Note: These times are estimates and may vary slightly.
Content
Event - Moonlight Burrow
The "Moonlight Burrow" Lunar New Year event starts January 24, 1pm ET.
Archives
Tome 14 - BETRAYAL Level 1 opens January 25, 11am ET.
Archive Challenges
"Dark Triumph" Killer Challenge: As The Executioner, Survivors who die inside a Cage of Atonement now award progress.
"Terrified" Killer Challenge: As The Trickster, Survivors hit by Showstopper blades no longer award progress.
"Near Miss" Survivor Challenge: Dodging Basic Attacks from The Oni and The Ghost Face (while crouched) now awards progress.
"The Engineer's Guild" Survivor Challenge: Progress is now cumulative and no longer resets when the co-op action is interrupted.
Features
Quality Of Life
Survivor Activity HUD
The Survivor HUD now features an indicator that appears whenever they or their teammates engage in an activity. Activities include Repairing a Generator, being chased by the Killer, Healing, recovering from the Dying State, Cleansing or Blessing a Totem, opening an Exit Gate, or interacting with a Killer’s Power.
Merciless Killer
Moving forward, getting 4 Kills will earn the Killer a Merciless Killer rating, rather than the previous requirement of a double pip.
The Queuing Experience
Players are now able to browse the Store, The Archives and Daily Rituals, while queueing for a match. If they are mid-purchase when the lobby is ready, the game will wait for the conclusion of the transaction – though it will kick the player if the delay is too long.
While queued, Killers can browse their other Killers and change their loadouts and customizations. This will not affect their currently queued character, who remains shown beside the "Looking for Match" message.
Dev Note:Due to a potential disconnection during cinematics, we had to disable the viewing of cinematics when in a party or queueing for a match.
Wiggling
Following a period in BETA, the updated Wiggle system is now standard for all players. Rather than mashing the left and right inputs to Wiggle, it now follows a ping-pong Skill Check system.
Based on the feedback we’ve received from players – thank you very much – we have made a few adjustments to the system.
Controller input handling has been improved, which should allow Killers to respond to Wiggling more efficiently while carrying Survivors.
Survivors no longer shorten carry time by hitting Great Skill Checks. Instead, Great Skill Checks will increase resistance for the Killer.
The size of the Great Skill Check zone has been slightly increased. We’ve also updated the Wiggling sound effects for improved feedback.
Balance Changes
The Knight
Now that the Forged In Fog Chapter has been released for several weeks, we have updated several aspects of The Knight’s Base Kit:
While using his Power, The Knight is now forced out of Guard Summon Mode after 10 seconds.
While tracing a Patrol Path, The Knight’s Orb shrinks with distance travelled and disappears completely after 10m.
When The Knight creates a Patrol Path longer than 10m, he will gain the Haste Status Effect. The Effect’s duration depends on the length of the Path, beginning at 2 seconds and increasing to 10 seconds at the maximum distance of 32m. The 10-second duration was 6 seconds on the PTB.
When a Guard detects a Survivor: If your Patrol Path is over 10m, the time it takes that Guard to reach the Survivor has been decreased. This reduction depends on the length of your Path, ranging from the default 10% to a maximum of 25% if your Path reaches 32m. Basically, the longer your Patrol Path, the faster your Guard will move once he detects a Survivor.
Using a Guard to damage a Generator now grants an instant 5% loss of progress (previously 2.5%).
Add-On Updates:
Healing Poultice: When Survivors are within 24m of The Assassin when he spawns, their locations will be revealed for 5 seconds (up from 3).
The Nurse
The Nurse holds an interesting place in the Killer Roster. Though her Power can be challenging to master, she can be extremely deadly in practiced hands, especially with certain Perks that accentuate her mobility. While we don’t want to completely overhaul her, we have made some updates to The Nurse, including a pass on her Add-Ons.
In addition, The Nurse is officially the latest Killer to receive her own theme in the menu, as well as a new Terror Radius and Chase Music.
Base Kit
Any Attack made after Blinking is now a Blink Attack, not a Basic Attack. This will impact how The Nurse synergizes with certain Perks, including those that trigger the Exposed Status Effect.
Add-On Updates
Catatonic Boy’s Treasure: Reduces extra fatigue from Chain Blinks by 65% (was 100).
Dark Cincture: Increases movement speed after a Blink but before the following fatigue by 30%.
Heavy Panting: Extends the duration of a Lunge by 30% after more than one Blink.
Ataxic Respiration: Reduces base Blink fatigue duration by 7% (was 12%).
Fragile Wheeze: Blink Attacks inflict the Mangled status effect.
Campbell's Last Breath: After reappearing from a fully charged Blink, The Nurse immediately Blinks again at full charge in the direction she is currently facing. This only works if The Nurse has a remaining Blink charge (was originally a half-charged Blink).
"Bad Man's" Last Breath: Hitting a Survivor with a successful Blink Attack grants the Undetectable status effect for 25 seconds (up from 16). This effect may be only triggered once every 45 seconds (down from 60).
Kavanaugh's Last Breath: When succumbing to fatigue, any Survivors within 8 meters of The Nurse are afflicted with the Blindness status effect for 60 seconds.
Jenner's Last Breath: Once The Nurse has exhausted all her Blinks, The Nurse can immediately Blink back to her original position by pressing the Active Ability Button. Must be triggered before The Nurse succumbs to fatigue. After returning to her original position, one Blink charge is restored (added restoration of 1 Blink charge; this is a change from the PTB where all charges were restored).
Torn Bookmark: Adds 1 Blink charge. Increases Blink recharge time by 30% (was 50%).
Matchbox: Sets maximum number of Blink charges to 1. Increases The Nurse's base movement speed to 4.4 m/s (was 4.2 m/s, no longer allows other addons to increase Blink charges).
We’ve also adjusted the following:
Improved feedback for the Spasmodic Breath Add-On.
Updated Blink recharge audio to give a better indication of when Blink charges are full.
Eyrie of Crows Map
Eyrie of Crows has received an additional balance pass to make the Map more fun to play for both Survivor and Killer.
The Map's length has been shortened.
Generators are more evenly distributed.
The main building has been moved toward the Map's edge.
The strength of certain main building loops has been decreased.
New tiles have been added.
Dead Zones have been reduced around the border.
The Exit Gate no longer inadvertently spawns behind the main building.
Certain rocks will no longer spawn close to Hooks, causing collision issues.
An alternate Generator has been added to the main building.
Bug Fixes
PlayStation
The PlayStation Store banner no longer remains visible outside of the store.
PlayStation players should no longer have trouble inviting or joining their friends in a match.
Windows Store
Players should no longer be unable to successfully purchase Auric Cells on the Windows Store.
Audio
The proper SFX will now play when a match is found.
The blood SFX will no longer play when a Hooked Survivor enters the Struggle Phase.
The Locker exit SFX is no longer unaffected by the Quick & Quiet Perk.
The Music no longer continues playing while a Survivor is being Sacrified.
Raised the volume of the Legion’s blood wiping SFX.
The Knight
The Knight’s Guards no longer get stuck in various places on the Mount Ormond Map.
The Knight’s guards are no longer incapable of traversing certain passages on the Mount Ormond Map.
The Knight’s feet are officially animated in the first-person perspective when attacking or looking down.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight and The Spirit to see the Potential Energy VFX and Refined Serum VFX while in Path creation mode and Phase Walking respectively.
The Knight's Power no longer becomes unusable when using the order system immediately after entering Patrol mode.
The Knight will no longer be able to perform actions from unintended distances immediately after using Guardia Compagnia.
The Knight will no longer receive a permanent 5% Haste Status Effect upon creating a Guard Path under than 10m.
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight entering Path Creation Mode to trigger Make Your Choice while standing beside a Hook.
The Spirit
The Spirit’s weapon retracting animation no longer speeds up.
The Spirit’s hair is no longer missing from a Spectator’s point of view during a Custom Match.
The Twins
Switching between Charlotte and Victor will no longer lead to an unexpected black screen.
Fixed an issue where Charlotte would be unable to move after switching control from Victor.
The Undetectable Visual Effect is no longer missing while using the Silencing Cloth Add-On.
The Plague
Unstable Rifts can no longer become infected by a Survivor infected by The Plague’s Power.
Survivor Perks & Gameplay
Flashbangs no longer spin while in a Survivor’s hand.
When the Circle of Healing Boon is snuffed, Survivors in its radius no longer fail their ongoing Skill Checks.
Survivors can no longer drop a Flashbang Grenade while getting Healed.
Firecrackers and Flashbangs now trigger as intended when thrown against a wall.
Object of Obsession now properly increases the chances of players becoming the Obsession at the start of a match.
Potential Energy should no longer remain on the Survivor after certain Killers use their Power.
Killer Perks
Fixed an issue where Hex: No One Escapes Death’s Aura remains active if first blessed by a survivor, then snuffed by a killer.
Resolved Hex: Huntress inconsistencies between SFX and UI.
Maps
Fixed an impassable passage between cedar walls on the Badham Preschool IV Map.
Survivors can no longer use momentum to vault onto a ledge of the Pale Rose’s Ferry.
A specific Generator on the Garden of Joy Map is no longer inaccessible from one side.
Placeholder textures have been removed from the Disturbed Ward Map.
Misc
Special Cosmetics such as the Vial Charms will now appear in-game consistently.
The Killer player can no longer join a lobby with an unintended character.
Players can no longer use an exploit to play with more than 4 Perks.
Bots no longer get stuck on thin air.
Force-quitting the game no longer causes a crash.
The splash screen no longer causes a crash.
Customizations equipped in the store are now immediately visible to all party members.
Survivor Bots no longer attempt to blind The Knight’s guards.
Applied a tentative fix to an issue causing lag spikes for players with both a mouse and controller connected.
Resolved an issue in the Shrine of Secrets where a Perk would display as “available” even after purchasing it.
The menu is no longer accessible while interacting with the EULA or Privacy Policy popup.
The Alert Reward popup no longer blocks inputs on the Menu.
Players should now gain proper progress on the achievement “Milk ‘n’ Cookies.”
Wiggle Skill Check responsiveness has been improved.
Survivor hair is no longer wonky during the Hook death animation.
The Entity Spikes at the Exit Gates should now appear as intended.
Fixed an issue causing the Dissolve VFX not to not appear when a Breakable Wall is destroyed.
Bug Fixes from PTB
The Cannibal’s Perk Names have been corrected.
The Artist’s legs now move correctly while rotating in place.
Grabbing a Vaulting female Survivor as The Spirit no longer causes clipping issues.
As The Legion, Julie and Susie’s Tally Screen animation has been corrected.
A visual progression issue affecting select Tomes on Archive Compendium menu has been corrected.
Pop-ups should no longer overlap incorrectly when opened.
Improved accuracy of the Survivor Activity Indicator while in Spectate Mode.
The intensity of the Nurse's Spasmodic Breath vignette has been reduced.
The Knight’s Undetectable vignette will now appear as intended.
Maps
Bots no longer get stuck on a pallet in Wreckers' Yard.
A placeholder Hill tile no longer spawns in the Crotus Prenn Asylum.
The Eyrie of Crows Killer shack Pallet no longer traps Killers or causes unintended interactions.
The Legion no longer vaults incorrectly during Feral Frenzy in the Eyrie Of Crows.
Crawling underneath the Raccoon City Police Station main hall desk no longer prevents Killers from picking you up.
The Raccoon City Police Station basement light no longer clips through the stairs.
Players will no longer land on top of a desk when falling through the hole in the Raccoon City Police Station second floor.
The Knight's guards no longer get stuck in the doorway of the Raccoon City Police Station's main hall.
The Pale Rose no longer has a spot where Survivors can avoid being picked up.
Killers can no longer accidentally land on top of a Pallet in the Midwich Elementary School.
The Pig
Survivors can no longer re-interact with the Jigsaw Box after attempting to remove a Reverse Bear Trap.
The Knight
A Knight’s Guard that previously attacked a Survivor will no longer play an Attack animation after breaking a Wall or Pallet.
Improved The Knight's Guard's pathing around select Mount Ormond Resort ski racks.
The Knight's Guards’ feet no longer clip into the floor.
The Twins
Charlotte no longer has a higher-than-intended movement speed boost when switching from Victor after having previously woken up as Charlotte.
Charlotte can no longer perform any actions during her wake-up animation.
The Twins may lose all functionality if stunned while unbinding.
The Nurse
The Heavy Panting Add-On now extends The Nurse's Lunge duration after the second Blink as intended.
The Nightmare
When playing as The Nightmare, red arrows no longer appear above Generators during the intro screen.
The Nightmare is no longer unable to use Dream Snares.
The Legion
The Julie’s Mixtape Add-On no longer allows the The Legion to attack twice in quick succession after recovering from a stun.
The Trapper
The Trapper grabbing Dwight from a Locker no longer triggers a Skill Check.
The Executioner
Injuring a Survivor from up close using Punishment of the Damned no longer now gives the Punishment score event.
Killer Perks & Gameplay
Terminus now displays a cooldown for Survivors after opening the Exit Gate.
Special Attack Lunges no longer inadvertently trigger Coup De Grace.
Whispers now works as intended.
Killers no longer bypass the Decisive Strike Stun if the Survivor is dropped before the Skill Check.
Nowhere To Hide now reveals the Aura of Survivors that were out of the range upon activation.
Nowhere to Hide’s effect is now properly centered on the Killer instead of the kicked Generator.
The Hag’s Daily Ritual Rite Of Flesh and Mud can now be completed.
Survivor Perks & Gameplay
Wiretap now reveals the auras of The Killer while they are blinded by Residual Manifest.
Situational Awareness no longer reveals the player's Aura against Lethal Pursuer.
Adrenaline no longer triggers every time a Survivor is unhooked after all Generators have been repaired.
Renewal no longer keeps charging when Survivors change states.
The Deep Wound vignette no longer remains visible at the Tally Screen when a Survivor escapes while in the Deep Wound state.
Survivors now gain Haste when grabbing The Knight's banner as intended.
Survivors are now longer immune to The Deathslinger's projectile during a fast window Vault.
Fixed an issue that caused The Survivor perk 'Smash Hit' may apply delayed movement speed bonus for the Survivor when The Nurse is stunned while charging its power.
The Item of Obsession Achievement can now be unlocked without issue.
The Agonizing Escape Achievement can now be unlocked without issue.
Misc.
Players can no longer use an exploit to play with two copies of the same Add-On.
Entering the Archives during an Event while tracking a previous Event’s Archive Challenge will no longer cause soft locking.
In the "Survive with Bots" Tutorial, the Killer will no longer be unable to pick up a downed Survivor.
The Wiggle UI will no longer appear incorrectly during the Survivor Tutorial.
Added an outline to the Chat text to improve contrast.
Known Issues
Generator progress is not shown on Survivor HUD activity icons.
Progress & save data information has been copied from the Live game to our PTB servers on December 19th, 2022. Please note that players will be able to progress for the duration of the PTB, but none of that progress will make it back to the Live version of the game.
Release Schedule
PTB goes live: 11AM ET
Quality Of Life
Survivor Activity HUD
The Survivor HUD now features an indicator that appears whenever they or their teammates engage in an activity. Activities include Repairing a Generator, being chased by the Killer, Healing, recovering from the Dying State, Cleansing or Blessing a Totem, opening an Exit Gate, or interacting with a Killer’s Power.
Merciless Killer
Moving forward, getting 4 Kills will earn the Killer a Merciless Killer rating, rather than the previous requirement of a double pip.
The Queuing Experience
Players are now able to browse the Store, The Archives and Daily Rituals, while queueing for a match. If they are mid-purchase when the lobby is ready, the game will wait for the conclusion of the transaction – though it will kick the player if the delay is too long.
While queued, Killers can browse their other Killers and change their loadouts and customizations. This will not affect their currently queued character, who remains shown beside the "Looking for Match" message.
Dev Note: Due to a potential disconnection during cinematics, we had to disable the viewing of cinematics when in a party or queueing for a match
Wiggling
Following a period in BETA, the updated Wiggle system is now standard for all players. Rather than mashing the left and right inputs to Wiggle, it now follows a ping-pong Skill Check system.
Based on the feedback we’ve received from players – thank you very much – we have made a few adjustments to the system.
Controller input handling has been improved, which should allow Killers to respond to Wiggling more efficiently while carrying Survivors.
Survivors no longer shorten carry time by hitting Great Skill Checks. Instead, Great Skill Checks will increase resistance for the Killer.
The size of the Great Skill Check zone has been slightly increased. We’ve also updated the Wiggling sound effects for improved feedback.
Balance Changes
The Knight
Now that the Forged In Fog Chapter has been released for several weeks, we have updated several aspects of The Knight’s Base Kit:
While using his Power, The Knight is now forced out of Guard Summon Mode after 10 seconds.
While tracing a Patrol Path, The Knight’s Orb shrinks with distance travelled and disappears completely after 10m.
When The Knight creates a Patrol Path longer than 10m, he will gain the Haste Status Effect. The Effect’s duration depends on the length of the Path, beginning at 2 seconds and increasing to 6 seconds at the maximum distance of 32m.
When a Guard detects a Survivor: If your Patrol Path is over 10m, the time it takes that Guard to reach the Survivor has been decreased. This reduction depends on the length of your Path, ranging from the default 10% to a maximum of 25% if your Path reaches 32m. Basically, the longer your Patrol Path, the faster your Guard will move once he detects a Survivor.
Using a guard to damage a Generator now grants an instant 5% loss of progress (previously 2.5%).
Add-On Updates:
Healing Poultice: When Survivors are within 24m of The Assassin when he spawns, their locations will be revealed for 5 seconds (up from 3).
The Nurse
The Nurse holds an interesting place in the Killer Roster. Though her Power can be challenging to master, she can be extremely deadly in practiced hands, especially with certain Perks that accentuate her mobility. While we don’t want to completely overhaul her, we have made some updates to The Nurse, including a pass on her Add-Ons. Base Kit:
Any Attack made after Blinking is now a Blink Attack, not a Basic Attack. This will impact how The Nurse synergizes with certain Perks, including those that trigger the Exposed Status Effect.
Add-On Updates:
Catatonic Boy’s Treasure: Reduces extra fatigue from Chain Blinks by 65% (was 100).
Dark Cincture: Increases movement speed after a Blink but before the following fatigue by 30%.
Heavy Panting: Extends the duration of a Lunge by 30% after more than one Blink.
Ataxic Respiration: Reduces base Blink fatigue duration by 7% (was 12%).
Fragile Wheeze: Blink Attacks inflict the Mangled status effect.
Campbell's Last Breath: After reappearing from a fully charged Blink, The Nurse immediately Blinks again at full charge in the direction she is currently facing. This only works if The Nurse has a remaining Blink charge (was originally a half-charged Blink).
"Bad Man's" Last Breath: Hitting a Survivor with a successful Blink Attack grants the Undetectable status effect for 25 seconds (up from 16). This effect may be only triggered once every 45 seconds (down from 60).
Kavanaugh's Last Breath: When succumbing to fatigue, any Survivors within 8 meters of The Nurse are afflicted with the Blindness status effect for 60 seconds.
Jenner's Last Breath: Once The Nurse has exhausted all her Blinks, The Nurse can immediately Blink back to her original position by pressing the Active Ability Button. Must be triggered before The Nurse succumbs to fatigue. After returning to her original position, all Blink charges are restored (added restoration of Blink charges).
Torn Bookmark: Adds 1 Blink charge. Increases Blink recharge time by 30% (was 50%).
Matchbox: Sets maximum number of Blink charges to 1. Increases The Nurse's base movement speed to 4.4 m/s (was 4.2 m/s, no longer allows other addons to restore Blink charges).
General Updates:
The Nurse is officially the latest Killer to receive her own theme in the menu, as well as a new Terror Radius and Chase Music.
We’ve also adjusted the following:
Improved feedback for the Spasmodic Breath Add-On.
Updated Blink recharge audio to give a better indication of when Blink charges are full.
Map Updates
Eyrie of Crows has received a balance pass to make the Map more fun to play for both Survivor and Killer.
The Map's length has been shortened.
Generators are more evenly distributed.
The main building has been moved toward the Map's edge.
The strength of certain main building loops has been decreased.
New tiles have been added.
Optimizations
We have improved overall stability and performance of the Main Menu, the Character Info panel, and The Archives Rift. We’ve also improved performance when loading into a match on Nintendo Switch.
Bug Fixes
PlayStation
The PlayStation Store banner no longer remains visible outside of the store.
PlayStation players should no longer have trouble inviting or joining their friends in a match.
Windows Store
Players should no longer be unable to successfully purchase Auric Cells on the Windows Store.
Audio
The proper SFX will now play when a match is found.
The blood SFX will no longer play when a Hooked Survivor enters the Struggle Phase.
The Locker exit SFX is no longer unaffected by the Quick & Quiet Perk.
The Music no longer continues playing while a Survivor is being Sacrificed.
Raised the volume of the Legion’s blood wiping SFX.
The Knight
The Knight’s Guards no longer get stuck in various places on the Mount Ormond Map.
The Knight’s guards are no longer incapable of traversing certain passages on the Mount Ormond Map.
The Knight’s feet are officially animated in the first-person perspective when attacking or looking down.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight and The Spirit to see the Potential Energy VFX and Refined Serum VFX while in Path creation mode and Phase Walking respectively.
The Knight's Power no longer becomes unusable when using the order system immediately after entering Patrol mode.
The Knight will no longer be able to perform actions from unintended distances immediately after using Guardia Compagnia.
The Knight will no longer receive a permanent 5% Haste Status Effect upon creating a Guard Path under than 10m.
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight entering Path Creation Mode to trigger Make Your Choice while standing beside a Hook.
The Spirit
The Spirit’s weapon retracting animation no longer speeds up.
The Spirit’s hair is no longer missing from a Spectator’s point of view during a Custom Match.
The Twins
Switching between Charlotte and Victor will no longer lead to an unexpected black screen.
Fixed an issue where Charlotte would be unable to move after switching control from Victor.
The Undetectable Visual Effect is no longer missing while using the Silencing Cloth Add-On.
The Plague
Unstable Rifts can no longer become infected by a Survivor infected by The Plague’s Power.
Survivor Perks & Gameplay
Flashbangs no longer spin while in a Survivor’s hand.
When the Circle of Healing Boon is snuffed, Survivors in its radius no longer fail their ongoing Skill Checks.
Survivors can no longer drop a Flashbang Grenade while getting Healed.
Firecrackers and Flashbangs now trigger as intended when thrown against a wall.
Object of Obsession now properly increases the chances of players becoming the Obsession at the start of a match.
Potential Energy should no longer remain on the Survivor after certain Killers use their Power.
Killer Perks
Fixed an issue where Hex: No One Escapes Death’s Aura remains active if first blessed by a Survivor, then snuffed by a Killer.
Resolved Hex: Huntress Lullaby inconsistencies between SFX and UI.
Maps
Fixed an impassable passage between cedar walls on the Badham Preschool IV Map.
Survivors can no longer use momentum to vault onto a ledge of the Pale Rose’s Ferry.
A specific Generator on the Garden of Joy Map is no longer inaccessible from one side.
Placeholder textures have been removed from the Disturbed Ward Map.
Misc:
Special Cosmetics such as the Vial Charms will now appear in-game consistently.
The Killer player can no longer join a lobby with an unintended character.
Players can no longer use an exploit to play with more than 4 Perks.
Bots no longer get stuck on thin air.
Force-quitting the game no longer causes a crash.
The splash screen no longer causes a crash.
Customizations equipped in the store are now immediately visible to all party members.
Survivor Bots no longer attempt to blind The Knight’s guards.
Applied a tentative fix to an issue causing lag spikes for players with both a mouse and controller connected.
Resolved an issue in the Shrine of Secrets where a Perk would display as “available” even after purchasing it.
The menu is no longer accessible while interacting with the EULA or Privacy Policy popup.
The Alert Reward popup no longer blocks inputs on the Menu.
Players should now gain proper progress on the achievement “Milk ‘n’ Cookies.”
Wiggle Skill Check responsiveness has been improved.
Survivor hair is no longer wonky during the Hook death animation.
The Entity Spikes at the Exit Gates should now appear as intended.
Fixed an issue causing the Dissolve SFX to not play when Breakable Wall pieces disappear.
Known Issues
When the Nurse use the Spasmodic Breath Add-On, hits a Survivor and then leaves the game, the vignette will continue to show in the Tally Screen.
Some language localisation issues remain, particularly in relation to the Merciless Killer rating.
Happy New Year! The team is back from holidays, and we’ve brought a new Developer Update with us. In this series of posts, we cover all the biggest upcoming changes coming to Dead by Daylight. We have many quality of life improvements up our sleeves, so without further ado, let’s kick 2023 off with a bang.
Survivor Activity HUD
It’s no secret that playing with friends may improve your odds of survival. Communication can at times make the difference between life and death. Solo Survivors need to work extra hard to keep up, often sacrificing perk slots for crucial information that could be easily shared between players in a call.
Last year, we shared an early design for a system that would help bridge the gap between solo Survivors and premade groups. The response to this idea was positive, so we’ve been ironing out the details and working on it behind the scenes since. We’re happy to say that this system will be debuting in the 6.5.0 update.
Each Survivor will now display their current action next to their portrait. These actions include:
Repairing a Generator
Opening an Exit Gate
Healing, Mending & Recovering
Cleansing & Blessing a Totem
Searching a Chest
Killer specific actions (e.g. Snapping out of it, waking up a Survivor, etc.)
This not only gives you vital information to plan your next move, but also gives you some visibility on what your teammates are doing to build camaraderie between you and your fellow Survivors. These actions are only visible among Survivors: Killers won’t be told what you’re doing at all times.
Beyond actions, we have added a new indicator to signify that a Survivor is in a chase. Previously it was only possible to tell when the Obsession was being chased due to the twitching icon. Going forward, any Survivor that is being chased will have a small set of Entity claws surrounding their portrait. Meanwhile the Obsession will always have a larger set of Entity claws around their portrait, keeping the effect visually similar. Unlike your current activity, the Killer also sees who they are chasing, making it possible to distinguish two similarly dressed Survivors.
Finally, we’ve added a new health state to show when a Survivor is being carried by the Killer. Previously the carried Survivor would be shown in the dying state, but this could be confusing for newer players who were looking for the aura of a dying teammate.
Why these actions?
The goal with this feature is solely to bridge the gap between solo Survivors and premade groups. All this information can be easily conveyed between friends in a call, but not between solo Survivors (without the use of perks). Therefore, this information will not make a coordinated group any stronger than before.
We specifically want to avoid anything that could give already coordinated groups an advantage, such as showing a Survivor’s exact location. Due to the procedural nature of Dead by Daylight maps, callouts like these can be hazy at times, so pinpointing an exact location could give even premade groups an advantage.
We hope you’ll find this decision to be the fairest option for bridging the gap, and we will be closely monitoring the impact this change has on solo Survivors, premade groups, and overall gameplay. We look forward to hearing from you all once you’ve had a chance to try it out!
Updated Wiggle Mechanics
The updated wiggle system was the first feature to appear in the beta tab last year. Since its introduction, we’ve collected feedback from countless games and around the internet. Roughly 83% of players are currently opted into the wiggle beta.
The time has come for this system to be officially integrated into the game, and as a result, the wiggle beta will disappear from the betas tab in the 6.5.0 update. There’s a couple changes that will be made before this goes live.
First: We are removing faster wiggle progression from great skill checks. Hitting all great skill checks could shave off a whole second. While this sounds small, it can be the difference between wiggling free and getting hooked. Rather than increasing wiggle speed, great skill checks will instead increase the amount the Killer sways while carrying you by 20%. Great skill check success zones have also been increased in size since they are now less impactful. Good skill checks, on the other hand, still bump the Killer, but 50% less than was previously normal.
Second: We have added a new sound for non-attempts (i.e. not attempting to hit a skill check at all). Previously, this would play the missed skill check sound, which can be a little intense when played over and over if you’ve decided not to wiggle. This new sound will be much more subtle.
Third: We have cleaned up the new system’s interaction with Decisive Strike. Previously, wiggle skill checks would start immediately after the Decisive Strike skill check. This caught a lot of people off guard and caused some confusion. There is now a short (0.5 second) delay after the Decisive Strike skill check before wiggle skill checks appear. You’ll be credited a small amount of wiggle progress to make up for the added delay before these skill checks appear.
The Nurse
In the right hands, The Nurse can no doubt be the strongest Killer in the game. Though she has a steep learning curve, not much can stand between a good Nurse and the Survivor she’s trying to kill (not even walls). Although it’s been a while since we’ve made any major changes to her, The Nurse has steadily grown in power thanks to the introduction of new perks, making already strong playstyles even stronger. This in large part comes down to the fact that her attacks are considered basic attacks, meaning they can benefit from a wide variety of perks.
Since The Nurse can be threatening enough on her own, we’ve decided that it’s time to make her blink attacks special attacks. This means they will no longer activate basic attack perks such as Starstruck, Hex: No One Escapes Death, and so on.
Next, we’ve added a new sound cue when The Nurse has fully regenerated all her blink charges. This way, you’ll know when you’re ready to blink again without having to keep an eye on the corner of your screen.
Beyond that, we took some time to revisit The Nurse’s add-ons to add new effects and bring the strongest and weakest of the bunch closer in line with the rest. Notably any add-on that increases The Nurse’s maximum blink range has been replaced with a completely new effect. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come:
“Bad Man’s” Last Breath
After hitting a Survivor with a blink attack, The Nurse becomes Undetectable for 25 seconds. This effect can only be triggered once every 45 seconds.
Jenner’s Last Breath
Once all blinks have been exhausted, The Nurse may teleport back to her original position. Once she returns to her original position, all blink charges are restored.
The full details for the changed add-ons can be found in the patch notes once the update goes live, but you can also expect changes for the following:
Catatonic Boy’s Treasure
Dark Cincture
Heavy Panting
Ataxic Respiration
Fragile Wheeze
Campbell’s Last Breath
Kavanaugh’s Last Breath
Torn Bookmark
Matchbox
Spasmodic Breath will also receive new audio and visual feedback to make it clearer when its effects are active.
The Knight
The Knight and his guards have been patrolling the realm for a little over a month now, and we’ve been combing through your feedback all the while. One recurring piece of feedback we’ve received is about how The Knight’s power is best used in loops rather than over longer distances. While this is a totally valid way to use his power, we’d also like to make it more appealing to use your power in different ways. We’ve made a few changes aiming to make longer paths more powerful.
First, the orb Survivors see when the Killer is creating a path will shrink with distance, disappearing completely when the path is longer than 10 meters. This will make it more difficult for Survivors to avoid a guard before they become active, though the Killer will still need to predict where the Survivor will go.
Second, after creating a path longer than 10 meters, The Knight will gain the Haste Status Effect for a few seconds. The longer the path, the longer the movement speed bonus will last. This aims to help the Killer catch up after using his power.
Third, guards will move to the position they spotted a Survivor and begin chasing faster depending on the length of the patrol path. Like the Haste, only paths longer than 10 meters will benefit from this.
Beyond promoting longer paths, we’ve increased the instant generator regression from guards to 5% (compared to the default 2.5%). Guards will not activate generator damaging perks, however, so use them wisely!
Lastly, we have the admire the… creative ways some of you have used The Knight’s power. Rather than locking down an area or aggressively chasing Survivors, some of you have discovered that you can start drawing a path and not move to hide your terror radius- particularly near a hook Survivor. While the efficiency of doing this is debatable, it doesn’t exactly suit his playstyle, so we’ve added a 10 second limit to his patrol path creation. This gives enough time to not affect a typical path, but it will put a hard limit on how long you can stay still and hide your terror radius.
Eyrie of Crows
Last year, the Forsaken Boneyard appeared in The Entity’s Realm alongside the Portrait of a Murder Chapter. You’ve given us a lot of feedback on this surreal landscape, and we’ve prepared some gameplay adjustments for the Eyrie of Crows which will launch in this upcoming patch.
Many players reported that the map felt Survivor-sided, and this is something we can back up looking at our data. To remedy this, the map will be changing shapes: Rather than a long rectangle, the map will be roughly square, allowing Killers to patrol generators more easily. This change in shape also reduces the overall size of the map slightly.
Additionally, maze tiles (stronger tiles made up of tall walls) have been moved away from the main building and shack, making it harder to combine them into stronger loops.
Last but certainly not least, several new tiles have been added to the map. Multiple existing tiles have had new foliage added in strategic places to allow trapping Killers to better hide their traps. Keep an eye out as you explore!
We hope you’ll find the new Eyrie of Crows to be a much more even experience for both sides.
In-Game Challenge Tracker
We’ve all been there. You’re not quite sure if you finished your challenge or not. You spend the rest of the match questioning, “Was that 5 Totems, or 4?” Doubt starts to creep in, but you lie to yourself and say, “No. It was 5.” Then the match ends and you find yourself just shy of the goal.
Never again: We are adding a challenge tracker during the match. This widget will appear at set intervals as you make progress on an active challenge. You can choose to toggle between two settings that will indicate progression on a challenge, as well as its completion. No more guessing!
If you’d prefer to keep your screen clear, this widget can be switched off in the Options menu.
Gameflow Improvements
Speaking of challenges, if you’ve ever queued up for a match before realizing that you didn’t have a challenge selected, you’ll know that you’re faced with two choices: Keep queuing and play the next match without a challenge, or back out and select one.
Starting in 6.5.0, this is a thing of the past: You can now browse the Archives and the Store while searching for a match. The “Searching for Match” indicator will stay in the bottom right corner of the screen as you browse. You’ll also be able to spend Bloodpoints in the Bloodweb as you wait!
New for our Killers players, you’ll also be able to customize your non-selected Killers while you wait for a match to start. Note: the Killer you will enter the match with will be the Killer you started your search with. As always, returning to the main menu will automatically cancel your search or exit your group, as it always did.
Whether you forgot something or you just love clicking around while you wait, we hope you’ll enjoy having more freedom while searching!
Merciless Killer
Finally, we have a small update to Merciless Killer ratings. These ratings are currently tied to the grades system, where a double pip earns you a Merciless Killer result and the corresponding adept Killer achievement/trophy. Unfortunately, this means that as your grade increases, it becomes harder to earn these achievements. Since the emblem system has transitioned to a monthly ladder, it no longer makes as much sense for match results to be based on them.
To clean things up, the result you get after a match will now be tied directly to kills.
0 Kills: The Entity Hungers…
1-2 Kills: Brutal Killer
3 Kills: Ruthless Killer
4 Kills: Merciless Killer
With this change, the requirement for a Merciless Killer rating is much clearer and remains the same regardless of your grade. This will also make Killer adept achievements a similar level of difficulty to their Survivor counterparts.
Iridescent Shard Prices
A few months back, we announced that all non-licensed outfits would receive an option to purchase with Iridescent Shards roughly a month after they first appear in the store.
By extension, existing outfits will also receive Iridescent Shard options, but this is being done in batches of a few characters at a time. So far, we’ve added this option to outfits for The Trapper, The Wraith, The Hillbilly, The Nurse, The Huntress, The Doctor, The Hag, Dwight, Claudette, Meg, Jake, Nea, and David King.
We can reveal that the next characters to get this treatment will be The Clown, The Spirit, Ace Visconti, and Feng Min. You can expect the Iridescent Shard prices to appear around the time the update releases on all platforms (not the PTB!).
An Update on Cheating
Now that 2022 is behind us, we wanted to leave you with a chart showing the number of cheaters banned each year since Dead by Daylight was released.
The team is still hard at work finding and patching new vulnerabilities, and we hope to share more information with you soon!
With that, we’ve reached the end of the first Developer Update of the year. Everything we shared in this post will be available in the Public Test Build starting tomorrow and are planned to be released on all platforms later this month. Be sure to let us know what you think once you’ve had a chance to try them out!
Playing Dead by Daylight has just become more rewarding with the Alienware Arena Community event! Prizes are awarded based on community participation – the longer you play, the more prizes you can receive.
The community has already unlocked a limited-edition DBD Badge and Anna the Huntress Mask, but there are still more rewards to be claimed including:
The Knight no longer encounters issues entering a chase while a Guard is active.
BONE CHILL
Killers no longer occasionally turn invisible upon leaving a Snowman.
Killers entering a snowman should no longer get stuck in collision terrain.
SURVIVOR PERKS
The Killer’s Aura no longer fails to display while using Kindred.
Inner Healing now operates as intended, where cleansing a Totem and entering a Locker for a duration heals 1 Health State.
MAPS
The Game is no longer haunted by an invisible collision zone.
MISC
Undetectable Killers no longer experience unintended Aura reveals.
KNOWN ISSUES
Nowhere To Hide’s Aura reveal zone currently remains centered on the Generator instead of the Killer.
Nowhere To Hide does not reveal the Aura of Survivors who were out of range when the Perk was triggered, but enter the detection zone while it’s still activated.
The Knight’s feet have no animation when looking down during an Attack.
Meet Your Maker just debuted its new cinematic trailer at The Game Awards, and building and raiding never looked so good. The game releases on April 4, 2023 on Steam, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One / Series X|S, but Behaviour Interactive is extending an early invitation to any player who wishes to participate in the Beta Playtest, exclusively on Steam.
The Meet Your Maker Beta Playtest will be held in Winter 2023 (exact dates TBA) and will accept all players who register, with no NDA required. Sign up now for your last chance to play before launch!
The temperatures have fallen and the nights have gotten longer. No, that’s not a reference to The Entity’s Realm. Winter has arrived, which means the return of Dead by Daylight’s Bone Chill Event. Once again, we’re bringing plenty of holiday atmosphere, dark and fantastical Cosmetics, a few familiar visitors, and much more.
The Bone Chill Event runs from December 8th, 11:00 AM ET – January 4th, 11:00 AM ET.
WINTER WONDERLAND
Your favorite Dead by Daylight Maps have undergone a holiday transformation – especially the snow-covered Mount Ormond, where winter is no stranger. Generators, Hooks, the Exit Gates, and the Basement have been updated with a festive aesthetic, offering a touch of joy amidst the horror. That is, until the Hook counter begins to climb...
The limited-time Winter Party Starter, which Survivors can use as a blinding device, a distraction, or a simple display of celebratory glee, has returned to The Bloodweb.
SNOWMAN SEASON
Snowmen have returned to the Realm. Are they friend or foe? Shelter or coffin? One look into their beady eyes reveals nothing. Approach them and find out.
Every trial, eight Snowmen spawn throughout the Map. Survivors and Killers can both enter a Snowman and move around, albeit at a reduced speed. While Survivors could do this last year, this marks the first time Killers can get in on the Snowman action – which means a new level of playful, strategic fun.
While inside a Snowman, a Killer’s Terror Radius will be suppressed, making them undetectable to Survivors. Though a Killer cannot use their Power while inside a Snowman, they can use it to lie in wait and ambush unsuspecting Survivors.
Last year, we were deeply entertained by all the clips of Snowmen high fiving each other. Now, we’ve added a little bonus whenever two Players high-five each other for the first time while in a Snowman.
EVENT TOME UNLOCKABLES
Cosmetics
It’s the season of giving, and the new Bone Chill Event Tome embodies that philosophy. Complete 2 Levels of Challenges throughout the Event Tome to earn a variety of Cosmetic rewards, including new Outfits from the community-voted Deck The Trials Collection:
The Dredge -- Frosty The Nightmare
David King – Makeshift Nutcracker
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Beyond that, Haddie Kaur and Vittorio Toscano are the latest Survivors to join the club with these unlockable Ugly Sweaters:
Haddie Kaur – Harbinger of Wool – Rare
Vittorio Toscano – Total Warmth – Rare
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Even the most ruthless Killers can’t resist getting in on the holiday action, with 2 unlockable Weapons to earn and equip:
The Deathslinger – Holiday Harpoon
The Huntress – Holiday Surprise
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In keeping with tradition, we’re also bringing unlockable Frosty Eyes for our latest original Killers, The Dredge and The Knight. If you happened to miss out on Frosty Eyes from previous years, stay tuned to our social media pages for information on how to unlock them.
Charms
In addition to all the unlockable Cosmetics listed above, the Event Tome has you covered with a few seasonal Charms:
Dwelf Figurine
Trickster, New In Box
A Friendly Face
Maurice’s Stocking
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IN-GAME SALES
Some might say that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, so what better way to celebrate than a Winter Sale. From December 22nd, 11:00 AM ET – January 4th, 11:00 AM ET, enjoy 40% off nearly all previously released winter-themed Collection Outfits and previously released Ugly Sweater Collection Outfits:
Everlasting Frost Collection
Holiday Horror Collection
Wintertime Collection
Winter Tales Collection
Ugly Sweater Collection
[/b] [/list] All discounts are for Auric Cells only.
Please note that the limited time Deck The Trials Outfits are not included. That Collection is available in the store from December 1st, 2022, until January 4th, 2023, and will return the following holiday season.
HOLIDAY SALES
If you happen to be reading this, it’s likely you already own a copy of Dead by Daylight. If you do happen to know someone interested in entering The Fog, however – now is a great time with sales on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Depending on where you play, you may have discounts on the base game, select DLC Chapters, Expansion Packs, and more.
Check out your platform’s store for specific details.
DWELF
From the locker to the comfort of your home. That’s right, Dwelf is back – in keychain form. Inspired by the Dwelf Figurine Charm, the Dwelf Keychain is available for purchase in the Dead by Daylight Official Shop.
ADVENT CALENDAR
Last but not least, the Advent Calendar is back. It wouldn’t be the season of giving without some daily giveaways, so be sure to log in every day from December 1st, 2022 – January 4th, 2023 to receive them all:
Welcome winter’s cold embrace in Dead by Daylight’s Bone Chill Event. We’d like to thank everybody spending time with us in The Fog, and be sure to unlock those Cosmetic rewards, show off your winter attire, and abide by this simple practice: if you see a snowman, you know what to do.
Updated Perk Repressed Alliance's description to indicate it cannot be activated if another Survivor is repairing the same generator
Updated the Hex: Face the Darkness's description
Fixed an issue that caused the screaming animation to loop constantly when doing a gesture
Fixed an issue that caused The Huntress arm to clip through the camera when aiming up with a Hatchet
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's attack trail to be misaligned in first person view
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight and The Spirit to see the Potential Energy VFX and Refined Serum VFX while in Path Creation Mode and Phase Walking
Fixed an issue that caused the spikes on Oni's Armored Titan cosmetic to have the wrong texture during gameplay
Fixed an issue that caused the mist to be missing in some tiles of Garden of Joy map
Fixed an issue that caused the Shock Therapy's VFX to not match the power's collision with the "Interview Tape" add-on
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight to sometimes move at the speed of the Path Creation Wisp
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to be able to blind The Knight's Path of Creation Wisp
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight to be able to unintentionally attack nearby Survivors after summoning a Guard
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's Guards to be able to break walls located high off the ground
Fixed an issue that caused Lethal Pursuer's additional aura reveal time to fail to apply to the Nowhere to Hide Perk
Fixed an issue that caused Hex: Face the Darkness not to be triggered by The Trapper's Traps and The Plague's Vile Purge upon injuring a Survivor
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's Guards to be able to break generators blocked by The Entity
Fixed an issue that caused the achievement Speed Kills to not gain progress when using a non-basic attack to injure a Survivor afflicted with Haste
Fixed an issue that caused a Survivor vaulting a pallet to be interrupted by a Guard ordered to break that pallet
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's Guard break object orders to break objects out of sync with the corresponding animation
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's Guards to sometimes start orders without confirmation
Fixed an issue that caused highlights of Dream Pallets in the Shattered Square map to appear as regular pallets
Fixed an issue that caused the power icon to not display a timer for the duration of The Knight's Guard performing a breaking order
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight to be unable to give orders when close to a breakable wall or a generator during Path Creation mode
Fixed an issue that caused a Guard summoned by The Knight to get stuck on elevated objects
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight to be unable to summon Guards when using the order system immediately after entering patrol mode
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight to be unable to summon Guards for the rest of the Trial after power is used in quick succession
Fixed an issue that caused No Challenge Available text to appear when hovering over the Archives area in the lobby
Fixed an issue that caused the grunts of pain and screams from Vittorio to be louder than other Survivors
Fixed an issue that caused an incorrect SFX to be played when the cage on the ground in the Shattered Square map is hit by projectiles
Fixed an issue that caused the wrong SFX to be played when The Legion vaults a pallet
Fixed an issue where Phantom Trap would fail to trigger quickly after teleporting to a triggered trap
Fixed an issue where failing a Decisive Strike skill check would break the beta wiggle
Fixed an issue where Lethal Pursuer additional aura reveal time would fail to be triggered by the Nowhere to Hide Perk
Fixed an issue where the flash effect from flashbangs/firecrackers is canceled when thrown against a wall
Fixed an issue where The Artist would not receive brutality score events for damaging Survivors with Crows
Fixed an issue where the "Rebuild The Borgo" Achievement failed to unlock after the Killer disconnect at the same time as the generator in the main building is repaired
Fixed an issue where the Killer was able to trap Survivors near one of the exit gates on Gideon Meat Plant map
Fixed an issue where the Killer was unable to pass between a boat and a rock in Pale Rose map
Fixed an issue that caused lighting to be too dark in the Dream World on certain maps when playing with The Nightmare
Fixed an issue that caused Dream Pallets on Shattered Square map to turn into the generic pallet model upon being pulled down
Fixed an issue that caused The Knight's Guards' flags to sometimes not disappear
Known Issues
The Knight's feet do not animate in FPV when looking down while attacking
As 2022 is coming to an end, it is time to celebrate the games that made your year!
It's already been 6 years (and counting!) of hard work on Dead by Daylight and we are very happy to see how big of a community you have all built. And as a member of this community, you can now nominate Dead by Daylight in the "Labor of Love" category for the Steam Awards.
Nominations are open until November 29th (10AM PT). Don't hesitate to have a look at the other categories, 2022 was for sure an amazing year full of exciting moments and releases!