Design Preview | Future Plans + Update on The Trickster
Last year, we tested out a new way to gather feedback with the Design Preview. In it, we shared a sneak peek at proposed changes for The Trickster with the goal of gauging how you felt about these changes very early in the design process. We wanted to quickly follow up on how we're changing up the Design Preview process moving forward and give a little update on The Trickster’s preview.
WHAT IS A DESIGN PREVIEW?
Coming away from last year's Design Preview, a couple things stood out to us:
When it comes to bigger changes like reworks, specifics matter. It’s important that we compare the perspectives of both Killers and Survivors to help inform decision-making.
While it’s one thing to ask for feedback, the original Design Preview concept didn’t let you know how we’re using your feedback, and it’s important to us that you have visibility on the ways your feedback helps drive improvements within the game!
With these in mind and as we look to future Design Previews (including this one!), we're making the following changes to our process:
Each Design Preview will use a short survey (5 mins max) to collect your feedback, ensuring we have context behind your suggestions (i.e. experience level, playstyle).
Within two weeks of each Design Preview, we’ll share an early look at some interesting points we’ve drawn from your feedback, while also giving an idea of how we plan to use it.
By making these changes, our goal is to bring you closer to the design process, giving you more transparency and making it clearer how your feedback is being used by the Design team. Of course, sometimes the nature of feedback is that it inspires other exciting chances for improvement, so we want to make sure we’re setting expectations that changes and timelines may differ from what you see here or in feedback threads. Now, let’s check in on where we’re at with The Trickster.
A SHORT UPDATE ON THE TRICKSTER
After working through your feedback, we decided to move in a different direction from what we had outlined. Rather than simply revert past changes, we think there’s an opportunity to lean into his theming to offer gameplay changes that reward Trickster mains while also providing something exciting and new for folks who have been on the fence about giving him a try. While we don’t have a timeline to share regarding a Trickster rework right now, we’ll be back when the time is right!
WHAT’S NEXT?
In the coming days, we’ll be back with a fresh Design Preview that we think you’re going to dig. In it, we’ll give you a first look at our vision for the future of The Skull Merchant. We can’t wait to hear what you think! Keep an eye on this space and our social channels for all the details! Until then...
See you in The Fog! The Dead by Daylight Team
8.6.0 | PTB
Important
Progress & save data information has been copied from the Live game to our PTB servers on March 4th 2025. Please note that players will be able to progress for the duration of the PTB, but none of that progress will make it back to the Live version of the game.
Content
NEW KILLER - THE GHOUL
Killer Power - One-Eyed Terror
SPECIAL ABILITY: Kagune Leap
Use the Power button to charge and launch the Kagune, tentacles that attach to any vertical surface within range and quickly pull The Ghoul forward.
After completing a leap, The Ghoul has a window to perform a second consecutive Kagune Leap or put Kagune Leap into cooldown by using the active ability button.
Kagune Leap enters cooldown once The Ghoul has consumed their leaps, if they leap over a vault or downed pallet, or if the Kagune grabs and leaps at a Survivor.
If The Ghoul’s second consecutive leap targets a Survivor, they will perform a grab-attack. Grab-attacks damage Survivors if they are healthy; inflict Deep Wounds; and leave a Kagune Mark.
Performing a grab-attack also triggers Enraged Mode.
SPECIAL ABILITY: Enraged Mode
While Enraged, The Ghoul can perform up to three consecutive Kagune Leaps and can leap over vaults more quickly if they launch their Kagune at a Survivor.
Enraged Mode remains active while there are Survivors afflicted with Kagune Mark. Marked Survivors will lose their mark if they are fully Mended, or if they are downed.
The Ghoul cannot grab-attack marked Survivors.
Once no marked Survivors remain, a Countdown begins. When the Countdown depletes, Enraged Mode ends. A perfectly timed grab-attack will add extra time to the Countdown. The Countdown is paused while carrying Survivors.
NEW KILLER PERKS
Hex: Nothing But Misery:
After you damage Survivors 8/8/8 times with basic attacks, a dull totem becomes a hex totem, cursing all Survivors. When you damage a Survivor with a basic attack, they gain 5/5/5% Hindered for 10/12.5/15 seconds. The effects last until the hex totem is cleansed.
Forever Entwined:
When a Survivor takes damage, gain 1 token, up to 6/7/8. For each token, you pick up, drop and hook Survivors 4% faster.
None Are Free:
When you hook a Survivor for the first time, gain 1 token, up to 4. When all generators are completed, for each token, all windows and upright pallets are blocked for everyone for 12/14/16 seconds.
Features
Scratch Marks Improvements
Made improvements to the Scratch Marks spawn logic. They should spawn on the ground more consistently.
Surrender Option
Under specific scenarios, it will be possible to Surrender during a trial and retain some progress including:
Bloodpoints
Match XP
Challenge progress
Emblem scores
Surrendering in the following conditions does not incur a Disconnection Penalty, but will not count as a completed trial and still causes item/addon loss:
Killer:
When all remaining Survivors are bots
When no generator has been completed within the last 10 minutes
Survivor:
When all other remaining Survivors are bots
When all Survivors are in the Dying State
Map
Forsaken Boneyard
The Eyrie of Crows main building was modified; windows have changed position and drops from the exterior have been added to the balcony
The content of the tiles has been revisited, to reduce the amount of small collisions that were reducing the quality of the navigations.
New tiles have been created: double pallet tiles
An extension of the theme has been added:
Dead Sands is a new map added to the roster under the Forsaken Boneyard theme, it expends the lore and at the same time nerfs the realm offering
The branches with large collisions that would appear between tiles have been removed
Base Game
Exit Gate notifications are visible for 12 seconds when they are powered (was 7 seconds)
Survivor Bloodpoint Balancing
Increased Safe Hook Rescue score event to 1250 (was 500)
Increased Heal (no Med-Kit) score event to 750 (was 500)
Increased Heal (Med-Kit) score event to 1000 (was 750)
Increased Heal (self) score event to 750 (was 300)
Increased Dull Totem Cleansing score event to 1500 (was 1000)
Increased chase escape score event to 750 (was 400)
Increased Repairs score event to 2000 (was 1250)
Increased Gate Open score event to 2000 (was 1250)
Increased Chest Unlocked score event to 750 (was 250)
Increased Killer Grasp Escape score event to 1250 (was 500)
Increased Obsession Escape score event to 2000 (was 1500)
Increased Chased score event to 50/s (was 40/s)
Increased Good Wiggle Skill Check score event to 50 each (was 25)
Increased Great Wiggle Skill Check score event to 100 each (was 50)
The following score events have been moved to a different category:
Dropping a pallet now awards Survival points (was Boldness)
Stunning the Killer now awards Survival points (was Boldness)
Cleansing a Dull Totem now awards Survival points (was Boldness)
Cleansing a Hex Totem now awards Survival points (was Boldness)
Deep Wound
Decreased the time it takes to Mend your own Deep Wound to 10 seconds (was 12 seconds)
Decreased the time it takes to Mend another Survivors' Deep Wound to 6 seconds (was 8 seconds)
Killer Updates
The Legion:
Decreased fatigue duration to 2.5 seconds (was 3 seconds)
Increased movement speed during fatigue to 2.3m/s (was 2.07m/s)
Increased duration of Feral Frenzy to 11 seconds (was 10 seconds)
Decreased Feral Frenzy cooldown to 15 seconds (was 20 seconds)
Increased bonus movement speed gained per hit during Feral Frenzy to 0.24m/s (was 0.2m/s)
The Legion Add-Ons:
The Mural Sketch add-on now grants an additional 0.08m/s movement speed per hit (was 0.1m/s)
The Mischief List add-on now increased Feral Frenzy duration by 1 second (was 2 seconds)
The Xenomorph:
Increased the Tail Attack charge time to 0.35 seconds (was 0.2 seconds)
Increased the Tail Attack charge volume for Survivors.
Decreased the missed Tail Attack cooldown to 2.5 seconds (was 3 seconds)
Increased Killer Instinct range when exiting a tunnel to 16 meters (was 12 meters)
Decreased the time it takes to exit a tunnel to 1.5 seconds (was 2.25 seconds)
Increased the amount of fire required to burn The Xenomorph out of Crawler Mode to 175 (was 100)
Increased the delay before heat begins to dissipate to 15 seconds (was 1 second)
Decreased the rate at which heat dissipates to 2 per second (was 25 per second)
The Xenomorph Add-Ons:
The Drinking Bird add-on now increases the duration of Killer Instinct after exiting a tunnel by 3 seconds (was 2 seconds)
The Ash's Innards add-on now increases the respawn time of Remote Flame Turrets by 15 seconds (was 10 seconds)
The Light Wand add-on now increases the downtime of Remote Flame Turrets after exiting a tunnel by 3 seconds (was 1 second)
The Molted Skin add-on now caused Survivors who deploy a Remote Flame Turret to become Exhausted for 30 seconds (was 3 seconds) and no longer inflicts Hindered.
The Harpoon Gun add-on now causes Survivors further than 16 meters (was 24 meters) to be revealed when hitting a Survivor within 30 seconds (was 10 seconds) of exiting a tunnel.
The Emergency Helmet add-on now increases resistance to Remote Flame Turrets by 15% (was 35%)
The Good Guy:
Decreased Hidey-Ho cooldown to 12 seconds (was 14)
Decreased the time it takes to reach max speed at the start of Slice and Dice and after Scampering a window or pallet.
Terror Radius
Increased The Hillbilly and The Blight's Terror Radius to 40 meters (was 32 meters)
Decreased The Pig, The Ghost Face, and The Skull Merchant's Terror Radius to 24 meters (was 32 meters)
Killer Perks
Alien Instinct:
Increased aura reveal duration to 8 seconds (was 5 seconds)
Increased Oblivious duration to 40/50/60 seconds (was 16/18/20 seconds)
Deathbound:
Decreased range to 12/8/4 meters (was 16/12/8 meters)
Hysteria:
Increased Oblivious duration to 30/35/40 seconds (was 20/25/30 seconds)
Decreased cooldown to 20 seconds (was 30 seconds)
Knock Out (Rework):
When a Survivor drops a pallet, if they move 6/6/6 meters away from it within 6/6/6 seconds, they gain 5/5/5% Hindered for 3/4/5 seconds.
Nemesis:
Increased aura reveal duration to 8 seconds (was 4 seconds)
Survivor Perks
Quick and Quiet:
Decreased cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20 seconds)
Deception:
Decreased cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20 seconds)
Increased the time during which you leave no scratch marks to 5 seconds (was 3)
Dance With Me:
Increased hidden scratch mark duration to 5 seconds (was 3 seconds)
Decreased cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20 seconds)
Red Herring:
Decreased repair requirement to 1 second (was 3 seconds)
Decreased cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20 seconds)
Loadouts
Equipped elements now show units left counter
Bot Improvements
Survivor bots now correctly strafe when aimed by a Killer's first ranged attack.
Survivor bots are now less interested in Chests and won't try to steal the loot of another player.
Survivor bots no longer repeatedly enter lockers trying to craft a Flashbang.
Bug Fixes
Audio
Fixed an issue where the effect on the Unknown's Voice was missing in the lobby.
Fixed an issue where Leon Kennedy's DSO Agent outfit would used Carlos Oliveira's voice.
Fixed an issue where the ''Memory 1736'' entry from the ''Talbot Grimes'' journal was missing voice over.
Fixed an issue that caused a dropped Flashbang to have no audio cue.
Bots
Fixed an issue where preventing Disconnect bots from properly using their perks.
Fixed multiple navigation issues for all AI entities in Haddonfield.
Character
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to clip into Killers during the pickup animation.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to momentarily freeze when they stopped inputting movement.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivor's camera to stutter and re-align when fast exiting a locker.
Fixed an issue that caused part of the Deathslinger's reload animation to be skipped.
Fixed an issue that caused the animation of missing a Basic Attack to fail to play properly during any trial as The Nemesis.
Fixed an issue that caused the body of a carried Survivor to clip inside The Nightmare's camera during basic attack cooldowns.
Fixed an issue which caused the Nightmare's Black Box Addon to block the exit area indefinitely.
Fixed an issue that allowed the Nightmare to pass through Survivors by holding the Dream Pallet ability.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to become injured by the Nightmare rupturing a Dream Pallet that was above/below the Survivor.
Fixed an issue that caused the Skull Merchant's drone not to rotate when deployed after recalling a disabled drone.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to be scanned by the Skull Merchant's Drones without having a scan line on them when the Drone is rotating in the South-West direction.
Fixed an issue that caused the Cenobite's aim indicator to flicker when aiming at large collision stacks.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Knight from drawing a patrol path under a hook.
Fixed an issue that caused Killers to play the wrong animation when hitting a Nemesis zombie.
Fixed an issue that can cause Nemesis' zombies to get stuck walking next to a hooked Survivor. Zombies will now take a wider route around the hook to avoid becoming stuck.
Environment
Fixed an issue in the Raccoon City Police Station where the Dream Snares failed to pass through walls
Fixed an issue in Forsaken Boneyard where projectiles were blocked by a collision in the maze tiles
Fixed an issue in the Blood Lodge main building where the Dream Snares could not go through the closed doors where the basement could spawn
Fixed an issue in the Thompson House where the Dream Snares were blocked in the structure of the main building
Fixed an issue in Ormond Lake Mine where the Killers could use their power to land in an unintended area while lunging
Fixed an issue on Shelter Woods where Killers could land on top of lockers
Fixed an issue on Forsaken Boneyard where characters would jitter when walking against a collision
Fixed an issue on Forsaken Boneyard where the Trapper could hide traps inside of the ground
Fixed an issue on Forsaken Boneyard where items could disappear in the ground when placed/dropped
Fixed an issue on the Nostromo main building where the zombies got stuck at the top of a ramp
Fixed an issue on the Temple of Purgation Mausoleum structure where zombies would get stuck walking around the structure
On the map Disturbed Ward, fixed fences that would not allow the Nurse to blink through
Some walls that previously prevented the Nurse from blinking through are now fixed in the MacMillan Estate
Fixed an issue of items clipping in the ground failed to be picked back up around the Clock Tower in Midwich Elementary School
Fixed an issue where the fence wall fades out during the Mori animation in the vat room of Gideon Meat Plant
Fixed a collision issue on Grim Pantry where a Survivor can be stopped by a ground rock on the hill
Fixed an issue of the camera clipping into assets during the escape animation before reaching the Tally Screen on Dead Dawg Saloon
Fixed an issue on the Nurse that allowed her to blink in the small prison located behind the Exit Gates on Dead Dawg Saloon
Fixed various issues with level of detail of dirt on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue with flickering textures on the ground near the Escape in Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue which made flickering textures visible on a crate on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of various signs that were clipping through the fence on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue with the level of detail on every Cement Bag pile found throughout the Ormond Lake Mine map
Fixed an issue on a pile of snow that was clipping inside a conveyor belt inside the main building of Ormond Lake Mine map
Fixed an issue of Survivors and Killers that can clip through all the pipes around the Mine Building of Ormond Lake Mine map
Fixed an issue of a superfluous collision on a staircase preventing the Killer from moving freely on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of a seam visible between two Escape tiles on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of textures that were missing on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of textures on a pool of blood that were missing on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue that caused The Nightmare's POV to go out of bounds on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of having the Dark Lord's pillars of Hellfire spawning outside of the Exit Gates with the Add-on "Alucard's Shield" on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of an invisible collision that hinders navigation for Survivors and Killers on the stairs of the Main Building in Toba Landing
Fixed an issue of a gap available at the outer edge of the Escape tile on Borgo map
Fixed an issue in Farm where The Dark Lord can stand on the doorframe of the Farmhouse when using his Bat Form
Fixed an issue where hooks failed to fade out during a Mori animation on Badham Preschool
Fixed an issue with the Nightmare's Dream Snares that fail to go through most the walls of the closed classrooms in the Main Building on Badham Preschool
Fixed an issue for the Shrine landmark ground that fades out during Mori animation on Yamaoka Estate.
Fixed an issue for the Nurse that allowed her to blink behind a wall on tile East Wing of Raccoon City Police Station.
Fixed an issue of collision that allowed players to walk onto a mop trolley on Raccoon City Police Station.
Fixed an issue for the Nurse that allowed her to blink through a wall of the Nostromo Wreckage and become stuck.
Fixed an issue on the basement floors and walls on Badham Preschool that was fading out during the Mori animation allowing to see out of the world.
Fixed an issue in which the walls and roof of the office of the Exit Gates have a one-sided texture on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue of collision that was allowed the player to walk on a sofa on Ormond
Fixed an issue of foliage that fails to fade out during Mori animation throughout the map of Dead Dawg Saloon
Fixed an issue where we could see out of world on the entrance to the Killer Shack during Mori animation on Midwich Elementary School
Fixed an issue with the level of detail visible on Stairs sign in West Wing of Raccoon City Police Station.
Fixed an issue of characters hovering above ground on the garden of Yamaoka Estate.
Fixed an issue of Killer projectiles that can pass through a Vault Location in the Main Building on Ormond Lake Mine
Fixed an issue for a basement rock wall that has a missing texture on Temple of Purgation
Fixed an issue of the level of detail that can be seen from a distance on 2 sets of stairs outside the Temple of Purgation.
Fixed an issue of the level of detail on the Cobwebs and the loculi on the Killer Shack's wall on Forsaken Boneyard
Fixed an issue of superfluous collision prevents smooth navigation along fence walls located on 6 Fence tile of the Forsaken Boneyard
Fixed an issue on Eyrie of Crows that had visible level of detail issues on the floor of the Killer Shack.
Fixed an issue with a sliced stone that was suspended in the air in front of the Clock Tower's main entrance on the Forsaken Boneyard
Fixed an issue of openings that were visible in some parts of the edge assets of multiple fence tiles on Garden of Joy
Fixed an issue of a seam that can be seen between the tiles of a fence on the Decimated Borgo
Fixed an issue with sand and roots' color that appears different around the shack of Forsaken Boneyard
Fixed an issue with multiple levels of detail on the broken brick walls on various tiles of Forsaken Boneyard
Perks
Fixed an issue that caused a Killer to be blinded while looking away from a Flashbang.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors with Shoulder The Burden not to become infected when unhooking a fully infected Survivor.
Fixed an issue that caused the Struggle skill checks not to reset when a Survivor is unhooked by a Survivor with Shoulder The Burden.
Fixed an issue that caused Eyes of Belmont not to extend the aura reading of 2 seconds to other aura reading perks.
Fixed an issue that caused the aura of broken pallets to be displayed when equipped with Power Struggle.
Fixed an issue that caused Save The Best For Last tokens not to be removed when injuring the Obsession with a throw from Virulent Bound.
Fixed an issue that caused the tokens not to be consumed from several perks when injuring a Survivor with Flight of the Damned.
Fixed an issue that caused the tokens not to be consumed from several perks when injuring a Survivor with a Dream Pallet.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Nightmare from placing Dream Pallets in places where a pallet was destroyed by Spirit Fury.
Platform
Fixed an issue that showed an incorrect message when Steam is down.
Fixed an issue that caused a crash randomly because of RTM on PS.
UI
Fixed an issue where the epilepsy warning warps.
Fixed a potential crash issue in the lobby.
Fixed an issue where arrow buttons in the Tome collection was not working after zooming in on the illustration.
Fixed an issue where the Survivor's mending bar appears where it has previously been mended if gets deep wound status while sprinting.
Fixed to display trial character when the owned filter is applied.
Fixed an issue where the name of the killer fails to update while looking for a match.
Fixed an issue where the wrong perks' reveal animation appears while spectating the player in the custom game.
Misc
Fixed an issue that caused Killer Perk "Shattered Hope" to not appear when searching for "General".
Fixed an issue that caused the "Kill" interaction from the Finisher Mori to be unlocalized in every language except English.
Fixed an issue that caused the Adept Knight achievement/trophy to unlock when the Killer disconnected after completing the unlock requirements.
Fixed an issue that caused the Death of Ignorance achievement/trophy not to progress when using the Artist's Silver Bell add-on.
Fixed an issue that caused a debug blue square to be visible when breaking a wall as a Killer.
Known Issues
Blast Mine might not always blind the Killer.
8.6.0 PTB Release by Timezones
Miss the PTB? Not on our watch ⌚ With North America switching to daylight saving time over the weekend, we're making sure you're all set for tomorrow's test build.
Developer Update | March 2025
With the 8.6.0 Update quickly approaching, it's time once again to give you a look at the notable gameplay changes you can expect from the Public Test Build next week.
Read on for all the details:
STATUS EFFECT UPDATES
[CHANGE] Decreased self-mending time to 10 seconds (was 12) [CHANGE] Decreased altruistic-mending time to 6 seconds (was 8)
DEV NOTE: We know that Deep Wound can be a frustrating mechanic to come up against as it slows down the pace of the game for Survivors. By reducing mending times, we hope to reduce this friction slightly. We want players to feel the urgency of triaging this status effect, but once they make the choice to act, we don’t want them to feel pulled away from the game for too long!
KILLER UPDATES
[CHANGE] Decreased fatigue time to 2.5 seconds (was 3) [CHANGE] Increased fatigue move speed to 2.3 m/s (was 2.07) [CHANGE] Feral Frenzy lasts for 11 seconds (was 10) [CHANGE] Feral Frenzy cooldown is now 15 seconds (was 20) [CHANGE] Movement speed earned by hit during Feral Frenzy is now 0.24 (was 0.20) [CHANGE] Adjusted several Add-Ons.
DEV NOTE: To account for reduced mending times, we’ve adjusted Legion’s kit to ease the downtime between power uses. By extending Feral Frenzy and adjusting its cooldown and movement bonus, the goal is to provide Legion with a slight buff to their ramp-up as they weaken Survivors, giving them more opportunities to lean on their mobility. Then, with the adjustments to fatigue, they’ll be able to get back into chases quicker after Feral Frenzy ends to better close the deal.
These changes will make Legion feel like more of an active and mobile threat, reducing their reliance on a more passive status effect.
[CHANGE] Increased tail attack charge time to .35 seconds (was .2) [CHANGE] Increased tail attack charge sound volume for survivors [CHANGE] Reduced missed attack cooldown time to 2.5 seconds (was 3) [CHANGE] Increased the Killer Instinct range when exiting a tunnel to 16m (was 12m) [CHANGE] Decreased the time it takes to get out of a tunnel to 1.5 second (was 2.25) [CHANGE] Increased amount of fire needed to burn The Xenomorph out of crawler mode to 175 (was 100) [CHANGE] Increased delay before the Xenomorph’s heat starts to dissipate to 15s (was 1) [CHANGE] Decreased the Xenomorph’s heat dissipation rate to 2/s (was 25) [CHANGE] Adjusted several Add-Ons to align with these changes.
DEV NOTE: In its current state, Xenomorph's tail attack tends to be a little too difficult to dodge, with a short window between wind-up and attack. To give Survivors more of a chance to anticipate and react to it, we’ve adjusted its charge time and made the wind-up louder. To balance this out, we’ve reduced the cooldown on misses so Xenomorph can keep pressure up.
We’ve also found that turret impact can be inconsistent, providing huge value at high skill levels and being very ineffective at lower levels. Rather than having turrets act as an immediate threat that dissipates quickly, heat build-up will remain for longer. This should help give a little more value to smaller bursts of heat that aren’t enough to knock Xenomorph out of crawler mode, as weaker turret placements can still build up over time. To ensure this sustained heat isn’t too punishing, we’ve balanced it with a higher heat threshold for Xenomorph.
We also did a pass on Xenomorph’s Add-Ons to buff some of its weaker, less used ones, while re-aligning some turret-based Add-Ons to fit with the above changes.
[CHANGE] Reduced Hidey-Ho Mode cooldown to 12s (was 14) [CHANGE] Reduced time to reach max speed after Scamper
DEV NOTE: We know that the Good Guy’s utility and mobility in chases has historically been one of his core draws. While recent changes have made him less oppressive at lower MMR ranks, we've made some adjustments to help get him back in the action quicker and improve “movement feel”, particularly accelerating back up to speed quicker after the Scamper animation ends.
[CHANGE] Increased the Hillbilly’s Terror Radius to 40 (was 32) [CHANGE] Increased the Blight’s Terror Radius to 40 (was 32) [CHANGE] Decreased the Pig’s Terror Radius to 24 (was 32) [CHANGE] Decreased the Ghost Face’s Terror Radius to 24 (was 32) [CHANGE] Decreased the Skull Merchant’s Terror Radius to 24 (was 32)
DEV NOTE: We’ve adjusted several Killer Terror Radiuses to better fit with their intended playstyles. Killers with high mobility that can zip across the map at high speeds have had their radiuses increased to give Survivors a greater chance to react to their approach.
We’ve also reduced the radiuses for stealthy Killers to better fit their playstyles. The Skull Merchant is a slight outlier here. While she can gain Undetectable by deploying a drone, we felt she could still benefit from added stealth support.
NEW FEATURES
[NEW] If one of the following conditions is met, the "Surrender” option will become available on the Match Details screen - When all remaining Survivors are bots, the Killer can Surrender without a disconnection penalty - When no generator has been completed for 10 consecutive minutes, the Killer can Surrender without a disconnection penalty - When all other remaining Survivors are bots, the Survivor can Surrender without a disconnection penalty - When all Survivors are in the Dying State, the Survivor can Surrender without a disconnection penalty
DEV NOTE: We know it can be frustrating to find yourself in a scenario that’s unwinnable when you would rather move on. To address these scenarios, as well as cases where the opposing side has been fully replaced by bots, we’ve added a Match Surrender option.
We’re currently targeting the most disruptive cases but will continue to monitor player behaviour to identify if there are further opportunities for expanding on this option.
And for all you Plot Twisters out there, we see you – this will not trigger the Surrender option.
[NEW] Expanded the Forsaken Boneyard realm with a Shack-focused map [NEW] Updated the existing map tiles to improve navigation
DEV NOTE: We’re expanding the Forsaken Boneyard realm and map pool with a new map layout with the Killer Shack at its center, featuring updated map tiles. Specifically, we’ve heard your feedback that Eyrie of Crows can be difficult to navigate at times thanks to collisions with certain aesthetic elements.
We’ve opted to remove the large bunches of branches from map tiles on this Shack map, while also introducing double pallet tiles that we hope will add some exciting new looping possibilities.
PERK UPDATES
QUICK AND QUIET
[[b]CHANGE] Decreased the cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20)
DECEPTION
[CHANGE] Increased the time during which you leave no scratch marks to 5 seconds (was 3)
[CHANGE] Decreased the cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20)
DANCE WITH ME
[CHANGE] Increased the time during which you leave no scratch marks to 5 seconds (was 3)
[CHANGE] Decreased the cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 30/25/20)
RED HERRING
[CHANGE] Decreased the minimum generator repair time needed to trigger this perk to 1 second (was 3)
[[b]CHANGE] Decreased the cooldown to 25/20/15 seconds (was 60/50/40)
DEV NOTE: While these Perks specialize in misdirecting the Killer, we’ve found that their cooldowns don’t match their value. By reducing their cooldowns and increasing the duration of their effects (specifically Deception and Dance With Me), we hope to give these off-meta Perks a better chance at value in deception-based builds.
KNOCK OUT
[[b]CHANGE] When a Survivor drops a pallet, if they move 6m away from it within 6s they gain 5% Hindered for 3/4/5s
DEV NOTE: Knock Out is a perk that’s associated with slugging, leading to some particularly unfun game styles. We’re looking to make changes to the perk whilst keeping it useful for Killers
ALIEN INSTINCT
[[b]CHANGE] Increased the aura reveal duration to 8 seconds (was 5)
[[b]CHANGE] Increased the duration of Oblivious to 40/50/60 seconds (was 16/18/20)
HYSTERIA
[CHANGE] Increased the duration of Oblivious to 30/35/40 seconds (was 30/30/30)
[CHANGE] Decreased the cooldown to 20 seconds (was 30)
DEATHBOUND
[CHANGE] Shortened the range at which this perk activates to 12/8/4 meters (was 16/12/8)
NEMESIS
[CHANGE][TAG-301] Increased the aura reveal duration to 8 seconds (was 4)
DEV NOTE: Similar to the above, we identified some Killer Perks that have also been underperforming, boasting lower pick and kill rates.
We’ve adjusted their values to help increase their viability in more specialized Perk builds.
Until next time...
The Dead by Daylight Team
Dead by Daylight Quality of Life Initiative 2025: Phase 1
Dead by Daylight will be undergoing a substantial Quality of Life Initiative, which should address many longstanding concerns and frustrations our players have been experiencing. This Initiative will take place over the course of two phases. The first runs from April to June, while the second runs from July to December. For a full look at what’s scheduled, check out the roadmap below.
To accommodate for the scope of this Initiative, we have decided to delay several of our upcoming releases – including Chapters, Rifts, Events Modifiers, and Collections. That means there will not be a PTB tomorrow, but rest assured that we did not make this decision lightly. We feel confident that delaying our upcoming releases to prioritize this Quality-of-Life Initiative will ultimately make Dead by Daylight stronger than ever. We’re always listening to our players, and this has been a long time coming. Looking for a more comprehensive breakdown of everything lined up in Phase 1? We’ve got you covered.
Surrender State
The team has been working on a Surrender feature, which should limit player frustration on both sides. To get it right, we first needed to identify the situations where its use would be most appropriate, leading us to two scenarios: - All remaining Survivors have been slugged (Survivor) - All remaining Survivors are bots (Killer) Once these instances occur, players will be able to use the Surrender option, ending the Trial while retaining the Bloodpoints they’ve earned and escaping the Disconnect Penalty.
Gamma Adjustments
Dead by Daylight can get a little dark – not just thematically -- and sometimes excessive darkness can hinder playability. We’re introducing the ability to adjust Gamma settings on all platforms, allowing you to find a sweet spot without sacrificing the intended artistic direction.
“Go-Next" Prevention
The “Go-Next” expression refers to instances where a Survivor deliberately does everything in their power to quickly go to their next game – including walking up to the Killer and standing still, running to a Hook and repeatedly pointing at it, or most commonly, intentionally failing Skill Checks while on Hook. To disincentivize and properly penalize this behavior, we’ll be implementing measures that will help us identify when a player is attempting to “Go Next.” Once identified, they’ll receive a Disconnection Penalty Point and lose an entire Grade. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this system to ensure its accuracy, but we’re confident that that this will help alleviate the issue. On the other hand, we’d like to reward players who stick it out through those challenging matches, even when things take a dire turn. We’ll be moving forward with a new Emblem-based multiplier that grants additional Bloodpoints during your following match, with the bonus stacking over consecutive Trials.
Extreme Hiding & Body Blocking Prevention
“Extreme Hiding” refers to Survivors drawing out an unwinnable match by ignoring their objective and waiting out the clock. To combat this, we’re changing the way AFK Crows operate, so they can more accurately identify when a player is deliberately avoiding engagement with their gameplay objective. Once a player receives Crows, their location will be immediately revealed to the Killer. We’ll also be incorporating a feature that allows players to lose collision after receiving a third AFK Crow, which should prevent instances of Body-Block related griefing.
Map Offerings
We recognize that Map Offerings are a bit divisive; some players enjoy them, while others feel they can grant an unfair advantage. The fact that they automatically bypass both the Map and Realm repetition system can also add to that frustration. Moving forward, Map Offerings will no longer guarantee the appearance of a given Map, but rather increase its chances by 20%. Note that they will not stack. We’re also looking to make it so Map Offerings, as well as several other types of Offerings, will remain a secret during load-in – that way, your decision to remain in the match will not be swayed by external factors.
Spawn Rules
Survivor spawn placements can have a significant impact on a Trial’s outcome, an observation that has been repeatedly recognized by our community. It’s become clear that Survivors spawning separately, and thereby covering more ground, allows them to gain a notable advantage in completing their objective. We’re changing the default Survivor Spawn rules to ensure that each Survivor will spawn within 12 meters of one another, on the same floor (if applicable). To accomodate for this change, Shroud Offerings will be adjusted accordingly.
Improved AFK Bot Detection
Players that use AFK Bots can be frustrating to have in your Trial, and we’re working on improvements to our detection systems so that we can quickly identify and penalize them accordingly.
Bulk Bloodpoint Spending
To speed up general Bloodweb activity, we’re adding a button that will allow you to spend Bloodpoints in bulk.
Quest System
Previously announced last year, the Quest system is part of a larger update to The Archives and Rifts, so expect more information in an article specifically dedicated to that. For now, know that we will be reworking the Challenge system (as well as Daily Rituals) to reduce the grind, make it easier to earn rewards, and increase the overall level of fun.
Perk Loadouts & Preview
After a successful round of A/B testing, we’ll be allowing players to see their own Perk loadouts while in a lobby, as well as adding additional Perk loadout slots.
We believe these changes will be an overall benefit to Dead by Daylight’s health, further establishing a positive gaming environment for all our players. We’d also like to thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. We’ll be back at our Anniversary Broadcast in May to recap Part 1 and provide deeper insight into Part 2 of our Roadmap, so keep an eye out for that announcement. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback. Thanks for spending time in The Fog, The Dead by Daylight Team.
8.5.2 | Bugfix Patch
Bug Fixes
2V8
Reduced the Survivor's Herb interaction snap time.
Fixed an issue that could cause Killers to become stuck in the trial after the End Game Collapse when a bot became stuck in a cage state.
Fixed an issue that caused the Survivor to lose their struggle animation when interrupted by the Deathslinger's harpoon while getting vaccinated or sprayed by another Survivor.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to briefly float in the air before going to a cage when picked up by Naughty Bear.
Fixed an issue in Raccoon City Police Station where killers and Survivors could land on top of crates in the main hall.
Fixed an issue that caused the Event Entry Screen Overview tab to incorrectly refer to the Raccoon City Police Station as the Raccoon City Police Department.
Audio
Fixed an issue where the chains and leather clothe from the Tortured Souls outfit would not make any sound while moving in the menu and in game for The Huntress, The Plague, The Blight and The Knight.
Fixed an issue where killers would play the wrong material SFX for their footsteps in the Dead Dawg Saloon map.
Fixed an issue where the Slice & Dice charge scream would fail to resume after a Scamper Vault or Pallet is performed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Spirit's Husk SFX to be heard while phase walking.
Fixed an issue that caused the Legion's grunt to play twice at the end of Feral Frenzy.
Characters
Fixed an issue that caused the 'Rose Marigold' outfit's skirt to clip through the Survivor's legs.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight's Rift weapon and Deep Rift variant to appear the same.
Fixed an issue that caused empty nodes to appear in the Dark Lord's Bloodweb.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to teleport beyond the Exit Gate when teleporting with the Class Photo add-on in Greenville Square map.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's Dream Pallet shimmer to default to the maximum intensity when the pallet is placed outside the intended visible Survivor range.
Fixed an issue that caused the Executioner's Wax Doll and Black Strap add-ons to give the same range increase to Punishment of the Damned.
Fixed an issue that caused the Onryo's Reiko's Watch add-on to have no effect.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nemesis' zombies to become invulnerable to basic attacks after being hit right after spawning.
Fixed an issue where the Twins Charlotte could recall Victor instantly when latched onto a Survivor after Killer Instinct is applied.
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndmaster's Dog to float in the air briefly when vaulting the pallet on the second floor that leads to a fall in the Game map.
Fixed an issue that caused the Mastermind's Iridescent Uroboros Vial add-on to increase Survivors infection very rapidly at the start of the match.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors window vault animation to stutter.
Environment/Maps
Fixed an issue in the realm of Coldwind Farm where the camera clipped through the survivor when spawning close to the Tree tile.
Fixed an issue in Mother's Dwelling map where the killer could land inside a tree when lunge attack from the balcony of the house.
Fixed an issue in Raccoon City Police Station where the Dream Snares of the Nightmare would not go through walls in the West Wing of the building.
Fixed an issue in multiple maps where the Vile Purge of the Plague would hit an invisible collision near exit gates.
Fixed an issue in the realm of Decimated Borgo where a pallet was missing from a Maze Tile.
Fixed an issue in Treatment Theatre where the Dream Snare of the Nightmare would not go through walls.
UI
Fixed an issue with the player names and/or the "invite" buttons to be invisible in a Lobby after coming back from the Archives.
Fixed an issue with the Beginner Mode Tooltips being invisible when hovering any Loadout slots.
8.5.1 | Bugfix Patch
Content
Killer Rework - The Nightmare
Base Changes
Added VFX when The Nightmare is teleporting to a Survivor being healed.
Addons
Black Box: - Exit Gates are blocked for Sleeping Survivors for 15 seconds after they are opened. - This effect lingers for 3 seconds after they Wake Up. (NEW)
Archives & Events
Game Mode: 2V8 returns February 10th at 11:00am Eastern. - This two-week event features an event tome with new Resident Evil-themed rewards.
Features
Clairvoyance has been updated to use a progress bar.
Updated the "Memento Mori" entry in the Game Manual / Killers section, renamed to "Kill By Your Hand", with updated information on different ways to execute the Kill action. - Included in English and French, with other languages to be updated later.
General Perks can now be searched for using "Generic", "Universal", "General", and "Global".
Bug Fixes
Audio
Fixed an issue that caused the Spirit's "Tomie" Legendary outfit to be quieter than the default outfit when performing Phase Walk.
Fixed an issue that caused the breathing SFX of the Spirit to be heard from the Husk during the Phase Walk.
Fixed an issue that caused the audio of the left and right trigger inputs of a controller to be heard in the Collections tab without having a visible effect.
Fixed an issue that caused the audio of the left and right trigger inputs of a controller to be heard in Lobbies without being useable.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors not to scream when injured or downed by the Knight's Guards.
Bots
Improved Survivor bot healing and pathing against ranged Killers.
Characters
Fixed an issue that caused Yui "Murder Mill" torso customization to change her idle animations to the "Forest Guide" outfit animations.
Fixed an issue that caused the hair on the Pig's "Pig Mask" and "Stretched Muzzle" cosmetics to disappear.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to not be able to complete the Snap Out when in Madness Tier 3.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to soft-lock when dropping the First Aid Spray immediately after the Spray Self interaction has been completed with network lag.
Fixed an issue that caused Killers to be able to pick up downed Survivors while searching a locker.
Fixed an issue that enabled the Houndmaster's Chase Command ability to stop a Survivor from leaving through the Exit Gate by repeatedly starting a grab.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog to sometimes not fall off ledges when following the Houndmaster.
Fixed multiple instances where the Houndmaster's Dog could get stuck or not be able to pass through places where the Killer could.
Fixed multiple navigation issues with the Houndmaster's Dog across multiple maps, elevations and vault areas.
The Nightmare
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to jitter when touching a Dream Pallet.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's Teleport Channeling audio to keep playing, even if it had been canceled with a basic attack.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's Dream Snare to continue moving off the balcony in the Raccoon City Police Station map.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to teleport beyond the Exit Gate when teleporting with the Class Photo add-on in The Game map.
Fixed an issue that made it possible for the Nightmare to place a total of 9 Dream Pallets instead of 8.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to not see the aura of completed generators when the End Game Collapse triggered.
Fixed an issue that caused Rupturing a Dream Pallet on the floor directly above or below a Survivor to hit said Survivor.
Fixed an issue that allowed Dream Pallets to be placed out of bounds.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's Husk to be briefly visibility at the initial teleport location when finishing a teleport.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to teleport directly onto healing Survivors instead of at a distance.
Fixed an issue that caused all Survivors in the trial to hear the Nightmare's laugh when he hit an awake Survivor with his Dream Snare.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors' auras to not be revealed when triggering a static Dream Snare with the "Z" Block and Blue Dress add-ons.
Environment/Maps
Fixed an issue in the Forgotten Ruins map, in which Zombies could get stuck in certain areas of the dungeon.
Fixed an issue in the Coal Tower map, in which the intro camera clips into the Houndmaster.
Fixed issues in The Underground Complex map, in which the intro camera clips into the Houndmaster.
Fixed an issue in the Dead Dawg Saloon map, in which the Nurse could Blink into the prison cells behind the Exit Gates.
Fixed an issue in the Raccoon City Police Station map, in which the Nurse could Blink out of bounds.
Fixed an issue in the Raccoon City Police Station map, in which the Survivor's body could clip through locker doors.
Fixed an issue in the Realm of Coldwind Farm, in which the Nurse could Blink on top of the shack.
Fixed an issue in the Realm of Yamaoka's Estate, in which the Tanuki's orientation did not match the Tanuki Statue.
Fixed an issue in the Mother's Dwelling map to prevent the player getting stuck on the top of the spinning wheel inside the main building.
Fixed an issue in the Torment Creek map to prevent the Nightmare's Dream Snare from clipping under the floor inside the main building.
Fixed an issue in the Torment Creek map to enable smoother navigation up the slope near the Killer Basement's entrance.
Fixed an issue in the Badham Preschool map, in which the Nightmare's Dream Snares would fail to go through the walls of the closed classrooms.
Fixed an issue in the Dead Dawg Saloon map, in which the skybox was missing galaxy star clusters.
Perks
Fixed an issue that caused Vigil's status effect recovery to display the old values in-game.
UI
Fixed an issue in which the inventory arrow buttons in the bot loadout were non-interactive.
Fixed an issue in which the event popup would sometimes display incorrect info if it was opened through an event item in the Store menu.
Fixed an issue in which The Huntress' "Ohmwrecker" mask customization item would use the default mask model.
Misc
Fixed an issue that caused some players to be unable to matchmake as Survivors.
Optimized the logic used to handle status effects during gameplay to improve general performance.
8.5.0 | Mid-chapter
Content
Killer Rework - The Nightmare
Base Changes
Dream Snares and Dream Pallets are both part of the base kit
Tap the Ability button to swap between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets
Dream Snares are now a ground projectile (more details below)
Dream Pallets can be Ruptured from a distance (more details below)
Dream Projection can now be used on completed generators (and more!)
Dream World
Minor visual improvements to the Dream World
Improved clarity when the nearest Survivor is asleep
Survivors in the Dream World are Oblivious, but hear his Lullaby
Survivors performing a healing action on a Sleeping Survivor or while being Asleep are revealed with Killer Instinct
Survivors wake up when put in the Dying State
Dream Snares
Press the Power button to charge a Dream Snare over 0.35 seconds
While charged, tap the Attack button to launch the Dream Snare forward
Dream Snares move at 12 m/s
Dream Snares have a maximum range of 18 meters
Dream Snares go through walls and follow slopes, but do not go off ledges (such as a 2nd-floor dropdown)
Dream Snares add 30 seconds to an awake Survivor's Sleep Meter
Dream Snares inflict a 12% Hindered penalty for 4.5 seconds on Sleeping Survivors
Dream Snares have a 7-second cooldown
Dream Pallets
Press the Power button to enter Pallet focus mode
Tap the Attack button to spawn a Dream Pallet at valid Pallet locations up to 24 meters away
The Nightmare can create up to 8 Dream Pallets at a time
While in Pallet Focus mode, target a Dream Pallet within 24 meters and tap the Attack button to Rupture it
After a 1.5-second delay, the Dream Pallet Ruptures in a burst of blood
Rupture adds 60 seconds to an awake Survivor's Sleep Meter
Rupture injures Sleeping Survivors
Rupture has a range of 3.5 meters
Rupture has a 1.5-second cooldown
Rupture cannot be cancelled by any means
Dream Pallets can be dropped by Survivors and can stun The Nightmare, but will explode in blood
Improved visibility on Dream Pallets
Dream Projection
Dream Projection can be used on unrepaired, partially repaired, completed, and blocked generators, at any moment during the trial
Dream Projection can be used on Sleeping Survivors healing in the Dream World (any of the healers, or the one being healed. The Nightmare appears within 12 meters of their location.)
Press and hold the Ability button for more than 0.5 seconds to perform Dream Projection
While charging Dream Projection, The Nightmare's movement speed is decreased to 3.86 m/s
While charging Dream Projection, The Nightmare can see the aura of the husk to which he will teleport
Dream Projection can be cancelled by releasing the Ability button early
Cancelling early incurs the full cooldown
Upon completion, Survivors within 8 meters are revealed with Killer Instinct for 3 seconds, and gain 15 seconds on their Sleep Meter
Dream Projection has a 30-second cooldown (was 45 seconds)
Alarm Clocks/Wake up
Sleeping Survivors can use any Alarm Clock to wake up (was a specific Alarm Clock, usually on the other side of the map)
Using an Alarm Clock grants Sleep Immunity for 30 seconds
Using an Alarm Clock causes it to go on a global 45-second cooldown, which prevents anyone from using it
The Wake Up interaction (snap snap, clap clap) always takes 5 seconds (Previously would increase with each Wake Up interaction)
The Wake Up interaction has priority over the healing interaction
Addons
Garden Rake: Increases the size of the Dream Snare by 10% (NEW)
Wool Shirt: Decreases the Dream Pallet Rupture delay by 10% (NEW)
Kid's Drawing: Increases the amount of Sleep gained from Dream Abilities by 10% (NEW)
Sheep Block: Increases the Alarm Clock cooldown by 10% (NEW)
Prototype Claws: Decreases Dream Snare charge time by 10% (NEW)
Cat Block: Decrease Dream Projection's Cooldown by 10% (NEW)
Outdoor Rope: Increases the speed at which Dream Snares travel by 15% (NEW)
Green Dress: Increases the time it takes for Survivors to perform the Wake Up action by 2 seconds (NEW)
Nancy's Sketch: Decreases the Sleep Immunity by 20% after a Survivor uses an Alarm Clock (NEW)
Unicorn Block: Increases the Dream Pallet Rupture range by 0.5 meters (NEW)
Blue Dress: Dream Snares no longer move (NEW) Dream Snares have a lifetime of 8 seconds (NEW) Only 1 Dream Snare can be placed at a time (NEW)
Nancy's Masterpiece: Decreases Dream Projection's cooldown by 10% after hitting a Survivor with a Dream Ability (NEW)
Jump Rope: Increases the Hindered penalty duration when a Survivor is caught by a Dream Snare by 0.5 second (NEW)
Paint Thinner: When a Survivor drops a Dream Pallet, reveal them with Killer Instinct for 6 seconds (NEW) Unlocks the ability to use Dream Projection on that Survivor while they are revealed (NEW) This Dream Projection charges 100% faster (NEW)
"Z" Block: Survivors hit by a Dream Snare or Dream Pallet Rupture are revealed for 3 seconds (NEW)
Swing Chains: After using Dream Projection, block all window vaults within 16 meters for 6 seconds (NEW)
Class Photo: Survivors in the Dream World are revealed with Killer Instinct while opening Exit Gates (NEW) Grants the ability to use Dream Projection on Exit Gates (NEW)
Pill Bottle: Each time a Survivor wakes up, they fall asleep 10% faster, up to a maximum of 50% (NEW)
Red Paint Brush: Reveals the aura of Survivors in the Dream World when they are further from 32 meters away (NEW) Increases each Survivor's Sleep Meter by 50% (NEW)
Black Box: Exit Gates are blocked for Sleeping Survivors for 15 seconds after they are opened (was applicable when recently opened. This update also makes it trigger when they fall asleep after the Exit Gates have been opened.)
Features
Deep Wound Visibility Improvements: Added a Deep Wound progress bar under the Mending progress bar for better visibility Removed the darkening vignette of the Deep Wound Effect Added a setting to disable the new Deep Wound progress bar
Characters default and prestige cosmetics now have outfits in the outfit tab
Normalized action progress bar behavior Hooking a player no longer uses a progress bar Deathslinger's reload no longer uses a progress bar Cenobite's teleport no longer uses a progress bar Clairvoyance no longer uses a progress bar
Smoke effect added to the change of certain cosmetics that have unique lobby animations
Smoke effect added to the Play Mori button of Visceral rarity cosmetics.
The colour of a completed generator was updated to better differentiate them from yellow highlighted generators
Various perk tags added to aid in searching Generic perks can now be searched with "Generic", "General", "Universal", or "Global" Shoulder the Burden can now be searched with "STB" Bite the Bullet can now be searched with "BTB".
Perk Updates
Killer
Beast of Prey: When you gain Bloodlust for the first time, gain Undetectable for 30/35/40 seconds (NEW) Gain 30/40/50% more Bloodpoints for actions in the Hunter Category (REMOVED)
Fire Up: For each generator completed, gain a 4/5/6% stackable speed bonus to picking up, dropping, vaulting, damaging generators, and breaking pallets and breakable walls for the remained of the trial. (was 3/3.5/4%)
Remember Me: Each time your Obsession loses a health state, gain 1 token, up to 3/4/5 (was 2/3/4) For each token, increases the opening time of Exit Gates by 6 seconds, up to a maximum of 18/24/30 (was 12/18/24)
Survivor
Vigil: Affects Survivors within 16 meters (was 8 meters) Recover from Blindness, Broken, Exhausted, Exposed, Haemorrhage, Hindered, Mangled and Oblivious 30/35/40% faster (was 20/25/30%)
Wake Up!: For each Survivor still alive, increase the speed at which you open Exit Gates by 8/10/12.5% (NEW)
Archives & Events
Tome 22 ANGUISH - Level 1 opens January 28th at 11:00am Eastern
Bug Fixes
Audio
Fixed an issue that caused the harpoon and breathing SFX to be heard when entering the tally screen as the Deathslinger.
Fixed an issue where the Spirit's audio could be heard from the husk as she begins phasing.
Fixed an issue where Technician and the Spring Clamp Toolbox add-on did not stack the range of which the Killer can hear generator repair noises.
Fixed an issue where The Houndmaster wouldn't whistle when attacking a survivor and immediately charging her power afterwards.
Fixed an issue where Survivors wouldn't scream when hooked after being downed by the ''Plot Twist'' perk.
Fixed an issue where the Victor's Pounce attack would fail to make Survivors scream when injured or downed.
Fixed an issue where the Technician Perk and Spring Clamp Toolbox add-on fail to stack the range of which the Killer can hear the noise of the generator repair.
Fixed an issue where The Huntress's lullaby on her Were-Elk Cosmetic is lower than her base audio with other outfits.
Bots
Fixed an issue that caused bots to gain Haste indefinitely when Sprint Burst is activated.
Fixed an issue that caused bots to try walking over a tree stump in Mother's Dwelling.
Fixed issues that caused bots to always look down while walking.
Fixed issues that caused bots stay stuck in one location when they run out of immediate objectives.
Characters
Fixed an issue that caused the wind and snow VFX from the Ormond Lake Mine map to be missing when the Knight was in path drawing mode.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight's Guards to be unable to hit Survivors that went on a specific rock in the Rotten Fields map.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight's Guards to prioritize reaching windows instead of hitting Survivors during chases.
Fixed an issue that caused the Clown's Spirit of Hartshorn add-on effects to apply to the Afterpiece Tonic.
Fixed an issue that caused the Good Guy's Slice & Dice progress not to show the debuff effect from the Silk Pillow add-on.
Fixed an issue that caused multiple Killer powers to miss if a Survivor crouched where there was only slight elevation.
Fixed an issue that caused Victor to be visible in Charlotte's chest cavity after having been stomped by a Survivor.
Fixed an issue that caused the Trickster to throw a single blade during Main Event if the interaction to activate it is held down.
Fixed multiple issues that arose from the Knight's pathing mechanics.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Huntress and Trickster to reload instead of grabbing Survivors.
Fixed an issue that caused the Skull Merchant intro animation to be missing.
Fixed an issue that caused certain Killers to play the incorrect pick-up animation.
Fixed an issue that caused The Legion's Susie, Julie, and Hunk sets to experience a minor animation hitch while strafing.
Fixed an issue that caused the Executioner's camera to move up and down abruptly when using Rites of Judgment.
Fixed an issue that caused the Lich to stop moving when opening the menu while using the Fly spell.
The Houndmaster
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndmaster to be able to move Survivors while holding the Dog Command input.
Fixed an issue that caused healthy Exposed Survivors not to have the healthy version of Houndsense removed when downed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog to teleport and get stuck outside the exit.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to affect Survivors with Houndsense when the Survivor is in the search radius as the ability starts.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog animations to break when grabbing a Survivor as they bleed out from Deep Wound.
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndsense Killer effect not to be removed after the Mori.
Fixed an issue that caused the Chase Command to be activated from a high ledge.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to appear bigger than normal when quickly moving between different elevations.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog to remain in the pet command animation when the Houndmaster is stunned during the pet interaction.
Fixed an issue that caused the Survivors camera to clip when crouching inside the Dog.
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndsense killer effect timer not to increase on Mettle of Man's hit protection.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to be able to chain vault two windows in Chase Command.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Houndmaster to jitter when walking in the Dog's Search Radius.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to briefly appear further ahead while charging the Search Command Command.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to appear bigger than normal when quickly moving between different elevations.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to catch up to the Houndmaster after a patrol if the Killer was still actively moving.
Fixed multiple instances where the Dog could get stuck or not be able to pass through places where the Killer could.
Fixed multiple navigation issues with the Dog.
Environment/Maps
Fixed a collision issue on the Realm of Autohaven Wreckers on the side of the crane.
Fixed multiple issues where the starting camera rotation clipped through the character of the Houndmaster.
Fixed an issue on Léry's Memorial Institute where a closed door would spawn next to a window in the main room.
Fixed an issue on Crotus Prenn Asylum where Killers were not able to break a pallet if they were close to a wall.
Fixed an issue on Crotus Prenn Asylum where the Nurse could blink on top of the roof.
Fixed issues on Midwich Elementary School where survivors would clip into piles of gore.
Fixed an issue on Nostromo Wreckage that caused the Chest to be fully unlocked at the start of a trial.
Fixed an issue in The Temple of Purgation where Houndmasters Dog was unable to navigate
Fixed an issue in Torment Creek where the camera fades through the ground
Fixed issues with areas of various maps where the Survivors could pass through, but Killers could not
Fixed an issue with adding collision to the mop trolley near a fence in Raccoon City Police Station to prevent stepping on it
Fixed an issue with adjusting the height of the couch in Mount Ormond Resort to prevent stepping on it
Fixed an issue on the Undergrond Complex to ensure the mori does not get interupted by the environment.
Fixed an issue to prevent getting stuck inside the wall in the Raccoon City Police Station west wing
Fixed an issue with adjusting collision in Yamaoka Estate to avoid hovering in a location
Fixed an issue by adding collision on the bottom of the vault of the main building of Ormond Lake Mine to prevent the projectile from going through it
Fixed an issue with filling in holes in the floor to avoid seeing through the wall
Fixed an issue with separating the silo structure to make it easier to navigate nearby
Fixed one-sided texture issue in Badham Preschool by splitting assets and adding proper texture
Fixed an issue with adding a missing part to the mesh to fix a hole in Gideon Meat Plant
Fixed a broken collision to prevent the player from hiding in the walls of the Gideon Meat Plant control room
Fixed a missing window on the Badham Preschool house
Fixed an issue with adding collision to fill the gap where the bat could stand on the door frame of the Thompson farmhouse in Coldwind
Fixed the house appearing white from a distance in Raccoon City Police Station by changing the fog diffusion color
Perks
Fixed an issue that caused Mettle of Man's aura reading to have no range limit against Lethal Pursuer.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to be unable to place a Chemical Trap on a pallet that previously had one installed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Chemical Trap and the destroyed pallets aura to remain visible when the pallet is destroyed by Spirit Fury.
Fixed an issue that caused the Exhausted status effect from Genetic Limits not to be applied onto a Survivor that uses Plot Twist.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors not to scream when hooked after using Plot Twist.
Fixed an issue that caused the aura from Camaraderie to stay on the Survivor after getting unhooked.
Fixed an issue that caused Dance With Me to be activated by any Survivor in the trial.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors with a hooked state not to receive the Exposed status effect from Shoulder the Burden.
Fixed an issue that caused Boil Over to give double wiggle progression when dropped from a height.
Fixed an issue that caused held items to be dropped at the players last safe position instead of their current position when hit with Franklin's Demise during a fast vault.
UI
Fixed an issue where placeholder text was showing.
Fixed an issue where causes infinite match loading when opening Auric Cells Store via top right Currency button on online lobby, disabled the button.
Fixed an issue where lobby side panel blocks the left side of scrollbar in the character tab.
Fixed an issue where after watching a Mori preview on a selected locked customization, the purchase prompt of the selected outfit disappears.
Fixed an issue where the equip button and collection list were not updated after equipping in the store collection tab.
Fixed an issue with scrolling the character list tab.
Fixed a potential crash from season end rank rewards popup.
Misc
Fixed an issue that caused the Honor the Bloodline achievement/trophy to be unlocked when taking control of Victor when playing as the Twins.
Fixed an issue that caused the exit gates to power on when the last Survivor escapes through the hatch.
Fixed an issue that caused the Unhooking and Self-Unhooking animations to be interrupted by a Killers basic attack.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to reach areas which they were not supposed to by changing an in-game setting
Public Test Build (PTB) Adjustments
Killer Rework - The Nightmare
Dream Snares: Increase Hindered duration to 4.5 sec (was 4 sec) Increase cooldown to 7 sec (was 5 sec) Improve Sound Cue for Dream Snare charge start Added different score event for Survivor walking on static snare vs being hit by moving snare
Dream Pallet: Increase Rupture range to 3.5 meters (was 3 meters) Dropping Dream Pallets no longer cancel a Rupture that is currently charging
Dream Projection: Releasing the Dream Projection input before it completes cancels the teleport Cancelling a Dream Projection incurs the full cooldown (30 seconds) While charging Dream Projection, movement speed is reduced to 3.86 m/s (NEW) Reveal the aura of The Nightmare emerging near a teleport location to help with orientation (visible to the Killer only) Add an audio-visual cue when The Nightmare triggers a Dream Projection on Survivors healing in the Dream World
Wake up interaction: The Wake up interaction takes priority over healing e.g. If an Injured Survivor is Asleep, another Survivor who is Awake is able to wake them up before healing them.
Addons:
Jump Rope: Increases the Hindered penalty from Dream Snares by 0.5 sec (was 1 sec)
Unicorn Block: Increases the Dream Pallet Rupture range by 0.5 meters (was 1 meter)
Perks:
Wake Up! Once all generators are powered, Exit Gates are revealed to you. While opening the Exit Gates, reveal your aura to other Survivors. For each Survivor still alive, you open the Exit Gates 8/10/12.5% faster. (NEW) While Wake Up! is active, you open the Exit Gates 40/45/50% faster. (REMOVED)
Beast of Prey When you gain Bloodlust for the first time, gain Undetectable for 30/35/40 seconds (was 10/15/20 sec)
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that caused an dying Survivor with the Houndmaster's Detected not to have the red VFX glow on them.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare not to have Killer Instinct on nearby Survivors when teleporting to a generator.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to launch Dream Snares while mid-air.
Fixed an issue that caused Dream Snares not to apply the Hindered status effect on Survivors in the Dream World.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to be affected by the Nightmare's Dream Snares mid-air, falling, and exiting the trial.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's "Z" Block add-on not to reveal Survivor's auras when triggered by a Dream Snare.
Fixed an issue that caused Lethal Pursuer's extended aura duration not to apply on auras shown with the Nightmare's "Z" block add-on.
Fixed an issue that caused the Teleport charge bar colour to be normal instead of yellow when using Nightmare's Paint Thinner add-on.
Fixed an issue that caused the Woke Up! score event to appear multiple times when waking up from the Nightmare's Dream World by failing a generator skill check.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare to be missing the Dream World skybox in multiple maps.
Fixed an issue that caused the Nightmare's teleportation ring VFX to appear after gaining character control instead of when teleporting.
Fixed an issue that caused the Entity's blocked pallet effect from the Hex: Blood Favor perk to remain on the pallets location despite new Dream Pallets being placed.
Fixed an issue that caused no input delay after the Nightmare canceled the Aim Dream Pallet interaction.
Fixed multiple issues with the Nightmare's Dream Pallet placement in multiple maps.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Demogorgon from using the Shred ability.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Nurse from performing a lunge attack after Blinking.
Lucky Star's grunts suppression remains active until entering another locker if grabbed out of the locker by the Killer.
Known Issues
The "Memory 1736" entry from the "Talbot Grimes" journal is missing voice over
Developer Update | January 2025 PTB
After delivering a major update to The Nightmare’s Power and Perks, we’ve been steadily unpacking all the feedback we’ve received post PTB.
We’re pleased to see that many enjoyed the changes to The Nightmare’s Power, which ensured players could use Dream Snares and Dream Pallets without having to choose one or the other. Changing the former into projectiles was generally well received, with players enjoying the addition of a more active ability.
While it was a solid start, there was still work to be done. We’ve since made a few updates to his Power, Perks, and overall Quality of Life, which should improve the overall experience when these changes hit live.
CHANGES FROM PTB TO LIVE
Dream Snares
Increased Hindered duration to 4.5 sec (was 4 sec)
Increased cooldown to 7 sec (was 5 sec)
Improved the Sound Cue when charging Dream Snares
Dev Note: Nothing drastic here. Mainly a few tweaks to improve quality of life and reduce the spam potential, particularly at high level play. This subtle tweak to the cooldown should prevent those instances, without sacrificing playability. To compensate, we’ve increased the Hindered status slightly.
Dream Pallets
Increase Rupture range to 3.5 meters (was 3 meters)
Rupturing Pallets cannot be dropped
Dev Note: One of the recurring points of feedback centred around the usefulness of Dream Pallets, and their ability to make an immediate impact in a Trial. We’ve increased the Rupture range and made it so a dropped Dream Pallet will not cancel your Rupture charge.
Dream Projection
Releasing a Dream Projection now cancels a teleport
Cancelling a Dream Projection incurs the full cooldown
While charging Dream Projection, movement speed is reduced to 3.86 m/s
Reveal the Aura of The Nightmare emerging near a teleport location to help with orientation (visible to Killer only)
Added an SFX/VFX when The Nightmare triggers a Dream Projection on Survivors healing in the Dream World
Dev Note: We heard you loud and clear – the fake-out is back, with a small caveat. You’ll have to use it wisely, as cancelling your teleport will still cause the ability to enter cooldown. We’ve also added an Aura that should help orient players after a teleport, as well as additional effects to clear things up when The Nightmare uses a Dream Projection on healing Survivors.
Wake Up Interaction
The Wake Up interaction takes priority over Healing. If an injured Survivor is Asleep, an Awake Survivor will be able to Wake Them Up without healing them.
Dev Note: Not much to see here, but this should help alleviate some of the frustration that arose when trying to Wake Up an injured Survivor.
ADD-ON CHANGES
We’ve made a few minor tweaks to some of The Nightmare’s Add-Ons, as a few were noted to be slightly overtuned.
Jump Rope
Decrease to 0.5 sec (was 1 sec)
Unicorn Block
Decrease to 0.5 meters (was 1 meter)
PERK CHANGES
Following several initial Perk changes made in the PTB, we’ve since made a few small Tweaks to Wake Up.
[OLD] Once all Generators are powered, Exit Gates are revealed to you. While opening the Exit Gates, reveal your Aura to all other Survivors. While Wake Up! is active, you open the Exit Gates 40/45/50% faster.
[NEW] Once all Generators are powered, Exit Gates are revealed to you. While opening the Exit Gates, reveal your Aura to all other Survivors. For each Survivor still alive, you open the Exit Gates 8/10/12.5% faster.
Dev Note: We wanted to make sure that the Perk had a clearer identity, and in its previous state it rode the line between self-centred and altruistic. The basic idea behind its design is to
We’ve also tweaked the numbers of Beast of Prey. In its previous state, many players felt the benefits weren’t worth the time commitment, so we felt comfortable increasing the duration. Hopefully this new version can be useful during those longer high-stakes chases.
[OLD] Upon gaining the Bloodlust Status Effect, Beast of Prey activates: Gain Undetectable for 15/20/25 seconds.
[NEW] Upon gaining the Bloodlust Status Effect, Beast of Prey activates: Gain Undetectable for 30/35/40 seconds.
That’s it for today’s Dev Update. We hope you enjoy the changes coming to Dead by Daylight and remember that we’re always listening to your feedback. Thank you for spending your time with us in The Fog!
The Dead by Daylight Team
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