The Nurse is Dead by Daylight’s most powerful killer - and also the hardest to master. She ignores all conventional chase mechanics by teleporting through walls, pallets, and obstacles. In the hands of a skilled player, Nurse is nearly unstoppable. In the hands of a new player, she’s one of the weakest killers in the game.
Nurse has the highest skill ceiling in DBD. She requires precise timing, prediction, and map knowledge. But once you master her blinks, you’ll understand why she’s been the #1 killer in competitive play for years.
Fair warning: Learning Nurse is frustrating. You’ll lose matches badly while learning. But if you stick with it, you’ll have the most powerful killer in the game.
The Nurse’s Power: Spencer’s Last Breath
Ability: The Nurse can “blink” (teleport) short distances, ignoring all terrain and obstacles.
How it works:
- Hold M2 to charge a blink (max 2 seconds)
- Release M2 to teleport forward
- The longer you charge, the farther you blink (max ~20 meters)
- After blinking, you have a brief window (about 1 second) to attack
- After attacking or the window expires, you enter “fatigue” (stun for 2-3 seconds)
- You can chain up to 2 blinks before fatigue
The goal: Blink to survivors, predict their movements, and attack them through loops and obstacles. Nurse doesn’t chase - she teleports directly to survivors and ends chases in seconds.
Basic Blink Mechanics
Understanding how blinks work is critical. Nurse’s blinks are unlike any other killer power.
Blink Charges
Nurse has 2 blink charges by default. You can use them back-to-back before entering fatigue.
How blink charges work:
- First blink: Teleport to reposition
- Second blink: Teleport for the final approach and attack
- After using both blinks (or waiting too long), you enter fatigue
- During fatigue, you’re stunned and move slowly for 2-3 seconds
- Blinks recharge during and after fatigue (1 blink every 3 seconds)
Key concept: Most Nurse plays use both blinks - first blink to get close, second blink to land the hit. Single blinks rarely land hits unless survivors make mistakes.
Blink Distance
Blink distance is based on how long you hold M2:
- Short tap: ~2-4 meters (very short blink)
- 0.5 second hold: ~8-10 meters (short blink)
- 1 second hold: ~12-15 meters (medium blink)
- 2 second hold (max charge): ~20 meters (long blink)
Important: You need to develop muscle memory for blink distances. Practice charging for specific lengths to hit specific distances.
Blink Travel Time
Blinks are not instant. There’s a brief travel time where Nurse disappears, teleports, and reappears.
Travel time:
- Short blinks: ~0.5 seconds
- Medium blinks: ~0.8 seconds
- Long blinks: ~1.2 seconds
Why this matters: During the blink travel time, survivors keep running. You need to predict WHERE they’ll be when you reappear, not where they ARE when you blink.
Blink Direction
You blink in the direction you’re looking when you release M2.
Key tips:
- Look up to blink through floors (multi-level maps)
- Look down to blink shorter distances or to lower floors
- Look straight ahead for normal horizontal blinks
- You can turn slightly during the charge, but your direction is locked when you release
Blink Fatigue
After using your blinks or waiting too long, you enter fatigue.
During fatigue:
- You’re stunned for 2-3 seconds
- You move at 96.5% speed (slower than survivors)
- You can’t attack or use blinks
- You look down at the ground (reduced vision)
Fatigue duration depends on:
- How many blinks you used (2 blinks = longer fatigue)
- Whether you attacked (attacking adds fatigue time)
Managing fatigue: After fatigue ends, your blinks recharge. Don’t immediately blink again unless necessary - track the survivor’s movement during fatigue and plan your next blink.
Nurse’s Movement Speed
Nurse moves at 96.5% speed - slower than survivors (100%). This means:
- You CANNOT catch survivors by walking
- You MUST use blinks to close distance
- If you miss your blinks, survivors gain huge distance
- You’re the slowest killer in the game without your power
Why this matters: Nurse is 100% reliant on her power. If you can’t land blinks, you lose. There’s no fallback like with other killers.
How to Play Nurse: The Basics
Nurse’s gameplay loop is completely different from other killers.
Standard Nurse Chase
- Spot a survivor - Identify their position
- First blink - Blink close to them (8-12 meters away)
- Read their movement - During fatigue, watch where they run
- Second blink - Blink to where they’re going, not where they are
- Attack - Swing immediately after the second blink
- Fatigue - Recover and track the survivor
- Repeat - Chain blinks until they’re downed
Key concept: You’re PREDICTING where survivors will be, not reacting to where they are. Nurse is about reading survivor behavior and cutting them off.
Predicting Survivor Movement
This is the hardest part of Nurse. You need to predict where survivors will run.
Common survivor behaviors:
- Running in a straight line: Easy to predict. First blink behind them, second blink forward.
- Doubling back: Survivors run one direction, then turn around. Counter by blinking short distances or waiting to see their commitment.
- Hiding behind obstacles: Survivors break line of sight. Blink to where you last saw them and listen for sounds.
- 360ing: Survivors spin around you after your blink. Counter by waiting for them to commit to a direction, then blink again.
- Running toward you: Survivors run AT you to confuse your blink distance. Counter by blinking very short distances or charging less.
Pro tip: Most survivors run in straight lines or toward the nearest loop. Start by predicting straight-line movement, then adapt as you learn their patterns.
Blink Attack Window
After blinking, you have about 1 second to attack before entering fatigue.
Attack window details:
- Your attack lunge is slightly shorter than normal killers
- You can turn during the lunge to track survivors
- If you don’t attack, you enter fatigue anyway
- Missing your attack adds fatigue time
Key tip: Don’t panic and swing wildly. Wait for the survivor to commit to a direction, then lunge.
Advanced Nurse Techniques
Once you understand basic blinks, these techniques will take you to the next level.
1. Double-Back Blinks
What it is: Blinking past a survivor, then blinking back to where they were.
How to do it:
- Survivor is running forward
- First blink: Blink past them (overshoot intentionally)
- They turn around thinking you overshot
- Second blink: Blink back to where they turned around
- Hit them as they reverse direction
Why it works: Survivors expect you to blink where they’re running. Double-backing catches them off guard.
2. Blink Faking
What it is: Charging a blink but not releasing it, to bait survivor movement.
How to do it:
- Charge a blink
- Survivor commits to a direction (running away, doubling back, etc.)
- Cancel the blink (don’t release)
- Walk forward or charge a real blink based on their movement
Why it works: Survivors react to your blink charges. Faking forces them to commit to bad positions.
Warning: This only works against survivors who respect your blinks. Good survivors will just keep running.
3. Vertical Blinks (Multi-Level Maps)
What it is: Blinking up or down through floors on multi-level maps.
How to do it:
- Look up to blink to upper floors
- Look down to blink to lower floors
- Charge distance normally
Maps where this is strong:
- The Game (2 floors)
- Midwich Elementary (2 floors)
- RPD (2 floors)
- Any multi-level map
Why it works: Survivors think they’re safe on different floors. You can teleport directly to them.
4. Short Blinks (Unpredictable)
What it is: Blinking very short distances (2-5 meters) to confuse survivors.
How to do it:
- Tap M2 briefly (don’t hold)
- Blink a short distance
- Survivors don’t expect short blinks and often run into you
Why it works: Most survivors expect long blinks. Short blinks break their pattern recognition.
5. Omega Blinks (Max Range)
What it is: Fully charging blinks to teleport 20+ meters across the map.
How to do it:
- Hold M2 for the full 2 seconds
- Blink across huge distances
- Use for mobility, not attacks
When to use it:
- Patrolling between gens
- Getting to hooked survivors quickly
- Cutting off survivors running to exit gates
Warning: Long blinks have longer travel time. Survivors have more time to juke.
6. Blinking Through Objects
What you can blink through:
- Walls
- Pallets (dropped or standing)
- Windows
- Trees
- Rocks
- Breakable walls
- Basically everything
What you can’t blink through:
- Map boundaries
- Specific invisible walls (rare)
Why this matters: Survivors can’t use loops against you. Pallets and windows are meaningless. You ignore all traditional chase mechanics.
Early Game Strategy
Nurse’s early game is about finding survivors and landing your first blinks.
Opening sequence:
- Patrol to the center of the map - Use long blinks to cover ground quickly
- Check 3-4 gens - Blink between gens, look for survivors
- First chase - Find a survivor and practice your blinks
- Don’t expect instant downs - Nurse takes time to warm up each match
- Build momentum - Once you land your first few blinks, survivors panic and make mistakes
Common mistake: Getting frustrated and giving up after missing blinks. Nurse requires warmup. Your first 2-3 chases will feel rough. Push through.
Mid-Game Strategy
Mid-game is where Nurse dominates. You’re landing blinks, downing survivors in seconds, and applying insane pressure.
Chase optimization:
- Use first blink to close distance, second blink to land the hit
- Don’t overcommit to long blinks - survivors juke them easily
- After landing a hit, immediately blink to the next survivor
Snowball potential:
- Nurse can down survivors in 10-15 seconds once you’re warmed up
- Chain downs quickly - blink to hooked survivors, blink to rescuers
- Multiple survivors injured = easy 2-3 downs in quick succession
Map pressure:
- Blink between gens constantly
- Interrupt gen progress with blinks
- Nurse’s mobility is unmatched - use it
Don’t chase forever:
- If you’re missing blinks on one survivor, blink to another gen and pressure someone else
- Come back to difficult survivors later
Endgame Strategy
Nurse is one of the strongest endgame killers because of her mobility and blink attacks.
Exit gates: Blink between gates in seconds. Survivors can’t open gates without you knowing.
Blink attacks: Injured survivors at exit gates are one blink away from being downed.
Bodyblocking: Blink in front of survivors opening gates. They can’t leave without getting hit.
NOED synergy: If you run NOED, Nurse becomes absolutely unstoppable endgame. One blink + hit = instant down.
Best Perks for Nurse
Nurse wants perks that help her find survivors, maintain pressure, and capitalize on her blink attacks.
Top Tier Perks
Lethal Pursuer - See all survivors at the start for 9 seconds. Lets you blink directly to survivors and get your first down fast. Perfect for Nurse’s early game.
Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance - Hooking on scourge hooks regresses the gen with most progress by 15%. Nurse hooks survivors constantly, so this gets tons of value.
Deadlock - Blocks the gen with most progress for 30 seconds when a gen completes. Buys you time to blink across the map and pressure other gens.
Awakened Awareness - See survivors’ auras within 20 meters while carrying a survivor. Lets you plan your next blink and chain downs. Extremely strong on Nurse.
Strong Perks
Barbecue & Chili (BBQ) - See survivors’ auras after hooking. Tells you exactly where to blink next. Perfect for Nurse’s playstyle.
I’m All Ears - See survivors’ auras for 6 seconds when they fast vault within 48 meters. Helps you track survivors and line up blinks. Strong on Nurse.
Corrupt Intervention - Blocks the 3 farthest gens for 120 seconds. Forces survivors toward you early game. Helps Nurse get her first downs before gens pop.
Shadowborn - Increases FOV. Makes it easier to track survivors during blinks. Many Nurse players use this for better visibility.
A Nurse’s Calling - See survivors’ auras when they heal within 28 meters. Nurse can blink to healing survivors and interrupt them. Classic Nurse perk.
Sloppy Butcher - Survivors heal slower. Synergizes with A Nurse’s Calling - survivors spend more time healing, giving you more opportunities to blink and interrupt.
Sample Builds
Aura Reading Build (Best for Nurse):
- Lethal Pursuer
- Barbecue & Chili
- Awakened Awareness
- I’m All Ears
Slowdown Build:
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance
- Deadlock
- Corrupt Intervention
- Pop Goes the Weasel
Classic Nurse Build:
- A Nurse’s Calling
- Sloppy Butcher
- Lethal Pursuer
- Shadowborn
Beginner Build:
- Lethal Pursuer
- Shadowborn
- Sloppy Butcher
- NOED
Best Add-Ons
Nurse’s add-ons range from game-changing to detrimental. Here are the best:
Top Tier Add-Ons
Range Add-Ons (Avoid These) - Increase blink range but add fatigue time. Most Nurse players HATE these because they mess up muscle memory. Only use if you’re very experienced.
Recharge Add-Ons (Good) - Decrease blink recharge time. Lets you blink more frequently. These are generally the best add-ons for Nurse.
Torn Bookmark (Purple - Very Rare) - Only 1 blink, but shorter fatigue and faster recharge. High-risk, high-reward. Requires perfect blink accuracy.
Catatonic Boy’s Treasure (Green - Rare) - Decreases blink recharge time by 20%. Simple and effective. One of Nurse’s best add-ons.
Campbell’s Last Breath (Purple - Very Rare) - Grants a 3rd blink but adds fatigue. Good for learning Nurse (extra blink = more forgiveness), but high-level players avoid it.
Strong Add-Ons
Pocket Watch (Green - Rare) - Slightly decreases fatigue time. Makes Nurse feel smoother.
Bad Man’s Last Breath (Yellow - Uncommon) - Decreases blink recharge time by 10%. Cheap and effective.
Metal Spoon (Yellow - Uncommon) - Slightly decreases fatigue time. Budget version of Pocket Watch.
Avoid These Add-Ons
Fragile Wheeze - Increases blink range. Messes up your muscle memory. Avoid unless you’re practicing long blinks.
Anxious Gasp - Increases blink range. Same problem as Fragile Wheeze.
Matchbox - Shows survivors’ auras after blink. Gimmicky and unnecessary. Use aura perks instead.
Sample Add-On Combos
Recharge Build: Catatonic Boy’s Treasure + Bad Man’s Last Breath (faster blinks, more frequent blinks)
Fatigue Build: Pocket Watch + Metal Spoon (shorter fatigue, smoother gameplay)
Learning Build: Campbell’s Last Breath + Catatonic Boy’s Treasure (3 blinks, faster recharge)
No Add-Ons (Recommended): Many Nurse players run no add-ons or only recharge add-ons. Nurse’s base kit is strong enough.
Playing Against Good Survivors
Good survivors make Nurse work for every down. Here’s how to adapt:
They break line of sight constantly: Blink to their last known position and listen for sounds (footsteps, breathing, grass rustling).
They double back: After your first blink, they run back toward you. Counter by blinking short distances or waiting to see their commitment.
They 360 after your blink: Wait for them to commit to a direction, then blink/lunge. Don’t panic swing.
They use exhaustion perks: Dead Hard, Sprint Burst, Lithe all let survivors create distance. Bait out their exhaustion perk, then blink when it’s on cooldown.
They drop pallets: Pallets don’t stop Nurse. Blink through them and hit survivors on the other side.
They’re in a SWF: Comms let them call out your blinks and coordinate. Counter by downing survivors faster than they can coordinate saves.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Blinking too far: Overshooting survivors is the #1 mistake new Nurse players make. Blink shorter distances and adjust.
Not predicting movement: You can’t react to survivors - you must predict. Watch their movement patterns and blink where they’re GOING.
Panic swinging: After blinking, wait for the survivor to commit to a direction before swinging. Don’t flail.
Using M1 instead of blinks: Nurse’s basic attack is only for absolute emergencies. You should blink for every hit.
Getting frustrated early: Nurse is HARD. You’ll miss blinks. You’ll lose matches. Push through. It takes 20-30 hours to get decent with Nurse.
Not tracking during fatigue: During fatigue, you can still see and hear survivors. Track their movement and plan your next blink.
Camping hooks: Nurse’s mobility is her greatest strength. Hook someone, blink across the map, and pressure gens. Don’t waste your power camping.
Map-Specific Tips
Nurse is strong on ALL maps because she ignores loops. But some maps are easier than others.
Indoor Maps (The Game, Midwich, RPD) - Strong for Nurse. Survivors can’t see you coming, and vertical blinks are powerful. Watch out for line-of-sight blockers.
Open Maps (Coldwind, MacMillan, Autohaven) - Decent for Nurse. Long sight lines make it easy to track survivors and plan blinks.
Multi-Level Maps (The Game, Midwich) - Extremely strong for Nurse. Vertical blinks let you ignore floors entirely. Survivors have nowhere to hide.
Large Maps (Mother’s Dwelling, Red Forest) - Still strong for Nurse. Use max-charge blinks to traverse the map quickly.
Maps with lots of clutter (Lery’s, Swamp) - Harder for Nurse. Line-of-sight blockers make tracking survivors difficult. Blink to where you think they are and listen for sounds.
Why Play Nurse?
Pros:
- Strongest killer in the game when mastered
- Ignores all loops, pallets, and windows
- Unmatched map pressure
- Ends chases in seconds
- High skill ceiling - always room to improve
- Extremely satisfying when you land blinks
- Dominates competitive play
Cons:
- Hardest killer to learn
- Requires 20-50+ hours to get decent
- Very punishing when you miss blinks
- Slowest killer without her power
- Frustrating for new players
- Console players struggle with camera controls
Learning Curve and Practice
Nurse has the steepest learning curve in DBD. Here’s what to expect:
Hours 0-10: You’ll lose almost every match. You’ll miss blinks constantly. Survivors will loop you. Don’t give up.
Hours 10-20: You’ll start landing blinks occasionally. You’ll down survivors, but slowly. Still losing most matches.
Hours 20-40: You’re landing blinks consistently. You’re winning some matches. Still making mistakes, but improving.
Hours 40-100: You’re a competent Nurse. You win most matches. You understand prediction and survivor behavior.
Hours 100+: You’re a strong Nurse. You dominate matches. Survivors complain in endgame chat.
Practice tips:
- Play custom matches and practice blinks without survivors
- Watch Nurse streamers (Supalf, Knightlight) to learn techniques
- Focus on one survivor pattern at a time (straight lines, then doubling back, then 360s)
- Don’t get tilted. Losing is part of learning Nurse.
Final Thoughts
Nurse is the ultimate test of skill in Dead by Daylight. She’s the hardest killer to learn, but the most powerful when mastered. If you’re willing to put in the time and push through the frustration, you’ll have a killer that can 4k against any team.
Don’t expect to be good immediately. Nurse takes dedication. But once it clicks - once you start reading survivors and landing blinks consistently - you’ll understand why Nurse mains love her so much.
Nurse teaches you prediction, precision, and pressure management. Master her, and no other killer will feel difficult again.
Good luck, and may your blinks always land true.
Last Updated: Patch 9.3.0 - November 2025