Asymmetrical horror darling Dead by Daylight has become famous for its fantastic crossovers. When Resident Evil monstrosity Nemesis was added to the game as a playable Killer, fans were delighted. Most expected the Resident Evil crossovers to end there. Instead, the newest chapter has added yet another RE favorite to the game: the Mastermind, Albert Wesker.

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Wesker's power (the Virulent Bound) borrows mechanics from several other Killers, including the Nurse, Demogorgon, and Blight. Wesker's power is demanding to learn, with many strategic nuances. Even if it takes a great deal of practice to rise to the top, learning the basics of the Killer isn't difficult. Here are some essential tips for players new to the Mastermind, Albert Wesker.

Mind The Hitboxes

Dead by Daylight - Wesker Throwing

The Mastermind's power, Virulent Bound, grants him a pair of quick dashes that can be delayed and chained in much the same way as the Nurse's Blinks. If the Mastermind collides with a Survivor during a dash, he will slam or throw them into the object behind them, dealing damage. If there is no object behind the Survivor, the Mastermind will throw them but not cause them to lose a health state.

Though the hitbox for Wesker's Virulent Bound has been adjusted since the PTB, accurately aiming it still requires a great deal of practice. It's easy to get caught on the edge of tiles, especially tiles that have random debris, rocks, or other protruding objects that extend their hitboxes. Because colliding with one of these objects will cancel Wesker's power, thereby allowing the Survivor he is chasing to make distance, it's imperative that new Wesker players learn the ins and outs of his Virulent Bound collisions.

Focus On Open Areas

Dead by Daylight - Wesker, Exit Gate

Wesker excels in taking down Survivors that he catches in open areas. Even if there is a loop relatively close by, Wesker can use his Virulent Bound to quickly grab Survivors or even dash ahead of them to bodyblock a window or pallet. The Killer should always be looking for opportunities to single out Survivors who are caught in the open like this, as doing so typically leads to an easy hit and quick down.

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Wesker has the largest Terror Radius in Dead by Daylight. There are pros to this, but the largest and most obvious con is that Survivors will be warned of his approach sooner than they would be with virtually any other Killer. The head start that this early warning gives Survivors will often prevent Wesker from catching them in the open, which is one reason that stealth perks like Tinkerer and Hex: Plaything can be particularly potent on him.

Keep People Infected

Dead by Daylight - Wesker Spray Cleansing

When Wesker hits a Survivor with his Virulent Bound, that Survivor becomes infected. The only way to remove the infection is to use the medicinal sprays located in the four boxes scattered around the map. Each spray has two uses, allowing Survivors to cleanse the infection a total of eight times throughout the match.

Much like the Plague, the Mastermind is at a major advantage when Survivors are fully infected. A Survivor who is fully infected but uninjured will be one-shot downed by Wesker's Virulent Bound. Even worse, full infection afflicts the Hindered status effect on Survivors, slowing them down and making them easier targets. Paired together, the effects of infection make it easy for Wesker to tear apart teams who let their infection get away from them. For this reason, it's best to keep Survivors infected whenever possible.

Use Narrow Passages

Dead by Daylight - Wesker Unhooking

Open areas are powerful for the Mastermind, but there's another circumstance in which Virulent Bound is particularly deadly: narrow passages. Long, straight areas blocked in by walls (such as the hallways of Midwich) make it easy for the Mastermind to catch up to Survivors using his Bound and make it almost impossible for them to avoid this attack.

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Smart Survivors will do their best not to put themselves in such areas too often, but in the chaos of the average match, the Mastermind will typically have a good chance to exploit this advantage. If the Killer has the choice of pushing Survivors towards either a narrow hallway or another kind of loop, the hallway will usually serve Wesker best. The better the Killer gets at driving Survivors into areas where his power is most advantageous, the more Trials the Killer will win.

Practice Bounding

Dead by Daylight - Wesker Vaulting

Virulent Bound is a strong but unusual power. With the multiple charges and delay of the Nurse, the collision awareness of the Blight, and the stiff trajectory of the Demogorgon, Wesker's power isn't easy to learn, let alone master. For high skill ceiling Killers like the Blight, Huntress, and Executioner, the most important thing a player can do is practice, learning the many nuances, strengths, and weaknesses of their power over time.

Wesker's Virulent Bound allows him to vault pallets and windows much like the Legion, which can be used to quickly close the gap on Survivors. It can be easy for a Survivor to use the Window Tech (positioning themselves next to a window to take advantage of the Killer's limited POV and hide from him) to avoid Wesker following a window vault, if the player isn't wary. Knowing how to anticipate and counter this tech is just one important aspect of learning Wesker's Virulent Bound.

Experiment With Builds

Dead by Daylight - Wesker Camping Hook

Some Killers have strengths and weaknesses that cause them to only really have one or two optimal builds. This isn't the case with Wesker. There are a variety of different perk and add-on combinations this Killer can use against Survivors, and the sheer versatility of the character makes him great for catching Survivors off-guard and making counterplay difficult. Anti-loop builds, meta builds, stealth builds, and Terror Radius builds all work well on Wesker, which makes him fun to play as well as deadly.

Terror Radius builds in particular are interesting for this character. With a Terror Radius of 40m, compared to the typical 32m TR, Wesker's presence can be felt far across the map. When combined with perks that activate within his Terror Radius (such as Starstruck and Coulrophobia), Wesker can become highly oppressive. Using Distressing to expand his Terror Radius and playing on a small map can make Wesker's influence all but inescapable.

Dead by Daylight is now available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and Stadia.

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