Dead by Daylight was originally not supposed to be a highly competitive game. The developers originally wanted it to be a spooky, hide-and-seek-style party game. As with any game placing people against each other though, it grew and developed its own meta. Nearly any killer in the game is viable against most lobbies of survivors, although the survivors generally have the upper hand in higher-level play as it is.

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While every killer can get wins with their unique skillsets, there are a few that are a lot tougher to get the hang of using. This doesn't make them bad options and oftentimes means that learning them will be even more rewarding in the end. Dead by Daylight isn't always an easy game, especially for the killer. These are some of the hardest killers to master in the current roster.

Updated October 12, 2022 by Joe Barbieri: The developers of Dead by Daylight are constantly adding new killers, perks, and maps to the already giant horror extravaganza. As a result, new characters and killers can sometimes feel like they need to one-up those that came before them. This can lead to some really cool abilities and killers but also result in hard-to-understand abilities and information overloads.

This effect can certainly be seen with Sadako, known as The Onryo in-game. All a player has to do is compare her power breakdown in the menu to that of the game's first killer, the Trapper, to see how much more advanced the game has become. Sadako joins a number of other killers in Dead by Daylight as one of the hardest to master.

12 The Shape — Michael Myers

DbD Michael Myers DLC Art

Micheal Myers exists in a weird place inside the meta of Dead by Daylight. On one hand, his ability is arguably one of the easiest in the game to learn. He stalks victims by holding the active power button and watching survivors. Stalking builds a meter, which powers Myers up with each tier, ending in a timed tier three. On paper, this is very simple to learn and use.

Truly mastering Myers is a lot trickier though. Players should note that Myers doesn't lose tier two once it is reached. As it is a limited-use ability, good Myers players will often save tier three for when they need it most. This means getting the tier 2 meter to 99% and saving it. Meter management is key for Myers players to learn. Combine this with Myers' lack of anti-looping and he becomes one of the harder killers to master, especially with no add-ons.

11 The Ghost Face

DbD Ghost Face Standing Still Cropped

Like Michael Myers, the Ghost Face is a stealth-type killer in Dead by Daylight. These killers play differently than nearly any other killer in the game and add a layer of difficulty that many players simply find too intimidating. Though hard to master, Ghost Face is the definitive choice for players looking to play a stealth killer. Unlike Myers, Ghost Face can apply pressure with his ability much earlier in the match, as he doesn't need to level it up. He can mark multiple people and expose them early on. He can also crouch, making him much harder to spot than Myers.

Though Ghost Face will never match the level of a high-skill Nurse or Blight, he can be very effective in most lobbies once his gameplay loop is mastered. Like most killers, Ghost Face is weak on certain maps, particularly those where he stands out against the props and backgrounds. However, learning to play these maps is key to mastering the best stealth killer in the game.

10 The Twins

DbD Twins Victor Running Forward

Managing a killer's powers can be hard. Now take that feeling, and double it. The Twins are built around playing as essentially two characters. Charlotte is the primary killer while her vile twin Victor can be thought of as her unique ability. Players can separate Victor from Charlotte's body and play a whole new killer for a brief period. Managing when to use Victor and how to capitalize on his own powers can be very difficult.

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Victor moves very quickly, but cannot see survivor scratch marks. He can use his special attack to pounce on survivors. Already-injured survivors will go down, while healthy survivors will be constantly attacked by Victor for 8 seconds. Killer control then swaps back to Charlotte, who must find the pounced survivor. There's plenty more that Victor can do, but these killers are among some of the hardest to master simply because the player may feel overwhelmed by the task of managing two unique characters.

9 The Oni

DbD Oni Chapter Art

The Oni is one of the largest killers in Dead by Daylight. He's also surprisingly one of the fastest. When the Oni injures survivors, they release blood orbs. These orbs can be absorbed by the Oni, charging his meter that unleashes his true power. Once a full meter has been reached, the Oni can activate Blood Fury.

During Blood Fury, the Oni can Demon Dash, which allows him to sprint around the map at a terrifying speed. Unlike Legion's sprint though, Demon Dash can be very hard to control. The Oni's lunge attack can also be turned into the powerful Demon Strike during Blood Fury. Demon Strike reaches farther than a standard lunge attack and instantly downs survivors no matter what health state they're in. The Oni has the potential to be one of the strongest killers in the game, but it takes a lot of practice and a little luck with the map spawn.

8 The Blight

DbD Blight Trailer Art

When examining high levels of play, Blight's position as one of the top three killers is undeniable. His sprint is a bit strange to learn and even harder to fully master. The Blight can sprint for a brief time using his Rush power. Rush consumes one of five starting charges. On a normal Rush, the Blight cannot attack. In order to attack during a Rush, players will have to slam the Blight into a surface first, then initiate another Rush.

This next Rush will be a Lethal Rush. The Blight can attack survivors during a Lethal Rush. He just has to be slammed into something first. Lethal Rushes can be extended by slamming into objects along the way. Is a survivor far out but reachable in three rushes? Pinball the Blight all the way there, and rush them down. He can become a top-tier killer in the right hands once his Rushing, slamming, and Lethal Rushing are mastered.

7 The Plague

DbD Plague Chapter Art

The Plague is one of the more foul foes in the game and her unique ability centers around her projectile vomit. If that wasn't gross enough, she can use this vomit to infect objects like generators and lockers. At max infection, survivors take damage and suffer from the Broken debuff, which doesn't allow them to heal at all until they cleanse themselves of the sickness.

The sickness can be cured at one of many pools placed on the map. These Pools of Devotion heal survivors completely and are also what makes the Plague so tricky to play. She can injure survivors and infect them, but they can fully heal themselves at the pools. However, The Plague can also drink from these used pools to upgrade her bile into Corrupt Purge which makes her vomit more lethal. Playing the Plague is all about player decisions. The right decisions need to be made at the right times, and infections need to be watched closely. Once a player has mastered the Plague though, they will find that there are few other killers in the game that can hold a three-gen better than she.

6 The Executioner — Pyramid Head

DbD Pyramid Head Grabs Cheryl

There is perhaps no monster more iconic in the world of horror video games than Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill franchise. Pyramid Head can drag his sword along the ground to enact the Rights of Judgement, leaving a trail of barbed wire. Survivors who hit this barbed wire will be afflicted with Torment.

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Tormented survivors can be sent to a Cage of Atonement. These cages act like hooks but don't require Pyramid Head to grab the downed survivor. Pyramid Head also has a ranged attack. Pressing the attack button while using Rites of Judgement makes Pyramid Head send barbed wire forward in a straight path. This attack goes through walls and is great for catching survivors off guard. Unfortunately, the attack is quite easy to dodge and it leaves Pyramid Head in a small recovery animation.

5 The Hag

DbD Hag Trailer Render

As with many of the more difficult killers in Dead by Daylight, the Hag's power relies on good management skills on the player's part. The idea behind the Hag's power is actually quite simple, but effective execution with her can be a real challenge. The Hag's low lunge range and slow movement speed make her one of the worst killers for chasing in the game. She instead relies on her Phantasm Traps.

The Hag can paint up to 10 Phantasm Traps at a time. If the Hag is within 40 meters of the tripped trap, she can instantly teleport to the trap and surprise the survivor with a claw to the face. Playing the Hag effectively takes some time, as she is more of a defensive killer. She relies on getting a hook and then snowballing from there with webs of traps. She has one of the higher skill ceilings but also stands as one of the most powerful killers in the entire game.

4 The Artist

DbD Artist Chapter Art Cropped

Released with the most recent chapter update on November 30th, 2021, The Artist is the first killer in a while to really change up the meta in Dead By Daylight. Her perks are very good on a variety of killers, and she is one of the most effective killers in the game at countering loops. Her ability is a ranged crow attack that goes through walls and damages survivors if they are close enough. If not, they are surrounded by birds. This allows The Artist to see them through walls and target them for a second bout of crows, which will damage them as long as they are swarmed.

The Artist isn't great with verticality; it's her biggest weakness. The crows only go straight where she summons them, and they cannot be aimed up or down, unlike the Nurse's ability. However, this doesn't stop her from being one of the best killers in the game. Once her power is mastered and players learn the maps well, The Artist can feel truly oppressive to play against.

3 The Nurse

DbD Nurse Chapter Art

Widely considered to be the best killer in the game, the Nurse also has one of the deepest learning curves. The Nurse has the ability to teleport short distances via her Blink. She can Blink up to 20 meters and can chain a second Blink with a max distance of 12 meters. Tired of survivors looping endlessly or using pallets again and again? Simply blink through the loop and damage them.

Thankfully, the Nurse does take a lot of skill to play. She isn't overpowered in the hands of just anyone who picks her up. In fact, new players often struggle to even get a few hooks with the Nurse. Taking the time to learn these mechanics can unlock the potential of the strongest killer in the entire game though. Recent patches and killer releases have felt directly balanced around the Nuse. The recent second Resident Evil chapter Project W had many players comparing the new killer, Albert Wesker, to the nurse in terms of anti-loop and maneuverability. Unfortunately, Wesker ultimately couldn't challenge the Nurse's position as the best killer in the game, and she remains at the top of the killer meta.

2 The Onryo-Sadako Yamamura

DbD Sadako Rising Key Art Cropped

Added in the Sadako Rising chapter, The Onryo hails from the famous Japanese horror film Ringu. She originates from the Japanese series of novels under the same name. Sadako is one of the smallest killers in the game, making her tough to spot in certain locations. This may be one of her only upsides, unfortunately, as she is easily looped by experienced survivors and her power can often simply be ignored.

Sadako can manifest and demanifest when chasing survivors. When manifested, she has a terror radius and can attack survivors. While demanifested, she becomes Undetectable and becomes semi-invisible to survivors, only appearing in flashes to those within 24 meters of her. When demanifested, Sadako can teleport to one of several TVs placed around the map and crawl forward from the screen, building a status effect called Condemned on survivors within 16 meters of the TV. The TV then shuts off for a while before being available again. Survivors that become fully Condemned can be killed while in the Dying State by Sadako's Inexorable Stare. It is very, very difficult to build this status effect up completely though. Survivors can also retrieve VHS tapes from TVs, shutting them off and building Condemned progress. They can deposit the VHS to a different TV to vastly reduce their Condemned effect. Most players agree that the recently added Dredge is simply a more powerful Sadako without her glaring weaknesses. As a result, Sadako can feel both difficult and frustrating to master.

1 The Spirit

DbD Spirit Official School Costume Art

The community is always juggling between the Nurse and the Spirit as the best killer in the game. Like the Nurse though, the Spirit is tough to learn and can feel useless for players just starting out. The Spirit can enter a state called Phase Walking, leaving her Husk behind and moving at a significantly higher speed for five seconds. During the Phase Walk, she can't see survivors but can still hear them and see their scratch marks.

While Phase Walking she gives no terror radius and is nearly invisible. The only way survivors can know if she's coming is by seeing her flash in and out of existence briefly. She can easily creep up to generators being worked on and pull survivors off of them in one move. Similar to the Nurse, the Spirit's worst enemy is the person playing her. There is very little that survivors can do to counter her except pray that she makes mistakes.

Dead by Daylight is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Mobile.

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