In the tense, high-stakes world of Dead by Daylight, every Killer knows the margin between a perfect game and a humiliating defeat can be razor-thin. The meta keeps shifting, Survivors keep getting bolder, and the list of available perks just keeps growing. With more than a hundred Killer perks in rotation, choosing the right four is practically its own mind game.
One wrong call can turn an intimidating build into a punching bag, and that’s exactly why players should know which perks to stay away from. Some are outdated and others are failed experiments, but all of these hold Killers back by teaching the wrong habits, rewarding the wrong moves, or simply doing nothing when it matters most. For those serious about improving, here are the Killer perks to avoid at all costs.
Once meant to punish item-wielding Survivors, the Overwhelming Presence now exists in a strange design limbo. The effect is simple: Survivors who use an item within 32 meters of the Killer get Exhausted for a few seconds and reveal their aura. In theory, this sounds disruptive. In practice, it’s like throwing a paper airplane at a freight train.
The effect is brief, inconsistent, and only triggers when a Survivor uses an item near the Killer, which rarely happens by accident. Plus, a cooldown timer means even if someone does activate it, that window closes fast. Most Survivors simply avoid using items when near the Killer, and those that don’t? They’re not going to lose a chase because of this perk.
Septic Touch looks clever on paper. Survivors who try to heal within the Terror Radius get slammed with Blindness and Exhaustion. But here’s the catch: experienced Survivors don’t heal near the Killer. So, this perk only triggers when someone’s already made a massive error, and it’s never going to catch the players who actually need to be slowed down.
Even on stealthy Killers (who could theoretically sneak up on healing Survivors), the perk is often disabled or simply non-functional when the Terror Radius is suppressed. Furthermore, The Dredge, the very Killer who unlocks this perk, can’t even benefit from it during Nightfall.
Hex: Two Can Play might sound spicy: if Survivors stun or blind the Killer twice, it lights up a Hex totem, and from then on, anyone who blinds or stuns gets blinded in return for 1.5 seconds. However, the payoff is quite disappointing, which is only a one-second inconvenience for a Survivor who’s already made a play and probably escaped.
To make it worse, the perk’s effect can be cleansed at any time, removing the threat entirely. When compared to chase or anti-blind perks, Two Can Play comes off as a meme. Lightborn grants full immunity to blinding. Spirit Fury and Enduring make pallets a joke. This Hex is just a minor annoyance—hardly a deterrent for skilled Survivors who rely on precise timing and map awareness.
Scourge Hook: Hangman’s Trick promises to turn four hooks into “Scourge Hooks” and lets the Killer see Survivors near them while carrying someone. It also gives a loud noise notification when a hook is sabotaged. It sounds useful—until players realize how rare it is for all the necessary conditions to align. Also, the aura reveal is usually so fleeting and out of the way that it’s not even actionable.
Meanwhile, for real information, Barbecue & Chili or Floods of Rage reveal all Survivors after a hook, and Awakened Awareness shows anyone close to the Killer while carrying. Hangman’s Trick just pings the occasional player, rarely when it matters, and doesn’t help pressure the map or track objectives.
Undone is a gamble on Survivors’ missing skill checks. Each failed repair or healing check grants tokens; kick a gen, and it regresses 1% per token and blocks for 1 second per token. Max it out, and it might seem strong. In reality, good Survivors barely ever miss skill checks, and if they do, the Killer is probably already in control.
If Survivors are missing enough checks for Undone to shine, the perk was never needed in the first place. Basically, against strong teams, this perk does nothing. Against weak teams, it’s overkill. Even when fully charged, it’s easily outdone by Pop Goes the Weasel, Eruption, or Pain Resonance—perks that always pay out.
Shadowborn used to boost Field of View, but now? It only triggers if players get blinded by a Survivor, giving a small Haste boost. Sounds nice, until it’s clear the only “reward” comes after losing a key mind game and eating a blinding flashlight.
The speed boost is active while vision is still impaired, which in itself is quite useless. For those worried about blinds, Lightborn shuts them down completely, no strings attached. Whereas Shadowborn just hands out a consolation prize for a failure that could’ve been avoided.
When Boon Totems dominated the meta, Shattered Hope was the answer: Killers could snuff them out permanently and briefly see nearby Survivors. Fast-forward to today, and Boons are barely a blip on the radar. In most matches, a Boon Totem never appears, and if it does, snuffing it with base-kit actions is usually enough.
The perk is so situational that most games end with it never being activated. Even if it does fire, it’s rarely game-changing. Other anti-boon or slowdown perks offer consistent, impactful value no matter the match.
Beast of Prey is legendary for all the wrong reasons. This Huntress perk grants Undetectable status when players achieve Bloodlust, essentially rewarding players for failing to catch survivors for extended periods. The problem is, by the time Bloodlust triggers, Survivors know exactly where the Killer is. Stealth becomes pointless because the prey already has eyes on the threat.
Top Killers never want to hit Bloodlust, because ending chases fast is how matches are won. This perk rewards failing to do that, which is the last thing players want to build for. Beast of Prey stands as the perfect example of everything wrong with “reward for failure” perk design. It teaches bad habits, activates only during disasters, and provides benefits that don’t solve any problems.
June 14, 2016
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Unreal Engine 4
