The Doctor is Dead by Daylight’s premiere tracking and anti-stealth killer. He uses electricity to drive survivors insane, forcing them to scream and reveal their locations. Doctor excels at finding survivors, denying stealth, and making skill checks nearly impossible.
Doctor is one of the best killers for learning the game because he shows you exactly where survivors are. No hiding, no sneaking - everyone screams eventually. Let’s break down how to play him effectively.
The Doctor’s Power: Carter’s Spark
Ability: The Doctor has two main abilities - Static Blast and Shock Therapy - both of which increase survivors’ Madness levels.
Static Blast (M2)
What it does: The Doctor releases a massive electric blast across his entire Terror Radius (32 meters by default). All survivors within range scream, reveal their location, and gain Madness.
How it works:
- Press and hold M2 to charge Static Blast (takes about 1 second)
- Release to blast
- Cooldown: 60 seconds
Key uses:
- Finding hidden survivors at the start of the match
- Tracking survivors near gens
- Forcing survivors to scream during chases
- Denying stealth completely
Shock Therapy (Ctrl on PC / Left Bumper on Console)
What it does: The Doctor fires a short-range electric shock that prevents survivors from vaulting, dropping pallets, or using items for 2.5 seconds.
How it works:
- Tap the Shock Therapy button to fire a shock
- Shock travels in a cone in front of you (~10 meters)
- Survivors hit by the shock can’t vault or drop pallets for 2.5 seconds
- Increases Madness
- Brief cooldown (2-3 seconds)
Key uses:
- Denying pallet drops at loops
- Preventing window vaults
- Zoning survivors away from safe areas
- Building Madness during chases
Madness Mechanic
Doctor’s power revolves around Madness - a status effect that grows more punishing as it increases.
Madness Tiers
Madness I:
- Occasional hallucinations (fake Doctor illusions appear)
- Minor tracking information for Doctor
Madness II:
- More frequent hallucinations
- Survivors periodically scream, revealing their location
- Skill checks appear in random positions on screen
Madness III:
- Constant hallucinations
- Survivors scream frequently
- Skill checks appear randomly across the screen
- Survivors must Snap Out of It (12-second self-heal action) to reduce to Madness II before they can do actions normally
Key concept: Doctor wants to push all survivors to Madness III. Once there, they’re forced to waste time snapping out of it or deal with constant screaming and impossible skill checks.
Snapping Out of It
When survivors reach Madness III, they must perform a 12-second action called “Snap Out of It” to reduce to Madness II.
Important:
- Survivors can’t do gens, heal, or cleanse totems while at Madness III until they Snap Out of It
- Snapping Out of It requires skill checks (which are harder at Madness III)
- Doctor can interrupt survivors snapping out of it
Strategy: Force survivors to Madness III, then pressure them while they’re snapping out of it. They’re essentially out of the game for 12+ seconds.
How to Play Doctor: The Basics
Doctor’s gameplay loop revolves around tracking, denying loops, and maintaining Madness pressure.
Standard Doctor Chase
- Find a survivor - Use Static Blast to locate them
- Chase with Shock Therapy - Shock them at loops to deny pallets/vaults
- Force them into bad positions - Zone them away from strong loops
- Basic attack - M1 them once they’re in a dead zone
- Build Madness - Continue shocking them to push them toward Madness III
- Hook and patrol - Static Blast to find the next survivor
Key concept: Doctor is a chase killer. Use Shock Therapy to deny survivor options and force hits.
Static Blast Strategy
Static Blast is Doctor’s best tracking tool. Use it strategically.
When to Use Static Blast
Start of the match: Blast immediately to find survivors and start building Madness. This tells you exactly where to go.
Off cooldown: Use it every 60 seconds. There’s no reason NOT to use it. Free tracking information.
Near generators: If you’re patrolling gens, blast to see if survivors are nearby. They’ll scream if they’re within your Terror Radius.
After hooking someone: Blast to find your next target. Someone will scream and you know exactly where to go.
When survivors are hiding: Immersed survivors can’t hide from Static Blast. Blast and they scream.
Mid-chase to track teammates: If you’re chasing someone and want to know where their teammates are, blast. Everyone in range screams.
Static Blast Tips
Maximize your Terror Radius: The bigger your Terror Radius, the larger the blast radius. Perks like Distressing increase your Terror Radius and make Static Blast affect more area.
Listen for screams: After blasting, listen carefully. Screams tell you survivor locations even if you can’t see them.
Track cooldown: Static Blast has a 60-second cooldown. Keep track of when it’s available so you can use it optimally.
Shock Therapy Strategy
Shock Therapy is Doctor’s chase tool. Mastering it is critical to winning chases.
How to Use Shock Therapy Effectively
Shock at pallets: When a survivor runs to a pallet, shock them BEFORE they can drop it. They’ll be locked out of the pallet drop for 2.5 seconds. Close distance and M1 them.
Shock at windows: Shock survivors BEFORE they vault. They can’t vault for 2.5 seconds. Either they stand still (free hit) or they run away (you gain distance).
Shock at intersections: If a survivor is at a T-junction or intersection, shock to deny both pallets and vaults. They’re forced to run in a straight line.
Predict survivor movement: Shock where they’re GOING, not where they ARE. There’s a slight delay, so you need to predict.
Don’t spam shocks: Each shock has a cooldown. Use shocks deliberately when you know you’ll deny an action.
Shock Therapy Timing
Shock Therapy has a travel time and activation delay. You need to shock survivors about 0.5-1 second BEFORE they reach the pallet or window.
If you shock too early: The 2.5-second lockout expires before they reach the pallet/window.
If you shock too late: They drop the pallet or vault before the shock hits.
Practice tip: Play a few matches focusing ONLY on shock timing. You’ll develop muscle memory for when to shock.
Early Game Strategy
Doctor’s early game is all about using Static Blast to find survivors and start building Madness.
Opening sequence:
- Static Blast immediately - Find survivors, start building Madness
- Chase the closest survivor - Go to whoever screamed closest
- Shock at loops - Deny pallets and vaults with Shock Therapy
- Push them to Madness III - Shock them repeatedly during the chase
- Hook and blast again - Hook them, blast to find the next survivor
Goal: Get everyone to Madness II-III as quickly as possible. Once everyone’s at high Madness, tracking becomes trivial.
Mid-Game Strategy
Mid-game is where Doctor shines. Everyone’s at Madness II-III, survivors are screaming constantly, and you know where everyone is.
Use screams to patrol: Survivors scream periodically at Madness II-III. Listen for screams and patrol toward them.
Interrupt Snap Out of It: If you see a survivor snapping out of it, interrupt them. They waste time and stay at Madness III.
Deny strong loops: Shock Therapy makes traditionally strong loops (shack, jungle gyms) much weaker. Shock to deny pallets/vaults.
Pressure gens with Static Blast: Blast while patrolling. If someone’s on a gen, they scream and you know exactly where they are.
Snowball potential: Doctor can pressure multiple survivors by keeping everyone at high Madness. They’re all screaming, snapping out of it, or dealing with hallucinations.
Endgame Strategy
Doctor is decent endgame but not the strongest.
Static Blast at exit gates: Blast to find survivors opening gates. They scream and reveal their location.
Shock to deny gate opening: Shock survivors trying to open gates. They can’t interact with the switch for 2.5 seconds.
Track with Madness: Survivors still scream at high Madness. Use this to track them during endgame.
Denial potential: Doctor’s strength endgame is denying survivors from opening gates and making saves with Shock Therapy.
Best Perks for Doctor
Doctor wants perks that increase his Terror Radius, capitalize on tracking, and slow down the game.
Top Tier Perks
Distressing - Increases Terror Radius by 26%. This increases Static Blast radius significantly. More survivors affected = more Madness = more tracking. Essential on Doctor.
Overcharge - Kicking a gen causes a difficult skill check. Survivors who fail the check reveal their location and the gen regresses. Synergizes with Doctor’s Madness (harder skill checks).
Unnerving Presence - Survivors within your Terror Radius have smaller skill check success zones and skill checks trigger 10% more often. Pairs with Distressing for massive Terror Radius coverage. Makes skill checks nearly impossible.
Overwhelming Presence - Survivors within your Terror Radius consume items 100% faster. Counters medkits and toolboxes hard.
Coulrophobia - Survivors within your Terror Radius heal 50% slower. With Distressing, this affects a huge area. Survivors heal forever.
Strong Perks
Hex: Ruin - Generators not being repaired regress at 200% speed. Doctor has good map pressure with Static Blast, so Ruin can get tons of value.
Pop Goes the Weasel - After hooking, kick a gen to regress it by 30%. Reliable slowdown.
Deadlock - Blocks the gen with most progress for 30 seconds when a gen completes. Buys you time to pressure other areas.
Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance - Hooking on scourge hooks regresses the gen with most progress. Automatic slowdown.
Sloppy Butcher - Survivors hit are Mangled (heal slower) and Hemorrhage (leave more blood). Pairs well with Coulrophobia for insane heal times.
Sample Builds
Impossible Skill Check Build:
- Unnerving Presence
- Overcharge
- Distressing
- Huntress Lullaby (Hex)
- Add-ons: “Calm” - Class I (Order) + Discipline - Class II (Order)
How it works: This build makes skill checks IMPOSSIBLE. Distressing gives you a 40-meter Terror Radius. Unnerving Presence makes skill checks 60% smaller and trigger more often. Overcharge makes kicked gens have difficult skill checks. Huntress Lullaby removes skill check warnings entirely (once stacked). Doctor’s add-ons make Madness skill checks even harder.
Survivors literally cannot hit skill checks. Gens explode constantly, revealing survivor locations. Healing becomes a nightmare. Snapping Out of It takes forever because they keep failing skill checks.
This build is OPPRESSIVE against solo queue survivors but weaker against coordinated teams who can power through gens despite failed skill checks.
Classic Doctor Build:
- Distressing
- Coulrophobia
- Sloppy Butcher
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance
Gen Defense Build:
- Hex: Ruin
- Overcharge
- Pop Goes the Weasel
- Deadlock
Tracking Build:
- Distressing
- Overwhelming Presence
- Unnerving Presence
- Barbecue & Chili
Beginner Build:
- Distressing
- Sloppy Butcher
- NOED
- Bitter Murmur
Best Add-Ons
Doctor’s add-ons modify his Shock Therapy and Static Blast in various ways.
Top Tier Add-Ons
“Calm” - Class I (Order) (Green - Rare) - Tremendously increases Shock Therapy range. Makes it much easier to shock survivors at loops. Essential for anti-loop Doctor.
Discipline - Class II (Order) (Green - Rare) - Considerably decreases Madness skill check success zones. Makes skill checks much harder. Core add-on for Impossible Skill Check build.
Iridescent King (Pink - Ultra Rare) - Survivors who scream from Madness suffer from a random status effect (Blindness, Exhausted, Hindered, or Oblivious) for 60 seconds. Extremely strong for denying survivor perks and slowing them down.
Iridescent Queen (Pink - Ultra Rare) - Survivors affected by Static Blast or Shock Therapy see fake terror radius notifications. Confuses survivors and makes tracking harder for them.
Strong Add-ons
“Interview Tape” (Purple - Very Rare) - Considerably reduces Static Blast cooldown (from 60 seconds to 40 seconds). More blasts = more tracking and Madness buildup.
Restraint - Class II (Purple - Very Rare) - Considerably increases Static Blast range. Affects more survivors per blast.
High Stimulus Electrode (Yellow - Uncommon) - Moderately increases Shock Therapy range. Cheaper version of “Calm” - Class I.
Maple Knight (Yellow - Uncommon) - Survivors within 32 meters scream when hooked. Reveals survivors near hooks instantly.
Avoid These Add-Ons
“Scrapped Tape” - Changes Static Blast to affect only survivors outside Terror Radius. This RUINS Doctor’s tracking. Never use this.
Moldy Electrode - Slightly increases Static Blast cooldown. You WANT to blast more, not less. Avoid.
Sample Add-On Combos
Impossible Skill Check Build: “Calm” - Class I (Order) + Discipline - Class II (Order) (massive shock range + impossible skill checks)
Tracking Build: Iridescent King + “Interview Tape” (status effects on scream + more frequent blasts)
Anti-Loop Build: “Calm” - Class I (Order) + High Stimulus Electrode (huge Shock Therapy range)
Budget Build: High Stimulus Electrode + Maple Knight (better shocks + hook tracking)
Playing Against Good Survivors
Good survivors make Doctor work harder, but he’s still strong with the right adjustments.
They predrop pallets early: Good. Break the pallet and continue chasing. You denied them a loop with Shock Therapy.
They split on gens: Static Blast tracks everyone. Patrol efficiently and shock survivors off gens.
They power through Madness: Some survivors ignore Madness and just do gens while screaming. Pressure them harder and force them to Madness III.
They Snap Out of It efficiently: Interrupt them or pressure other survivors. Don’t waste time camping someone snapping out of it.
They use Calm Spirit: This perk makes survivors immune to screaming. Doctor’s tracking is neutered. Counter by using other tracking perks (Barbecue & Chili, Lethal Pursuer).
They’re in a SWF: Comms let them call out Doctor’s position. Counter by applying pressure quickly and denying loops with Shock Therapy.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Not using Static Blast on cooldown: It’s free tracking. Use it every 60 seconds.
Shocking too late: Shock BEFORE survivors reach pallets/windows, not after.
Camping Madness III survivors: Don’t stand over someone snapping out of it. Pressure gens and other survivors.
Not running Distressing: Distressing is THE Doctor perk. It makes Static Blast huge. Always run it.
Shocking in open areas: Shock Therapy is for denying actions, not damage. Don’t waste it when survivors aren’t near pallets/vaults.
Ignoring gen pressure: Doctor has no built-in slowdown. Run regression perks and patrol efficiently.
Over-relying on tracking: Tracking is great, but you still need to down survivors. Practice chases and Shock Therapy timing.
Map-Specific Tips
Indoor Maps (The Game, Lery’s, Midwich, RPD) - Strong for Doctor. Tight corridors make Shock Therapy deadly. Static Blast works through walls and floors. Survivors can’t hide.
Open Maps (Coldwind, MacMillan, Autohaven) - Decent for Doctor. Static Blast tracks everyone, but survivors have more room to avoid Shock Therapy. Use Distressing to maximize blast range.
Multi-Level Maps (The Game, Midwich) - Great for Doctor. Static Blast affects multiple floors. Shock Therapy denies loops on all levels.
Large Maps (Mother’s Dwelling, Red Forest) - Rough for Doctor. Huge maps mean longer patrols. Run Distressing and tracking perks to compensate.
Corn Maps (Coldwind Farm) - Strong for Doctor. Survivors hide in corn, but Static Blast reveals them instantly. Shock Therapy works through corn.
Why Play Doctor?
Pros:
- Best tracking in the game
- Anti-stealth (survivors can’t hide)
- Denies loops with Shock Therapy
- Great for learning survivor pathing
- Fun and unique playstyle
- Impossible Skill Check build is hilarious
- Strong on most maps
Cons:
- No built-in mobility
- Weak against Calm Spirit
- Requires good timing for Shock Therapy
- Survivors can power through Madness
- Weaker at high MMR against coordinated teams
Advanced Tips
Shock through walls: Shock Therapy goes through walls. Shock survivors on the other side of short walls at loops.
Fake shocks: Charge a shock but don’t release it. Survivors expect the shock and hesitate, giving you distance.
Stack madness quickly: Shock survivors multiple times during chases to push them to Madness III fast.
Use screams to track mid-chase: If you lose a survivor, wait for them to scream. Madness reveals their location.
Interrupt heals with Static Blast: If you hear healing sounds nearby, blast. They scream and you know where they are.
Pair with aura perks: Static Blast + Barbecue & Chili + Lethal Pursuer = you know where EVERYONE is at ALL times.
Final Thoughts
The Doctor is one of Dead by Daylight’s most unique killers. He’s a tracking and anti-loop specialist who makes survivors’ lives miserable with constant screaming and impossible skill checks.
Doctor is perfect for learning the game because he shows you exactly where survivors are. No guessing, no mind games - just track, shock, and down.
The Impossible Skill Check build is one of the most oppressive builds in DBD. Survivors literally cannot hit skill checks, gens explode constantly, and healing takes forever. It’s not the most competitive build at high MMR, but it’s incredibly fun and effective against most teams.
Practice your Shock Therapy timing, use Static Blast on cooldown, and keep everyone at high Madness. You’ll dominate matches with constant information and loop denial.
Good luck, and may your shocks always land true.
Last Updated: Patch 9.3.0 - November 2025