Guide

So you just picked up Dead by Daylight and have no idea what’s going on? Don’t worry - everyone gets stomped in their first few matches. DBD has a learning curve, but once you understand the basics, it’s incredibly fun. This guide will get you up to speed fast. What is Dead by Daylight? Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric 4v1 horror game. Four survivors try to escape while one killer hunts them down. Survivors work together to repair generators and open exit gates. The killer’s job is to catch survivors, hook them, and sacrifice them to a mysterious entity. ...

The Animatronic - William Afton/Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddy’s - is Dead by Daylight’s haunted animatronic killer who places phantom animatronics around the map to hunt survivors and applies containment status. He deploys phantom animatronics that patrol and detect survivors, builds containment on survivors to slow and expose them, and uses haywire mode for enhanced tracking. The Animatronic excels at map pressure, tracking, and forcing survivors to manage containment. ...

The Artist is Dead by Daylight’s crow-summoning killer who places Dire Crows that can be launched to damage survivors from any distance. She excels at anti-loop, map pressure, and sniping survivors across the map with crows. The Artist rewards strategic crow placement, prediction, and understanding swarm mechanics. Artist has one of the highest skill ceilings in DBD and can be nearly unstoppable when mastered. Let’s break down how to dominate with her. ...

The Blight is Dead by Daylight’s highest mobility killer and one of the strongest killers in the game. He uses his Rush ability to pinball around the map at incredible speeds, then slam into survivors for instant downs. Blight has an extremely high skill ceiling but rewards mastery with unmatched map pressure and chase potential. Blight is the killer of choice for many top players and competitive teams. He’s fast, he’s lethal, and in skilled hands, nearly unstoppable. Let’s break down how to master him. ...

The Cannibal - better known as Bubba or Leatherface - is one of Dead by Daylight’s most straightforward killers. He swings a chainsaw in a wide arc, instantly downing any survivor he hits. Bubba is simple to pick up, but mastering him requires good positioning, chainsaw management, and knowing when to commit. Bubba is infamous for camping hooks (his chainsaw punishes unhook attempts), but he’s also strong in chases and has incredible multi-down potential. Let’s break down how to play him effectively - and how to use him for more than just facecamping. ...

The Cenobite - better known as Pinhead - is Dead by Daylight’s chain-wielding killer from Hellraiser. He uses Possessed Chains to injure survivors from range, and the Lament Configuration box to create Chain Hunts that pressure the entire team. Pinhead excels at map control, slowdown, and denying survivor actions. Pinhead is one of the most complex killers in the game with a high skill ceiling. He rewards smart box control, good chain aim, and understanding when to commit to chases vs when to pressure the box. Let’s break down how to play him effectively. ...

The Clown is Dead by Daylight’s bottle-throwing killer who uses gas clouds to slow survivors and speed himself up. He throws Tonic Bottles (yellow gas) to Hinder survivors and Antidote Bottles (purple gas) to give himself Haste. The Clown excels at anti-loop, shutting down loops and pallets with gas clouds that force survivors into bad positions. Clown is one of the simplest killers mechanically but rewards good aim, bottle management, and understanding zoning. Let’s break down how to master him. ...

The Deathslinger is Dead by Daylight’s precision ranged killer who uses a harpoon gun to spear survivors, reel them in, and hit them at close range. He’s a 1v1 chase specialist with instant aim-down-sights, no Terror Radius while aiming, and the ability to zone survivors with constant quick-scope threats. Deathslinger rewards good aim, patience, and understanding of zoning. He’s one of the most satisfying killers to play when you land shots consistently. Let’s break down how to master him. ...

The Demogorgon is Dead by Daylight’s Stranger Things killer who creates portals to travel across the map and uses powerful Shred attacks to damage survivors. It places portals around the map, teleports between them, and becomes Undetectable when emerging. The Demogorgon excels at map pressure, anti-loop with Shred, and stealth plays from portals. Demogorgon rewards strategic portal placement, Shred timing, and capitalizing on Undetectable. Let’s break down how to master it. ...

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. ...