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The Clown was one of the first killers to be added to Dead by Daylight, but his abilities have since undergone heavy changes. Once only equipped with his purple Afterpiece Tonic, which slows survivors down, he now also possesses the yellow Afterpiece Antidote, which speeds him and survivors up. The Afterpiece Antidote adds some variability to his powers, allowing killers more flexibility in chase. It grants him more map mobility, too, making him a more well-rounded killer.
The Clown's buffs since his introduction have made him stronger and more viable for both beginners and experts to play. Knowing how to properly use the Afterpiece Tonic and the Afterpiece Antidote can improve any Clown's game; these two potions are critical to winning consistently as this killer. Here is how to make the best of The Clown's abilities and win more games of Dead by Daylight.
Use Afterpiece Tonic On Survivors Around Loops
The Clown's Afterpiece Tonic slows down survivors when thrown. This power is particularly strong around loops, since it allows him to slow down survivors and put them in positions that force them to lose distance or get hit. Around a relatively unsafe loop with a pallet, The Clown can throw a bottle on one side of the loop, then quickly walk to the other side. At that point, the survivor will either have to walk through the gas, resulting in a hit, or run to another area, allowing The Clown to gain distance and potentially get a hit anyway.
This may not work on some loops; players should take a look at the tile and the surrounding area to determine if it's a good idea to throw their gas, and to determine where exactly to throw it. Players should be careful that they don't walk through the gas themselves, though, since it also slows them down and could result in a lost chase. Good Clown players are extremely tactful about where they throw their bottles, ensuring that they slow survivors down but never themselves.
Use The Afterpiece Antidote To Gain Speed
While The Clown's Afterpiece Tonic slows survivors and himself down, the Afterpiece Antidote speeds The Clown and/or survivors up a bit. The Clown can use his Afterpiece Antidote in a number of situations. For one, he can use it while not in chase with a survivor to gain speed as he moves across the map. After all, there's really no reason to traverse the map at normal speed when this killer can throw a gas that speeds him up. Using the Afterpiece Antidote to get across the map can help him prevent generators from being completed, especially with the help of his own perk, Pop Goes The Weasel. Before The Afterpiece Antidote was introduced, The Clown struggled with map pressure, but he can now defend generators with no problem, especially on smaller maps and with a strong build.
Getting across the map isn't the only use for this power, though. The Clown can also use this yellow gas to speed himself up around loops, gaining enough distance to close the gap between him and a survivor. This can be useful so long as survivors are not anticipating the move, since they may have enough time to react and move accordingly.
Don't Accidentally Speed Up Survivors
While the Afterpiece Antidote can speed up The Clown, granting him the boost he needs to get around a corner to hit a survivor, this yellow gas allow speeds up any survivors who enter its thick cloud. When the player throws the Afterpiece Antidote, they should ensure that a survivor will not be running directly into it, since this has the exact opposite of the effect they want most of the time. The Antidote takes a moment before it activates, so killers should be especially careful about their timing.
There are times The Clown may want to use the Afterpiece Antidote on a survivor; for example, if a survivor is headed in the direction the killer wants them to go or running the wrong direction around a loop, they may toss an Afterpiece Antidote to speed them up and therefore earn the hit. Most of the time, though, The Clown should be careful not to speed up survivors with the Afterpiece Antidote since this can result in lost chases against great survivors.
Don't Underestimate Your Powers
Many players underestimate The Clown's power, only occasionally throwing the Afterpiece Tonic and sometimes avoiding the Afterpiece Antidote altogether. This is a mistake; players should use The Clown's power quite often. The Clown used to struggle against strong survivors, but the Afterpiece Antidote makes things far more interesting. By properly using the Afterpiece Antidote combined with his original Afterpiece Tonic, The Clown can shut down loops against even the best survivors.
Players should keep in mind, though, that The Clown does need to reload after a few uses of his power, so some management is still necessary. This reload is quick and generally doesn't cause too much of a problem, but running out of bottles during an important chase may cause players to run into issues.
Dead By Daylight was released in June 2016 and is currently playable on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, iOS, and Android.