The beauty of Dead By Daylight is that there isn't one linear path to winning as a survivor, so our guide on the various Dead By Daylight survivor builds should help you figure out what works for you. When considering the perks and items that you bring into each match, it pays to strategically consider what type of survivor you'll want to be. Will you be relying on stealth? Do you want to play aggressively to hinder the killer? Do you want to stick with the group, or fly solo?
In these instances, certain perks and items are rendered completely useless if used in the wrong context. With that being said, here are some pointers to keep in mind as you narrow down your survivor play style.
Stealthy and solo survivor builds
Being stealthy in Dead By Daylight is all about knowing where every character and objective is on the map in order to avoid danger. Some invaluable perks to consider if you’re going the sneaky build route are:
- Iron Will (Jake Park) - Reduces the noises that you make when in the injured state.
- Empathy (Claudette Morel) - Reveals the auras of injured survivors to you from almost across the entire map.
- Spine Chill (All Survivors) - Activates when the killer is in close proximity and facing you.
- Urban Evasion (Nea Karlsson) - Increases movement speed while crouching
- Teamwork: Collective Stealth (Renato Lyra) - Surpresses scratch marks if you're within 12 meters of a survivor or one of you loses a health state.
Combining these perks enables you to preemptively escape from imminent danger, and gives you options to help others. In terms of items, med-kits should be your go-to for sneaking off into the shadows and healing your fellow survivors to get back out there.
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+ 2Healer and support survivor builds
Sticking with a group of Survivors can pay off big time during each match - after all, you can heal each other when needed and tackle generators together. Keep these perks in mind if you want to focus on supporting your fellow survivors:
- Boon: Circle of Healing (Mikaela Reid) - A boon that grants quicker healing speeds when not using a medkit and reveals injured survivors to you. Though it has been recently nerfed, this is still a great choice for heals.
- Kindred (All Survivors) - Reveals the auras of survivors and the killer when a survivor is hooked.
- Prove Thyself (Dwight Fairfield) - Provides a speed bonus while repairing generators when other survivors are in close proximity.
- We'll Make It (All Survivors) - Provides a brief boost in healing after rescuing a Survivor from a hook.
- For The People (Zarina Kassir) - Using a med kit enables you to instantly heal a survivor by a full health state.
- Botany Knowledge (Claudette Morel) - Increases the efficacy of med kits.
With builds that include these perks, your teammates will be singing your praises for making their lives easier. For items, med-kits are a safe bet to heal your fellow survivors, and maps can sometimes come in handy for pointing out objectives if paired with the proper add-ons like Glass Beads or Crystal Beads.
click to enlarge + 2Fun and aggressive builds
As a Survivor, you aren’t entirely helpless when it comes to fighting back against the Killer. In fact, playing aggressively can not only save your skin but can also be the difference in which of your fellow survivors also escapes the match. When going toe-to-toe with the Killer, consider these perks:
- Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode) - A one-time opportunity to break free from the Killer’s grasp after being hooked.
- Blast Mine (Jill Valentine) - A unique ability that allows you to place a trap on a generator that can stun the Killer.
- Head-On (Jane Romero) - Enables you to burst out of lockers and stun the Killer if they're in close proximity.
- Smash-Hit (Yun-Jin Lee) - Grants a sprint burst after stunning the Killer with a pallet.
- Boil Over (Kate Denson) - While being carried, increases the intensity of struggle effects, obscures the aura of hooks to the killer, and fills the wiggle meter when the killer drops from a height.
- Made For This (Gabriel Soma) - This has become the standout survivor perk from End Transmission. When you are injured, you gain a 3% haste effect while running and gain endurance for 10 seconds after healing another survivor. This won't work with an exhaustion perk so don't run Sprint Burst or Adrenaline with it.
This playstyle is high risk for high reward. While you'll be putting yourself in harm's way, these perks can help you to distract the Killer while your teammates finish objectives or save you and your team from certain death. If you’re really feeling like a hero, bring flashlights along with you for stunning the Killer, or pulling off a Flashlight save when a teammate is in the Killer’s grasp.
But there you have it, that's all you need to know about the best Survivor builds in Dead by Daylight. Be sure to check back regularly to see how your build could be improved. In the meantime, check out the killers we wish to see in Dead by Daylight soon as well as all we know so far on the newest Killer coming to the roster, The Alien!
For even more on Dead By Daylight, check out the latest codes for some freebies. We've also got some handy Genshin Impact codes and Cookie Run: Kingdom codes for other popular games!
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Dead by Daylight page.