Best Survivors In Dead By Daylight

Key Takeaways

• Dead by Daylight offers a variety of survivors with unique perks, ranging from speed boosts to healing and stealth abilities.
• Players can strategically choose survivors based on playstyle and team coordination for optimal gameplay.
• DLCs like End Transmission introduced survivors like Gabriel Soma with perks suited to the game’s evolving meta.

The asymmetrical multiplayer game Dead by Daylight from Behaviour Interactive is an absolute treat for horror fans. Pitting four Survivors against a ruthless Killer, Dead by Daylight forces players to work together to survive their very own version of a slasher movie.

With all DLCs combined with the base game of Dead by Daylight, there are currently 44 Survivors and counting for players to choose from and for Killers to get their hands on. Featuring a wide variety of gameplay features and tricks, as well as a unique combination of original and famous horror characters, it can be daunting for players to decide who to play.

Updated on November 7, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Dead by Daylight is still alive and well, constantly churning out new chapters and paragraphs that expand its list of Survivors, bringing even more playable figures and perks into the rotation. New releases have since arrived, breathing a fresh breath of air into the hearty roster of available survivors, including the famed explorer and archaeologist Lara Croft from the hit game series Tomb Raider, and more recently, Dracula and Trevor from the hit Capcom series Castlevania. It is certainly an unexpected crossover few could ever predict, but how does she rank among the best survivors DbD?

44 Quentin Smith

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Quentin Smith from The Nightmare on Elm Street series, specifically the remake, seems to not offer as much as other characters. The “Wake Up!” perk is only useful in the final moments of the game and only within a specific range of the Exit Gates. “Pharmacy” guarantees a Med-Kit but doesn’t really offer anything else. The perk that seems to be the most helpful is “Vigil,” which offers a boost to each Survivor’s recovery.

Quentin Smith’s Perks

• Wake Up!: This perk only unlocks once all generators are completed. The auras of exit gate switches within 128 meters are revealed. The player also opens gates 15, 20, or 25% faster.
• Pharmacy: Chests unlock 40, 60, or 80% faster. The first unlocked chest also guarantees a Med-Kit. This perk reduces the audible range of chest unlocking by 8 meters.
• Vigil: The player and others within 8 meters recover 20, 25, or 30% faster from Blindness, Broken, Exhaustion, Exposed, Hemorrhage, Mangled, Oblivious and Hindered effects. This perk lasts for 15 seconds.

43 Laurie Strode

The Halloween Chapter

From Halloween, Laurie can use “Sole Survivor,” so her aura can’t be read by the Killer within a certain range. “Decisive Strike” can be used to easily escape the Killer’s grasp, while “Object of Obsession” can provide a unique challenge of having Laurie’s and the Killer’s auras visible to each other.

Laurie Strode’s Perks

• Sole Survivor: The player gains a token each time a Survivor is killed or sacrificed. Each token grants a stackable radius of 20, 22, or 24 meters where the Killer can’t read the player’s aura. Being the Last Survivor increases repair speed by 75%, and Gate and Hatch opening by 50%.
• Object of Obsession: When the Killer reads the player’s aura, the player can also see the Killer’s aura. Action speeds are increased by 2%, 4,% or 6%.
• Decisive Strike: This perk activates after being unhooked. Players can perform a skill check to escape the Killer when grabbed. The perk deactivates after 40, 50, or 60 seconds of being unhooked, or once the Exit Gates are powered.

42 Ace Visconti

Of Flesh And Mud

Most of Ace’s perks aren’t very useful. Both he and other Survivors can gain stackable Luck bonuses for up to 9%, which isn’t very helpful for the game. “Ace in the Hole” allows him to retrieve an add-on with a Very Rare rating or lower, which can be nice but doesn’t help with the game’s overall goal of survival. “Open-Handed” is perhaps the most useful of Ace’s abilities, allowing him to increase the range of his Aura readings.

Ace Visconti’s Perks

• Open-Handed: This perk increases all aura-reading ranges by 8, 12, or 16 meters.
• Up the Ante: The player gains 1 token for each Survivor still in the game. Each token applies to a stackable 1, 2, or 3% Luck bonus to all Survivors for a maximum of 3, 6, or 9%.
• Ace in the Hole: There is a chance that an add-on will be attached to an item retrieved from a chest. Add-ons can have any rarity level up to Very Rare.

41 Ash J. Williams

Ash Vs Evil Dead

It’s quite unfortunate that Ash from the Evil Dead series isn’t very engaging. The most useful perk is likely “Man of Mettle” but more so for the other Survivors than Ash himself.

“Flip-Flop” is also somewhat useful, depending on whether players prefer recovery or wiggle progression. “Buckle Up” is essentially useless, simply allowing players to read the recovery progress of others.

Ash J. William’s Perks

• Flip-Flop: While players are in the Dying state, 50% of the recovery progression is converted into wiggle progression for 40, 45, or 50% after being picked up by the Killer.
• Buckle Up: When healing another Survivor from the Dying state, the Aura of the Killer is revealed, and both players gain Endurance for 4, 5, or 6 seconds.
• Man of Mettle: After the third protection hit, players are protected by the Endurance effect. Any damage that puts players into the Dying state is blocked. After being healed, the player’s aura is revealed to the Killer when the player is 12, 14, or 16 meters away.

40 Yoichi Asakawa

Sadako Rising

While fans of the 1998 Japanese horror film The Ring may remember Yoichi as a young boy, in the events of Dead by Daylight, he’s now full-grown and ready to take on the vengeful spirit of Sadako. His skills range from niche to semi-useful. “Parental Guidance” allows players to have their scratch marks, grunts of pain, and pools of blood suppressed for 5, 6, or 7 seconds after stunning the Killer. It’s a fine perk but useful only in the specific circumstance of being able to stun the Killer.

“Empathetic Connection” is Yoichi’s most useful perk, as injured Survivors within a 32, 64, or 96-meter radius will see Yoichi’s aura. Yoichi will also heal Survivors 10% faster, making this perk useful for anyone playing medic. His boon, “Dark Theory,” which gives players a 2% Haste status effect that lingers for 2, 3, or 4 seconds after leaving the boon radius, is nice in theory but not very useful overall.

Yoichi Asakawa’s Perks

• Parental Guidance: After stunning the Killer, players will have their scratch marks, grunts of pain, and pools of blood suppressed for 5, 6, or 7 seconds.
• Empathetic Connection: Injured Survivors within 32, 64, or 96 meters of the player will see the player’s aura; the player heals Survivors 10% faster.
• Boon: Dark Theory: Survivors have a 2% Haste status effect, which lingers for 2, 3, or 4 seconds after leaving the totem radius.

39 Trevor Belmont

Castlevania

From Castlevania fame, Trevor Belmont is now lending his vampire-hunting expertise to the realm of the entity, where his nemesis Dracula has also been brought. His perks help him keep a close eye on the Killer and give him the edge he just might need to survive long enough to fight another day. Though his perks might not be the best in the meta right now, they are worth checking out for the Belmont experience alone.

Trevor Belmont’s Perks

• Exultation: Stunning the Killer with a Pallet upgrades the Rarity of your held Item to the next tier. Recharges the Item by +25 %.
• Eyes of Belmont: Whenever a Generator is completed, the Aura of the Killer is revealed to you for 1/2/3 seconds. Extends the duration of all instances of the Killer’s Aura being revealed to you by +2 seconds.
• Moment of Glory: After performing the Unlocking or Rummaging action on Chests a total of 2 times, Moment of Glory activates: After becoming injured, instantly suffer from the Broken Status Effect. Automatically heal 1 Health State after 80/70/60 seconds.

38 Elodie Rakoto

A Binding of Kin

Arriving on the scene with the Twins Killer, Elodie is a rather adept Survivor, but her perks sadly fall short when compared to others that shine strongly in the meta. Though she can potentially beguile Killers with either Deception or Power Struggle for fun game moments, they don’t see much practical play as they are entirely situational.

Elodie Rakoto’s Perks

• Appraisal: Appraisal has 3 Tokens at the start of the Trial: Consume 1 Token to perform the Rummage action on an already unlocked Chest in order to retrieve a second Item from it. Increases Rummaging speed by 40/60/80%.
• Deception: Interacting with a Locker while holding the Sprint button has the following effects:
  • Prevents the player from entering the Locker, allowing them to run past it.
  • Causes the doors of the Locker to swiftly open and close.
  • Triggers a Loud Noise Notification at the location of the Locker.
  • Suppresses the creation of Scratch Marks and Pools of Blood for 3 seconds.
• Power Struggle: Reveals the Auras of available Pallets whenever the player is in the Dying State. While being carried by The Killer, reaching 25/20/15% Wiggling progression activates Power Struggle, allowing the player to drop a nearby, standing Pallet to stun the Killer and escape their grasp.

37 The Troupe – Aestri Yazar & Baermar Uraz

Dungeons And Dragons

One wondered whether fans might see familiar faces from the vast library of Dungeons and Dragons heroes such as Drizzt, Minsc, or Dove Falconhand. Instead, players were given two completely new survivors, collectively known as the troupe, two bards called Aestri and Baermar. Players can swap between the two bards through the cosmetics tab, as both Survivors share the exact same perks, and function more like a legendary skin of other characters such as Chris and Sheva, which are cosmetics available to purchase for Leon and Jill. These perks, while fun to use and definitely fitting for niche scenarios, simply aren’t as well-rounded as others.

The Troupe’s Perks

• Bardic Inspiration: Press the Active Ability button while standing and motionless to enter the Performance interaction that lasts up to 15 seconds and empowers other Survivors within 16 meters of your location. The empowering effect depends on the result of you rolling a d20 and lasts for 90 seconds after completing the Performance:
  • 1: You scream, but without notifying the Killer.
  • 2 – 10: Skill Checks grant +1 % Progression.
  • 11 – 19: Skill Checks grant +2 % Progression.
  • 20: Skill Checks grant +3 % Progression.
• Mirrored Illusion: After repairing Generators for a total of 50 %, Mirrored Illusion activates. Press the Active Ability button when next to either a Chest, Exit Gate, Generator, or a Totem to spawn a Static Illusion that lasts for 100, 110, or 120 seconds.
• Still Sight: After standing still for 6, 5, or 4 seconds, Still Sight activates. The Auras of the Killer as well as any Chests and Generators within 24 metres of your location are revealed to you until you start moving again.

36 Alan Wake

Alan Wake

From the excellent Alan Wake, the eponymous hero arrived in the fog shortly after the second game’s release, bringing another horror game icon to DbD‘s Survivor roster. His perks are more focused on items and their usefulness than outfoxing the Killer, which can make them situational, but they are still very valuable when such situations arise. As expected of Alan Wake, there is one perk that makes good use of light, just like in his own game.

Alan Wake’s Perks

• Boon (Illumination): All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem’s radius: The auras of all chests and generators are highlighted in blue, and action speeds are increased for Blessing and Cleansing by 6, 8, or 10% while active.
• Champion Of Light: Gain 50% haste upon shining a flashlight. Blinding the Killer inflicts Hindered for 6 seconds.
• Deadline: Increases the odds of skill checks by 6, 8, or 10% when in an injured state. Missing one of these skill checks reduces the penalty by 50%.

35 Sable Ward

All Things Wicked

Sable Ward has become one of the most played and popular Survivors thanks in large part to her gothic aesthetic, which appeals to a large majority of the fanbase. Her perks, while not as strong as those of other Survivors, are still interesting, introducing a brand-new mechanic players will undoubtedly see more of in the future.

Sable Ward’s Perks

• Invocation: Weaving Spiders: When in the Basement near the circle, players can press the Active Ability button to begin the Invocation, which takes 120 seconds to complete. During an Invocation, the Survivor’s Aura is revealed to all other Survivors, and they can join in, accelerating the process by 100% if they too have an Invocation Perk equipped or by 50% if they have not. Once the Invocation is completed, the following effects apply: Permanently reduces the Repair Charges requirement of all Generators in the Trial by 8, 9, or 10 Charges and automatically enter the Injured State and suffer from the Broken Status Effect for the remainder of the Trial.
• Strength in Shadows: While in the basement, Survivors unlock the self-heal ability at 70% normal healing speed. Upon completing the heal, the Survivor sees the aura of the Killer for 6, 8, or 10 seconds.
• Wicked: If hooked in the basement, Survivors can self-unhook with 100% success. The Killer’s aura is revealed for 16, 18, or 20 seconds.

34 Cheryl Mason

Silent Hill

Appearing in Silent Hill 3, Cheryl Mason is a simple yet cunning character to play. “Blood Pact” allows Cheryl to see the aura of the Killer if she becomes the Obsession, and she gains the haste status effect upon being healed.

Cheryl can also use “Repressed Alliance” to briefly block newly-repaired generators from being destroyed by the Killer, which is always useful.

Cheryl Mason’s Perks

• Soul Guard: Players get the Endurance effect for 4, 6, or 8 seconds after being healed from the Dying state. Players also can recover completely from the Dying state while cursed.
• Blood Pact: After being healed from being the Obsession, players gain the Haste effect, moving at an increased speed of 5, 6, or 7% as long as they remain within 16 meters of one another.
• Repressed Alliance: This perk activates after repairing generators for 55, 50, or 45 seconds. Pressing the ability button summons the Entity to block the generator the player is currently repairing.

33 Adam Francis

Shattered Bloodline

Adam Francis has a bunch of interesting abilities, but none of them are particularly useful. “Diversion” is a nice idea but requires Adam to be in a pretty specific scenario, so it can’t be used often. “Autodidact” grants Adam an easier time healing other Survivors, with only receiving a few tokens. “Deliverance” is perhaps the most pointless, simply guaranteeing that Adam can unhook himself.

Adam Francis’s Perks

• Diversion: Stand in the Killer’s terror radius for 40, 35, or 30 seconds to activate this perk. While crouching, press the ability button to throw a pebble, creating a distraction for the Killer 20 meters away.
• Deliverance: After unhooking another Survivor, self-unhook attempts are 100% successful. It causes the Broken effect for 100, 80, or 60 seconds.
• Autodidact: Players start the game with a 25% Progression penalty for skill checks to heal Survivors. With every successful skill check, players receive 3, 4, or 5 tokens. Tokens give the player a +15% bonus Progression.

32 Haddie Kaur

Roots Of Dread

For the most part, Haddie Kaur is a Survivor that most players can skip over since she doesn’t offer many uses for her perks. Inner Focus” allows her to see the Scratch Marks of other players and to briefly see the aura of the Killer if a nearby Survivor loses a Health State, though these seem not to add much to the overall game and are relatively weak compared to other perks that reveal the Killer’s aura. “Overzealous” is also too random in how it affects the player’s Repair speed.

“Residual Manifest” is the one standout perk for Haddie. It allows her to blind the Killer for up to 30 seconds, and rummaging through a chest will always guarantee a flashlight.

Haddie Kaur’s Perks

• Inner Focus: Players can see the Scratch Marks of other Survivors. When a Survivor within 32 meters of the player loses a Health State, the Killer’s aura is revealed for 3, 4, or 5 seconds.
• Residual Manifest: Players can rummage through an opened chest once per trial and are guaranteed a basic flashlight. Players can successfully blind the Killer for 20, 25, or 30 seconds.
• Overzealous: Increases the player’s Repair speed after cleansing a totem. Repair speed is increased by 8, 9, or 10% via a dull totem or 16, 18, or 20% via a hex totem. This deactivates if the player loses a Health State.

31 Steve Harrington

Stranger Things

From the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Steve can be useful for helping out other teammates. “Babysitter” is the most useful of Steve’s perks, making it so that other Survivors don’t leave any trace after they’re unhooked. “Camaraderie” doesn’t do too much but can be helpful if Steve needs to unhook himself. “Second Wind” is pretty useless, simply allowing healing to be a bit easier.

Steve Harrington’s Perks

• Babysitter: After rescuing a Survivor, they won’t leave scratch marks or pools of blood for 4, 6, or 8 seconds. Steve and the Killer see each other’s aura for 8 seconds.
• Camaraderie: If another Survivor is within 16 meters while the player is hooked, the Struggle Phase timer is paused for 26, 30, or 34 seconds.
• Second Wind: After healing another Survivor 1 health state, this perk activates. After being unhooked, the player is automatically healed 1 health state for 28, 24, or 20 seconds. The Broken effect remains until the perk is deactivated, which happens when healed or put into the Dying state.

30 Jonah Vasquez

Portrait Of A Murder

From the Portrait of a Murder DLC, Jonah has a mixed bag of relatively useful and useless perks. “Overcome” is arguably his best perk, allowing the player to keep their Movement Speed burst for a few more seconds than normal when injured. However, it should be noted that this perk causes “Exhausted” for the longest out of all the Survivors in the game.

“Corrective Action” is great for new players or experienced players introducing newcomers to Dead by Daylight. The perk has Jonah earning tokens whenever he succeeds in a Great Skill Check. He can then use those tokens so that whenever other players cooperating with him fail a Skill Check, they instead succeed. Veteran players may find this perk less useful, however. His boon, “Exponential,” allows a much quicker recovery for him and other Survivors, and while it can be rewarding, it’s often tricky to pull off.

Jonah Vasquez’s Perks

• Overcome: When the player becomes injured, they retain the Movement Speed Burst for two more seconds. This causes the Exhaustion effect for 60, 50, or 40 seconds.
• Corrective Action: Players gain 1, 2, or 3 tokens, for a total of 5, whenever they succeed in a Great Skill Check. For any cooperating Survivors who fail a Skill Check, 1 token will be consumed and transformed into a successful Skill Check.
• Boon (Exponential): Survivors within the range of the boon totem will have a 90, 95, or 100% bonus to their Recovery Speeds. Players will also be able to fully recover from the Dying State and gain the Self-Recovery ability.

29 Jeffrey “Jeff” Johansen

Darkness Among Us

Jeff has some pretty decent perks, making him a bit more useful than the preceding Survivors. “Breakdown” allows him to briefly see the Killer’s aura after being unhooked. “Distortion” is similarly advantageous, with Jeff not leaving any Scratch Marks if the Killer reads his aura. Aftercare” only allows Jeff to see the auras of other Survivors who helped throughout the game but offers no other uses. Jeff is the also loudest character in Dead by Daylight.

Jeffery “Jeff” Johansen’s Perks

• Breakdown: After being unhooked, the hook breaks, and the player sees the Killer’s aura for 4, 5, or 6 seconds.
• Aftercare: Players see the auras of the last 1, 2, or 3 Survivors they have rescued and healed or who have rescued and healed the player.
• Distortion: Players start the game with 3 tokens. Each time the Killer reads the player’s aura, a token is consumed. The player’s aura is then not shown to the Killer and the player won’t leave any scratch marks for 6, 8, or 10 seconds.

28 Thalita Lyra

Tools Of Torment

Thalita’s perks put an emphasis on teamwork and cooperation with the other Survivors, which may be useful if players can coordinate together. “Friendly Competition” only activates if players playing as Thalita complete a generator with at least one other Survivor, which will increase the repair speed for all Survivors involved. As the name implies, “Power of Two” will benefit both Thalita and another player but only if they both stay within 12 meters of each other.

“Cut Loose” is the one perk that only benefits the player currently playing Thalita, which simply reduces noise triggered by rushing to vault. Thalita is useful if players can coordinate and work together throughout a whole match, but for matches where players split up, most of Thalita’s perks may not be used.

Thalita Lyra’s Perks

• Friendly Competition: Activates after completing a generator with at least one other player. The repair speed of all Survivors involved will be increased by 5% for the next 45, 60, or 75 seconds.
• Teamwork: Power of Two: Activates after healing another Survivor. Both players are given a 5% Haste status effect, which deactivates if players are no longer within 12 meters of each other or one player takes damage. This perk has a cooldown time of 180, 160, or 140 seconds.
• Cut Loose: After rushing a vault during a chase, the loud noise notification and any noise triggered by rushing to vault will be suppressed for the next 4, 5, or 6 seconds.

27 Nancy Wheeler

Stranger Things

Also from Stranger Things, Nancy can use “Better Together” to allow other players to see the generator she’s working on. “Fixated” also allows Nancy to see her own Scratch Marks, and “Inner Strength” permits her to heal while hiding inside a locker.

Nancy Wheeler’s Perks

• Better Together: The aura of the generator the player is currently repairing is revealed to other Survivors within 32 meters. The player also sees the auras of downed Survivors for 8, 9, or 10 seconds while repairing the generator.
• Fixated: Players walk 10, 15, or 20% faster and can see their own scratch marks.
• Inner Strength: Players are automatically healed 1 health state while inside a locker for 10, 9, or 8 seconds after they cleanse a totem.

26 Detective David Tapp

Saw

From the Saw franchise, David Tapp can prove useful for surviving. “Tenacity” allows the player to recover health while also crawling at an increased speed. “Detective’s Hunch” is also pretty helpful, showing the auras of generators, chests, and totems within a certain area. If David is holding a map, generators will also be added to it.

Detective David Tapp’s Perks

• Tenacity: Players crawl 30, 40, or 50% faster while also recovering. Reduces grunts of pain by 75%.
• Detective’s Hunch: Generators, chests, and totems within 32, 48, or 64 meters are revealed to players for 10 seconds after completing a generator.
• Stake Out: Players gain 1 token every 15 seconds spent within the Killer’s terror radius while not in a chase, for up to 2, 3, or 4 tokens.

25 Ellen Ripley

The Alien Chapter

The Alien Chapter brought two horror sci-fi legends into the fog: Killer Xenomorph and Survivor Ellen Ripley. Her status as a hardcore survivor means she is one of the more deserving to get a place in DbD, and her three perks can prove vital when trying to outrun the Killer.

Ellen Ripley’s Perks

• Chemical Trap: Press the Active Ability button after repairing a generator up to 70, 60, or 50% to trap a dropped pallet for up to 120 seconds. The Killer’s movement speed is reduced by 50% for 4 seconds.
• Light-Footed: Suppress the Survivor’s footsteps while running. Light-Footed has a cool-down of up to 28 seconds depending on rarity.
• Lucky Star: Suppresses grunts of pain and pools of blood when inside a locker for 10 seconds. After exiting the locker, the Survivor sees the auras of all other Survivors and the closest generator for 10 seconds.