Dead by Daylight's cast wouldn't have been complete without the introduction of Pinhead: the iconic Hell Priest from Hellraiser. Since Hellraiser's debut in 1987, fans have called the primary "monster" of the series Pinhead, thanks to the hundreds of pins protruding from his head. As one of the older icons of horror, it was only a matter of time before Pinhead made it into Dead by Daylight's roster.
The terrifying Cenobite has many powers at his disposal, all revolving around his chains and the Lament Configuration: a deadly puzzle box that survivors must solve in order to avoid being hunted by ambient chains. Pinhead excels at countering looping survivors and his Lament Configuration acts as its own form of slowdown. Like many of the best killers in Dead by Daylight, Pinhead is tough to master, but there are a few tips that players should keep in mind when playing him.
10 Try To Get The Lethal Pursuer Perk
Interestingly, one of Pinhead's best perks isn't even one of his own. While every killer can benefit from the "Lethal Pursuer" perk in some way or another, Pinhead gets a special bonus from using it if players take the time to learn it. Otzdarva, a YouTuber and Twitch Streamer who's very popular in the Dead by Daylight community made a video detailing how Pinhead players can find the Lament Configuration easily before any of the survivors thanks to the Lethal Pursuer perk.
Not every Pinhead player will have access to Lethal Pursuer though, as it is a perk from the Nemesis, a killer added with the Resident Evil expansion. Players serious about picking up Pinhead should consider getting Nemesis as well or just keep a close eye out in the Shrine of Secrets for Lethal Pursuer to come up. It is invaluable to Pinhead and can ensure quick chain hunts which can easily lead to early picks for the killer.
9 Learn The Lament Configuration's Timing
Though not his main ability, the Lament Configuration is very important to Pinhead's gameplay loop. The Lament Configuration is the puzzle box from the movie series that brings the Cenobites to the mortal world. In Dead by Daylight, survivors have to try and find the Lament Configuration and solve it to stave off chain hunts. Chain hunts cause ambient chains to emerge from the sky and attack survivors, binding them and interrupting their actions.
For the player controlling Pinhead, learning when the Configuration spawns, when it activates chain hunts, and when it will respawn are very important. Pinhead should try and obtain the box for himself before survivors can pick it up. Picking up the box as Pinhead will briefly reveal all survivors on the map and start a chain hunt. Pinhead players should pay attention to when chain hunts begin and how long they last in order to maximize their efficiency.
8 Teleporting Isn't Always The Best Option
When a survivor picks up the Lament Configuration and begins solving it, the killer will be alerted with a killer instinct proc and will be prompted to teleport. Pinhead can teleport to the location where the survivor is solving the cube in an attempt to interrupt them. For new Pinhead players, this may seem tempting and many will always teleport.
However, survivors solving the cube nearby should just be hunted down with Pinhead's active ability, the Possessed Chains, instead of a teleport. When in an active chase with another survivor who will soon be downed and hooked, teleporting is often a bad idea. Players shouldn't feel the need to always teleport! Instead, they should remember where the general area of that survivor is and pursue them later. Survivors will often try to bait Pinhead teleports when their friends are being chased, so it's best to avoid the temptation to teleport in these instances.
7 Remember That The Cube Acts As A Slowdown
Playing as the killer in Dead by Daylight can feel quite stressful, as seasoned survivors can win easily and are often quite toxic to killers. Killers have to focus on many things at once and one or two mistakes can cost them a total win. Map control, loop pressure, and slowdown are all important aspects for killers to focus on. How can they lock down areas of the map while also catching survivors in loops while somehow preventing generators from being done all at once?
Luckily, Pinhead's Lament Configuration acts as its own version of a slowdown perk or ability. Unless the survivors enjoy being continually hunted by ambient chains, at least one of them will have to seek out the Configuration and solve it. This means that one player won't be healing, working on generators, or setting up boon totems during that time frame.
6 Place Possessed Chains As Close To Survivors As Possible
Pinhead's active ability allows him to possess a single chain and send it after survivors. This brings the player into a first-person perspective of the chain and challenges them to hit survivors. The Possessed Chains don't deal damage (unless a certain add-on is brought) but instead bind survivors with three chains that must be broken. Breaking these chains takes time, and survivors can't perform exhaustion perks or rushed actions while bound.
In order to maximize this slowdown, it's best to try and place the Possessed Chain's spawn location as close to a survivor as possible and hit them without having to turn the chain or chase with it. The chain is a little unwieldy to use for extended chases and can be easily dodged by good survivors, so killers should place it close and pursue them quickly instead!
5 Use Possessed Chains As Recon Tools
Pinhead's Possessed Chains don't always need to be used offensively. They are useful for checking hard-to-reach areas where survivors might be hiding and can be used to quickly check a generator.
Sometimes, a generator could be getting worked on outside of Pinhead's hearing range. A quick check with the Possessed Chain portal can give Pinhead valuable info, and, better still, a chain doesn't need to spawn from the portal! Pinhead can create a portal for a Possessed Chain but then cancel the action without shooting a chain forward.
4 Learn How Chains Break
The best way to get better with the Possessed Chains is to also learn their weaknesses. Possessed Chains are hard to maneuver in tight spaces and indoor maps. Survivors can also use walls and other architecture to break the chains faster than holding down their action buttons. As such, Possessed Chains aren't always a good option when chasing a survivor inside the killer shack. Certain loops can also easily break chains.
If possible, killers should try and go into a few custom games with a friend to learn more about how the chains break. Playing as a survivor against Pinhead is also a good idea, as it will allow them to see how the chains break from the other side of the game! This can be very useful in getting better with Pinhead's power.
3 Aim Chains Down To Break Them Quickly
When spawning a Possessed Chain, sometimes, the player may find that they no longer want to chase a survivor. They can't cancel the chain action as it's already spawned, so the best thing to do to return to Pinhead's body is to aim the chain into the floor and break it.
This works similar to the Nurse's teleport, where looking down ends the active ability faster than trying to commit to it. Sometimes, Possessed Chains won't work as intended, or will be summoned at the wrong moment. In a situation like this, players should aim down and break it off as quickly as possible!
2 Maximize Chain Slowdowns
Maximizing the slowdown and usage of Possessed Chains on an indoor map requires different timing and strategy than on an outdoor map. Survivors will often be able to break chains much faster on indoor maps, but they can't make rushed actions when bound by chains. With this in mind, killers should use this to get hits on them when they're trapped near windows or dropped pallets.
As previously mentioned, Exhaustion perks also cannot be used while bound, so killers should remember which survivors are using Dead Hard and use the Possessed Chains to prevent them from using these perks. Chain hits cause three chains to bind survivors, so killers will need to use this slowdown wisely.
1 Use Pinhead's Chains To Interrupt Survivors
Perhaps the most useful tip for playing Pinhead is to use Possessed Chains to interrupt survivors. Chains prevent healing, generator work, and even Lament Configuration solving. They can be used as momentary slowdowns while Pinhead pursues another survivor. Again, the chains don't always need to directly lead to a downed survivor. Sometimes, preventing a heal and chasing the wounded survivor might be more important.
Regardless of the situation, killers should remember that Possessed Chains interrupt nearly every survivor's action and bind them for a few precious seconds. Mastering chain interruption is critical to mastering Pinhead. As such, it is important to learn when and how to use Possessed Chains and use their interruption wisely.
Dead By Daylight is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.