Dead by Daylight: Quick Tips & Tricks Guide for Survivors & Killers

The fire crackles, casting long, dancing shadows. Around it, you see others—some new to this place, their eyes wide with fear, others with a haunted, weary look that speaks of a thousand trials. This is the campfire, the only respite in the Fog. You are trapped in a realm ruled by The Entity, an ancient, unknowable force that feeds on hope and suffering. The trials you face are its ritual, a recurring nightmare where you are hunted. But here, in the brief moments between the screams, whispers are shared. Warnings, strategies, and secrets passed down from those who have survived, if only for a little while. This guide is a collection of those whispers, the ultimate resource for every player of Dead by Daylight. It is designed to turn you from frightened prey into a seasoned contender, whether you are running for your life or sharpening your claws for the hunt.

Before we step into the Fog, heed this first, most crucial piece of advice.

1. Play Both Roles. To truly master Dead by Daylight, you must walk in the shoes of both Survivor and Killer. Playing as a Survivor teaches you their common paths, their fears, and their tricks. Playing as a Killer reveals their perspective, their limitations, and their objectives. This dual understanding is the foundation upon which all other skills are built.

To navigate the community and this guide, you must first learn the language of the Fog.

Term	Definition
Looping	The act of running a Killer around an environmental structure (a “tile”) to waste their time.
Tunneling	When a Killer focuses exclusively on one Survivor to eliminate them from the game as quickly as possible.
Camping	When a Killer stays very close to a hooked Survivor to prevent a rescue.
Slugging	Leaving a Survivor in the Dying State on the ground instead of hooking them, usually to apply pressure elsewhere.
3-Gen	A late-game scenario where the last three remaining generators are very close together, making them easy for the Killer to defend.
99’ing	Progressing an action, like healing or opening an exit gate, to 99% completion and then stopping to complete it at a more strategic moment.
SWF	“Survive With Friends,” a pre-made group of Survivors, often using voice communication.
M1 / M2 Killer	An “M1 Killer” relies primarily on their basic attack (default Mouse 1). An “M2 Killer” relies heavily on their special power (default Mouse 2).
NOED	The Killer perk Hex: No One Escapes Death, which can make the endgame incredibly dangerous for Survivors.
BBQ	The Killer perk Barbecue & Chilli, prized for its ability to reveal Survivor auras and grant bonus Bloodpoints.

Part I: First Steps in the Realm – The Survivor’s Handbook

As a Survivor in Dead by Daylight, your story is one of desperation, teamwork, and cunning. Your goal is not to fight, but to outwit and endure.

The Basics of Survival in Dead by Daylight

Your primary objective is simple on paper but terrifying in practice.

2. The Main Objective: Repair and Escape. Your team must repair five of the seven generators scattered across the map. Doing so powers the two exit gates. Once a gate is opened, you can run through it to escape the trial and return to the campfire.

To succeed, you must understand the information the game provides.

3. Read Your HUD. The Heads-Up Display in the bottom left corner is your lifeline. It shows the health state of each teammate: Healthy, Injured (a slash through their portrait), or Dying (a slug icon). It also displays tick marks for each time they’ve been hooked. Pay attention to the icons that appear next to their names—these show if they are repairing a generator, being chased, or healing.

The world is your playground and your prison. Learn its rules.

4. Know Your Tools. The map is filled with objects you can use. Pallets are wooden structures you can throw down to temporarily stun a chasing Killer. Windows are vault locations to create distance. Lockers are for hiding, but be warned—a Killer can grab you out of one. Chests contain useful items. Totems are small bone structures; some are Dull (inactive), while others glow, indicating a powerful Hex perk is active. Cleansing Hex Totems is a crucial secondary objective.

Beginner Survivor Tips: Mastering Stealth and Awareness

For new players in Dead by Daylight, survival begins with avoiding detection.

5. Listen to the Heartbeat. The Killer’s Terror Radius is represented by an audible heartbeat. The louder and faster it gets, the closer the Killer is. Use this not as a source of panic, but as an early warning system to find a hiding spot or plan your escape route. You can also enable a visual indicator for the Terror Radius in the accessibility settings, which is highly recommended.
6. Watch the Red Stain. Most Killers project a red light, known as the Red Stain, in front of them. This cone of light shows you exactly which direction they are looking. Use this to your advantage when hiding behind objects; if the stain isn’t pointing at you, they likely can’t see you.
7. Don’t Run Everywhere! This is the most common mistake new Survivors make. Sprinting leaves a trail of bright orange Scratch Marks on the ground and nearby surfaces that only the Killer can see. It’s a literal breadcrumb trail leading directly to you. Walk or crouch to move silently and invisibly. Only sprint when you are already in a chase or need to get somewhere quickly when you know the Killer is far away.
8. Use Your Camera. As a Survivor, you play in a third-person perspective. This gives you a significant awareness advantage. Constantly rotate your camera while performing actions like repairing a generator. This allows you to scan your surroundings and spot the Killer long before they get close.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: The Art of Altruism

You are not alone in the Fog. A team that works together is far more likely to survive.

9. Do Co-op Actions. Working on a generator with another Survivor speeds up the repair process significantly. Likewise, having a second person help heal an injured teammate is much faster than healing alone. Efficiency is key.
10. Unhook Safely. When a teammate is hooked, don’t rush in blindly. A hook has three stages. The first stage lasts 60 seconds. You have plenty of time. The best time to go for a rescue is when the Killer’s heartbeat has faded, indicating they have left the area. A rescue while the Killer is nearby often results in two people getting hooked instead of one.
11. Take a Hit for the Team. A core part of altruism is taking a protection hit. If an injured teammate is being chased, you can run between them and the Killer to take the hit yourself. The speed boost you get from being hit can help you get away, and you’ve just saved your teammate from being downed.

The fundamental conflict for a new Survivor is not just hiding; it’s managing information. The Killer constantly broadcasts their position through the Terror Radius and Red Stain. In return, you broadcast your position through Scratch Marks, loud noises from failed skill checks, and rushed vaults. Early success in Dead by Daylight comes from a simple principle: maximize the information you receive from the Killer while minimizing the information you give them. When you hear the heartbeat, it’s a signal to stop sprinting and start walking or hiding. This is not passive hiding; it is active information denial.

Furthermore, every action in Dead by Daylight has a time cost. The game is a race against the clock. A generator takes a set amount of time to repair. The Killer’s goal is to interrupt this by forcing you into other, less productive activities. When a Survivor is hooked, it creates a massive time tax on the entire team. One person is on the hook, another must leave their generator to rescue them, and then one or both may need to heal. This means a single hook can halt progress on up to three generators at once. This reveals that the Killer’s most powerful weapon is not their blade, but the way they manipulate your team’s time.

Part II: The Hunter’s Creed – Mastering the Killer Role

As the Killer in Dead by Daylight, you are the master of the trial. You are an unstoppable force of nature, an avatar of the Entity’s will. Your goal is to turn hope into despair.

The Art of the Hunt in Dead by Daylight

Your objective is straightforward and brutal.

12. The Main Objective: Hunt and Sacrifice. Your goal is to hunt down the four Survivors, injure them, and carry them to sacrificial hooks. Hooking a Survivor three times will sacrifice them to the Entity. The community generally agrees that sacrificing two Survivors is a tie, while three or four is a decisive win.
13. Track Your Prey. Your primary tools for finding Survivors are environmental cues. Follow the bright orange Scratch Marks left by sprinting Survivors. Listen for the sound of footsteps, grunts of pain from injured Survivors, and the distinct clanking of generator repairs. Finally, be alert for loud noise notifications—visual and audio cues that appear when a Survivor fails a skill check, rushes a vault, or disturbs a crow.
14. Master the Chase. A healthy Survivor must be hit twice. The first hit puts them in the Injured State, causing them to cry out in pain and leave pools of blood. The second hit puts them in the Dying State, where they fall to the ground and can be picked up and carried to a hook.

Beginner Killer Tips: Choosing Your Weapon and Applying Pressure

The roster of Killers in Dead by Daylight can be intimidating. Starting with the right one is key to learning the fundamentals.

Recommended Starting Killer	Power	Difficulty	Why They’re Good for Beginners
The Wraith	Wailing Bell: Becomes nearly invisible and moves faster while cloaked.	Easy	Teaches map traversal, patrolling, and how to ambush Survivors without relying on complex mechanics. A great choice for learning core M1 chase skills.
The Doctor	Static Blast / Shock Therapy: Causes Survivors to scream, revealing their location and inflicting Madness.	Medium	His abilities make finding Survivors much easier, allowing new players to practice the chase without spending most of the match searching.
The Cannibal (Bubba)	Chainsaw Sweep: A powerful chainsaw attack that can instantly down multiple Survivors.	Easy	His perk, Barbecue & Chilli, is the single best perk for new players, as it doubles your Bloodpoint earnings, drastically speeding up progression for all characters.

15. Patrol Your Generators. Your core gameplay loop is to move in a circuit between generators. This is your “patrol.” Your goal is to pressure Survivors off of them and interrupt their progress.
16. Kick Generators Strategically. You can damage a generator by kicking it. This causes it to lose a small amount of progress instantly and then begin to regress (lose progress) slowly over time until a Survivor touches it again.
17. Don’t Overcommit to Chases. One of the biggest mistakes new Killers make is chasing one Survivor for too long. While you are locked in a lengthy chase with one person, the other three are freely repairing generators. A good rule of thumb is to break off a chase if you haven’t landed a hit within 20-30 seconds.

Thinking Like Prey: How to Predict Survivor Behavior

To be a great hunter, you must understand the mind of your prey.

18. Check Common Hiding Spots. When you approach a generator and a Survivor vanishes, they are likely hiding nearby. Check behind large rocks, trees, or inside the nearest locker.
19. Break Pallets to Create Dead Zones. When a Survivor drops a pallet, you have a choice: break it or walk around it. Breaking it takes time, but it permanently removes that resource from the map for all Survivors. By strategically breaking pallets in an area, you create “dead zones” where Survivors have no defenses, making future chases there much shorter.

A Killer’s objective is not merely to get kills, but to exert constant, map-wide pressure. A kill is the ultimate result of successful pressure, not the primary moment-to-moment goal. While you chase one Survivor, the other three are a constant threat. Therefore, your goal should be to maximize the number of Survivors who are not actively repairing a generator at any given moment. This might mean breaking off a chase with a skilled Survivor to go injure an easier target, or kicking a nearly-completed generator instead of committing to a chase that takes you to the far corner of the map. This redefines “winning” a chase from simply downing a Survivor to creating the most “off-gen” activity across the entire team.

Moreover, the map itself is your greatest weapon. Pallets are a finite resource. Each one you force a Survivor to drop and then break is a permanent alteration of the landscape in your favor. Think of yourself not just as a hunter, but as a strategic architect. By forcing Survivors to use up resources in one specific area—for example, around a tight cluster of three generators—you are not just winning individual chases. You are building a fortress for the endgame, a dead zone where you can guarantee victory.

Part III: Intermediate Tactics – Honing Your Instincts

Once you’ve mastered the basics of Dead by Daylight, it’s time to refine your skills. The intermediate game is about efficiency, prediction, and turning a simple chase into a deadly art form.

Advanced Survivor Looping in Dead by Daylight: Tiles, Pallets, and Windows

Looping is the core skill for surviving a chase. It’s the act of using the environment to waste as much of the Killer’s time as possible.

20. Hug the Loop Tightly. When running around an object, stay as close to it as possible. This technique, known as “hugging the loop,” exploits your smaller character model. Because the Killer is larger, they have to take a wider path, meaning you gain a small amount of distance with every circle. This is the fundamental principle of effective looping.
21. Understand Vault Speeds. Not all vaults are created equal. The speed at which you vault a window or pallet determines whether you escape or get hit.

Vault Type	Speed	Conditions	Noise	Grab Risk
Fast Vault	0.5 seconds	Must be sprinting and approach the window from a shallow angle (mostly straight on).	Loud	No
Medium Vault	0.9 seconds	Sprinting but approaching the window at a sharp angle.	Loud	Yes
Slow Vault	1.5 seconds	Walking or crouching to the vault.	Silent	Yes

22. Master the Fast Vault. In a chase, you should almost always aim for a fast vault. A medium vault will often get you hit, and a slow vault is a guaranteed down.
23. Don’t Waste Pallets. Pallets are a limited team resource. Do not drop one the moment you see the Killer. Try to run at least one full loop around the structure first. The goal is to force the Killer to get very close before you drop the pallet, either to get a stun or to make them waste time breaking it.
24. “Greed” the Pallet. An advanced technique is to “greed” a pallet. This means running an extra loop when the Killer expects you to drop it. If the Killer “respects” the pallet by pausing to avoid a stun, you gain a free loop and save the resource for later. This is a mind game; if they don’t respect it, you will get hit.

Advanced Killer Strategy: Map Pressure and Mind Games

An intermediate Killer learns to hunt with their mind as much as their weapon.

25. Hide Your Red Stain. The Red Stain is your biggest tell. At a loop with tall walls that block line of sight, you can trick a Survivor by looking down at the ground or walking backward (“moonwalking”). This hides your stain, making the Survivor guess which way you are going. A correct guess on your part can lead to a free hit.
26. Don’t Always Respect Pallets. Survivors expect you to pause at a pallet to avoid being stunned. Be unpredictable. Sometimes, lunge through the pallet. Even if you get stunned, the Survivor may not have expected it and won’t gain as much distance. Other times, pretend to lunge and then double back.
27. Spread the Pressure. Evolve from simply ending long chases to a “hit-and-run” strategy. If you injure one Survivor and then spot another nearby, it is often better to switch targets and injure the second one. Now, two Survivors are forced to stop what they are doing and heal, effectively removing two people from generator duty.

The Three-Gen Dilemma: A Guide for Both Sides

The “3-gen” is one of the most powerful win conditions in Dead by Daylight.

28. For Survivors: Break the 3-Gen Early. A 3-gen occurs when the last three generators are all in a tight, easily-patrolled cluster. This is a nightmare scenario. To prevent this, your team’s top priority at the start of the match should be to complete at least one generator located in the middle of the map. This breaks up the most likely clusters and makes the endgame much more manageable.
29. For Killers: Create the 3-Gen. As a Killer, you should do the opposite. At the start of the match, identify a cluster of three generators you can easily defend. Then, apply pressure to the other, more distant generators. Let the Survivors complete the “bad” gens on the far edges of the map. By herding them towards your chosen cluster, you are setting a trap that will win you the game.

Looping is not a static set of movements; it is a dynamic conversation. The Killer approaches a loop; that is the opening statement. The Survivor runs it tightly; that is the reply. The Killer then asks a question with a mind game: they hide their red stain and change direction. The Survivor must answer: do they believe the fake and change their own path, or do they call the bluff and continue? A correct read extends the conversation. A wrong one ends it with a scream. This reveals that intermediate play is a mental chess match, where reading your opponent’s intent is more important than raw speed.

Similarly, the map itself tells a story. At the start, it is a blank page. As generators are completed and pallets are broken, chapters are written. An intermediate player learns to read this narrative. For a Survivor, seeing all the generators on one side of the map finished and all the pallets used up is a clear warning: “This area is a death trap, and we are being herded.” For a Killer, seeing a central generator completed early is a sign that their initial strategy has failed and they must adapt. Map awareness evolves from simply knowing where things are to interpreting the strategic story of the trial as it unfolds.

Part IV: The Veteran’s Playbook – Elite Strategies from The Fog

Welcome to the highest level of play in Dead by Daylight. These are the techniques that separate the great from the legendary. These are high-risk, high-reward plays that require precise timing, game sense, and courage.

Master-Level Survivor Techniques

30. The Flashlight Save. This is one of the most iconic plays in Dead by Daylight. To perform a flashlight save, you must blind the Killer while they are in the animation of picking up a downed Survivor. The timing is strict: the blind must complete just as the Survivor reaches the Killer’s shoulder. Aim the beam at the Killer’s head or neck area. A successful save forces the Killer to drop the Survivor, denying them a hook and giving your teammate a second chance.
31. The Sabotage Save. Using a toolbox with the right add-ons, you can sabotage a hook just as the Killer is about to use it. This requires immense courage, as it often means taking a hit first, then using the 3-second cooldown on the Killer’s attack to break the hook before they can recover.
32. Bodyblocking for the Carry. When a Killer is carrying a teammate to a hook, you can position your character in their path to block them. This slows the Killer down, giving the carried Survivor more time to wiggle free. This will almost certainly get you hit, so it’s a trade you must be willing to make.
33. Taking Aggro. If a teammate is on their final hook (death hook) and is being chased, it is your job to intervene. Make yourself a more appealing target. Run in front of the Killer, use a flashlight, or fast vault nearby to get their attention. Forcing the Killer to chase you instead is a game-winning altruistic play.
34. Advanced Juking: The 360. A “360” is a last-ditch maneuver where you quickly spin your character in a tight circle as the Killer lunges. If timed correctly, it can cause their attack to miss. This is unreliable against experienced Killers but can be a lifesaver when you have no other options.
35. The Swing Juke. A more reliable juke involves faking a direction. As the Killer gets close, quickly strafe left and then immediately hard right (or vice-versa). This can bait the Killer into lunging in the wrong direction, causing their attack to fall short as you change momentum.

Master-Level Killer Techniques

36. Countering Coordinated Teams. “Survive With Friends” (SWF) groups using voice chat have a massive information advantage. To counter them, you must be ruthless. Identify the weakest looper in the group and tunnel them out of the game early. This creates a 1v3 scenario and removes a significant amount of pressure.
37. Strategic Slugging. Against highly altruistic teams, slugging is your most powerful tool. After downing a Survivor, don’t hook them immediately. Leave them on the ground and go after the rescuer who is inevitably rushing in. This can quickly lead to multiple Survivors being down at once, causing a total breakdown of their objective progress.

Know Your Enemy: How to Counter Top-Tier Killers in Dead by Daylight

Two Killers stand above the rest in terms of power and require unique counter-play.

38. How to Counter The Nurse. Do not treat her like a normal Killer. Pallets and windows mean very little to her, as she can teleport through them. The key to countering The Nurse is to break line of sight. Use tall walls and objects to force her to guess where you are going. Be unpredictable. If she blinks where she expects you to be, double back. If you are caught in the open, running towards her as she charges her blink can cause her to overshoot, giving you precious seconds to find new cover.
39. How to Counter The Blight. The Blight is all about speed and angles. He can only attack after bouncing off an object. Your counter is to use tight loops. Run him around small, circular objects like trees or rock formations. His high speed makes it very difficult for him to navigate these tight turns. Faking a change in direction just as he commits to a swing can also cause him to miss.

At the highest levels, Dead by Daylight is a game of calculated risk. A flashlight save attempt can easily result in you being downed next to your teammate. A bodyblock is a deliberate trade of your health state for a teammate’s freedom. A master player is not someone who never fails; they are someone who can instantly assess the probability of success, the potential reward, and the cost of failure, then commit to the optimal play. This is the leap from reactive gameplay to proactive, risk-based decision-making.

This level of play also forces an understanding of the game’s social contract. The community often labels effective strategies like tunneling and camping as “toxic” or “unfun.” An elite Killer understands that the most efficient path to victory—removing one player as quickly as possible—conflicts with these unwritten rules. They know when to break these rules to secure a win and when to play more conventionally. An elite Survivor, in turn, knows how to punish a Killer who tunnels too predictably by focusing entirely on generators, making the Killer’s “toxic” play strategically inefficient. This demonstrates a mastery not just of the game’s mechanics, but of its complex and ever-shifting meta-game.

Part V: The Armory – Mastering Your Loadout

Skill will get you far, but in Dead by Daylight, the right tools can mean the difference between life and death. Your loadout—your perks, items, add-ons, and offerings—is your strategy made manifest.

Decoding the Bloodweb: A Guide to Efficient Progression

The Bloodweb is the progression system in Dead by Daylight, where you spend Bloodpoints earned in trials to unlock your loadout.

40. Bloodweb Basics. Each character has their own Bloodweb. You spend Bloodpoints to purchase nodes, which grant you perks, items, add-ons, or offerings. Completing a web levels up your character.
41. The Entity Arrives at Level 10. Starting at level 10, after you purchase a few nodes, the Entity will appear and begin consuming nodes on its own. It will prioritize perks you haven’t chosen.
42. Path Efficiently to Save Bloodpoints. You can use the Entity to your advantage. Instead of buying everything, create a path to the perk or item you want most. After you claim it, the Entity will often consume an entire branch of the web that you didn’t want, saving you the cost of buying those nodes and allowing you to level up faster.
43. Cut Off the Entity. If you buy nodes in a way that severs a branch from the center of the web, the Entity will consume that entire branch in one go. This is the most efficient way to clear a Bloodweb and is a key strategy for progressing quickly.

Essential Survivor Perks and Builds for Dead by Daylight

Perks are the cornerstone of your build, defining your role and capabilities.

44. Unlock Teachable Perks. Each Survivor has three unique perks. By leveling that character to levels 30, 35, and 40, you unlock the “Teachable” versions of these perks. Once unlocked, they can appear in the Bloodwebs of all other Survivors.

Foundational Perks for Every Survivor

45. Kindred: This perk is the single best information tool for solo players. When anyone is hooked, you see the auras of all other Survivors. If you are the one on the hook, all other Survivors see each other’s auras and the Killer’s aura if they are near the hook.
46. Windows of Opportunity: This perk reveals the auras of all nearby pallets, windows, and breakable walls. For learning how to loop and extending chases, it is an invaluable training tool.
47. Resilience: While you are injured, you perform all actions (repairing, healing, vaulting, etc.) 9% faster. This simple but effective perk provides constant value.
48. Adrenaline: Once the final generator is completed, you instantly heal one health state and sprint at 150% of your normal speed for 5 seconds. This is an incredibly powerful endgame perk that can clutch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Sample Survivor Builds

49. The Solo Queue Hero (Information): Kindred, Bond, Open Handed, Windows of Opportunity. This build maximizes your awareness of both your team and the environment, allowing you to make smart decisions without voice communication.
50. The Selfless Medic (Altruism): We’ll Make It, Borrowed Time, Botany Knowledge, Desperate Measures. This build is focused on safe, fast rescues and healing, keeping your team healthy and in the fight.
51. The Pro Looper (Chase): Sprint Burst (or Lithe), Windows of Opportunity, Resilience, Adrenaline. This build is all about maximizing your chase potential, extending loops, and making a clean getaway.

Essential Killer Perks and Builds for Dead by Daylight

Killer perks are designed to augment your power, control the map, and dismantle the Survivors’ strategy.

Core Killer Perk Archetypes

52. Gen Slowdown/Regression: These perks interfere with the Survivors’ main objective. Examples include Pop Goes the Weasel (regresses a huge chunk of a generator after a hook) and Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (causes the most-progressed generator to explode).
53. Information: These perks tell you where the Survivors are. Barbecue & Chilli (reveals auras of distant Survivors after a hook) and Lethal Pursuer (reveals all Survivor auras at the start of the match) are top-tier examples.
54. Chase: These perks help you end chases faster. Enduring (reduces pallet stun duration) and Brutal Strength (break pallets and generators faster) are classic choices.
55. Endgame: These perks activate once the generators are complete, turning a potential loss into a win. No One Escapes Death (NOED) is the most infamous, making you faster and allowing you to down Survivors in a single hit.

Sample Killer Builds

56. The Gen Kicker: Pop Goes the Weasel, Eruption, Call of Brine, Nowhere to Hide. This build revolves around kicking generators to apply massive regression and gain information, creating immense pressure on Survivors.
57. The Aura Reader: Barbecue & Chilli, Lethal Pursuer, I’m All Ears, Floods of Rage. This build ensures you almost always know where at least one Survivor is, allowing you to chain chases together and maintain relentless pressure.

Your Toolkit: A Deep Dive into Items & Add-Ons

Items give Survivors a temporary advantage. Using them effectively requires knowledge of their strengths and limitations.

Item	Primary Function
Med-Kit	Heal yourself or others faster than the base action.
Toolbox	Repair generators faster or sabotage hooks.
Flashlight	Blind the Killer to cause a stun or perform a save.
Map	Track the location of objectives like generators and totems.
Key	Open the Hatch for an alternate escape route.

Item-Specific Tips & Tricks

58. Med-Kit Efficiency: A standard self-heal with a brown Med-Kit takes 24 charges. Add-ons that add charges (like Bandages or Gauze Roll) can allow for multiple heals. The perk Botany Knowledge increases healing speed but makes your Med-Kit less efficient, consuming more charges per heal.
59. Toolbox Specialization: Toolboxes come in different varieties. Some, like the Engineer’s Toolbox, are best for raw repair speed. Others, like Alex’s Toolbox, are designed for sabotaging hooks quickly.
60. Advanced Flashlight Usage: Beyond saves, a quick flashlight blind can force a Killer to drop a pallet they are breaking, or cancel them out of certain powers, such as The Wraith’s cloaking or The Legion’s Feral Frenzy.

A perk build is more than just a collection of useful abilities; it is a declaration of your intended role for that match. A Survivor who equips perks for fast healing and safe unhooks has chosen to be the team’s “Medic.” Another who brings perks for looping and an exhaustion item has chosen to be the “Runner,” whose job is to distract the Killer. Thinking of your build in terms of a defined role leads to more synergistic and effective gameplay.

This principle extends to the game’s economy. Bloodpoints are a currency earned through gameplay. Spending them wisely in the Bloodweb to acquire the best perks and a stockpile of powerful items is a long-term resource management game. A player who masters the art of efficient Bloodweb progression will have a tangible advantage over one who does not. This makes understanding the Bloodweb not just a quality-of-life improvement, but a core component of competitive success in Dead by Daylight.

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Survivor Quick-Reference: 42 More Tips

61. 99 the Exit Gates. Don’t open the gates fully right away. Progress them to 99% and leave them. This prevents the Endgame Collapse timer from starting, giving your team more time to rescue a hooked teammate.
62. Tap a Generator to Stop Regression. If a Killer kicks a generator, it will slowly lose progress. Simply tapping the repair button for a split second will stop the regression.
63. Listen for the Hatch. When you are the last Survivor, a shimmering portal called the Hatch will spawn. It makes a distinct windy, ethereal sound. Use your ears to find it.
64. Identify the Killer Early. Look for clues. Jigsaw boxes mean you’re against The Pig. A glowing green fountain means The Plague. Knowing your opponent allows you to adapt your strategy.
65. Don’t Heal in the Killer’s Terror Radius. Unless you have a perk like We’ll Make It for a fast heal, it’s usually too risky. Finish the heal in a safer location.
66. Use Lockers to Dodge Projectiles. You can quickly hop into a locker to dodge a hatchet from The Huntress or a harpoon from The Deathslinger.
67. Crouching Makes You Harder to Hit. Crouching can sometimes cause a Killer’s lunge to go over your head, especially against Killers like The Blight.
68. Don’t Attempt to Escape Hook (Usually). The base 4% chance to unhook yourself is not worth it. Failing the attempt speeds up your death. Only try it as a last resort.
69. Wiggle! When the Killer picks you up, a wiggle bar appears. Successfully hitting the skill checks will eventually allow you to break free.
70. Spread Out at the Start. If you spawn with other Survivors, don’t all jump on the same generator. Spread out to apply pressure across the map.
71. Lead the Chase Away from Gens. If you are being chased, try to run towards areas of the map where your teammates are not working on generators.
72. Use Gestures. Use the “point” and “come here” gestures to communicate non-verbally with your teammates. Point at a generator you want to work on or at the Killer’s location.
73. Don’t Drop Pallets Too Early. Wait until the Killer is right behind you to get the stun. Dropping it early just creates an obstacle they can easily walk around.
74. Look Behind You in a Chase. Constantly looking back is a critical skill. It lets you know exactly what the Killer is doing and if they are trying to mind game you.
75. Don’t Waste Your Speed Boost. When you get hit, you receive a short burst of speed. Use it to run to the next safe loop. Don’t waste it by immediately vaulting a window or dropping a pallet, as the animation will cancel your momentum.
76. Cleanse Dull Totems. Even if there isn’t a Hex active, cleansing dull totems can prevent powerful endgame perks like NOED from activating.
77. Bodyblock the Basement Exit. If the Killer has hooked someone in the basement, a healthy Survivor can stand at the top of the stairs to block the Killer from returning down, allowing for a safe rescue.
78. Crouch to Avoid Crows. Walking or running too close to a crow will cause it to fly away, creating a loud noise notification for the Killer. Crouching allows you to move past them silently.
79. Don’t Stay Idle. If you stand still for too long, crows will begin to circle above your head, alerting the Killer to your position.
80. Heal a Downed Survivor at the Exit Gate. If a teammate is downed at an open exit gate, start healing them. This prevents the Killer from picking them up, potentially allowing the downed Survivor to crawl out.
81. Use a Key to Open the Hatch. If the Killer closes the hatch, a Key can be used to reopen it for a quick escape.
82. Fake a Vault. Run towards a window or pallet as if you’re going to vault, but then turn away at the last second. This can bait a lunge from the Killer.
83. Don’t Self-Care in a Corner. The perk Self-Care takes a long time. Using it in a corner of the map wastes valuable time that could be spent on generators.
84. Learn Totem Spawns. Each map has a set of possible locations where totems can spawn. Learning these will help you find and cleanse Hex perks much faster.
85. Drop Items for Teammates. You can drop your item for a teammate who might need it more, like giving a Med-Kit to an injured friend.
86. Use Flashbangs to Create Diversions. The perk Flashbang creates a craftable firecracker. You can drop it to distract the Killer or use it for a blind.
87. Take Advantage of the Killer’s Cooldown. After a Killer misses an attack, they have a short cooldown. Use this window to gain distance.
88. Don’t Unhook in Front of the Killer Without Borrowed Time. Rescuing a teammate right in front of the Killer will often get them tunneled and downed again immediately. The perk Borrowed Time is essential for these risky saves.
89. Know When to Give Up on a Teammate. Sometimes, a hooked teammate is being camped too effectively. It’s a hard choice, but often the best play is to finish the generators and leave, rather than attempting a rescue that will get the whole team killed.
90. Run in Unpredictable Paths. Don’t always run in a straight line or to the most obvious loop. Sometimes, an unexpected turn is all it takes to break line of sight and escape.

Killer Quick-Reference: 12 More Tips

91. Listen with Headphones. Dead by Daylight has incredible sound design. Good headphones will allow you to hear a Survivor’s breathing or footsteps from much further away.
92. Check Lockers. Always check lockers near a generator you’ve just pressured, or near a hook. Survivors love to hide in them.
93. Force Survivors into Dead Zones. Intentionally chase Survivors into areas where you know all the pallets have been used.
94. Look at a Wall When Picking Up. To avoid a flashlight save, face a wall or other tall object before you begin the pickup animation. This blocks the flashlight beam.
95. Fake a Pickup. If you suspect a flashlight save is coming, tap the pickup button but don’t hold it. This can bait the Survivor out of hiding for an easy hit.
96. Use Your Power to Zone. Many Killer powers can be used not just to injure, but to control space. Use The Artist’s crows or The Knight’s guards to force a Survivor to run in the direction you want them to.
97. Identify the Obsession. One Survivor will be marked as the Obsession (indicated by spider legs around their icon). Many perks interact with the Obsession, so knowing who it is can give you valuable information.
98. Don’t Break Every Pallet. Sometimes, leaving a pallet up can be a mind game. A Survivor may run back to a loop expecting a pallet to be there, only to find you waiting for them. Only break pallets that are particularly safe or “god pallets.”
99. Learn to “Flick” Your Camera. For some Killers with rush attacks (like Blight or Wesker), a quick camera flick at the moment of attack can drastically alter your trajectory and help you land hits around corners.
100. Don’t Be Afraid to Drop a Survivor. If you pick up a Survivor and immediately see another one nearby, sometimes it’s better to drop the person you’re carrying and chase the other. Two injured Survivors create more pressure than one hooked Survivor.
101. Proxy Camping. Instead of standing right next to the hook (“face camping”), patrol a short distance away. This allows you to defend a nearby generator while still being close enough to intercept any rescuers.
102. Remember the Basement Hooks are Unbreakable. The four hooks in the basement cannot be sabotaged. If you are facing a team dedicated to breaking hooks, try to bring them to the basement.

Conclusion: Death is Not an Escape

You return to the campfire once more. The Fog recedes, but the memories of the trial remain—the thrill of the chase, the terror of being caught, the triumph of a narrow escape. The knowledge in this guide is a weapon, a shield, a map through the darkness. But remember that true mastery comes from experience. Every death is a lesson. Every escape is a story to be told. The Entity’s game is endless, but now, you are no longer just a participant. You are a contender.

Finally, remember the most important tip of all:

103. Have Fun and Be a Good Sport. Dead by Daylight is, at its heart, a game. The most memorable moments often come not from a perfect 4k or a flawless escape, but from funny interactions, unexpected plays, and the shared experience with other players. Whether you win or lose, a simple “gg” (good game) at the end goes a long way. Respect your opponents, learn from your mistakes, and never forget to enjoy your time in the Fog. After all, you’ll be back here soon enough.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Dead by Daylight belong to the developer Behaviour Interactive Inc.

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