Playing as the Killer in Dead by Daylight can be surprisingly difficult sometimes. The Killer is supposed to dictate the pace of the game and dominate Survivors with overwhelming force, but an organized team of experienced Survivors can flip the script completely. Being looped around infinitely and gen-rushed into a quick loss can be frustrating.
To give yourself the competitive edge as a Killer, we have outlined the best Killer Perks to use in Dead by Daylight right now, ranked from strongest to still-pretty-strong. Note that simply stuffing your grid with these Perks won’t win you games. You also need to learn to adjust your playstyle to take advantage of them.
1) BBQ & Chilli
“After hooking a Survivor, all other Survivors’ Auras are revealed to you for 4 seconds when they are farther than 40 metres from the Hook.”
This is a great teachable Perk from the Cannibal that allows you to stay on the move after a hook, immediately finding your next target. Depending on how many Survivors you spot, you also get a good read on how many are close by and potentially angling for a rescue. This Perk has a great secondary benefit: “Each time a Survivor is hooked for the first time, gain a 25% stackable bonus to all Bloodpoint gains, up to a maximum of 50/75/100%.” Cannibal is consistently among the best win rate Killers in Dead by Daylight, but this Perk can bring value to any Killer.
2) Forced Penance
“Survivors who take a Protection Hit suffer from the Broken status effect for the next 60/70/80seconds.”
As Dead by Daylight aged, its competitive meta really deviated from its premise as a terrifying game of cat and mouse, in which four vulnerable mice run around scared, trying desperately to escape or outwit one giant unkillable cat. These days, the mice will run right at you, body-block you, bait you to waste your time, and otherwise run circles around you if you’re not careful. This is where counter-Perks like Forced Penance come in. This teachable Executioner Perk is among the best Killer Perks in Dead by Daylight because it punishes Survivors for being competitive, inflicting permanent consequences for their hubris.
3) Hex: Ruin
“Whenever a Generator is not being repaired by a Survivor, it will immediately and automatically regress its Repair progress at 100/150/200% of the normal Regression speed.”
This teachable Hag Perk makes the game much harder for Survivors. Despite the changes it underwent in its balancing history, Hex: Ruin is still one of the best Killer Perks in Dead by Daylight.
4) Hex: Undying
“Survivors’ Auras are revealed for 4/5/6 seconds when they are within 2 metres of any Totem. When Hex: Undying is active and a different Hex Totem is cleansed, that Hex will be transferred to a Dull Totem, as long as one exists. Any accumulated Tokens on Hex Perks are reset with the transfer.”
This teachable Blight Perk gives the Killer excellent map control and actively penalizes Survivors for trying to tamper with your Totems.
5) Corrupt Intervention
“3 Generators located farthest from you are Blocked for 80/100/120 seconds at the start of the Trial. Survivors cannot repair the Generators for the duration Corrupt Intervention is active.”
This teachable Plague Perk is not as flashy or interactive as other Killer Perks, but it does a great job of slowing Survivors down and making the early part of the game easier for you. A strong early game usually leads to a victory.
6) Pop Goes the Weasel
“After hooking a Survivor, the next Generator you break is instantly regressed by 25 % of its total progression. Normal Generator Regression applies after the damage is done. Pop Goes the Weasel is active for 40/50/60 seconds after the Survivor is hooked.”
Another simple but brutally effective Perk, this time taught by the Clown. Pop Goes the Weasel compounds your advantage as a Killer, letting you take control of the game quickly.
7) Beast of Prey
“Grants the Undetectable status effect after gaining Bloodlust 1. The effect is removed once you lose Bloodlust. Gain 30/40/50 % more Bloodpoints for actions in the Hunter Category.”
This teachable Huntress Perk is great for two reasons. It lets you farm more Bloodpoints in your games, which is never a bad thing. More importantly, it helps you successfully catch slippery Survivors by making mind games harder for them.
8) Tinkerer
“When a Generator is repaired to 70 %, you receive a Loud Noise notification and you are granted the Undetectable Status Effect for 12/14/16 seconds.”
This teachable Hillbilly Perk lets you prevent Survivors from finishing generators. It can let you back into the game if you have fallen behind as a Killer.
9) Infectious Fright
“Any Survivors caught in the Killer’s Terror Radius when another Survivor is put into the Dying State with a Basic Attack will yell and reveal their current location to the Killer for 4/5/6 seconds.”
This is a teachable Plague Perk. Aside from being kind of funny, Infectious Fright is one of the best Dead by Daylight Killer Perks for maintaining pressure and punishing Survivors for cooperating.
10) Discordance
“Any time two or more Survivors are working on the same Generator, that Generator’s Aura is highlighted in yellow for 8/10/12 seconds.”
This teachable Legion Perk also punishes Survivors for working together, letting you crash their gen-repair parties easily.
11) A Nurse’s Calling
“The Auras of Survivors who are healing or being healed are revealed to you when they are within a range of 20/24/28 metres.”
This is a teachable Nurse Perk, obviously. Another great Aura-reading Perk, A Nurse’s Calling helps you catch Survivors when they are the most vulnerable. It compounds any advantage you already have, and it’s great for Killers who like to slug.
12) Distressing
“Your Terror Radius is increased by 22/24/26%. Gain 100% more Bloodpoints Bloodpoints for actions in the Deviousness Category.”
This general Dead by Daylight Killer Perk is not for everyone. This is because an expanded Terror Radius gives away your presence sooner, and it doesn’t suit certain playstyles. However, Distressing can amplify the effectiveness of Perks like Infectious Fright and Unnerving Presence, and the bonus Bloodpoint gain is great to have.
13) Hex: Pentimento
“You can see the auras of Cleansed Totems, and can perform a ritual on a cleansed Totem to resurrect it as a Rekindled Totem. When a Rekindled Totem is cleansed, its remains are consumed by The Entity and it cannot be rekindled.For each Rekindled Totem active at the same time, Hex: Pentimento gains an additional effect:
- 1 Totem: Decreases all Survivors’ Repair speed by 20/25/30 %.
- 2 Totems: Decreases all Survivors’ Healing speed by 20/25/30 %.
- 3 Totems: Decreases all Survivors’ Recovery speed from being downed by 20/25/30 %.
- 4 Totems: Decreases all Survivors’ Exit Gate Opening speed by 20/25/30 %.
- 5 Totems: All Totems are permanently blocked.“
This teachable Artist Perk finds itself at the bottom of the list due to how unwieldy it is. Although Hex: Pentimento could have an overwhelming impact on the game, it requires cooperation from the Survivors in order to work. Some Survivors simply don’t engage with Totems, which means they won’t give you opportunities to Rekindle them and get benefits from the Perk. If you get lucky and the Survivors do cleanse a lot of your Totems, they may just as easily snuff them out after you Rekindle them. Make sure to protect your Rekindled Totems when you get them: they represent an investment that will make the Survivors weaker as the match goes on.
Related: How to play The Dredge in Dead by Daylight – Best Perks, Strategies, and more
