Dead by Daylight: Best Nemesis Builds

Summary

• Nemesis isn’t top-tier in Dead by Daylight but can be effective with the right builds and perks.
• Updating Nemesis in 2025 didn’t improve his ranking in the killer meta.
• Utilize specific Add-Ons like Marvin’s Blood for Nemesis to strengthen his early game and pressure Survivors.

Dead by Daylight has remained a staple of the horror videogame landscape since its release in 2016. Much of this is due to the frequent updates that developer Behaviour Interactive has added to the game over the years, constantly raising the bar and adding new Killers and Survivors. In Dead by Daylight‘s first Resident Evil chapter, Nemesis from the Resident Evil 3 remake arrives in the Fog and this guide will help players build him for success.

As with any killer, Nemesis can be a threat to Survivors with multiple different builds if a player knows how to use him efficiently. While he isn’t particularly capable of challenging top-tier Dead by Daylight Killers in the current meta like Nurse and Spirit, he isn’t especially weak. With that said, he’s a fairly straightforward killer and one that doesn’t require high skill to use effectively.

Updated February 9, 2024, by Siddarth Narasimman: The Nemesis has received a couple of changes heading into 2025, but this has not elevated his placement in the current killer meta as he remains an average killer in most matches. Moreover, none of the recent perks have found their way into his best builds. However, a certain add-on has seen a major shift in power due to the balance changes the Nemesis received late in 2024.

The Nemesis: Best Beginner Build (2024)

The Nemesis has pretty fantastic personal perks in his Bloodweb, including Eruption and Lethal Pursuer which allow for map-wide generator regression and the ability to see Survivors at the start of a trial. This build utilizes these perks along with Bitter Murmur to track Survivors throughout the game and Hex: No One Escapes Death to pressure them during the Endgame Collapse.

• Eruption (The Nemesis) – After kicking a generator, its aura will be highlighted in yellow. Upon downing a survivor, all highlighted generators will lose 10% progress and any Survivors working on them will have their aura revealed for 12 seconds.
• Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis) – At the start of the trial, all Survivor’s auras are revealed for 9 seconds. This perk also increases the duration of other aura–reading abilities by an extra 2 seconds.
• Bitter Murmur (General Perk) – Each time a generator is completed, the auras of Survivors within 16 meters of that generator are revealed for 5 seconds. Once the last generator is complete, all Survivors’ auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
• Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk) – After the final generator is completed, all Survivors suffer from the Exposed status ailment and you gain a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.

The Nemesis: Best Build (2024)

Perhaps the most effective build to run with The Nemesis in Dead by Daylight includes Deadlock’s passive generator slowdown to compensate for his weak early game, building up Mutation Rate and making the most out of Zombies that push Survivors off generators. Furthermore, Corrupt Intervention and Grim Embrace massively slow down progress throughout the game. The Trickster’s No Way Out is a reliable endgame perk that can always provide good value.

• Corrupt Intervention (The Plague) – At the start of the trial, the 3 generators furthest from the Killer’s starting location are blocked for 120 seconds or until the first Survivor is downed.
• Deadlock (The Cenobite) – After a generator is repaired, the generator with the most progress is blocked for 25 seconds.
• Grim Embrace (The Artist) – Each time The Killer hooks a new Survivor, all generators are blocked for 12 seconds after moving 16 meters away from the hook. Upon hooking each Survivor once, all generators are blocked for 40 seconds and the Obsession’s aura is revealed for six seconds.
• No Way Out (The Trickster) – When a Survivor interacts with an exit gate at the end of the trial, the Killer will receive a noise notification and the exit gates will be blocked for 12 seconds, plus another 12 seconds for each new Survivor hooked.

The Nemesis: Best Add-Ons

The Nemesis’ best add-ons are somewhat hard to make use of. Since so much of his power revolves around zombies and Survivors making early-game mistakes, it can be difficult to know what works best for the Killer. This guide highlights his strongest add-ons, ordered by their rarity on the Bloodweb.

Damaged Syringe

While none of The Nemesis’ Common Add-Ons are particularly noteworthy, the Damaged Syringe can provide some decent slowdown and make Contaminated Survivors more vulnerable, unable to Vaccinate themselves mid-chase.

Brian’s Intestines

Though The Nemesis’ zombies don’t always work as intended, it never hurts to speed them up to increase their map-wide pressure.

Mikhail’s Eye

An upgraded version of Brian’s Intestines, Mikhail’s Eye, can catch Survivors off guard when zombies approach them mid-chase, potentially downing or Contaminating them.

Marvin’s Blood

Marvin’s Blood continues to be the Nemesis’ best add-on despite being nerfed in recent updates. It allows the Nemesis to reach Tier II of his Tentacle Strike much earlier and makes his snowballing potential that much stronger. In most games, it is almost mandatory to bring this add-on to have a strong start to the early game, which is arguably the Nemesis’ weakest point in the trial.

Serotonin Injector

While The Nemesis’ footsteps are rather loud in comparison to other Killers, becoming Undetectable can nonetheless scare some Survivors into mistakes. With the Serotonin Injector, destroying a zombie will grant Undetectable for 15 seconds.

Licker Tongue

From being one of the worst add-ons for the Nemesis, Licker Tongue has seen a monumental rise in recent times as a reliable add-on to bring, thanks to the changes made to Nemesis’ kit. Granting an additional second of Hindered, for a total of three seconds, is pretty huge in closing the gap and getting another Tentacle Strike or a regular attack.

It synergizes extremely well with Marvin’s Blood to increase the Mutation Rate while keeping up pressure by injuring or downing Survivors.

Depleted Ink Ribbon

Like the other zombie speed add-ons, when a zombie is doing its job well it can prove incredibly inconvenient for Survivors. When paired with endgame perks like The Nightmare’s Remember Me, moving zombies to exit gates can prove very beneficial.

Broken Recovery Coin

A simple yet impactful add-on, the Broken Recovery Coin removes one Supply Case from the trial, effectively reducing the amount of body blocks and free hits that Survivors can take. This is another invaluable add-on for The Nemesis.

Iridescent Umbrella Badge

For Nemesis players who prioritize focusing down certain Survivors, the Iridescent Umbrella Badge is an important add-on. By Exposing recently Vaccinated Survivors, you can tunnel those most vulnerable and closer to death by tracking their Killer Instinct and forcing them down.