There are a lot of Killers in Dead by Daylight, and they all have their own powers and abilities. In this guide, we’ll explain how Killer powers and weapons work in order to give a clear, concise explanation of every Killer power in the game.
Killer Weapons
While each Killer has a unique weapon, they are all functionally identical. All Killers will swing their weapon when the attack button [Mouse 1 on PC, Right Trigger on console] is pressed. Killers perform a different attack depending on if the attack button is tapped or held:
- Tapping the basic attack button to basic attack. This attack is quick but short-ranged.
- Holding the basic attack button will cause you to lunge attack, temporarily increasing your movement speed for the duration of the lunge. Note that the lunge range is tied to your move speed pre-lunge, so you should try to build up a bit of momentum before lunging. Basically, don’t lunge if you’re standing still.
For both types of basic attacks, a successful hit has a 3-second cooldown, and a missed attack has a 1.5-second cooldown (hitting obstacles counts as a miss). Your movement speed is significantly reduced while your basic attack is on cooldown. These cooldowns can be reduced by using some perks.
Killer Powers
In addition to being able to basic attack and lunge attack, every Killer has their own unique Power they can use to help them catch and down Survivors. Some Killer powers can trap or injure Survivors, others allow Killers to move undetected or traverse the map quickly, and others help Killers locate Survivors or herd them to where the Killer can ambush them. These powers are incredibly diverse in nature, and as such, this guide does not examine in detail every single aspect of every power. Rather, the goal here is to give players enough of an understanding of each Killer’s power that you can play as or against them without being confused.
Killer Power Default Controls:
- Power – Mouse 2 on PC, L2/LT on Consoles
- Active Ability – Control on PC, LB/L1 on Consoles
- Attack – Mouse 1 on PC, RT/R2 on Consoles
- Interact – Space on PC, RB/R1 on Consoles
Glossary
Some terms used in the guide may not be familiar to all players:
- Broken – Broken Survivors are unable to be healed.
- Dying – Dying Survivors are those who are downed. A survivor in this state is unable to do anything other than crawl on the ground and recover to 95%.
- Exposed – Exposed Survivors can be put in the Dying State with one Basic Attack, even when healthy.
- Incapacitated – Incapacitated Survivors are prevented from repairing gens, interacting with hooks, Survivors, or totems, and cannot use items.
- Oblivious – Oblivious Survivors cannot hear the Terror Radius heartbeat which indicates that the Killer is nearby.
- Power Gauge – The red-colored ring around a Killer’s power, generally indicating how close it is to fully charged/available.
- Undetectable – A status effect under which Killers do not have a Terror Radius and do not emit a Red Stain.
Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s take a look at Powers!
Artist – Birds of Torment
Blight – Blighted Corruption
Cannibal – Bubba’s Chainsaw
Cenobite – Summons of Pain
Clown – Afterpiece Tonic
Deathslinger – The Redeemer
Demogorgon – Of the Abyss
Doctor – Carter’s Spark
Dredge – Reign of Darkness
Executioner – Rites of Judgement
Ghost Face – Night Shroud
Good Guy (Chucky) – Playtime’s Over
Hag – Blackened Catalyst
Hillbilly – Chainsaw
Huntress – Hunting Hatchets
Knight – Guardia Compagnia
Legion – Feral Frenzy
Nemesis – T-Virus
Nightmare – Dream Demon
Nurse – Spencer’s Last Breath
Mastermind – Virulent Bound
Oni – Yamaoka’s Wrath
Onryō – Deluge of Fear
Pig – Jigsaw’s Baptism
Plague – Vile Purge
Shape – Evil Within
Singularity – Quantum Instantiation
Skull Merchant – Eyes in the Sky
Spirit – Yamaoka’s Haunting
Trapper – Bear Trap
Trickster – Show Stopper
Twins – Blood Bond
Unknown – UVX
Wraith – Wailing Bell
Xenomorph – Hidden Pursuit
There’s a lot to learn about Dead by Daylight’s Killers, and what’s in this guide is only an overview. If you have any specific questions about Killer Weapons and Powers, or want to leave a suggestion, use the comments below!
Killer Power Icons and Killer Images sourced from https://deadbydaylight.fandom.com/