With over 30 Dead by Daylight killers to choose from, each of them owning three unique perks, the variety can be overwhelming. After leveling up characters in the Bloodweb to level 50, you unlock the ability to prestige. Doing this will make the three perks unique to that character available for all other characters you own. From stealth to aura reading, this guide can help you decide which killer perks you should unlock first.
15. The Knight
One of the newer killers to be added to Dead by Daylight is The Knight. With the ability to hunt down and injure survivors using his Guardia Compagnia, the Knight offers a different kind of playstyle for anyone that enjoys strategy. His perks include Nowhere to Hide, Hubris, and Hex: Face the Darkness.
- Nowhere to Hide is a beginner-friendly perk that reveals the aura of survivors within 24 meters of you after you damage a generator.. It synergizes well with every killer and is detrimental for survivors who like to hide.
- Hubris activates whenever you are stunned by a pallet. The survivor who stunned you becomes Exposed, and will enter the dying state with one hit. This perk can be very powerful, but it becomes useless if the survivor that stuns you is already injured.
- Hex: Face the Darkness turns a dull totem into a hex totem after you injure a player. Every survivor outside of your terror radius will scream every 25-35 seconds and reveal their location until the totem is cleansed or the injured player is hooked. This perk is good for gathering information on where other survivors are located, but can easily become distracting with the continuous screaming happening around the map.
The Knight makes this list for his versatile and easy to use perks, Nowhere to Hide is essential for those who struggle to find survivors and Hubris can be valuable to those who like need a little help in chases. Upon prestige, the Knight’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
14. The Legion
The Legion are a group of teenage delinquents that have the power to rush at survivors and set off a chain-reaction of deep wounds in the span of seconds, leaving every survivor in a constant state of injury. There are four members, each with creepy masks and cosmetics to choose from. Their unique perks are Mad Grit, Discordance, and Iron Maiden.
- Mad Grit activates when you carry a survivor to a hook. You suffer no cool down from missed attacks and if you hit another survivor, the wiggle progression on the survivor you're carrying is paused for 2-4 seconds. This perk is a favorite among killers facing altruistic teams since they will attempt to body block you from getting to the hook.
- Discordance gives you a noise notification when two or more survivors are working on a generator together. This perk is very valuable and allows you to stop teamwork in its tracks.
- Iron Maiden is a perk that activates when survivors exit lockers. They will scream and reveal their location to you and suffer from the Exposed status effect for 30 seconds. While unique in description, this perk gets little value since you usually have to travel across the map to find the survivor that triggered it.
With a strong information perk like Discordance and a strategy perk like Mad Grit, the Legion are a good choice to prestige. Stopping teamwork will handicap the survivors and give you more time to cause chaos. Upon prestige, the Legion’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
13. The Deathslinger
The Deathslinger is the only Dead by Daylight killer to use a spear gun as a weapon and is best suited for those that have good aim and tracking skills. His vengeful and roguish attitude are perfect for those with a love for the wild west. His unique perks are Dead Man’s Switch, Hex: Retribution, and Gearhead.
- Dead Man’s Switch is a perk that activates after you hook a survivor. Any survivor that lets go of a generator they are working on is blocked from getting back on it for 20-30 seconds. This perk works best at slowing down the progression of the game and forcing survivors to wait until it deactivates.
- Hex: Retribution is active at the beginning of the game, spawning a hex totem somewhere on the map. When the totem is cleansed, all survivor auras are revealed to you for 15 seconds. It is a unique perk that punishes survivors for getting rid of it.
- Gearhead activates after injuring a survivor for 30 seconds. When any survivor hits a good skill check while repairing generators, their aura is revealed to you for up to 6-8 seconds.
If you’re interested in perks that are punishing to survivors and impede on their objectives, the Deathslinger is a good option to prestige. Upon prestige, his perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
12. The Ghost Face
Recognizable for his iconic and creepy mask, the Ghost Face is a stealth killer that stalks survivors from the shadows and waits for the perfect moment to attack. His perks include I’m All Ears, Furtive Chase, and Thrilling Tremors.
- I’m All Ears unlocks the ability to see the aura of survivors that perform a rushed action in your presence such as vaulting a window or rushing into a locker to avoid detection. It’s the perfect perk for killers that need an edge during chases.
- Thrilling Tremors is an information perk that activates when you pick up a survivor from the ground. Any generators that are not being worked on are blocked for 16 seconds, giving you the ability to see which generators have progress on them. This works great on killers that can quickly reach the survivors hard at work and put a stop to it.
- Furtive Chase is a weaker perk that grants the killer one token each time they hook the Obsession, up to 4 tokens. For every token, the killer's terror radius is reduced by 4 meters while in pursuit. It’s a very situational perk and has no value outside of chase when it is needed most.
Information is valuable while playing killer, which is why Ghost Face is a good character to prestige early on. I’m All Ears and Thrilling Tremors are two perks that can benefit anyone from new players to experts. Upon prestige, the Ghost Face’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
11. The Blight
Does unpredictable speed and injecting yourself with a neon orange serum sound like fun? If it does, the Blight might be the killer for you. With the ability to bounce off surfaces and rush forward in another direction, the craziness of chases with the Blight provide for some of the funnest (and frustrating) chases with survivors. His unique perks are Hex: Undying, Hex: Blood Favor, and Dragon’s Grip.
- When a survivor cleanses a hex totem, its powers are transferred over to Hex: Undying, giving your other hex perk a second life. This perk is incredibly valuable and is used in many hex centered builds.
- Hex: Blood Favor activates when you injure a survivor. All pallets within 24-32 meters of you are blocked and cannot be pulled down for 15 seconds. This perk is great for players who hate getting stunned.
- Dragon’s Grip activates when you damage a generator. The next survivor to touch that generator will scream and suffer from the Exposed status effect for 60 seconds. This perk is very strong, however, it suffers from a long cool down of up to 120 seconds, making it less valuable than other exposure perks.
If you enjoy using hex perks in your builds, The Blight is a top tier killer to prestige for his Hex: Undying perk. Giving a longer life to hexes is essential for maintaining pressure on survivors. Upon prestige, the Blight’s perks will immediately be available in your other killer inventories.
10. The Doctor
Doctors are meant to heal but this one only wants to bring pain…with the power to electrocute and send survivors into insanity, this killer is perhaps one of the most terrifying to go up against. Constant hallucinations and screaming are never ending in matches with him, forcing survivors to either give up or give in to the madness. The Doctor’s unique perks are Monitor and Abuse, Overcharge, and Overwhelming Presence.
- Monitor and Abuse is a perk that increases your base terror radius by 8 meters, but reduces it by 16 meters when you are not in chase. It also increases your FOV up to 10 degrees. This perk is admittedly weaker than his others, but can add to the confusion for survivors when they mistakenly guess how close you are to them.
- Overcharge activates when you damage a generator, making it regress from 85% to 130% over the course of 30 seconds. The next survivor that interacts with it will be faced with a difficult skill check, if they fail the generator explodes and loses up to 5% progress. This perk is the current meta for killers and helps regress quickly and surprise survivors with a skill check.
- Overwhelming Presence affects survivors inside of your terror radius, making their items deplete up to 100% faster. While good in theory, the survivors will have an icon on their screen that will alert them to this perk and make them not use their items in your presence.
With one of the most used slowdown perks currently, The Doctor makes it higher on this list. Upon prestige, the Doctor’s perks will be immediately available for the other killers to abuse.
9. The Plague
An ancient Babylon priestess doesn’t sound scary as a killer, but when she spews toxic vomit that infects survivors and renders them unable to heal, she becomes much more intimidating. With an ancient prayer on her lips and a smoking censor in her hand, she is a strong killer that can outplay you with her projectile streams of infection. Her unique perks are Corrupt Intervention, Dark Devotion, and Infectious Fright.
- Corrupt Intervention is a perk that is active at the beginning of a game, locking down the three generators furthest from you for up to 120 seconds. It forces the survivors to walk toward you to find a generator that isn’t blocked.
- Dark Devotion activates when you injure the Obsession, allowing you to transfer your terror radius to them and being able to sneak around the map for up to 30 seconds. This perk works well with sneaky playstyles, and keeps your Obsession from finding help from a teammate.
- Infectious Fright activates when you put a survivor into the dying state. Any other survivors in your terror radius will scream and reveal their locations to you for up to 6 seconds. This allows you to get into your next chase quickly.
Being able to lock down generators and roam around the map undetectable make The Plague a good character to prestige. Her perks work well on other killers and Corrupt Intervention is widely used in game and gives you precious time to get into chases rather than check on generators. Upon prestige, The Plague's perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
8. The Nemesis
Fans of Resident Evil will be thrilled to do damage with The Nemesis. Using his massive fists and long tentacle to lash out at survivors, this killer has the benefit of having a ranged attack when needed most. Two sentient zombies roam the map alongside him, providing support and tracking survivors that work on generators. His three perks are Hysteria, Lethal Pursuer, and Eruption.
- Hysteria is able to affect multiple survivors at once. When you injure a healthy survivor, all other injured survivors suffer from the Oblivious status effect for up to 30 seconds and will be unable to hear your terror radius. This comes in handy when you pair it with other anti-healing perks.
- Lethal Pursuer is a unique and game changing perk that allows you to see the aura of all survivors at the beginning of the game for up to 9 seconds, sending you in the right direction to begin your torment.
- After you damage a generator, Eruption activates. The next time a survivor is put into the dying state, the generator you damaged will explode and begin regressing. If any survivor was working on the generator when it explodes, they will scream and reveal their location to you.
With one of the most used perks in the game in Lethal Pursuer, the Nemesis is a prime candidate to prestige. You’ll no longer have to waste time at the start of the game hunting down survivors, instead you can see where they are and who to target first. Upon prestige, the Nemesis’ perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
7. The Cannibal
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gave us two things: a crippling fear of hitchhikers and Leatherface. With a mask made of sewn flesh, he is able to take down survivors in one hit with his deadly chainsaw. For players that enjoy short chases and long suffering, The Cannibal is the killer for you. His unique perks are Knock Out, Franklin’s Demise, and Barbeque and Chili.
- Knock Out activates when you put a survivor into the dying state with a basic attack. The dying survivor will be deafened and have tunnel vision for 10 seconds. They will also suffer from the Blindness status effect and their recovery speed will be reduced by 25% with their crawling speed will be reduced by 50%.
- Franklin’s Demise is a simple yet effective perk that forces the survivors to drop whatever they are carrying when they are injured with a basic attack. If the item they dropped is not picked up within 90 seconds, it will be completely depleted.
- Barbeque and Chili activates when you hook a survivor, allowing you to see the aura of survivors that are 40 meters away from you for 4 seconds. This perk is used widely among many killers and gives you the advantage of knowing who to target next.
With such popular perks, the Cannibal is a good choice to prestige early on. Barbeque and Chili synergizes well with killers that have long range or speedy attacks and if you want to make survivors scramble to find their dropped item, Franklin’s Demise will satisfy that sick urge. Upon prestige, the Cannibal’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
6. The Clown
Straight out of your childhood nightmares, The Clown is a terrifying killer that throws bottles of noxious gas that slows down survivors while disorienting their vision with a pink cloud. If that doesn’t scare you enough, wait until he throws down a yellow gas that boosts his speed…seeing a balding clown wheeze-laugh as he charges toward you is enough to have you check under your bed at night. His unique perks are Coulorophobia, Bamboozle, and Pop Goes the Weasel.
- Coulrophobia is a perk that gives penalties to the survivors that heal in your terror radius. Their healing speed is reduced up to 50% and their skill checks for healing appear 50% faster, causing unprepared survivors to miss.
- Bamboozle is a chase perk that blocks windows for up to 16 seconds when you vault it. This perk is a personal favorite among killers that love to shut down loops as quickly as possible and catch survivors off guard.
- Pop Goes the Weasel activates after you hook a survivor for up to 45 seconds. If you are able to damage a generator during that time frame, the generator will instantly lose 20% of its progress. This is the greatest slow down perk in terms of how much percentage is lost, the only catch is that you have to spend time finding and damaging the generator before your time is up.
Prestiging The Clown for his perks is essential, they have a lot of power and can benefit anyone from experts to beginners. His perks work well on other killers and can be combined in dozens of ways for builds. Upon prestige, The Clown’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
5. The Hag
If your main goal as a killer is to make the survivors suffer, The Hag might be the killer for you. With the ability to lay down traps and teleport around the map, she is an underrated character that relies on hex perks to curse and cripple the survivors.
- Hex: The Third Seal causes the Blindness status effect when you injure survivors and will not go away until the totem is cleansed. Blindness causes survivors to not see where their teammates are hooked and will block any survivor aura reading perks on the killer.
- When survivors stop working on a generator, Hex: Ruin causes it to regress at 100% speed. Once a survivor is sacrificed, the hex will extinguish itself. Hex: Ruin was possibly the best generator slow down perk in the game until it was recently nerfed for being too powerful, but even in its weakened state it is still a good choice for people who don’t want to waste time damaging generators.
- Hex: Devour Hope is one of the most rewarding perks in the game. Each time a survivor is unhooked and you are at least 24 meters away, you gain a token. At 3 tokens, every survivor is Exposed and can be put into the dying state in one hit. At 5 tokens, you can mori the survivors with a special, gruesome animation.
Running hex perks is a gamble, at any point your totems can be cleansed and their powers will be taken away. But for those who enjoy a high risk, high reward playstyle, getting The Hag to prestige will open up these valuable perks on every other killer.
4. The Trickster
When thinking of a bloodthirsty murderer, one wouldn’t think a k-pop star would fit the bill…but the Trickster is proof that performing and killing can go hand in hand. With dozens of blades in his arsenal, this killer can throw knives that hit you from a great distance and at a rapid pace. The Trickster’s three unique perks are No Way Out, Starstruck, and Hex: Crowd Control.
- No Way Out is a perk that activates when the last generator is powered. For each survivor you hook, you gain a token. When a survivor touches the exit gate switch, you’ll be notified and the gate will be blocked for a maximum time of 60 seconds depending on how many tokens you earned.
- Starstruck is a perk that discourages altruism. While carrying a survivor to a hook, all other survivors in your terror radius suffer from the Exposed status effect and can go down in one hit. This status effect lingers for up to 30 seconds after you hook a survivor.
- Hex: Crowd Control is a hex that blocks a window after it is rushed through for up to 20 seconds. This can effectively shut down loops and force a survivor to find another path to escape you.
Adeptly named, The Trickster is a good choice to level for his ability to prolong the game with No Way Out and his ability to down survivors in one hit with Starstruck. Upon prestige, The Trickster’s perks will be added to the inventories of all killers.
3. The Artist
The Artist is a ranged killer that uses crows to attack from across the map, sending them to swarm and injure survivors on her behalf. She is the perfect killer for people who like to set traps…and love birds. Her unique perks are Grim Embrace, Hex: Pentimento, and Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance.
- Grim Embrace requires all 4 survivors to be hooked once. Upon completion of that prerequisite, all generators on the map will be blocked for up to 40 seconds and reveal the aura of the Obsession to you. This perk has a good pay off, but by the time each survivor is hooked once there may not be many generators left on the map.
- Hex: Pentimento is a perk that allows you to rekindle broken totems into a hex totem with different penalties to survivors that affect healing speeds, recovery speeds, and repair speeds. But if these rekindled totems are cleansed again, they stay broken. It can be a bit complicated and doesn’t work well on most killers, making it limited to players that usually only run other hex perks. When it does reach its full potential, however, it is unstoppable.
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance is arguably the strongest killer perk in the entire game. At the beginning of the game, 4 random hooks are turned into scourge hooks. When a survivor is hooked on one, the generator with the most progression on the map explodes and instantly loses up to 15% of progress and begins to regress. Instantly taking off 15% of progress to generators without having to go out of your way to damage it will buy you valuable time. The only catch to this perk is that you may only use it four times, once per survivor.
With two average perks, it may seem odd to rank the Artist so high but the strength of Pain Resonance is undeniably strong that it’s a must for anyone looking for a powerful perk. Upon prestige, Artist’s perks will immediately be available for other killers to use.
2. The Onryo
One of the most recognizable movie scenes worldwide is in the Ring when Sadako crawls out from the television screen with her long, black hair and contorted body. The Onryo is capable of cursing survivors through videotapes and teleporting around the map through televisions. Her unique perks are Merciless Storm, Call of Brine, and Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage.
- Merciless Storm activates when a generator has reached 90% completion. Survivors working on the generator will be faced with continuous skill checks until it is finished. If they miss one or stop repairing, the generator will explode and be blocked for up to 20 seconds.
- Call of Brine activates when you damage a generator, forcing it to regress up to 125% over 60 seconds. The next time a survivor hits a good skill check on it, you’ll receive a loud noise notification, allowing you the chance to go back to it and regress it again.
- Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage transforms 4 random hooks into scourge hooks. When a survivor is rescued from one, the auras of every survivor will be revealed to you for up to 7 seconds. This can be very valuable in chase, as well as gathering information on where survivors are located.
Each of the Onryo’s perks are underrated and very valuable in game. Call of Brine quickly stops generator progress and Merciless Storm takes survivors by surprise. Upon prestige,
The Onyro’s perks will be added to the inventories of every other killer.
1. The Cenobite
Who wouldn’t want to play as the horror icon Pinhead? With the ability to summon chains and play with the sanity of survivors using his lament configuration, every Hellraiser fan will enjoy using his power. His unique perks are Deadlock, Hex: Plaything, and Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain.
- Deadlock is a powerful perk that activates when a generator is finished, locking down the next generator with the most progress for up to 30 seconds. This will stall the survivors from completing it and give you the chance to do some damage as they wait.
- Hex: Plaything activates each time a survivor is hooked for the first time. A dull totem becomes a hex totem and the hooked survivor suffers from the Oblivious status effect until the totem is cleansed. This is perhaps the most powerful hex perk in the game, forcing survivors to choose between hunting for a totem or risk being caught unaware while working on objectives.
- Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain transforms 4 random hooks into scourge hooks. Each time a survivor is unhooked from one, they suffer from the Mangled and Haemorrhage status effect which causes them to bleed more and reduces their healing speed by 25%. Once they are healed, they suffer a penalty to generator repair speed up to 16% until they become injured again, leaving them in another tough choice between keeping their penalty or being injured again.
With three of the most powerful perks in the game, the Cenobite is the perfect choice for prestige. His perks becoming available for the other killers opens up a lot of fun builds and interesting ways to stop survivors from completing their objectives and induce mental suffering.
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