On March 10th, Caleb Quinn, better known as the Deathslinger, was released as the new killer in Dead by Daylight's new chapter "Chains of Hate" alongside survivor Zarina Kassir and the new map, Dead Dawg Saloon. Being a new killer, it may be difficult for some players to plan around the Deathslinger, but there are things to keep in mind while trapped in trial with the deadly bounty hunter.
Like Dead by Daylight's previous killers, the Huntress and the Plague, the Deathslinger is a ranged killer with his main ability allowing him to reel in survivors after shooting them with his speargun before going for the downing blow. Like the Huntress's axes at full charge, the speed for the speargun's shot is 40 meters per second with a maximum range of 18 meters. After each shot, it must be reloaded again with the base time of 2.75 seconds. Note that these are the Deathslinger's base stats and can be adjusted by killer players through the use of add-ons.
While being reeled in by the Deathslinger is certainly frightening, being speared isn't a sign that survivors should lose hope. The main weakness of the speargun is in how the chain on the spear can be broken by survivors and the environment. As one is being reeled in by the killer, survivors can position themselves so that map objects get in the way of the chain and subsequently damage it. However, if the chain is broken, the speared survivor will suffer from the Deep Wound status effect with the base timer of 30 seconds before they are automatically downed without mending their wound.
Breaking the Chain
While suffering from the Deep Wound status is a hefty price, it is better than being hooked or sacrificed. To avoid this fate, players should position themselves so that the chain is forced to clip into map objects or run into the chain if they see another player getting reeled in by the killer. As he needs a few seconds to reload, this can grant players enough time to disappear from sight.
Avoid Open Areas
Although staying out of open areas can be recommended no matter what killer is present, this is especially recommended for the Deathslinger, as an open shot can guarantee him a clean reel and a free hook. Keep in mind that gaps in fences and rails can be shot through, so stay behind solid objects.
Keep the Deathslinger's Perks in Mind
While killer players can technically have any loadout of perks, many players will be using the Deathslinger's initial perks due to them being new and the first ones that can be obtained as the bounty hunter.
The first available perk is Gearhead, which allows the killer to see which generator is being worked on if a survivor completes a skill check on it for a limited amount of time after hitting a survivor twice with a basic attack.
The second available perk is Dead Man's Switch, which is an obsession perk that is activated for a short amount of time after the obsession is hooked. If a survivor stops working on a generator while activated, the generator will be blocked off until the effect of the perk ends. Affected generators are also highlighted for the killer.
The final perk is Hex: Retribution, which is a hex perk that causes all survivors that cleanse Dull Totems to be afflicted with the Oblivious status for a short amount of time. Cleansing any Hex Totems will reveal the locations of all survivors for 10 seconds.
Overall, players should remain vigilant and keep their heads low when going up against the Deathslinger. However, players also shouldn't let their fear consume them and not go down or let anyone else go down without a fight.
Dead By Daylight is available now for Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.