Best DbD Survivor Builds

Summary

• Dead by Daylight offers endless gameplay possibilities with a wide array of Survivor perks for fun and unique trials.
• Players can create interesting perk combinations tailored to their playstyle, refreshing even seasoned Survivors’ experiences.
• Experimenting with different Survivor builds can provide challenging gameplay, strategic advantages, and entertaining moments in The Fog.

Dead by Daylight offers the potential for infinitely diverse gameplay thanks to a catalog of over 100 Survivor perks. The interplay between the vast number of perks in Dead by Daylight provides the potential for fun and unique trials for both solo players and Survivors with friends.

Outside the meta Survivor gameplay, players can experiment with different builds that may not guarantee escape but will promise a good time. Whether it’s endlessly evading hooks, confusing Killers, or staying stealthy, there are interesting perk combinations Dead by Daylight players can tailor around a specific play style, refreshing even seasoned Survivors’ time in The Fog.

Updated on December 31st, 2024 by Mara Cowley: Dead by Daylight continues to be the most popular asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, and with its popularity there come more characters, more perks, and more potential builds. Those who have already sweated away hundreds or even thousands of hours might want to do something a little different from just plugging in what perks are currently considered to be the best in the meta. As such, this article has been updated to provide examples of builds which could shake up gameplay for survivors as much as DbD will keep the game a fresh and exciting experience.

1

The Medic Build

Take on the Role of the Healer to Keep Allies in the Fight

Healers are always the underappreciated but most valued of all roles in multi-player games, the only thing standing between more gung-ho players and certain death. In Dead by Daylight, a successful team-out may rely on a hard-working healer, and knowing just how integral the player was to success is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.

Better Than New (Rebecca Chambers): Increase a player’s action speeds after healing them.

For the People (Zarina Kassir): Gain the broken status and lose a health state to help an ally get back on their feet.

We’ll Make It (General Perk): The player heals others with an additional 100% to their healing speed for up to 90 seconds.

Botany Knowledge (Claudette Morel): Increase base healing speed by up to 50%.

2

The Totem Build

Treasure-Hunt Across Maps for the Totems

Cleansing totems is a good way to rack up bloodpoints, and can offer a reprieve from all the bloody death and hunting from the trial, while also benefitting the team as it eradicates any hexes the Killer has brought into the trial. There are several perks which are all about tracking and cleansing totems, which can sometimes be hard to pinpoint on certain maps.

Small Game (General Perk): Hear an audio cue looking in the direction of Totems in a 45° cone.

Inner Strength (Nancy Wheeler): After cleansing a totem, enter a locker to heal a health state.

Overzealous (Haddie Kaur): After cleansing a totem, gain a bonus to repair speed. Hexed totems provide a higher bonus.

Counterforce (Jill Valentine): Cleanse totems faster, and see the aura of the furthest totem on the map.

3

The Stun Build

Fight Back with these Handy Stun Perks

Survivors are very limited in ways they can defend themselves against Killers, leaving running the major means method of self-preservation. But certain perks allow a modicum of self-defense, allowing them to stun the Killers which buys precious seconds. Perks themselves unlock the stun action, but Survivors can use pallets for this as well.

Any Means Necessary (Yui Kimura): Reset a previously dropped pallet to the upright position.

Head on (Jane Romero): Fast-exiting a locker stuns nearby Killers for 3 seconds.

Blast Mine (Jill Valentine): After completing a minimum of 40% repair progress on a generator, trap it with a mine which stuns and blinds Killers who attempt to damage it.

Windows of Opportunity (Kate Denson): Unlocks the auras of breakable walls, window vaults and pallets.

4

The Quick & Stealthy Vault Build

Make Quick Escapes to Survive Chases

With the help of these perks, players can vault quickly, gain a burst of speed, and even hoodwink the Killers as they leave no evidence of their vault behind.

• Finesse (Lara Croft): If the player is healthy, they vault with +20% to their Vaulting speed.
• Quick and Quiet (Meg Thomas): Loud noise notifications from rushing windows, pallets, or lockers are all suppressed.
• Dance with Me (Kate Denson): After rushing a vault or locker, scratch marks are suppressed for 3 seconds.
• Lithe (Feng Min): Grants 50% Haste for 3 seconds after vaulting a window or pallet.

5

The Hero Build

Save Other Survivors From Perishing on Hook

Teamwork is the best hope for Survivors to make their escape, so it is always a good idea to unhook fellow Survivors. This build revolves around this act of altruism, giving benefits to reduce the chances of the Survivor being tunneled.

• We’ll Make It (General Perk): The player heals others with an additional 100% to their healing speed for up to 90 seconds.
• Borrowed Time (Bill Overbeck): Extends Endurance of the Survivor unhooked for up to 10 seconds, and grants them haste for 10 seconds.
• Babysitter (Steve Harrington): After unhooking another Survivor, the player sees the Killer’s aura for 8 seconds. The Survivor who was unhooked doesn’t leave blood pools or scratch marks and gains haste for up to 30 seconds.
• Kindred (General Perk): Whenever the Killer is within 16 meters of a hooked Survivor, the Killer’s aura is revealed to the player.

6

No Mither Build

Survivors Can Use This Build To Play DbD On Hard Mode

This build capitalizes on the game’s notoriously worst and most absurd perk, No Mither. Escaping a trial with this setup is the ultimate challenge for players seeking to test their skills.

• No Mither (David King): The player’s pools of blood and grunts of pain are drastically reduced, their recovery speed is increased by 25%, and they can fully recover from the dying state. However, the Survivor is permanently injured and cannot heal, making them constantly one-hit.
• Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode): Decisive Strikes activate for 60 seconds after being unhooked; if the Killer picks the player up in this time, they can escape their grasp by passing a skill check.
• Object Of Obsession (Laurie Strode): Anytime the Killer reads their player’s aura, the player also sees the Killer’s. This perk makes the Survivor a huge target for a chase, as their aura is revealed to the Killer every 30 seconds for 3 seconds. The player’s repairing, healing, and cleansing speeds increase by 6%.
• Lithe (Feng Min): After performing a rushed vault action, the player receives a 50% Haste buff.

7

Gen Rush Build

Players Can Speedrun The Trial With This Build

There are many generator perks and, therefore, plenty of generator-dedicated builds, but this one stands out as the most fun. It works best when used as a co-op build, and players can also bring in a toolbox to finish the generators at record speed.

• Invocation: Weaving Spiders (Sable Ward): This perk allows the player to perform an Invocation in the basement for 60 seconds, revealing their aura to all Survivors and speeding up the process if others join. Upon completion, all generators require ten fewer repair charges, but the player will become injured and suffer the Broken status effect for the rest of the trial.
• Resilience (General Perk): This perk pairs well with Invocation because when the player is injured, their repairing, healing, and other action speeds increase by 9%.
• Déjà Vu (General Perk): The auras of the three generators closest to each other are revealed to the player, and their repair speed on those generators is increased by 6%.
• This Is Not Happening (General Perk): Increases the success zone of great skill checks by 30% when injured.

8

The Luck Build

Players Must Rely On RNG To Survive

This build adds hilarious unpredictability to trials, with perks that maximize randomness, resulting in either incredible luck or great misfortune. Players can also use Offerings to boost their chances of success.

• Dramaturgy (Nicolas Cage): When Healthy, players can activate Dramaturgy to be granted a 0.5-second burst of +25% Haste followed by one of four randomized effects: become Exposed for 12 seconds, gain an extended 2-second Haste, scream, or acquire a random Rare Item with Add-ons.
• Bardic Inspiration (Aestri Yazar): When standing still, the player can enter a unique animation where they play the lute for 15 seconds, empowering nearby Survivors for 90 seconds with an effect dependent on the outcome of a rolled dice. The effects range from the player screaming to boosting skill check progress by up to 3%.
• Slippery Meat (General Perk): Increases the player’s odds of successfully unhooking themselves by 4% (on top of the base 4%) and adds to their number of available hook escape attempts by +3.
• Up The Ante (Ace Visconti): Boosts all players’ odds of successfully self-unhooking by 3% for every Survivor still in the trial, stackable up to a maximum of 9%. This perk combines well with Slippery Meat, granting the player a 17% chance of unhooking themselves.

9

The Deception Build

Survivors Can Outsmart Killers With These Mind Game Perks

This build empowers Survivors to shift the balance against the Killer with skillfully employed mind games. Using these perks, players can trick and misdirect the Killer, creating openings for strategic and satisfying plays.

• Mirrored Illusion (Aestri Yazar): After repairing a generator by 50%, Mirrored Illusion activates, allowing the player to produce a clone of themselves for 120 seconds on a generator, chest, exit gate, or totem.
• Diversion (Adam Francis): Players can distract the Killer by throwing a pebble that creates a loud sound and fake scratch marks in that direction.
• Red Herring (Zarina Kassir): After repairing a generator for 3 seconds, Survivors can misdirect the Killer by entering a locker and triggering a missed-skill check notification at the generator’s location.
• Deception (Élodie Rakoto): Players can confound Killers by fake entering lockers, after which they leave no scratch marks or pools of blood for 3 seconds.

10

The Trap Build

Survivors Can Turn The Tables On The Killer With These Trap Perks

This build enables Survivors to strategically entrap the Killer, turning pallets and generators into deadly weapons in their arsenal.

• Wiretap (Ada Wong): After repairing generators by 50%, players can install a trap that will reveal the Killer’s aura to all Survivors within 14 meters.
• Chemical Trap (Ellen Ripley): After repairing generators by 50%, Chemical Trap can be installed on a dropped pallet. When the Killer breaks it, the Trap explodes and slows them.
• Any Means Necessary (Yui Kimura): Allows the player to reset a dropped palette so Survivors can re-use it.
• Blast Mine (Jill Valentine): After repairing a generator by 50%, the player can install a trap on a partially progressed generator. When the Killer damages it, the Mine explodes, stunning them.

11

The Anti-Slugging Build

Downed Survivors Can Escape Capture With This Build

While there is an unwritten rule in Dead by Daylight that “slugging” is considered bad manners since it creates boring gameplay for downed players, this build makes it advantageous for Survivors and allows for some hilarious close-call self-saves.

• Unbreakable (Bill Overbeck): Players can recover from the dying state once per trial, and their recovery speed is increased by 35%.
• Tenacity (David Tapp): Players can crawl while recovering and are 50% faster when doing so. Survivors’ grunts of pain are also decreased by 75% for stealthy escapes.
• Soul Guard (Cheryl Mason): After recovering, players gain the Endurance status effect (temporary invincibility) for 8 seconds. If Cursed by a Hex, they can recover infinitely during the trial.
• Boon: Exponential (Jonah Vasquez): All Survivors can self-recover from the dying state while in the aura of the Boon Totem, which also speeds up recovery by 100%.

12

The Invisible Build

Survivors Can Vanish From Sight With This Stealth Build

If combined with careful movement and awareness, the following build can help Survivors slip through trials undetected or disappear mid-chase. Players can maximize their stealthiness by playing as one of the quietest Survivors.

• Light-Footed (Ellen Ripley): When healthy, the player’s running sounds are suppressed. It has a 20-second cooldown after the player performs a rushed vault action.
• Lucky Break (Yui Kimura): When injured, the Survivor leaves no scratch marks or pools of blood for 60 seconds.
• Distortion (Jeff Johansen): The Survivor’s aura is concealed whenever the Killer attempts to read it, and their scratch marks are suppressed for 10 seconds.
• Lightweight (General Perk): The player’s scratch marks are more difficult for the Killer to track and fade faster.

13

The Self-Save Build

Solo Survivors Can Rescue Themselves With These Perks

Perfect for solo Survivors, or the lone wolf player, this following build employs one of the best Survivor perks, Decisive Strike, to empower players to be the masters of their fate.

• Deliverance (Adam Francis): The player can successfully unhook themselves, provided they have previously safely unhooked someone else.
• Plot Twist (Nicolas Cage): When Injured, the player can silently enter the Dying State. Plot Twist suppresses grunts and bleeding and allows for full recovery from the Dying State. After self-recovery, the player is instantly healed and gains a 50% haste effect.
• Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode): If the Survivor is picked up within 60 seconds after being unhooked or unhooking themselves, they have the power to stun the Killer and break free from their hold by passing a skill check.
• Power Struggle (Élodie Rakoto): Carried Survivors can drop a pallet to stun the Killer and escape their grasp.

14

The Locker Build

Players Can Use Lockers To Evade And Toy With The Killer

The following build transforms lockers into secret weapons for Survivors, capable of stunning Killers and shielding Survivors, making for an easy game of cat and mouse.

• Head On (Jane Romero): Players can stun the Killer by quickly exiting a locker.
• Quick & Quiet (Meg Thomas): This perk synergizes with Head On by allowing players to sprint silently into lockers.
• Flashbang (Leon Scott Kennedy): While in a locker, Survivors can craft flash grenades, which can blind and distract the Killer.
• Inner Strength (Nancy Wheeler): After cleansing a totem, Survivors can heal one health state by entering a locker.

15

The Speed Build

Survivors Can Outrun Danger With These Speedy Perks

Survivors can escape from even the deadliest of Killers with this build, which provides an incredible combined speed boost so players can outpace their violent attackers.

• Boon: Dark Theory (Yoichi Asakawa): All Survivors within range of the Boon Totem gain a 2% speed boost.
• Sprint Burst (Meg Thomas): Unless they are Exhausted, any time the player runs, they sprint 150% faster for 3 seconds.
• Fixated (Nancy Wheeler): The player walks 20% faster and can see their scratch marks. The increased walking speed allows players to use Sprint Burst less, saving it for when necessary.
• Hope (General Perk): When the exit gates are powered, the player gains a 7% speed increase.

16

The Selfless Medic Build

Survivors With Friends Can Put Their Team First With This Altruistic Build

The following build requires players to make bold rescues and risk their own lives for their fellow Survivors, the true build of a selfless and heroic player.

• For the People (Zarina Kassir): A healthy player can instantly trade one health state with another Survivor.
• Made For This (Gabriel Soma): This perk works in tandem with For the People by providing the player with a 10-second Endurance status effect upon healing a teammate.
• We’re Gonna Live Forever (David King): Increases the player’s healing speed on a dying Survivor by 100%. Provided they have already saved a Survivor, the player also grants a 10-second Endurance status effect to Survivors they recover.
• Buckle Up (Ashley J. Williams): This perk gives a 5-second 50% Haste benefit to any Survivors the player heals and suppresses their scratch marks. Both players also see the Killer’s aura for 10 seconds.

17

The Sabotage Build

Survivors Can Disrupt The Killer’s Plans With This Sabotage Build

Through daring rescues and strategic sabotage, these perks allow players to foil the Killer’s attempts at hooking fellow Survivors. Survivors can bring useful items, such as flashlights or toolboxes, for additional sabotaging opportunities.

• Empathy (Claudette Morel): The auras of injured and downed Survivors are revealed to the player within a certain range, setting up potential rescues.
• Breakout (Yui Kimura): When the player is within 6 meters of a carried Survivor, they gain a 7% Haste effect, and the held Survivor’s wiggle speed is increased by 20%.
• Saboteur (Jake Park): Players can sabotage hooks without a Toolbox and can see the auras of all hooks within a certain range.
• Champion of Light (Alan Wake): While shining a flashlight, Champion of Light provides the survivor with 50% Haste, and successfully blinding the Killer results in them suffering a 20% Hindered status effect for 6 seconds.

18

The Aura-Reading Build

These “Wall Hack” Perks Give Survivors Maximum Information On The Killer

This aura-reading build provides Survivors with unparalleled awareness during trials, taking the guesswork out of looping and ensuring they are always one step ahead of the Killer.

• Dark Sense (General Perk): When a generator is completed, Dark Sense is activated, revealing the Killer’s aura for 10 seconds if they come within 24 meters of the Survivor.
• Object of Obsession (Laurie Strode): Each time the player’s aura is revealed to the Killer, the Survivor also sees the Killer’s aura. The player is 100% more likely to be the Obsession, and if they are, the Killer sees their aura for 3 seconds every 30 seconds.
• Scene Partner (Nicolas Cage): When in the Killer’s terror radius, Scene Partner makes the player scream, which reveals the Killer’s aura for 5 seconds. There is a 50% chance of the player screaming again, extending the reveal by 2 seconds.
• Alert (Feng Min): Whenever the Killer breaks a pallet or damages a generator, their aura is revealed to the player.

19

Extended Aura Reading Build

Read Auras Across Distances

Aura-reading is a useful tool in the arsenal for both Killers and Survivors. It allows them to see what the other is doing for tracking and avoiding, but a lot of perks have a distance limit, which is where open-handed comes in.

• Dark Sense (General Perk): When a generator is completed, Dark Sense is activated, revealing the Killer’s aura for 10 seconds if they come within 24 meters of the Survivor.
• Open-Handed (Ace Visconti): Increases the radius of all Aura-reading abilities emanating from Survivors for up to 16 meters.
• Babysitter (Steve Harrington): After unhooking another Survivor, the player sees the Killer’s aura for 8 seconds. The Survivor who was unhooked doesn’t leave blood pools or scratch marks and gains haste for up to 30 seconds.
• Kindred (General Perk): Whenever the Killer is within 16 meters of a hooked Survivor, the Killer’s aura is revealed to the player.

20

The Wiggle Build

Players Can Escape The Grasp Of The Killer With These Wiggle Perks

The wiggle build boosts Survivors’ chances of escaping the Killer’s clutches while being carried, making it great for Survivors who regularly risk Killer detection, wrath, and attention.

• Boil Over (Kate Denson): Increases the swaying effects of wiggling on the Killer and obscures hook auras within a certain distance. When the Killer falls from a great height, it also accelerates the player’s wiggle progression by 33%. Players can equip an Offering for one of the best maps for Survivors to maximize the perk’s potential.
• Flip Flop (Ash Williams): 50% of a player’s recovery progression is transformed into wiggle progression.
• Unbreakable (Bill Overbeck): This perk compliments Flip Flop by improving recovery speed, which is subsequently turned into wiggle progression.
• Power Struggle (Élodie Rakoto): Carried Survivors can use a pallet to stun the Killer. It requires a 15% wiggle advancement to activate, which the perks listed above will assist in achieving.