USD ($)
EUR (€)
With the Dead By Daylight anniversary right around the corner and a lot of free goodies to get everyone hooked on the game again (pun intended) it’s a great time to dabble in the survival game. While surviving with friends can be a lot of fun, playing as the killer and trying to outsmart other players can be a rewarding experience too. It can also be difficult and a little frustrating to get started, so with that in mind here is a quick guide to some of the easier DBD killers that should get you winning games in no time!
1. The Doctor - From Spark Of Madness
The Doctor is a versatile killer with a lot of utility in his kit. His main ability allows him to shock survivors, making it harder for them to perform skill checks and jump over pallets and windows, which means you can catch up to them a little easier. His larger shocks will also help reveal survivors in the area, meaning it is a great skill to use when you’re not sure where people have started when they first load into the map. Some of the timings of the abilities can be hard to get right, but they’re so rewarding when you can use them well. Doctor can also take a variety of perks into the match with him that can really help newer players. His own perks are also nothing to sniff at, with Overcharge being one of the best generator-regressing abilities in the game. You can stack more for a mean gen-regression build, go for the frustrating Impossible Skill Check Doctor build, or add perks like Legion’s Discordance (or the general perk Whispers) to know when there are multiple people in an area to get the best out of your large shocks. Doctor is listed as difficult to play in the game, and it’s true that there’s a reasonably high skill ceiling on him if you want to play him well, but his ability to locate survivors throughout the game and potential to catch players out in loops can make him a rewarding killer to learn early.
Suggested build: Discordance, Overcharge, Save the Best for Last, and Whispers.
2. The Wraith - Base Game
The Wraith is one of the most frustrating characters to play against in Dead by Daylight when you’re new to the game, mostly because of his ability to go nearly invisible and sneak up on survivors who are too busy concentrating on objectives. He uses a bell and clanger to switch in and out of his shroud, and he gets a movement speed boost when he becomes visible again. You’re not able to attack while you’re shrouded, but you can still do things like kick pallets and generators. Approach from unexpected angles to be extra sneaky and trick players into running into you and don’t be afraid to adopt a hit and run playstyle to win with the Wraith. Faking hitting your bell is also a great trick. He’s by no means the strongest killer and his unique perks are some of the worst in the game, but he can be quite a menace when he’s played well. Again, for newer players, perks which will help you locate survivors will always be a plus but are sometimes overlooked in favour of flashier options. Stick to the basics with Wraith and you’ll get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the survivors panic.
Suggested build: Sloppy Butcher, Nurse’s Calling, Jolt, Lethal Pursuer.
3. The Legion- From Darkness Among Us
In Dead by Daylight, the Legion are a group of murderous teenagers, and you’ll get to play as one of the four of them: Joey, Susie, Frank, or Julie. They all have the exact same powers, so don’t worry about which one you pick. Like the others on this list, the Legion specialise in being able to find survivors easily and catch them quickly in chase. Their power allows them to go into a feral frenzy, which causes you to run much faster, and allows you to vault over pallets and windows like survivors can. The frenzy only lasts a short while, but you can draw it out by hitting survivors during it to recharge the timer. Each survivor can only be injured once during your frenzy, but will be put into a deep wounded state, meaning that they need to mend themselves or slowly lose health. Hitting one survivor will also reveal others in close proximity, meaning that it’s a great killer to play against those pesky groups that work together to hurry objectives. Missing a hit in your frenzy or hitting the same survivor twice will end your rampage, so definitely try to avoid focusing all your attention on one player. Like the Wraith, adopting a hit and run playstyle on this killer works wonders.
Suggested build: Discordance, Jolt, Lethal Pursuer, Thanatophobia.