 8 meters of your location gain the following effects:
Survivors can only be affected by one instance of Leader.
Dwight Fairfield is an easily accessible survivor to prestige, as he is free to all players. All of his perks are not meta-defining, but they get the job done efficiently. Dwight’s perks are all about teamwork and increasing the speed of actions to escape the trial faster. Bond is his best perk. Having the ability to know where other survivors are is incredibly useful when playing in solo queue.
Prove Thyself is a decent perk that can help with generator rushes. While it is advised to split up and use generators individually, Prove Thyself can be quite helpful to get the first few generators done quickly. Leader is Dwight’s least effective perk, as most of the bonuses it provides are situational. Dwight is a good survivor to prestige to get Bond and Prove Thyself.
Free
Sprint Burst
Sprint Burst activates when players run, and provides 50% Haste for three seconds. This causes Exhausted for 60/50/40 seconds. This perk cannot be used while Exhausted.
Adrenaline
Adrenaline activates when the exit gates are powered, and provides the following benefits:
Adrenaline activates even when Exhausted, but causes the effect for 60/50/40 seconds.
Quick and Quiet
Loud Noise notifications and the sound effects are suppressed when rushing to vault windows, pallets, or entering and exiting lockers. This perk has a cooldown of 30/25/20 seconds.
Meg Thomas has been the survivor with the best teachable perks inDead by Daylightsince its release. Sprint Burst and Adrenaline are unbelievablygood perks that have remained in the metaever since its inception. While Quick and Quiet is nowhere near its level, it is still much stronger than a lot of survivor perks.
Sprint Burst is a bit hard to use, but it can get players out of many bad situations. Adrenaline, on the other hand, can completely turn the tides of the game. Meg is, without a doubt, the first survivor that every player should prestige as they start their journey inDead by Daylight.
