Dead By Daylight is one of the most entertaining asymmetrical horror games out at the moment, giving its players something horror fans have dreamed about for years; a game where you can play some of your favorite killers from the land of cinema.
However, these survivors won't go quietly into the cold arms of the entity so easily. The cards may be in your favor with Freddy, Micheal Myers, and Pyramid head on your side, but making sure no one escapes is a difficult task.
The first mistake most new players make is they only play one killer. Sticking to only one killer gives access to a limited number of perks, some of which will not be useful at higher ranks.
Playing a variety of killers allows the player to level them up and unlock teachable perks that will expand the arsenal, especially in the higher ranks of the game. Each killer has at least one powerful perk that can be useful so the more time spent with other killers the better.
A killer can only do so much with their power alone. Using perks alongside their power can lead to devastating results and plenty of sacrifices for the entity.
Using perks can help make up for a killer's downside like mobility when playing Nurse. Using Corrupt Intervention can slow the game down by around two minutes, letting the player get a head start on the survivors. Another example is with Leigon, someone who wants to be hitting as many people as quickly as possible, so something like Surge giving away their position is helpful.
It's highly recommended to play this game with headphones, especially when hunting the survivors. A killer's ears are just important as their eyes, especially when survivors could be hiding close by.
Survivors can be very loud at times. Whether they are vaulting over a window or trying to heal after being hit, they are often giving away their positions. Being in first person, the killer's view is very restrictive, so listening out can help to root out survivors that are out of sight.
A killer needs every advantage they can when hunting their prey. Looking in the lobby at the start of any game can give away vital information that can stop survivors from escaping the entity's grasp.
The killer can see the four survivors before the match starts, along with the items they are holding. If everyone has flashlights equipped, then maybe use Lightborn to prevent being blinded. Or, if someone with rare cosmetics is in the lobby, they might be more of a problem.
Time is against the killer when it's four against one, and wasting time may lead to some escaping. The killer needs every advantage they can get, and, sometimes, letting someone go is the best call.
If a killer spends all game chasing one strong survivor, then the other three will be doing generators and bringing the game closer to an end. Knowing when to leave a chase to look for other survivors is something many new killers end up doing.
With a large array of different maps, knowing your environment is vital. Every map follows the same basic rules, but some have other floors, dead ends, and some change depending on which generators are done.
Survivors will do whatever it takes to evade the killer, so knowing the basic layout of a map helps in finding where they might be hiding. Plus, some killers can be helped or hindered by the map, so using items can help you avoid maps that might equal a loss.
Hooking a survivor and waiting for them to slowly be sacrificed to the entity is not a way to win games, especially at the higher ranks. All it does is let the other three survivors get on with the game with no interruptions.
Not to say camping doesn't have its uses. Sometimes, when the doors are open and you have someone hooked, it's best to stay around and stop them from being saved. If you leave, you could lose the kill and displease the entity. Perks like Insidious can help when your watching from the shadows.
Pallets are one of the only weapons survivors have on the map to stop killers. This quick stun can add valuable seconds to a chase, keeping the killer from doing other things.
Depending on where and how a pallet is placed on the map can determine how useful it is. One at the door to the killer's shack is very useful because killers can run around it by survivors, making it an extremely strong pallet and something that the killer wants to be used as quickly as possible.
Knowing your enemy is the best way to be able to defeat them. Spending some time playing survivor can show things that survivors do that you can take away for killer games.
Learning how to play survivor well let a killer see all the tricks they try to pull, taking advantage of the killer's limited view. Running into the killer as they swing, looping them around objects, and the tells that people do when they are using certain perks can all be learned playing as a survivor.
It sounds very basic, but some things can't be learned overnight, and nothing will help a killer more than time hunting survivors to please the entity.
Becoming a powerful killer takes time and experience with the game, and, without it, survivors will always getaway. Things to help save time and avoid hazards in the game will become second nature, and, soon enough, no survivors will be able to escape your watchful eye.