Unlike other survival horror games, Dead By Daylight goes for the full cooperative experience as the game pins four (4) Survivors against one (1) Killer out to kill them in any of the title’s vast playing fields within the terrifying Dark Mist. And while players can spend hours of fun just running for their lives, each character in the game does have their own story to tell. Whereas Killers are transformed into the monsters that they are due to numerous tragedies, Survivors are seemingly trapped inside the Dark Mist due to stories of their own.
While Dead By Daylight Survivors are built to be unable to actually “kill” any of the Killers in the game, they’re also created to be some of the most resilient people to ever grace survival horror. Aside from a whole host of original characters, Dead By Daylight’s crossovers also brought familiar faces from some of the world’s most popular horror franchises. When put side by side, just which Survivors have the best lore to offer?
10 Dwight Fairfield
Despite his meek and geeky nature, it’s perhaps this very penchant for social isolation that makes Dwight Fairfield the perfect Survivor in Dead By Daylight. What makes his lore interesting is how Dwight’s glasses-laced face doesn’t necessarily hide a genius. In fact, Dwight is by all means “below average.” However, what makes Dwight special is how his awareness of his weaker nature makes him more motivated to survive.
When a team-building activity at work had workmates trap Dwight of Dead By Daylight in the middle of the woods, Dwight would inexplicably end up in the Entity’s Realm. While lost and with a Killer out to take his life, Dwight’s familiarity with his own fear is his greatest strength. This allows him to make strategic decisions for his team on the fly, with his gut instinct being almost always right. As a Survivor, Dwight can see the Auras of his teammates (Bond), boost Repair speed among nearby allies (Prove Thyself), and even boost the speeds of teammates in his presence in general (Leader).
9 Jake Park
Contrary to other Survivors who were often scholarly after starting wealthy, Jake Park as a Dead By Daylight Survivor rejects this tradition. While born to a wealthy family, immense pressure on Jake would have him disinterested in academics completely. In fact, such was his rebellious streak and desire to prove his worth outside his family’s fortune would have him leave home and live in the woods. Despite being a traditional off-the-grid survivalist, it’s an unfortunate “everyday” exploration for Jake that would have him lost within a Fog in the woods.
Unbeknownst to him, he’s already playing into the hands of the Entity. And thankfully for Jake, years’ worth of survivalist experience and a desire to prove others wrong gave him enough grit to outlast threats. Despite having a rather “ordinary” story, Jake’s rich-turned-survivalist tale is something unique across the other well-off Survivor archetypes. His survivalist can-do attitude allows Jake of Dead By Daylight to lower volumes of pain grunts (Iron Will), avoid alerts (Calm Spirit), and even Sabotage Hooks without a Toolbox (Saboteur).
8 Vittorio Toscano
The Observer explains to players that he’s not the first to have escaped the Dark Realm, and the Survivors weren’t the first ones to have been trapped in the Entity’s dimension. This is proven by Vittorio Toscano, born in 1343 as an heir to a family who wanted him to become more knightly instead of Vittorio’s passion for scholarship. Given his interests, Vittorio eventually invested in learning about ancient history and civilizations, eventually becoming an “expert” in ancient knowledge and secrets due to his learnings.
Things make a turn for the worse when Vittorio discovered a prophecy: a warning of a cult that wants to corrupt humanity through forbidden knowledge. The only way for Vittorio and other explorers to save mankind is to find relics scattered across the globe, as well as a stone called the Lapis Paradisus that can let its user travel between worlds. And while an incident would have Vittorio locked up in a dungeon to meet his untimely death, his meditations on his learnings allowed him to travel to the world beyond. Being trapped in the Dark Realm for much longer, Vittorio’s Dead By Daylight Perks exhibit a familiarity with the Entity’s machinations: he can speed up the Repair speed of others (Quick Gambit), reveal the Killer’s location (Fogwise), and even “save” his Generator progress (Potential Energy).
7 Jonah Vasquez
One could say that learning math won’t bring anyone anywhere practical in life, but this has got to be the one weapon Jonah Vasquez has to help him survive in the Dark Realms. Gifted with the ability to see “beyond” numbers, Jonah had a penchant for applying his analytical skills to detect patterns no one would ordinarily understand. Such was his prodigious talent that he was hired by the CIA as a codebreaker as soon as he graduated.
What bothered Jonah of Dead By Daylight was a series of numbers that plagued him to this day, first appearing when he was 16 and continuing throughout his career. Having had enough, his analysis had him realize the code was about him reaching a specific location at a particular point in time, with the Fog bringing him into the Dark Realms for reasons unknown. Despite being an outsider, Jonah’s innate analytical skills give him an edge in outlasting Dead By Daylight Killers: giving him bursts of speed (Overcome), helping dying comrades (Boon: Exponential), and even correcting failed Checks (Corrective Action).
6 Elodie Rakoto
Always so curious about hidden histories, Elodie Rakoto grew up being less interested in class and more about what every nook and cranny in France hid underneath. Despite her unconventional nature, she met solace in the company of “the Pariahs,” like-minded teenagers in Dyer Island. Unfortunately, an incident in an abandoned laboratory would have Elodie and the Pariahs lose their parents - something that would jumpstart a years-long search for her lost parents. Whereas the likes of Felix had all but given up in this pursuit, Elodie’s studies had made her all the more attached to ancient and eccentric histories.
Such was her dedication that she was hired by Hazra Shah, the Collector, to help her procure artifacts in exchange for resources. When the Collector tasked Elodie to investigate the mystery of a witch trial involving a mother and her conjoined twins, Elodie discovered more than what she bargained for. After realizing the presence of a modern human sacrifice cult, Elodie attempted to make haste for an exit - only before realizing her destination was able to help her find her lost parents. She had ventured willingly into the Dark Realm in this quest, making her more aptly equipped to deal with Dead By Daylight Killers compared to other Survivors. This is reflected in Elodie’s personal Dead By Daylight Perks, allowing her to get more out of Chests (Appraisal), fake interactions (Deception), and force ways out of a Killer’s grasp (Power Struggle).
5 Haddie Kaur
Despite being showered with continuous love, the horrific deaths of her parents had transformed optimistic Haddie Kaur into a more cautious individual. With a raging fever on the day of her parents’ passing causing her to sprout white hair, it was only much later that Haddie realized this sickness awakened something in her. Since her parents’ passing, Haddie can now “see” and “hear” ghosts and memories in the darkness, within gaps of dimensions she only calls Overlaps. And in these Overlaps is a darkness that feeds off life energy, something she called the Ravage.
With her new family urging her to start investigating places with her new psychic abilities, Haddie became an overnight podcasting superstar. Unfortunately for her, an investigation inside an abandoned WW2 bunker in the Alps had triggered memories of her parents’ deaths, wailings of their spirits not having passed on, and Haddie’s “Overlaps” finally dragging her into the Dark Realms. Thanks to her psychic abilities, Haddie has a better “understanding” of her presence in Dead By Daylight lore, with her Perks allowing her to track all characters after attacks (Inner Focus), getting better use of Flashlights (Residual Manifest), and repair Generators much faster (Overzealous).
4 Mikaela Reid
It was through storytelling and tales of horror that Mikaela Reid found solace after the death of her father, with the thrill of escapism these stories provide reminding her of sailing lessons she had as a child. Accompanying this interest in horror was a penchant for witchcraft and herbalism, often performing spells and rituals for the benefit of herself and the people around her. When Mikaela found renewed motivation through a storytelling competition, this was when her nightmares started. And after a terrifying incident had her best friend and videographer Julian missing in action, Mikaela persevered in her contest in the hope that he would be out there somewhere to hear her.
Sadly for Mikaela, her performance in the competition had the Dark Mist engulf her and send her into the Dark Realms. Unlike other Survivors, Mikaela’s skill in witchcraft and latent psychic abilities make her one of most supernaturally-equipped Survivors out there, with her Dead By Daylight Perks allowing her to view her surroundings with ease (Clairvoyance), boost healing (Boon: Circle of Healing), and hide her allies (Boon: Shadow Step).
3 Yui Kimura
Biker Yui Kimura already showed a strong interest in machinery and motorcycles, something her traditionalist father kicked her out for due to engineering being a “very masculine” pursuit. While Yui’s first foray into racing had her defeating group after group of motocross racers with her measly scooter, her grit and desire to win earned her a rep in the racing scene. Despite a vicious attack from a stalker, Yui stands strong with her lucky pink handkerchief and her unexpected following, the pink-themed Sakura 7.
Her continuous racing pursuits even had her become the youngest woman to win the All-Japan Moto Championship. And while an ongoing illegal race had Yui stumble into the Fog and inside the Dark Realms, her unfamiliarity with this brutal environment only emboldened her survival instincts. Yui’s personal Perks match her personality perfectly as a Dead By Daylight Survivor, allowing her to cover her blood trails (Lucky Break), help stuck Survivors (Breakout), and even reset dropped Pallets (Any Means Necessary) - making her use her engineering background to turn the tide against merciless Killers.
2 Zarina Kassir
The commonality of tough Survivors makes it seem as though the Entity is choosing individuals to see how far their bravery would take before they break. And for Zarina Kassir, fear is not a deterrent to getting to the truth. After discovering her love for storytelling, Zarina’s pursuit of sharing issues of her local Lebanese community jumpstarted an unexpected following, having the then-youthful Zarina take up a career as a documentary filmmaker.
After the tragic death of her father and the early release of his killer, Zarina became even more motivated to find out the truth about the issues surrounding her. When a film about her father’s killer confessing to his crimes in jail earned her international acclaim, she even became more enamored with odd stories other inmates have been telling her. And when she investigated a closed-off wing in Hellshire Penitentiary, a discovery would have her transported into the Dark Realm. While otherwise having no means of escape, her Perks that connect with her street smarts as an investigative filmmaker allow her to become an effective Dead By Daylight support Survivor: remain hidden (Off the Record), create distractions for Killers (Red Herring) and heal others while leaving herself vulnerable (For the People).
1 Felix Richter
Despite looking like the typical rich architect, there’s more to Felix Richter and his life story than meets the eye. What players see as charismatic Felix is actually a “play-act,” his “training” to network while he’s hiding his true introverted self beneath. In his youth, Felix’s prodigious talent for art is paired with crippling social anxiety, something he and his fellow isolated “the Pariahs” coped with through a pursuit of cultures, languages, and architecture. In between these encounters are frequent summer trips in the private Dyer Island, where an unfortunate incident will have a mysterious Fog take their parents away.
It was only when old friends of his father hired his assistance to help restore Dyer Island that Felix would confront his old feelings once more, and a trip to the site would have the mysterious Fog materialize his father. Eager to reunite with his dad, Felix follows him into the Dark Realm, never to be seen again. Despite his lack of natural social skills, Felix was trained in social cues enough to identify patterns while running away from Killers in Dead By Daylight. In turn, his personal Perks involve being able to identify Generators (Visionary), maximize his tools (Built to Last), and rescue Survivors faster (Desperate Measures).
Dead By Daylight was released in 2016 for the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.