Summary
- Prioritize Killers with strong Teachable Perks for better gameplay advantage in Dead by Daylight.
- Explore characters like The Clown, The Artist, and The Legion for unique abilities and playstyles.
- Utilize must-try Killers’ abilities to control the game, giving Survivors a hard time in Dead by Daylight. Total character count: 119.
One of the most important things to do when beginning Dead by Daylight is to ensure that each character has access to the best Unique Perks possible. Unique Perks are Perks that are specifically attached to a certain Killer. Once this Killer has achieved a prestige rank, these perks become available to the rest of the roster of Dead by Daylight killers.
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With double the number of Killers, Survivors will need to be smart about how they play to make it out of a match in one piece.
It’s very important to unlock Killers that will help provide good Perks for all the other Killers. Each Perk has a different purpose, whether that’s for slowing down the Survivors’ actions, tracking, chasing, or general utility. However, some Killers feature much better Teachable Perks than others, and these Killer unlocks should be prioritized by Dead by Daylight players.
Updated on March 1st, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam: Newcomers to Dead By Daylight might be looking for more exciting ways to deal with their matches aside from the back and forth chasing as either Killer or Survivor – and the game’s vast roster can make for an exciting time for Killer hopefuls to find the right character to strike fear into the hearts of the opposing Survivors. However, with Killers having their own abilities as well as unique Perks that can be transferred across other Killers, it’s important to know who some must-try Killers in Dead By Daylight are for beginners. Must-try Killers are those who specialize in high-speed chases, long-ranged dominance, and controlling the flow of combat through teleports, Totems, and even sneaks.
5
The Clown
The Perfect Counter For Greedy Plays
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Appears in |
CHAPTER 8: Curtain Call |
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Power Afterpiece Tonic |
Start with 6 Bottles, switch between:
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Unique Perk 1 Bamboozle |
After Vaulting a Window, the Entity can block that Window from being Vaulted by Survivors for a short while Activation will also increase the Clown’s Vaulting speed Can only block one Window at a time; doesn’t work on Pallets |
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Unique Perk 2 Coulrophobia |
All Survivors within the Terror Radius get reduced Healing speed and increased Rotation speed of Healing Checks |
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Unique Perk 3 Pop Goes the Weasel |
Activates upon Hooking a Survivor. Damaging a Generator in this duration will auto-regress the Generator for 20% and deactivates the Perk |
The Clown and his obsession with getting “trophies” from his prey is encapsulated perfectly in his gameplay mechanics. While Coulrophobia and its anti-Healing properties might not see a lot of action (as not many Survivors will dare heal an ally in his presence), other teachable Perks can transform both the Clown and other Killers into the perfect predators. Learning how to balance the Hinder and Haste effects of the Afterpiece Tonic (Power) can be extremely powerful during chases.
Teams who want to speedrun their way to victory can be spoiled of their survival with Pop Goes the Weasel, especially if the Clown manages to get his hands on a Survivor. Once they hook this Survivor, they can damage a Generator to auto-regress its progress by 20%, which delays the Survivors’ victory conditions even further. Those who try to outrun the Clown in a chase won’t do this for long with Bamboozle, as the Clown can block a Window from being Vaulted—effectively limiting a Survivor’s available escape paths in Dead By Daylight.
4
The Artist
Stop Loops With Long-Distance Threats
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Appears in |
CHAPTER 22: Portrait of a Murder |
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Power Birds of Torment |
Start the Trial with 3 Tokens, where:
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Unique Perk 1 Grim Embrace |
Each Survivor that is Hooked for the first time gets +1 Token and activates at a certain distance from the Hook:
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Unique Perk 2 Hex: Pentimento |
See the Auras of Cleansed Totems Perform a ritual on a Cleansed Totem so it becomes a Rekindled Totem. Each Rekindled Totem will grant these effects:
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Unique Perk 3 Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance |
Start the Trial with 4 Random Hooks that become Scourge Hooks, which are revealed by a white Aura Start the Trial with 4 Tokens on Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance that is spent whenever a Survivor is Hooked there for the first time:
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Carmina Mora’s fury and grief are something to reckon with, especially when her status as The Artist can ensure her rage is felt at a distance courtesy of her long-distance Birds of Torment (Power) that marks and damages Survivors. For Dead By Daylight players, this means gameplay mechanics that extend her influence on many interactibles, making her a force to by reckoned with for objective-focused players. This is because The Artist’s kit forces players to focus on countering her kit instead. This does make The Artist rather intimidating as a beginner Killer, but understanding when to use her Perks can make her a deadly foe, especially when players need to learn to cause more disadvantage to Survivors instead of actively harming them.
Among her kit, Hex: Pentimento is the trickiest to pull off, as The Artist has to tap into five Totems to seal them permanently, and any less means a player can be assigned to stop the debuffs from these Totems, making The Artist focus on someone else. However, she does have other powerhouse tools in her kit. Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance is an effective Regression tool that punishes the team for having a Survivor hooked, which works in tandem with Grim Embrace, which blocks Generators for the same trigger.
3
The Legion
They Are One, And Their Kit Hinders Survivors All At Once
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Appears in |
CHAPTER 10: Darkness Among Us |
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Power Feral Frenzy |
Power button will:
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Unique Perk 1 Discordance |
Any Generators repaired by 2 or more Survivors are marked by a yellow Aura:
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Unique Perk 2 Iron Maiden |
Get faster Locker search speed. Survivors exiting the Locker will suffer:
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Unique Perk 3 Mad Grit |
When Carrying a survivor:
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When Julie, Susie, and Joey followed Frank into the Fog, they became The Legion—a foil perfect to ensure Survivors never get to leave the Dark Realm. Their kit incentivizes their lore of “acting as one,” as their kit is straightforward and disruptive. At its core, Discordance is the Legion’s best transferable Perk, as it’s a punishing Generator Perk that marks a Generator being speed-repaired by multiple Survivors. The Survivors can risk finishing repairing the Generator, but they better be able to outrun the Legion when they reach their destination—something Feral Frenzy (Power) almost guarantees will fail.
2:36
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That’s because the Legion’s other two Perks are built precisely for disrupting the Survivors’ movements. When a Survivor leaves a Locker, Iron Maiden reveals their location for a good half-minute. Should the Legion manage to capture a Survivor, Mad Grit punishes the Carried Survivor whenever they hit a nearby Survivor, practically forcing Survivors who work together to stay apart and pray they manage to accomplish objectives anyway.
2
Ghost Face
Stealth Guarantees The Scream Factor
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Appears in |
CHAPTER 12: Ghost Face |
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Power Night Shroud |
Permanent Undetectable, allowing them to Stalk Survivors:
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Unique Perk 1 Furtive Chase |
Every time the Obsession is Hooked, for a short while Ghost Face will get:
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Unique Perk 2 I’m All Ears |
Rushed Vaults within 48 meters of Ghost Face will reveal the Survivor’s Aura for a few seconds, but this Perk has a long cooldown |
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Unique Perk 3 Thrilling Tremors |
Picking up a Survivor will have the Entity block all Generators being repaired for the next few seconds and are mark them in White |
Players know how thrilling chases can get in Dead By Daylight gameplay, and with four Survivors to catch, one might think a slow-paced Killer like Ghost Face will be at a disadvantage. However, this isn’t necessarily the case—especially if players know how to properly utilize his Night Shroud (Power) to give Survivors a false sense of security while he’s Stalking them.
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Players should be careful with Furtive Chase, as its Undetectable and Haste benefits only work when a Survivor is already Hooked. However, his other Perks make him a deadly enemy to face. For instance, I’m All Ears is a practical detection Perk for checking which Survivors he should chase after—especially once he enters Stealth. Not only that, but catching a Survivor and carrying them triggers Thrilling Tremors, making Generator repairs much harder to accomplish.
1
The Demogorgon
A Stranger Things Monster With A Knack For Aggression
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Appears in |
CHAPTER 13: Stranger Things |
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Power Of The Abyss |
Start the Trial with 6 Portals:
While Channeling the Power:
Can Traverse the Upside Down:
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Unique Perk 1 Cruel Limits |
Whenever a Generator is Completed:
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Unique Perk 2 Mindbreaker |
Survivors repairing a Generator suffer:
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Unique Perk 3 Surge |
When a Survivor is in a Dying State from a Basic Attack, all Generators within close proximity explode and start to regress |
With The Demogorgon on the loose, players of Dead By Daylight can only pray it isn’t anywhere nearby when they start completing their objectives. Its Of the Abyss (Power) has the potential to become extremely aggressive, especially when The Demogorgon can place it almost anywhere on the map—be it close to Generators or even on unsuspecting places—to catch players off-guard. Even if players seal the Portals, the Demogorgon simply gets that Portal back as a new one waiting to be set.
In terms of its Perks, Cruel Limits is practical for Demogorgon players who want to place Portals near Generators for insurance, as the lack of Vaultable areas can limit a Survivor’s options in a chase. Meanwhile, Mindbreaker and Surge punish objective-seekers, as not only does this punish Generator Repairs, but it will also punish Survivors, who can’t even run away from the Demogorgon after they’re caught in their futile attempt.
- Released
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June 14, 2016
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language