[Top 15] Dead by Daylight Best Survivors (And Why They're Great)

Updated:

11 Aug 2023

15. Elodie Rakoto

Introduced in Chapter 18: The Binding of Kin, Elodie Rakoto is an occult investigator that procures ancient relics in the hopes of finding answers about her parents that mysteriously disappeared when she was a child. With experience in evading cults and exploring ruins, Elodie relies on herself to survive. Determination and quick-thinking make her a threat for any killer that crosses her path.

Power Struggle activates while being carried by the killer. After reaching 25/20/15% wiggle progression, you can drop a pallet to stun the killer and escape their grasp.
Deception is available to use while sprinting in proximity to a locker. As you pass by, you can make the locker doors swing open and trigger a noise notification for the killer, doing this will also hide your scratch marks for 3 seconds.
Appraisal gives you 3 tokens at the start of a trial. When a chest has been opened, consume 1 token to rummage through it and find another item.

Elodie specializes in fighting back against the killer with her perks. Players that value self-reliance and cunning will benefit from her perks in games. There are many different builds that can strengthen Elodie’s perks and allow for them to achieve their full potential.

What makes Elodie great:

She is able to play mind games on killers while in chase with Deception, giving her the chance to make an escape or distract the killer from pursuing other teammates.
She has the unique ability to quickly escape a killer while being carried with Power Struggle, avoiding being hooked.
With the ability to rummage through chests with Appraisal, she is able to use whatever is at her disposal to survive the trial.

Elodie Rakoto Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/elodie-rakoto/

14. Jeff Johanson

Introduced in Chapter 10: Darkness Among Us, Jeff Johanson is a soft-spoken man that endured a rough childhood. Growing up, he often escaped into his art and love for heavy metal music. With a history in avoiding reality, Jeff is able to avoid detection from killers in unique ways.

Breakdown activates when you are unhooked. The hook that held you breaks and is unavailable for the killer to use for 180 seconds. You will also see the killer’s aura for 4/5/6 seconds.
Aftercare shows you the aura of any teammates that heal or unhook you and any survivors you heal or unhook. They can also see your aura.
Distortion gives you 3 tokens at the start of the game. Whenever a killer is able to see your aura, 1 token is consumed and your aura will not be shown to the killer. For every 30 seconds you are in the killer’s terror radius, you gain a new token.

Jeff is skilled in evading the killer with his perks and keeping an eye out for his teammates. Players that are looking for a combo of stealth and altruism will enjoy playing as him. Builds that revolve around remaining hidden go well with Jeff’s perks, as well as other aura perks such as Kindred and Empathy.

What makes Jeff great:

He has a unique aura reading perk that shows other survivors which is a great tool for keeping track of where your team is located around maps.
In situations where a killer is repeatedly hooking people on a single hook, Breakdown forces them to find another one that is further away.
With so many killers relying on aura reading perks, Distortion gives you the chance to sneak under the radar.

Jeff Johanson Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/jeffrey-jeff-johansen/

13. Jake Park

One of the original four survivors to be released is Jake Park, a nature lover that gave up his family’s wealth and influence to live in the wilderness. No money, no Wi-Fi, no pressure to be something he isn’t. He’s a survivalist with an appreciation for the world around him. With the skills of blending into nature and living off the grid, Jake is well equipped to evade killers.

Iron Will reduces the volume of your sounds of pain by 25/50/75%. Iron Will does not work while you are exhausted.
Calm Spirit allows you to move through the environment without disturbing crows. You are also able to suppress your screams when you become injured or hooked.
Saboteur unlocks the ability to sabotage a hook. When a killer picks up a survivor, all hooks on the map are revealed to you in white, allowing you to sprint over and dismantle a hook.

Jake Park is a master of stealth. His perks are suited for players that want to avoid getting into chases with killers and remaining hidden. Builds centered around sneaking go well with him and his perk Saboteur can be used in builds to be a constant nuisance to killers.

What makes Jake great:

Iron Will helps you avoid detection while injured. With reduced groans of pain, you can hide and heal yourself with little chance of being heard.
Calm Spirit is very handy against killers that make you scream such as The Doctor or The Clown. This can help you stay hidden during crucial moments.
Being able to dismantle a hook is useful for saving teammates at the last second.

Jake Park Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/jake-park/

12. Steve Harrington

Introduced in Chapter 13: Stranger Things, Steve Harrington is a character from the 2016 Sci-Fi television show for which the chapter is named. Courageous in the face of danger, Steve would do anything to protect his friends whether it be fighting a Demogorgon or going on a rescue mission.

Steve and his Stranger Things counterparts have since been retired from the Dead By Daylight store, but their collective perks are available for all players without purchase.

Kinship activates when you are struggling on the hook. Any survivor that comes within 16 meters of your hook pauses your struggle meter for 26/30/34 seconds, allowing you to survive longer.
Guardian activates when you unhook a teammate. The unhooked survivor will leave no scratch marks or pools of blood for the next 4/6/8 seconds and will be granted 7% Haste to their movement speed. You and the unhooked survivor will also be able to see the killer’s aura for 8 seconds.
Renewal activates after you heal a teammate. The next time you are unhooked you will be granted a health state after 28/24/20 seconds. This eliminates the need for you to heal yourself and allows you to get back into the action.

Steve is a team player and great friend. His perks revolve around helping other survivors and persevering against all odds. Perk builds centered around helping teammates synergize well with his perks and allow you to use Steve as the babysitter he was meant to be.

What makes Steve great:

He’s a favorite among the community and has a reputation for being helpful.
With Guardian he gives teammates the chance to escape a killer that may be nearby.
He skips the process of healing with Renewal and can use the time he would have spent healing working on another objective.

Steve Harrington Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.fandom.com/wiki/Steve_Harrington

11. Cheryl Mason

Introduced in Chapter 16: Silent Hill, Cheryl Mason is accustomed to the presence of evil. Having been pursued by a religious cult since birth, all she knows is how to survive. She is a unique survivor that shares a bond with The Entity.

Repressed Alliance is available to activate when you work on a generator for a total of 55/50/45 seconds. Pressing the Active Ability button calls upon The Entity to block the generator you are working on for 30 seconds. This is best used when killers approach you as you repair because you can block your generator to keep them from damaging it.
Soul Guard activates when you recover from the dying state. You are granted Endurance for 4/6/8 seconds. If there is an active hex on the map, you will be able to pick yourself up from the ground.
Blood Pact activates when you or the Obsession lose a health state. You both will see each other’s auras. If you heal the Obsession or the Obsession heals you, you both are granted 5/6/7% Haste until you are no longer within 16 meters of each other.

Cheryl’s perks allow her to thrive through hardship. Being able to see the aura of the Obsession or pick yourself up from the ground is beneficial to teams in need of coordination. Any fan of Silent Hill will enjoy diving into her lore and using her perks to survive.

What makes Cheryl great:

She is the only survivor that is capable of summoning The Entity to aid the survivors. It is unknown how she has this connection, but it truly means that she is a major threat to the killers that work for The Entity.
Soul Guard is beneficial in situations where a killer is slugging teams. The ability to not only get yourself up, but have protection for a moment is very valuable. It pairs well with Unbreakable so that you won’t have to rely on a killer using a hex perk.
Being able to keep track of teammates makes playing as a solo survivor much easier, it gives you the ability to repair together or heal each other when you need it the most.

Cheryl Mason Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/cheryl-mason/

10. Laurie Strode

Introduced in Chapter 2: The Halloween Chapter, Laurie Strode enters the realm with her iconic counterpart Micheal Myers. Laurie is a determined teenager that fights against all odds to survive. She isn’t scared of a fight and her perks reflect how much inner strength she holds.

Each time a teammate is killed, Sole Survivor gains one token. Each token grants you a radius of 20/22/24 meters where the killer cannot read your aura. Upon being the last survivor standing, your repair speed is increased to 75% and your speed of opening the exit gate is increased by 50%. This perk will make you the killer’s Obsession.
Object of Obsession is a unique perk that shows the killer your aura every 30 seconds. In return for this, you will see the killer’s aura every 30 seconds. Your repairing, healing, and cleansing speeds will be increased 2/4/6%. This perk will make you the killer’s Obsession.
Decisive Strike activates for 40/50/60 seconds after you’re unhooked. If the killer picks you up again, you can pass a skill check to automatically escape their grasp and stun them for 3 seconds.

Laurie is the definition of a survivor, her perks can be used to distract the killer and lure them to you while also buffing your abilities as the last person standing. She is best for players that love the chase and love overcoming the odds.

What makes Laurie great:

While it's not practical for your team to die, benefitting from 75% repair speed can help when there is only one generator left on the map. You can quickly finish it and escape before the killer reaches you.
Being able to lure the killer to you with Object of Obsession will give your team the opportunity to finish generators while you distract the killer in chase.
Decisive Strike punishes killers that target you after you’re unhooked and allow you to get away.

Laurie Strode Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/laurie-strode/

9. Leon Kennedy

Introduced in Chapter 20: Resident Evil, Leon S. Kennedy is a rookie cop that was forced to fight zombies on his first day of work. He is resourceful, adaptable, and resilient. With experience in infiltration and stealth, he is a worthy challenge for killers.

Bite the Bullet activates when you heal yourself or others. Grunts of pain will be suppressed and failing a skill check will not notify the killer with a noise notification, but will apply a 3/2/1% regression penalty.
After repairing a generator for 70/60/50 seconds, Flashbang is available to use. Enter a locker with no item to craft a flash grenade.
Rookie Spirit shows you the aura of regressing generators after you pass 5/4/3 skill checks.

Leon is a fan favorite character in Resident Evil and in Dead by Daylight. His perks allow players to become altruistic or fight back at killers that get too close.

What makes Leon great:

Flash grenades blind the killer and can be used to save teammates that are being carried to hooks. With the ability to craft a few per game, it’s a very handy perk for resourceful players.
Bite the Bullet is a valuable perk that can come in handy when you’re trying to hide while injured. Silencing yourself and the survivor you're healing will not draw the killer toward you and allow you to successfully heal one another.
Seeing the auras of regressing generators is a good counter to popular killer perks that quickly take progress off of generators.

Leon Kennedy Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/leon-s-kennedy/

8. Claudette Morel

Claudette Morel is the third survivor introduced in Dead by Daylight. Anxious and intelligent, she has loved science ever since she was a child. Botany is her favorite thing to study, testing out tinctures and herbal remedies helps her care for her fellow survivors in the realm.

Empathy allows you to see the aura of any injured survivor on the map within 64/96/128 meters.

Botany Knowledge increases your healing speed by 30/40/50% but reduces the effectiveness of med-kits by 20%.
Self Care allows you to heal without a med-kit at 25/30/35% the normal speed.
Claudette is an altruistic survivor, taking care of others is her passion alongside science. Players who want to heal quickly and efficiently will benefit from Claudette’s perks.

What makes Claudette great:

Being able to see injured teammates around the map synergizes with healing builds and challenges where healing others is required.
Unlocking the ability to heal without a med-kit is great for beginner survivors that don’t have med-kits yet or want to utilize other items.
Claudette’s ability to heal faster without a med-kit not only buffs Self Care, but is helpful for healing teammates.

Claudette Morel Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/claudette-morel/

7. Yui Kimura

Introduced in Chapter 14: Cursed Legacy, Yui Kimora is a street racer and advocate for women empowerment. She is tough and competitive and has overcome hardship to make a name for herself. After a stalker broke into her home and attacked her, she and her biker gang helped spread awareness for women in similar situations and they quickly became a symbol of hope for other female bikers.

Any Means Necessary allows you to pick up dropped pallets at a speed of 6/5/4 seconds. This perk allows you to see the aura of all dropped pallets on the map.
Breakout activates when you are within 6 meters of a killer carrying a survivor to a hook. You gain 5/6/7% Haste and the survivor being carried gains 20% speed to their wiggle progression.
Lucky Break activates when you become injured. All scratch marks and pools of blood are suppressed for 40/50/60 seconds, after which Lucky Break deactivates.

Yui is a team player that is capable of tricking the killer and freeing teammates. People who are interested in play styles that are daring and heroic will love playing as Yui.

What makes Yui great:

Lucky Break is essential for builds that help you evade the killer and upon healing a teammate, you can gain back time for Lucky Break to activate again.
She has the unique ability to reset pallets, this can be used to trick the killer into walking into the same palette twice and punishes them for not destroying the palette.
Breakout works well with sabotaging builds or toolboxes, giving the survivor a boost in wiggling while you destroy the hook nearby.

Yui Kimura Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/yui-kimura/

6. Feng Min

Introduced in Chapter 4: Spark of Madness, Feng Min is a famous competitive gamer that struggles with addiction. With the pressure of being the best constantly weighing on her, she desperately wanted a change in scenery. Finding herself in The Entity’s realm was the perfect escape for her…it was a new game to play.

After fast vaulting a window or pallet, Lithe allows you to sprint at 150% the normal speed for 3 seconds. You will then be Exhausted for 60/50/40 seconds.
Alert shows you the killer’s aura every time they damage a generator or destroy a pallet for 3/4/5 seconds.
Technician allows you to fail a skill check while repairing a generator without having it explode. However, it will apply a 5/4/3% regression penalty to the generator.

Feng is the most popular survivor and with the most cosmetics available in the game store, she’s easily customizable for players that like to bring their personality to their gameplay. Feng specializes in evading the killer with her perks and seeing them before they see her.

What makes Feng Min great:

Damaging generators and breaking pallets happen often in a game. Alert is an underrated perk that continuously tells you where the killer is on the map when they do these actions.
Lithe is a strong perk that allows you to quickly make distance from killers.
Feng is best used with stealth builds that help her evade the killer, but players that would rather play aggressive can choose from her many outfits to make her stand out and grab the killer’s attention.

Feng Min Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/feng-min/

5. Kate Denson

Introduced in Chapter 8: Curtain Call, Kate Denson is a country singer that traveled across the states sharing songs with nothing but her guitar and Chevy. She makes friends with everyone she encounters and has a love for the world around her. All of those experiences on the road had given her skills necessary to survive on her own, which is exactly what she needed when she entered The Entity’s realm.

Windows of Opportunity shows you the aura of every window, pallet, and breakable wall within 24/28/32 meters.
Dance With Me hides your scratch marks for 3 seconds when you fast vault from a window, pallet, or locker. Dance With Me has a cool down of 60/50/40 seconds.
Boil Over increases the intensity of the struggle effects on killers that carry you by 60/70/80% and fills your wiggle meter 33% if the killer drops from a great height while carrying you.

Kate specializes in chases, her perks allow her to loop the killer and easily trick them. She is feisty and independent. Players that love the thrill of the chase will love playing as this country music star.

What makes Kate great:

Being able to see every window and pallet on the map helps with chases by telling you where to go next to extend the distance between you and the killer.
Boil Over is very useful on maps with tall buildings that you can run to while injured. Killers will often have to leave you on the ground instead of hooking you, allowing your teammates to pick you back up.
Kate’s perks work with other chase-oriented perks to make builds for looping killers unstoppable.

Kate Denson Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/kate-denson/

4. Dwight Fairfield

Dead by Daylight’s first survivor, Dwight Fairfield is a scrawny and underwhelming man that’s been pushed into the role of leader. He is sometimes cowardly and nervous but can rise to the occasion when danger is near. His perks reflect his ability to bring his team together and overcome impending doom.

Bond shows you the auras of all survivors within a 20/28/36 meter range from you. This allows you to constantly see nearby teammates whether they’re being chased or working on generators.
Leader increases healing, unlocking, and unhooking speeds for your teammates by 15/20/25% when they are within 8 meters of you. This effect lingers for 15 seconds after they leave your range.
Prove Thyself increases your repair speed by 15% for every survivor that is within 4 meters of your location. Using Prove Thyself will also grant you a 50/75/100% bonus to bloodpoints for repairing with teammates.

Players that value teamwork and cooperation will enjoy playing as Dwight. He is the ultimate helping hand and his perks can boost morale when the odds seem impossible to beat.

What makes Dwight great:

He’s easy for beginner players, his perks will allow them to find teammates and aid them in objectives.
Since he was the first survivor added to the game, he has a large amount of cosmetics for players that want to customize him.
Prove Thyself remains a meta perk for generator builds, it is best used on teams that can easily find one another to repair together.

Dwight Fairfield Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/dwight-fairfield/

3. Mikaela Reid

Introduced in Chapter 21.5: Hour of the Witch, Mikalea Ried is a young woman that practices witchcraft and divination. She has a love for horror stories, escaping into them as she devours them cover to cover. However, once she began to write her own scary stories, she would have recurring nightmares of being dragged down in a basement and being thrown onto a rusted hook. Mikaela never expected that nightmare to come true.

When you’re near a dull totem, you can perform a blessing on it that casts a radius of 24 meters. Boon: Circle of Healing allows survivors in the radius to heal one another at a 40/45/50% increased speed. The aura of injured survivors in the radius will be revealed to teammates.
Boon: Shadow Step is activated upon blessing a dull totem. Survivors inside of the radius will have all scratch marks hidden. Their aura is also hidden from the killer while inside the radius.
Clairvoyance activates when you cleanse a totem. While empty-handed you can press the Active Ability button to see the auras of hooks, generators, exit gates, and the hatch within 64 meters for 8/9/10 seconds.

Mikaela is a unique character that uses her supernatural gifts to benefit the whole team. Her ability to buff other survivors by simply blessing a totem gives killers an added challenge in finding her boons and snuffing them out.

What makes Mikaela great:

She brought boon totems into the game, forever changing how survivors interacted with totems.
Circle of Healing provides teams the ability to heal one another faster while in the boon range. This is valuable for teams that can rely on each other for healing when med-kits have been used up.
Being able to take over a radius of the map and have no scratch marks revealed inside of it is extremely powerful for areas with dense trees. Killers will become confused in chases and ultimately lose sight of where you went.

Mikaela Reid Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/mikaela-reid/

2. Bill Overbeck

After fighting through a zombie apocalypse in Left 4 Dead, Bill Overbeck died and awoke in The Entity’s realm with new enemies to fight. He is a veteran that does whatever he can to help his teammates survive.

Borrowed Time extends the duration of the Endurance status effect to unhooked survivors by 6/8/10 seconds. Their Haste will also be extended by ten seconds.
Unbreakable allows you to pick yourself up from the ground once per trial. You also recover at a 25/30/35% faster speed.
When you are the last survivor alive, Left Behind activates. The aura of the hatch will be revealed to you when you are within 24/28/32 meters from it.

Bill may be the oldest survivor, but he’s one of the strongest. Players that are familiar with the Left 4 Dead franchise will happily play as him. He’s a good friend, a good soldier, and truly unbreakable.

What makes Bill great:

His perk Borrowed Time was so incredibly valued that the developers of Dead by Daylight eventually made it base-kit for all survivors. Previously, only those who used Borrowed Time could grant their teammate Endurance.
Unbreakable is a meta perk that can save the game when killers resort to slugging survivors. It is such a widely used perk that it’s currently being worked into base-kit for all survivors like Borrowed Time.
Left Behind comes in handy for games where escaping is unlikely. Finding the hatch before the killer is the only way out.

Bill Overbeck Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/william-bill-overbeck/

1. Meg Thomas

The second survivor in Dead by Daylight comes in first as the best survivor. Athletic and competitive, Meg Thomas is a smart girl that traded a scholarship to college to take care of her sick mother. Her experience in running track has prepared her for the harshness of the Entity’s realm.

Sprint Burst activates when you break into a sprint. You run at 150% speed for 3 seconds before going into the Exhausted state for 60/50/40 seconds.
Quick & Quiet suppresses the noise notification killer’s receive when you perform a rushed action. This allows you to quickly enter a locker or vault without being heard. Quick & Quiet has a cool down of 30/25/20 seconds.
Adrenaline activates when the exit gates are powered. Gain a 150% boost to speed for 5 seconds and instantly heal one health state.

With some of the strongest survivor perks in her arsenal, Meg Thomas is without a doubt the best survivor in Dead by Daylight. All three of her perks are used in many builds ranging from stealth to escaping the killer.

What makes Meg great:

She is the perfect survivor for beginners to play. Her easy to use and valuable perks can teach players how to stay alive.
With the fall of the Dead Hard meta in the upcoming 6.7.0 patch, Sprint Burst is likely to become one of the most popular exhaustion perks in the game. This will be beneficial for survivors to quickly flee from nearby killers.
Adrenaline is used in many builds and can ruin a killer’s chance of killing you at the end of the game. Granting you a health state when the generators are completed saves you time from healing and allows you to sprint to the gate faster.

Meg Thomas Character Guide: https://deadbydaylight.com/game/characters/meg-thomas/

You May Also Be Interested In:

Email us about this article

Keeley M.

As a level 26 explorer of mythical realms and deserts, Keeley has gathered knowledge on everything from arcane arts to sneaking past enemies. She also has obtained an affinity for sweet rolls.

Gamer Since:

2008

Favorite Genre:

RPG

Currently Playing:

Dead By Daylight, Stardew Valley, The Outer Worlds

Top 3 Favorite Games:

Fallout 4, Left 4 Dead 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn