Since 2016, Dead by Daylight has introduced more than 40 playable Survivors, each with their own set of learnable perks. The Killers range from Halloween's Michael Myers to DBD's OC The Trapper, and they have their own distinctive powers. For their part, the Survivors can choose perks that enhance strategies from stealth to cooperation as they repair Generators, open Exits, and run for their lives.

Each DBD Survivor has perks that reflect the visuals and gameplay style they bring to the table. This is especially nice for Survivors like Ash from Evil Dead​​​​​​, Ellen Ripley from Alien, and the various heroes from Stranger Things. That said, there's little that differentiates Dead By Daylight's Survivors other than their looks, voices, and teachable perks. They all have to run for their lives so unlocking the best possible perks is an essential part of making it to the end of the match.

Updated March 26th, 2024, by Arthur Goyaz: Dead By Daylight is still buffing and nerfing existing perks to keep the game's meta fresh. Recently, Stranger Things has also returned to DBD and the game has added exciting Survivors like Ellen Ripley and Alan Wake to its roster. CBR is committed to keeping its articles up-to-date to reflect the changes in Dead By Daylight and other popular games: this list has been updated to include more information about each survivor, as well as to comply with CBR's most current standards in formatting.

20 Steve Harrington is Great at Helping Everyone but Himself

First Appearance: Stranger Things, Season 1

Steve Harrington is great at helping other Survivors make it through the trial, so it's probably best to put off leveling him until later. However, for players who enjoy thinking of others first, Steve's perks are great, and add plenty of extra value to their altruistic actions. The playable character was absent for a long time ahead of Stranger Things' departure from DBD, but now the Hawkins characters are back and they're still fun to play.

• Second Wind/Renewal — The next time players are unhooked after healing another Survivor by 1 Health State, they automatically heal 1 Health State in as few as 20 seconds.
• Babysitter/Guardian — Unhooking a Survivor prevents them from leaving blood or scratch marks for up to 8 seconds. It also increases their Haste Status Effect by +7%.
• Camaraderie/Kinship — If another Survivor comes within 16 meters of hooked players, the Struggle Phase timer is paused for up to 34 seconds.

Steve's Second Wind speeds up the healing process for everyone, but there are Survivors with better healing perks. The Babysitter perk is useful for Steve's team since it lets other Survivors avoid leaving a bloody trail after they're successfully unhooked. The Camaraderie perk completes Steve's "team player" package and can even help Steven unhook himself. These are all decent perks, but they don't help Steve survive the trial as well as many other Survivors, so he's a bit overspecialized.

19 Kate Denson Never Misses An Opening

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, Curtain Call

Kate Denson is a DBD veteran but her perks have changed a lot over the years. Her objective is to make the most of tiny openings, and each of her perks reflects that. In game, Killers will often find themselves having a hard time getting ahold of Kate.

• Windows of Opportunity — Reveals the Auras of nearby breakable walls, pallets, and windows.
• Dance With Me — When performing a rush vault action or rushing out of a locker, the player will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 3 seconds.
• Boil Over — While the player's being carried, wiggle effects are stronger and Killers can no longer reveal the Auras of nearby hooks.

Windows of Opportunity lets Kate see the Aura of all windows, pallets, and breakable walls, making it a great perk for players to plan their escape routes. Dance With Me makes it harder to track Kate by briefly erasing her Scratch Marks after she vaults or exits a locker. The Boil Over perk gives Kate a greater chance of escaping when she's on a Killer's shoulder and hides the Auras of all nearby hooks, making it harder for Killers to seal the deal by hooking injured Survivors.

18 Nancy Wheeler Knows How To Take Care of Herself

First Appearance: Stranger Things, Season 1

Each of Nancy Wheeler's perks helps her see what's happening on the map and allows her to help her teammates. Nancy's one of Stranger Things' most badass characters, so playing with her can be an immersive experience for fans of the Netflix show. Her perks are also great for new players since they let them see features only the Killer's point of view usually reveals, such as Generator Auras and Scratch Marks, so they know when their foes are probably hunting them down.

• Inner Strength/Inner Healing — Cleansing a totem allows the player to heal 1 Health State when they're hiding in a Locker, in as few as 8 seconds.
• Fixated/Self-Aware — The player can walk up to 20% faster and can see their own Scratch Marks.
• Better Together/Situational Awareness — While repairing a Generator, its Aura is revealed to all other Survivors within 32 meters.

The Inner Strength perk is probably Nancy's best tool, as it allows her to heal a full Health State when she's hiding inside a Locker, but it only works after the Survivor cleanses a totem, so it's limited. The Fixated perk lets Nancy see her own Scratch Marks on the floor and speeds up her walking speed by 10 to 20%, helping her dodge her pursuer. Finally, the Better Together perk reveals the Aura of the Generator she's working on to all nearby Survivors, so they can pitch in and open the Exit Gates.

17 Ellen Ripley is as Badass as in the Alien Movies

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, Alien

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Ellen Ripley and the Alien chapter have been a long time coming for Dead by Daylight, and fans got exactly what they hoped for from one of horror's greatest Final Girls. Ripley's perks are all about evading the Killer, either by force or stealth, and they combine different survival strategies to great effect. In addition, some of the best cosmetics in DBD are part of the Alien chapter.

• Light-Footed — When Survivors are healthy, their running footsteps are silent. The perk enters a brief cooldown period after a Rushed Action. This perk cannot be used while the Survivor is Exhausted.
• Chemical Trap — After repairing a Generator, gain the ability to install a temporary Trap on a dropped Pallet. If the Killer breaks the trapped Pallet, the Trap explodes and momentarily slows them down.
• Lucky Star — After hiding in a Locker, players with this perk leave no pools of blood and make no sounds for a brief duration. Exiting the Locker, they glimpse the Auras of all their teammates and the closest Generator.

Light-Footed is an Exhaustion perk that allows Ripley to make no sounds while running. Similar to Jill Valentine's Blast Mine, Ripley's Chemical Trap is made to disrupt the Killer's actions. It lets the player install a temporary Trap on a dropped Pallet, which will slow the Killer down if they break the Pallet. The perk Lucky Star suppresses grunts of pain and blood pools while players hide in lockers. Exiting the locker lets Ripley see the Aura of all her teammates and the closest Generator.

16 Nea Karlsson is the Veterans' Favorite

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, The Last Breath

Nea is famous in the Dead by Daylight community as the perfect Survivor to mess with the Killer. She's shorter and stealthier than most other Survivors and has plenty of stylish cosmetics to spice up her gameplay. She's been a fan-favorite among veteran players for quite some time, though it's a matter of style of subtance.

• Urban Evasion — Increases crouching movement speed by a maximum of 100%.
• Balanced Landing — When falling from high up, reduces stagger duration by 75%, suppresses grunts from falling, and allows a 150% speed burst for 3 seconds.
• Streetwise — Increases the efficiency of items by up to 25%.

With the Urban Evasion perk, Nea has increased movement speed whenever she is crouching, a must-have for stealth players. She also has Balanced Landing, which acts like a Sprint Burst if the player jumps out a window or falls down a hole. This perk also reduces the noise Nea makes when she lands and significantly drops her staggering time. Streetwise increases item efficiency by up to 25%, so Nea gets more out of her Flashlights and Med-Kits than almost any other Survivor.

15 Dwight Fairfield Seeks Only Objectives

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, member of the original Survivor Quartet

Dwight Fairfield has some great perks that let him help his teammates in several ways. His abilities allow the nerdy hero to monitor what others are doing and coordinate cooperative action, ensuring Generators are completed before the Killer can kill the Survivors. The downside is that Dwight's perks focus too much on objectives and can discourage the player from engaging in other fun game elements, like chases with the Killer.

• Leader — Increases action speeds up to 25% for other Survivors within a maximum radius of 8 meters.
• Prove Thyself — Increases Repair speed by 15% for each Survivor nearby, applying to all other Survivors in range.
• Bond — Reveals Aura of Survivors within a maximum radius of 36 meters.

With the Leader perk, Dwight increases the speed of nearly every action his fellow Survivors take as long as they're nearby. The Prove Thyself perk enables Dwight to increase his teammates' repair speed so that they can complete Generators even more quickly. With the Bond perk, he can see the Auras of his allies when they're in his general area, so he always knows when help's on the way.

14 Felix Richter Disrupts the Killer's Match

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, Descend Beyond

Felix joined Dead by Daylight for utility purposes and each of his perks let him help other Survivors complete their tasks more efficiently. Players who prefer to disrupt the Killer's efficiency without springing into combat will always have a great time with Felix Richter's abilities, especially those who enjoy bringing items to every match.

• Visionary — Reveals Generator Auras within a 32-meter radius.
• Desperate Measures — Increases healing and unhooking speed by up to 14% for each injured, hooked, or dying Survivor, up to a maximum of 56%.
• Built To Last — Hiding in a locker for as few as 12 seconds will recharge a used item up to 99%.

Felix's Visionary perk allows him to locate Generators quickly, making it easier to repair them. The Desperate Measures perk makes him a good teammate because it increases the speed of other Survivors' healing and unhooking while Felix is close by. Finally, Felix Richter's Built To Last perk will refill a depleted item gauge up to 50%, so he usually has what he needs in a crisis.

13 William "Bill" Overbeck Changes the Rules of the Game

First Appearance: Left 4 Dead 2

A war veteran, William "Bill" Overbeck, is known for his role in the great zombie horror game Left 4 Dead, and he's got some pretty impressive perks to offer. One of the first Survivors to join Dead by Daylight from outside the franchise, Bill is all about altering the game's basic rules and forcing the Killer to play differently.

• Left Behind — Reveals the Aura of the Hatch within 32 meters if the player is the last Survivor.
• Borrowed Time — Extends the duration of unhooked Survivors' Endurance status effect by up to 10 seconds and their Haste status effect by 10 seconds.
• Unbreakable — Once per trial, players can Heal completely from the Dying State, and their Recovery speed is increased by up to 35%.

The Left Behind perk is particularly amazing since it can let Bill escape when he's the last Survivor still in the trial. Bill also has the Borrowed Time perk, which benefits the Survivors Bill saves from hooks. Survivors unhooked by players running Borrowed Time will receive additional time for their Endurance and Haste status effects. Finally, the Unbreakable perk allows Bill to recover fully from his Dying State, making him recover faster and letting him stand up completely without anyone's help.

12 Laurie Strode Lures the Killer Into Action

First Appearance: Halloween

Laurie Strode is the Halloween franchise's most notable Final Girl and she comes with some amazing perks that perfectly fit her character in the gripping Halloween films. True to form, in Dead by Daylight, Laurie can actively lure the Killer into an intense game of cat and mouse.

• Decisive Strike — Allows players to escape the Killer's grasp and stun them if they pass a Skill Check.
• Object Of Obsession — Makes players the Killer's obsession, allowing them to see each other's Auras throughout the game, and increasing certain Action speeds.
• Sole Survivor — Earn Tokens that protect players' Auras from Killers, and increase Repair speed by +75% and Opening speed by +50% when the player is the last Survivor.

Laurie's best perk is Decisive Strike, which allows her to avoid Killers tunneling or camping her. If Laurie is captured within 60 seconds after being unhooked, the player gets to attempt a difficult skill check. If she's successful, the Killer will be stunned and drop Laurie, allowing her to escape. She also has the Object of Obsession and Sole Survivor perks, which increase her chance of becoming the Killer’s obsession, letting Laurie be the bait while her teammates finish up the Generators.

11 Adam Francis is the Ultimate Solo Survivor

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, Shattered Bloodline

Adam Francis has one of Dead by Daylight's best backstories: an English teacher working in Japan, his life was turned upside-down following a strange train crash that plunged him into the Dark Mist. While none of his perks directly synergize with each other, they're all powerful in their own right, reflecting the character's focus on solo survival.

• Diversion — Throw a pebble 20 meters, causing a loud noise notification for the Killer alongside false scratch marks in the area it lands in.
• Deliverance — After performing a safe hook rescue on another Survivor, the player's next escape attempt will automatically succeed but they suffer from the Broken status for the next 60 seconds.
• Autodidact — The player starts the trial with a -25% progression penalty for every good skill check while they're healing another Survivor. However, each successful skill check will provide a +15% bonus, stacking up to 5 times, a potential +50% bonus.

Deliverance is Adam's most exciting perk, allowing him a guaranteed chance to unhook himself. Diversion and Autodidact lean more toward support. Diversion does what its name suggests, creating a false notification for the Killer, complete with Scratch Marks. Autodidact allows the player to heal others faster every time they succeed at a skill check, though this comes with the cost of starting off the trial slightly slower so it's not great for newer players who are still struggling with skill checks.

10 Ashley "Ash" Williams is the Game's Tank

First Appearance: The Evil Dead

Newer players usually shy away from Ashley "Ash" Williams because of his height, which makes him stand out during the trial. However, while his size makes him more of a target, it rarely makes much of an impact. With a focus on protecting allies and being hard to kill, Ash's perks give him a role similar to a classic MMO tank.

• Flip-Flop — Convert up to 50% of Recovery progress into Wiggle progress when picked up by the Killer.
• Buckle Up — Healing downed Survivors grants the player 10% Haste for 10 seconds and reveals the Killer to both characters for the same duration.
• Mettle of Man — After taking three protection hits, the player ignores the next attack that would down them. However, healing back to full will reveal their Aura to the Killer when they're further than 16 meters away.

Ash's Flip-Flop perk can enable escapes even when all hope seems lost, especially if the Killer loses track of the downed player long enough for them to charge it fully. Mettle of Man serves more of a support role, helping allies get back up and escape. Recently, Buckle Up received a major buff. It was considered useless for years but now it grants the Endurance Status Effects to Ash and another Survivor after the players heal them from the Dying State. He's not the strongest DBD Survivor but these days Ash plays more like the Chosen One he was always intended to be.

9 Zarina Kassir Has An Adventurous Spirit

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, Chains of Hate

Zarina brings a thrill of danger and an adventurous spirit to Dead by Daylight. She's prepared for whatever comes her way and her perks are some of the game's most creative. Deception and unpredictability are Zarina's specialty and Killers often have a hard time playing mind games with a Survivor who has so many cards up her sleeve.

• Off the Record — After being unhooked, the Killer cannot read the player's Aura for an extended duration. While injured, their grunts of pain are reduced by 100%.
• Red Herring — After repairing a Generator, the player can see its unique yellow Aura. Entering a locker will trigger a loud noise notification at the highlighted Generator.
• For the People — When healthy, instantly heal an injured Survivor without a Med-Kit. However, this leaves the Survivor using this perk injured and Broken.

Off the Record is an Anti-Tunneling perk that resembles the old Iron Will perk, and makes it much harder for Killers to find the Survivor, if only for a moment. Red Herring is made for players who enjoy deceiving the Killer. It lets Zarina trigger a fake warning at a Generator after she enters a locker. With For the People, Zarina can instantly heal a Survivor's full Health State, becoming injured and Broken in the process. It's especially helpful when a player wants to attract the Killer's attention, a dangerous gambit that can help Survivors shut out the Killer during a trial.

8 Mikaela Reid Introduced Boon Totems to the Game

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, Hour of the Witch

A storyteller with a mystical inclination, Mikaela's perks allow her to support a team in ways no other Survivor can. She was the first character to introduce Boon Totems to Dead by Daylight, countering the terrifying Hex Totems. The Boon Totem feature creates a safe haven where Survivors can breathe easily for a moment.

• Clairvoyance — After cleansing a Totem, this perk allows players to see all Auras for up to 10 seconds.
• Boon: Circle of Healing — Blesses a Totem, erecting an area of effect that helps heal allies faster.
• Boon: Shadow Step — Blesses a Totem, erecting an area of effect that hides Survivor Auras and Scratch Marks from Killers.

Upon cleansing a Totem, Mikaela can activate Clairvoyance, seeing all features of the map within a large distance, including the elusive Hatch when she's the last one standing. Mikaela's other two perks are also potent, taking Totems found throughout the map and using them to aid nearby Survivors. Circle of healing helps patch up other players faster, while Shadow Step hides all Scratch Marks and Auras within its range from the Killer's view.

7 Renato Lyra is Agile and Mobile

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, Tools of Torment

A kite-fighter from Brazil, Renato Lyra joined the game alongside his sister Thalita as part of the Tools of Torment update. His perks make him very mobile and surprisingly stealthy, and since siblings must care for one another, Renato is also great at helping others out in the match.

• Blood Rush — Once per match lose a health state to instantly recover from Exhaustion, though the user suffers from the Broken status for the next 20 seconds
• Teamwork: Collective Stealth — After being healed by another Survivor, both players will have their Scratch Marks suppressed as long as they remain within 12 meters. This ends if either takes damage again
• Background Player — If another Survivor is picked up, they player gains the ability to sprint at 150% speed for 4 seconds at any time in the next 10 seconds

Renato's perks Blood Rush and Background Player work well in tandem. The former lets the player sacrifice their health to recover from the Exhausted effect and the latter lets them use that to fuel a significant speed boost. Whether this is used for escape or rescue is up to the player. Teamwork: Collective Stealth is Renato's definitive "teamwork" perk, allowing two Survivors to hide their Scratch Marks, helping them evade the Killer together.

6 Leon Scott Kennedy is Efficient in Both Objectives and Combat

First Appearance: Resident Evil 2

Leon Kennedy joined DBD from the Resident Evil series and is great at disrupting Killers' plans. In the Resident Evil games, Leon never failed a single task. In Dead by Daylight, his gameplay revolves around efficiency, letting the player get creative rewards by committing to objectives like repairing Generators. They even let Leon fight back under the right circumstances.

• Flashbang — Entering a Locker while empty-handed allows players to craft a Flash Grenade
• Rookie Spirit — While repairing Generators, completing enough Skill Checks reveals the Auras of regressing Generators
• Bite The Bullet — Failing heal Skill Checks don't trigger a notification and the Regression penalty is reduced

Leon's most useful perk is the aptly named Flashbang, allowing him the unique ability to craft flash grenades by hiding in a Locker. Once made, they can be thrown to blind and deafen a nearby Killer, or to create an alert on their screen, mimicking a Generator explosion. His perk Rookie Spirit allows him to track any regressing Generators, while Bite the Bullet makes Leon and anyone else healing utterly silent, even if they fail a skill check.

5 Feng Min is Great at Keeping Track of the Killer While Evading Them

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, Spark of Madness

Feng Min is a fan-favorite in Dead by Daylight and both new and old players love experimenting with her unique skins. She's also popular because her perks are useful to new players and more experienced veterans who want to lure the Killer into a fruitless chase. This combination makes her one of the game's top-tier Survivors, capable of escaping and evading Killers while she completes the tasks that let her escape the trial.

• Technician — Failing Skill Checks while repairing Generators reduces Generator Explosions and repair sounds are reduced to an 8-meter range
• Lithe — After a fast vault, players sprint at 150% movement speed for 3 seconds
• Alert — Whenever Killers destroy or damage items on the map, their Aura is revealed for up to 5 seconds

The Alert perk allows Feng Min to see the Killer's Aura whenever they break a pallet or damage a generator for three to five seconds. This updates Feng Min on the Killer's location for the entire game. She also has the Technician perk, which reduces the sounds made when she's repairing a Generator, making it harder for the Killer to locate her. Finally, she has the Lithe perk, which allows Feng Min to gain a 150% sprint burst for three seconds after performing a fast vault, perfect for escaping Killers in a chase.

4 Nicolas Cage is the Game's Wild Card

First Major Film: Valley Girl

Nicolas Cage is a popular meme because of his commitment to absurd roles in Hollywood films, but he's also a respected, Oscar-winning actor. Dead by Daylight took advantage of this fact to introduce some of the most inventive perks in a long time, turning Cage into the closest thing to a wild card DBD has. He's extremely fun to play, introducing a unique high-risk, high-reward gamestyle to the game.

• Plot Twist — When injured, players can press the Active Ability button while crouched to willingly enter the Dying State. From there, they can recover on their own to become Broken for a brief duration, then fully healed.
• Screen Partner — When in the Killer’s Terror Radius, look in the Killer’s direction to scream and receive a brief view of their Aura. There's a chance the player will scream two times.
• Dramaturgy — When healthy, press the Active Ability button to gain a brief vaulting speed boost. Immediately after, one of 4 random effects will occur: become Exposed, move slightly faster for a few seconds, let out a scream, or receive a random item. This perk causes the Exhaustion status effect and cannot be used while Exhausted.

Plot Twist lets Cage willingly enter the Dying State and recover on his own, which is great for stealth and lures Killers into some unexpected situations. He also has the Screen Partner perk, which enables Cage to look at the Killer, scream, and briefly see their pursuer's Aura. With Dramaturgy, players can press the Active Ability button to gain a quick speed boost and one out of four possible random effects, most of which are positive, though becoming Exposed is always a risk.

3 Ada Wong's Map Awareness is Unsurpassed

First Appearance: Resident Evil 2

The brave Ada Wong was introduced in Resident Evil 2 as a skillful secret agent fighting her way out of Raccoon City Police Station. She is good at avoiding danger while staying aware of the map. Wong continues Dead by Daylight's tradition of letting Resident Evil characters change the game with distinctive traps, and Ada introduced the Spy Trap, the game's most effective trap so far.

• Wiretap — Place a Spy Trap on a Generator for 80 seconds, highlighting it in yellow for all Survivors and revealing the Killer's Aura if they come within 14 meters
• Reactive Healing — When another Survivor loses a Health State within 32 meters, the player heals for 40% of their health bar
• Low Profile — When this character is the last Survivor standing, whether allies are dead, hooked, or dying, suppress all pools of blood, Scratch Marks, and pained grunts for the next 90 seconds

Ada's Wiretap perk performs double duty as both a way to coordinate efforts with allies and as a way to see danger coming before it sees her. Reactive Healing gives Ada some surprisingly good survivability, healing her anytime a nearby ally takes damage. Low Profile can be deceptively strong, too, since there's no clause saying it can only be used once per game, allowing for sneaky rescues or stealthy escapes as the situation demands. Ada's powers benefit the other Survivors but she's also good at helping herself, making her one of DBD's greatest heroes.

2 Gabriel Soma Has the Best Perk in the Game

First Appearance: Dead by Daylight, End Transmission

Gabriel Soma's arsenal includes ways to counter two of the most hated Killer strategies in Dead By Daylight, Slugging and Tunneling. The result of a cloning experiment, he also brings some unique sci-fi lore to the game. His arrival offered a significant shift in the Survivor meta.

• Made for This — When injured, the player runs slightly faster. Upon healing a teammate, they gain the Endurance status effect for a brief duration.
• Troubleshooter — While being chased by the Killer, the player can see the Aura of the Generator with the most progress. When they drop a Pallet, they’ll also get a glimpse of the Killer’s Aura.
• Scavenger — Successful Great Skill Checks when repairing a Generator grant a Token. When the player reaches the maximum number of Tokens, they lose all Tokens and automatically recharge their Toolbox to full. The perk is disabled upon recharging a Toolbox.

Gabriel introduced one of the current meta's most important perks to the game, Made for This, which allows him to run slightly faster when he's injured. In addition, healing a teammate gives Gabriel the Endurance Status Effect for 10 seconds. His other perks are just as good. With Troubleshooter, Gabriel can see the Aura of the Generator with the most progress. The perk Scavenger needs a Toolbox to work. With the item in hand, Gabriel can get a free item to recharge upon completing Great Skill Checks and collecting Tokens.

1 Meg Thomas is the Game's Strongest Character (Dead By Daylight)

First Appearance: Dead By Daylight, member of the original Survivor Quartet

Meg is the stealthiest Survivor in Dead by Daylight and she might be the game's strongest character. Regardless, gaining her perks is a priority for newcomers since her abilities make the game much easier to learn and play. Alternatively, veteran players can get maximum value from the dynamic abilities Meg offers, both early in the game and in the trial's final stages.

• Quick & Quiet — Suppresses loud noises and sound effects triggered when the player is performing rush actions.
• Sprint Burst — Break into a sprint at 150% of normal running speed for 3 seconds.
• Adrenaline — Instantly heal 1 Health State and sprint at 150% of normal running speed for 5 seconds once the Exit Gates are powered.

With the Quick & Quiet perk, Meg doesn't make as much noise when she's jumping into Lockers or vaulting over windows and pallets, making it easier for her to run away and hide. The Adrenaline perk is also immensely powerful, as it allows Meg to heal an entire Health State and run faster once the Exit Gates have been activated, even ignoring the Exhausted status. She also comes with the perk Sprint Burst, which allows Meg to sprint away from the Killer for three crucial seconds, just long enough to escape during the final moments of a trial.