Once among the most powerful Killers in Dead by Daylight, following a string of nerfs and updates to map layouts, Max Thompson Jr. – better known as The Hillbilly – has become one of the most notoriously difficult Killers to master. With a Chainsaw that can send him sprinting over vast distances and the ability to instantly down the Survivors he hits, The Hillbilly can create a lot of pressure for Survivors when paired with the right builds.
This guide will show Dead by Daylight players some of the most effective perks to run on The Hillbilly to fully maximize his Chainsaw wielding abilities.
Updated February 9, 2025 by Siddarth Narasimman: The Hillbilly received further changes to its kit, including his trusty Chainsaw and add-ons, after the major rework which saw the debut of the Overdrive mechanic. This helped The Hillbilly regain its spot in the meta as a top-tier killer.
However, the aforementioned changes saw slight nerfs to Overdrive and some of his best add-ons, which has mildly impacted his authority in the killer hierarchy. However, these tweaks haven’t been enough to faze The Hillbilly as he remains a powerful, lethal, and exceptionally fun killer to utilize.
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The Hillbilly: Best Non-Teachable Build (2025)
Players with more limited access to other DLC may try some base kit perks to help enhance their abilities. The Hillbilly’s own Tinkerer and Enduring perks will keep track of generator progress and help resist pallet stuns. Meanwhile, Hex: No One Escapes Death will endanger Survivors in the endgame as Bitter Murmur shows their auras.
- Tinkerer (The Hillbilly) – When a generator reaches 70% progress, The Killer will receive a noise notification and be granted the Undetectable status effect for 16 seconds.
- Enduring (The Hillbilly) – Pallet stun duration is reduced by 50%.
- 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 players gain a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.
The Hillbilly: Best Build with Teachable Perks (2025)
The Hillbilly greatly benefits from perks that allow him to understand the location of multiple Survivors. Thus, Discordance is an excellent choice as he can quickly close the gap and hunt down Survivors. Due to his high mobility, Pop Goes the Weasel synergizes extremely well with The Hillbilly’s playstyle.
Bamboozle is pretty much mandatory in most builds as windows are the bane of The Hillbilly’s existence. Finally, No Way Out is always a reliable perk to bring along in any trial. It can guarantee a strong finish to the trial or salvage a miserable match to a potential victory in the endgame.
- Discordance (The Legion) – Generators that are being repaired by two or more Survivors within 128 meters are highlighted in yellow. The highlight triggers a notification, and the yellow aura persists for another four seconds if the generator is no longer in range, or if only one Survivor is working on it.
- Bamboozle (The Clown) – Vault speed is increased by 15%, and performing a vault will block the window for 16 seconds.
- Pop Goes the Weasel (The Clown) – After hooking a Survivor, kicking a generator in the next 45 seconds will remove 30% of its current progression.
- No Way Out (The Trickster) – Gain a token each time a Survivor is hooked, for a maximum of four. Once the exit gates are powered, both gates will be blocked when a Survivor interacts with either exit gate for the first time. This will trigger a notification and the duration of the block is dependent on the number of tokens, up to a maximum of 60 seconds.
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The Hillbilly: Best Add-Ons
Greased Throttle
Greased Throttle is a simple but effective add-on that has no downsides as it decreases the recovery time of the Chainsaw by 5%. It isn’t a game-breaking add-on, but it can come in handy in certain scenarios when paired with Lo Pro Chains.
The Thompsons’ Mix
The Thompsons’ Mix decreases recovery time by 10% while not in Overdrive. Pairing this up with Greased Throttle might seem like a good idea, but having 15% decreased recovery time is generally not worth it as there are far more powerful add-ons that The Hillbilly can utilize. Nevertheless, this is a good add-on to bring alongside Lo Pro Chains and Iridescent Engravings.
Dad’s Boots and Spiked Boots
Dad’s Boots and Spiked Boots serve the same purpose, with the latter having a slightly higher bonus. It increases the turn rate of the Chainsaw, which is super helpful in curving tight loops and catching Survivors off-guard. Combining both is a bit overkill, but running either of these add-ons with the Lo Pro Chains or Iridescent Engravings can turn The Hillbilly into a speedy menace.
Lo Pro Chains
Despite the nerfs to Lo Pro Chains, it remains as The Hillbilly’s best add-on due to its sheer versatility and consistency in a multitude of scenarios. Having the ability to continue the Chainsaw Sprint after breaking a pallet or breakable wall is super useful in zoning Survivors away from a loop. While it can’t down an injured Survivor, it allows The Hillbilly to easily follow up with a basic attack.
Iridescent Engravings
Another powerful add-on for The Hillbilly is the Iridescent Engravings, which increases the Chainsaw Sprint speed by 20%, at the cost of a 12% increase to Chainsaw charge time. This add-On makes The Hillbilly travel great distances in the blink of an eye, giving Survivors even less time to react to his immense speed.
- Released
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June 14, 2016
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language