Best Dead by Daylight Killers for Beginners: Learn & Master Killer Tactics

Summary

Dead by Daylight boasts 26 killers and is consistently popular, with average monthly players in the thousands.
The Demogorgon, The Clown, and Albert Wesker are key killers in the game, each with unique strategies and perks.
Beginners should start with easier-to-learn killers like The Trapper, The Nightmare, and The Wraith before diving into more complex options.

In 2016, when Dead by Daylight initially launched, it started modestly with only three killers and four survivors. The creators envisioned it as a game centered around hide-and-seek, where the objective was for survivors to outsmart the killer and successfully flee the map. Few could have anticipated its massive success. Now, Dead by Daylight is often referred to as the “Super Smash Bros. of horror,” reflecting its significant growth and popularity.

With 26 deadly characters and over 62 thousand players by July 2021, it’s clear that Dead by Daylight is far from waning in popularity. The game offers a beginner-friendly tutorial, but it only scratches the surface of each killer’s complexities. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t provide bot matches for solo play, making it challenging to experiment with new characters without friends to join in. Choosing among the 24 available characters can feel overwhelming, but there are some easier options for beginners.

15. The Beast – The Demogorgon

Cover Distance With Portals

A creature from another dimension, known as the Demogorgon (from the popular sci-fi horror series Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons), was introduced into the game Dead By Daylight during Chapter 13: Stranger Things. This character is not only characterized by its grotesque mouth filled with sharp teeth and menacing appearance, but it also possesses an intelligence that allows it to outmaneuver Survivors who believe they can escape by running away. The Demogorgon has a unique ability to disappear and reappear seemingly out of nowhere, catching Survivors off guard in places they least expect.

How To Play The Demogorgon

The Demogorgon excels at sudden ambushes due to its ability to create and traverse portals, bridging vast distances. With its power from the Abyss, it has a keen awareness when Survivors are near its portals, enabling it to strike preemptively and unleash a powerful jumping assault on them. The Demogorgon can establish up to six portals throughout the map to pursue Survivors more effectively, although these portals can be sealed by the Survivors if they spot them.

Beyond its unique abilities, the Demogorgon’s Perks have a significant impact on how it interacts with portals. For instance, when a generator is repaired, the Cruel Limits Perk blocks all Vault locations, while Mindbreaker causes survivors repairing generators to become blinded and exhausted. If a basic attack from the Demogorgon sends a survivor into a dying state, Surge automatically resets all generators within 32 meters. Strategically placing portals near generator areas, but not too close, is advised for Demogorgon players to avoid immediate detection by survivors. Additionally, it’s recommended to frequently feign portal-hopping and lunges, encouraging survivors to lower their guard by either leaving too early or slowing down.

14. The Clown – Kenneth Chase, Jeffrey Hawk

A Killer Clown With An Infectious Laugh

Prior to becoming known as the Clown, this character was recognized as Kenneth Chase, a solitary child captivated by life’s mysteries. Initially collecting trinkets from small creatures using anesthetics, the athletic Kenneth, now called Jeffrey, spent his adult years leveraging his circus connections to mask his true intentions – amassing more trinkets, but this time from humans, obtained through their fingers. Exposed for his deeds, Kenneth embarked on a journey across the United States until the Fog eventually caught up with him. The Clown’s signature method of anesthetization involves releasing noxious gas to impede Survivors’ advancement, making them vulnerable for capture.

How To Play The Clown

The Clown excels at pursuits, thanks to the Afterpiece Tonic which enables him to disperse harmful fog over vast spaces, impairing the vision and mobility of the Survivors. Additionally, the Clown’s abilities encourage his chasing prowess; for instance, he can obstruct a window after jumping over it (Bamboozle), slow down the healing rate and increase the rotation count of Healing Skill Checks for Survivors within his Terror Radius (Coulrophobia), and instantly degrade a damaged Generator once a Survivor has been hooked (Pop Goes The Weasel).

Because the Clown is known for being a specialist in chasing, Survivors often try to get an early start or strategically move beforehand to avoid being caught. This forces players to improve their game sense and map awareness. Clown players should understand when pursuits are worthwhile and focus more on generator regression to keep the Survivors at bay. To maximize effectiveness, players should carefully manage their Tonics; the Purple Gas Cloud is ideal for controlling chokepoints, while Yellow Antidote Bottles are better for setting up pre-chases for the Clown.

13. The Mastermind – Albert Wesker

Never Get Caught In His Attacks

In Chapter 25 of Resident Evil: PROJECT W, the notorious antagonist Albert Wesker is assigned the role of the Mastermind within Dead By Daylight. Unlike his ultimate clash with Chris Redfield, the game’s narrative skips this confrontation and instead transports Wesker directly into the Fog – a mysterious dimension where he can exploit the Uroboros Virus to target vulnerable individuals for elimination. Wesker’s enhanced genetics and mutated physiology will pose a significant threat to the Survivors, as the Mastermind will devise cunning strategies to capture them and ensure their permanent demise.

How To Play

Albert Wesker has the Virulent Leash, enabling him to store up a Charged Attack for a leaping lunge. This move can either propel him over fallen Pallets and Windows without needing to vault, or engage with a Survivor through attacks or grabs. Any contact with Survivors transmits the Uroboros Virus to them, eventually causing a Hindered Status Effect.

Wesker’s Perks mirror his enhanced genetics. He can sense the presence of other nearby Survivors (Awakened Awareness), speed up his vaulting when a nearby Survivor completes a hurried vault (Superior Anatomy), and afflict all hurt, dying, or hooked Survivors with Broken status until an Exit Gate is opened (Terminus).

Since the range of Wesker’s abilities and the severe damage it causes upon impact, it is often advisable for players who main Wesker to end pursuits whenever it suits them best. Using knife plays is most effective against survivors who seem skilled at evading more brutal attacks. Mastering Wesker’s control over distance requires a good understanding of the map and strategic positioning – a skill that can make him extraordinarily lethal when utilized effectively.

12. The Trapper — Evan MacMillan

The Trapper is one of the earliest killers added to Dead By Daylight, debuting in 2016, and he has been a constant presence among players ever since. Despite numerous updates and new killer introductions, The Trapper continues to be a popular choice for beginners due to his powerful skillset, pursuit, and dependence on traps to immobilize victims. Newcomers to Dead by Daylight can “get the hang of things” more easily with the Trapper’s user-friendly kit.

How To Play The Trapper

Despite the ominous-sounding title “The Trapper,” this assassin keeps things surprisingly simple. Instead of employing intricate equipment, Evan primarily relies on bear traps for his deadly artistry. He strategically places them throughout the area, hoping to ensnare unwary players. Once a player falls victim, Evan has an easy time picking them up and transporting them to a nearby hook. Furthermore, he receives a speed boost while moving with a Survivor, thanks to Agitation.

The Role of the Trapper excels in creating a Trap-Laden Obstacle Course, scattering bear traps throughout the playfield and chasing Survivors to guide them away from targets and into strategically positioned snares. While mastering trap placement is something players must learn, their simplicity and ease of setup make them ideal for beginners. The Trapper also boasts enhanced abilities to breach pallets and walls with greater ease and inflict higher damage on generators. His commanding stature even makes it more challenging for Survivors who occasionally face skill checks.

11. The Nightmare — Freddy Krueger

Dead by Daylight has excelled at incorporating killers that draw inspiration from famous movie monsters or are infamous villains themselves. A prime example is Freddy Krueger, who joined the game as a DLC character in 2017 due to his well-known cinematic history and distinctive persona of stalking dreams. He’s quite accessible for beginners, primarily because of his auto-stealth feature.

How To Play The Nightmare

One of Freddy’s greatest advantages is his Dream Demon power, which lets him stay undetected by Survivors at a specific distance from them. As he approaches, however, he becomes progressively more visible, and when he gets within 16 meters of a Survivor, he’s fully visible. This stealth aspect makes it simpler for new players to catch their opponents off guard, particularly those who might not be accustomed to being vigilant around Freddy.

Freddy gains more power with every generator he repairs, boosted by his Fire Up trait. He can also develop an intense focus on a specific Survivor (only one at a time), making it harder for them to open the Exit Gates after each attack. His unique abilities include momentarily closing the exits and slowing down survivors he hooks (limited to once per match). These features, along with his auto-stealth, faster action speed during generator repairs, and exit blocking capabilities, make him an excellent pick for beginners on the Killer side of the game.

10. The Cannibal — Leatherface

Those who have bought the “Leatherface” add-on will gain access to The Cannibal character. This is a relatively straightforward killer to master and boasts one of the top perks across the entire game – Barbeque & Chili, which enhances almost every other killer. However, against novice survivors, Leatherface can seem overwhelmingly powerful, so be cautious as he may not perform as well against experienced players.

How To Play Leatherface

In simpler terms, Leatherface can execute a powerful dash move with his chainsaw at the start of every game. He has three charges to begin with, and using one unleashes a 2-second sprint where he rapidly moves forward and waves his chainsaw back and forth, significantly increasing his speed. Any survivors unfortunate enough to be struck by this attack are immediately knocked down.

It’s important to mention that Leatherface accumulates another gauge as he uses his skill, referred to as the “tantrum” gauge. When this gauge is completely filled, Leatherface ceases his movement and recklessly swings his chainsaw, striking down any survivors unfortunate enough to be in his path during his tantrum. However, this rampage also causes him to temporarily halt his advancement. Managing Leatherface’s power against his tantrums can be quite challenging, particularly when faced with survivors skilled at looping killers.

9. The Deathslinger

Introduced in the 2020 Chains of Hate DLC expansion for Dead by Daylight, The Deathslinger stands out as a unique killer. Unlike many others, he can peer through the sights of his weapon, much like in traditional first-person shooter (FPS) games. If you’re new to Dead by Daylight and enjoy FPS titles, I recommend giving The Deathslinger a spin. Despite not having slide-cancelling moves or firing from concealed positions, his abilities revolve heavily around accurate aiming.

How To Play Deathslinger

Deathslinger’s perks might not be the most powerful (meta), but they are more than adequate for beginners’ matches. His skill is simple to grasp and apply, yet mastering it can be tricky. Since his weapon only fires one shot before requiring reload, missing targets could significantly delay the player.

Aiming and striking survivors effectively with his harpoon gun enables the Deathslinger to pull them towards him. Once close, he can inflict Deep Wounds, causing significant harm and debilitating injuries. If left untreated, these Deep Wounds can ultimately bring down a wounded survivor.

It’s worth mentioning that the Deathslinger’s skills might pose a challenge for users controlling with a console. Unlike many console-based FPS games that provide extensive sensitivity and dead zone adjustments for controllers, Dead By Daylight does not offer such options. Since Dead By Daylight is primarily a third-person horror game, players using controllers might find the controls for the Deathslinger to be unsatisfactory during gameplay.

8. The Trickster

After the debut of the Trickster character, he was frequently viewed as one of the poorest choices for a killer in the game. However, on July 27, 2021, a significant boost (buff) was given to Trickster, making him a much more attractive choice. Beyond his bumping theme and eccentric visuals, the Trickster is equipped with a potent long-range ability called the Showstopper.

How To Play The Trickster

When you engage Showstopper with The Trickster, he’s capable of launching numerous tiny knives towards survivors, gradually increasing their wound count. Once the meter is completely filled (after six accurate knife strikes), they receive damage that may either harm them or knock them out, contingent on their initial health status. The Trickster can hurl one blade at a time or maintain pressure on the power key to continuously launch blades, thereby slowing himself in the process.

By employing his skill, the Trickster amplifies his primary special ability, known as the Main Event. Once triggered, the Main Event empowers Trickster to rapidly launch a barrage of blades, decimating survivors in a compact area around him. However, it’s essential to note that despite the continuous nature of these blades, they aren’t limitless — he must search for lockers scattered throughout the map to replenish his supply.

Similar to the Deathslinger and Huntress, the Trickster requires precision in his attacks. While the fundamental sensitivity settings might make mastering him with a controller somewhat challenging, it’s not impossible. However, since his abilities heavily depend on accuracy, fine-tuning your aim without robust auto-aim or sensitivity adjustments can be tricky when using a controller.

7. The Huntress

The Huntress character becomes accessible to players who buy the game Dead by Daylight. This character can be quickly recognized by the eerie melody she hums during her pursuit of survivors. While mastering her may prove challenging, learning her power is straightforward due to its simplicity and clarity.

How To Play The Huntress

As a devoted fan, I find myself clutching the power button, readying my Huntress’s throwing hatchet with each press. Once released, the hatchet soars through the air, propelling itself forward. Since Dead by Daylight lacks a crosshair and the Huntress isn’t equipped with any sights, initially hitting survivors can be quite the challenge, especially for those of us using controllers. The game also offers numerous maps that add an extra layer of difficulty when attempting to use a hatchet effectively due to all the obstacles scattered around.

Despite being challenging to fully master, the Huntress’ intuitive abilities and effective lunging attack make her an excellent option for beginners. Her hatchets can take opponents by surprise, ensuring she poses a threat from almost any location. Remember to replenish your hatchets at lockers when needed.

6. Legion

In the realm of the game, Legion is renowned as one of the swiftest killers, second only to those with teleporting or blinking abilities like The Hag and The Nurse. Despite not having a teleportation skill, their ground speed is exceptionally fast. The power that Legion wields is simple to grasp but can prove challenging at higher levels of play.

How To Play Legion

Legions, in a state called Feral Frenzy, acquire the ability to run swiftly and link their attacks seamlessly. However, they become oblivious to survivor’s scratch marks and puddles of blood. Instead, they can slide over pallets and leap through windows just like survivors do.

In the heat of Feral Frenzy, affected survivors will sustain injuries and develop Deep Wounds. Meanwhile, any other survivors within Legion’s terror zone will momentarily bear a mark, enabling Legion to dash towards them swiftly. Initially, it might seem potent, but remember that during Feral Frenzy, Legion is incapable of downing survivors directly. Instead, players must eliminate survivors without activating their power, which makes learning Legion relatively straightforward but places them among the less formidable killers in the game.

5. The Doctor

In general consensus, confronting the Doctor is often seen as one of the toughest challenges for game survivors. He possesses an impressive ability that can swiftly clear new matchrooms, and when utilized skillfully, it becomes exceptionally powerful. The in-game classification of the Doctor as “Hard” primarily stems from the complexity of understanding the intricacies of his power’s impact.

How To Play The Doctor

The Doctor possesses two abilities to inflict the “Madness” condition on survivors. One is referred to as the “Static Blast,” which affects anyone within the Doctor’s area of terror. Those struck by this blast will emit a loud scream, thus revealing their locations, and they will also sustain Madness damage. In essence, the severity of the Madness increases in three stages, with survivors experiencing increasingly severe effects as their level of Madness escalates.

In addition to Static Blast, the Doctor may opt for Shock Therapy when it’s not available. Shock Therapy triggers Madness, although this occurs in a subtle area directly in front of the Doctor. As Madness accumulates, survivors experience various detrimental effects such as reversed skill checks, hallucinations of pallets, and false terror radius alerts. In essence, Madness serves as an ongoing passive debuff that becomes effective when the Doctor induces it a few times.

4. The Pig — Amanda Young

Lovers of the SAW series will be familiar with Amanda Young, also known as The Pig. This elusive assassin is somewhat challenging to control, but mastering her makes her one of two killers capable of crouching, which provides the Undetectable effect. This means she vanishes from sight, hiding her terror radius and red killer light, while also concealing her aura from survivors. Although she moves more slowly in this position, she can catch unsuspecting survivors off guard by launching surprise attacks when they pass by.

How To Play The Pig

Starting in a low position, The Pig has the ability to unleash an Ambush Charge, propelling herself swiftly towards a survivor at increased velocity. This move can either wound or knock down the survivor based on their initial health status.

After subduing a survivor, The Pig can affix the distinctive reversible trap from the films onto their head. These traps initially lie dormant but become activated when survivors finish working on a generator. Once active, these traps will instantly claim the life of the survivor wearing them after 150 seconds unless they locate and use the correct key from one of several Jigsaw boxes scattered across the map. The Pig has more depth than some other killers, but her ability is straightforward to grasp, and once deployed, the bear traps carry out their intended function on their own.

3. The Hillbilly

Prior to securing the rights for famous horror series, the creators of “Dead by Daylight” designed killers who emulated these iconic figures of terror. The Hillbilly character appears to be modeled after Leatherface, but his abilities within the game function in a slightly distinct manner compared to Leatherface’s.

How To Play The Hillbilly

Hillbilly propels himself forward at twice his normal speed, moving in an unsteady trajectory that’s similar to Leatherface’s frenzy with a chainsaw, but unlike Leatherface, he doesn’t charge forward while waving the saw.

Encountering survivors during a chainsaw dash will quickly knock them out. Additionally, it demolishes pallets and breakable doors, and if utilized strategically, it can accomplish this more swiftly than merely kicking them. The Hillbilly’s ability is quite straightforward: players just need to press the power button and charge forward. However, it’s worth mentioning that he can be effortlessly avoided or lured into colliding with walls. Despite being easy to grasp, defeating skilled groups of survivors with the Hillbilly might prove challenging.

Mastering the Hillbilly’s strength can be picked up quickly, yet maintaining it requires precision, even for players using mouse and keyboard. To excel with the Hillbilly, mastering turns and maneuvers is essential. Controlling the Chainsaw Rush proves challenging, particularly for controller users. This makes him a bit intimidating for novice killers, but there are other controller-friendly options that aren’t as demanding when it comes to sensitivity settings!

2. The Shape — Michael Myers

Among all slasher icons, Michael Myers might be the most renowned. Consequently, it’s only fitting that he was the initial licensed killer in Dead by Daylight. His abilities are straightforward for beginners to grasp, making him an attractive pick. Unlike many other killers, Myers plays differently and is often regarded as a late-game killer. Survivors tend to complete generators against Myers because his power requires time to build up. However, when fully charged, Myers becomes a formidable adversary.

How To Play The Shape

In this game, Myers is a character who operates like a meter. As players follow and watch survivors, they gradually increase the meter. This action of following survivors can be initiated using an active power button. When stalking, Myers moves at a slower pace, and all survivors become either white- or red-highlighted. White-highlighted survivors cause the meter to rise more quickly, whereas red-highlighted survivors increase it more slowly, typically due to previous surveillance. The objective for players is simply to keep stalking survivors in order to fill up Myers’ power meter.

At the third level, Myers lifts his weapon and the well-known melody of his piano echoes throughout the game map. From now on, a single strike will bring down all survivors until his power level drops back to the second tier. Reaching tier three can occur several times during a match, but it becomes progressively challenging as the game progresses. There’s not much advanced technique required to utilize Myers’s ability since it mainly involves tracking survivors. However, mastering when and how to engage tier three, and maneuvering effectively as Myers, showcases true skill.

1. The Wraith

In the game “Dead By Daylight,” The Wraith was one of the first three murderers introduced. His ability is quite lenient, particularly towards novice survivors. If you’re a beginner trying to grasp the intricacies of playing a killer, The Wraith would be an ideal choice for you.

How To Play The Wraith

After sounding his Ghostly Chime, the Specter can blend into its surroundings by camouflaging itself. When camouflaged, the Specter acquires an undeceivable state, making it almost impossible to spot. Players should stay vigilant when facing this entity.

As a fan, I can share that the spectral entity, the Wraith, can’t strike when cloaked; instead, it must unveil to inflict damage. Unveiling triggers a brief yet potent speed increase, enabling the Wraith to wound or fell survivors, regardless of whether they’ve detected the revelation. The Wraith is an adaptable choice for novice players delving into the game and accessible to all. His ability is straightforward to grasp, making him an entertaining character to control in the role of the killer.

2025-01-15 18:30