Dead by Daylight killer tier list
Dead by Daylight might sound simple and plain from the outside, but only veterans can explain how tiring and strategic this title is, and that's why we decided to create a DBD killer tier list. The game's entire premise is split between two different teams of players – Killers and Survivors. Dead by Daylight Killers are agile, untouchable, unkillable characters that can outrun the survivors the majority of the time. Survivors are weak, frail, and frankly powerless characters that need to use tactics to escape the Killers. The catch is, Survivors heavily outnumber the Killers. So, choosing the right Killers with the strongest abilities is important for players trying to win the match or at least get an advantage over the Survivors.
DEAD BY DAYLIGHT KILLER TIER LIST
In our Dead by Daylight killers tier list, we will list some of the most highly rated killer characters that are available in the game according to their base stats, core abilities, and perks. Keep in mind that some killers in Dead by Daylight are better on some maps and bad on others. The entire game is dependent on the type of map that is assigned to the players. For example, a killer character like The Nurse excels at teleporting and closing distance will be at an advantage if played on an open map like Shelter Woods and not on a map like Giddeon Meat Plant, which has a lot of corners and obstacles.If your favourite killer is not present in the tier list, do not worry as we will strive to continue updating the DBD killers tier list as more of them are added. The game also releases changelogs consistently to adjust the balance between killers and survivors. Keep revisiting this page to get an updated version of the tier list as new killers are added or existing killers are buffed/nerfed in Dead by Daylight.
Original article by Harsh Paliwai, updated by Artur Novichenko
1
S-Tier Killers
| NAME | ALIAS | PORTRAIT |
| SALLY SMITHSON | THE NURSE | |
| FREDDY KREUGER | THE NIGHTMARE | |
| TALBOT GRIMES | THE BLIGHT | |
| THE DREDGE | THE DRUANEE | - |
| KAZAN YAMAOKA | THE ONI | |
| RIN YAMAOKA | THE SPIRIT | |
| LISA SHERWOOD | THE HAG |
The Nurse (Sally Smithson) is one of the most unique killers available in Dead by Daylight due to her high mobility and immense tracking perks to follow the movements of the Survivors. The Nurse can blink or teleport short distances with her power Spencer’s Last Breath. Her perks increase the senses of the Survivors which force them to breathe heavily, grunt louder when in pain, and display coloured auras while healing near The Nurse. Her killer difficulty is rated as “Very Hard” which means she is extremely tough to learn and master.
The Nightmare (Freddy Kreuger), is at the top of the killer tier list for a good reason. This powerful killer inspired by the American fictional killer Freddy Krueger, is a speedy killer that lures its prey into a Dreamworld. His power is called Dream Demon and helps him become invisible to survivors more than 32 metres away from him. The survivors can only hear him when he is between 16-32 metres away from them and see him clearly if he comes within 16 metres of the Survivors. Freddy Krueger is an angry killer that loves to prey on a specific target. He gains a certain percentage of permanent movement speed whenever any generator is repaired. Further, he can select a particular Survivor to increase the opening time of exit gates for that particular survivor. The Nightmare’s killer difficulty is rated as “Hard”.
2
A-Tier Killers
| NAME | ALIAS | PORTRAIT |
| MAX THOMPSON JR. | THE HILLBILLY | |
| PHILIP OJOMO | THE WRAITH | |
| ANNA | THE HUNTRESS | |
| PYRAMID HEAD | THE EXECUTIONER | |
| MAX THOMPSON JR. | THE HILLBILLY | |
| Tarhos Kovács | THE KNIGHT | - |
| CARMINA MORA | THE ARTIST | - |
| ALBERT WESKER | THE MASTERMIND | - |
The Wraith (Philip Ojomo) has a killer difficulty rating of “Easy” and is often proclaimed by veterans as a good newbie-friendly killer. His killer perks Predator, Bloodhound, and Shadowborn are great traits that help him efficiently track the Survivors on the map. He can detect the blood droplets of Survivors for a specific duration of time while his Field of View in the darkness is increased by 9/12/15 degrees. The Wraith has the power called Wailing Bell that he can use to cloak himself in darkness and become invisible to Survivors. When he uncloaks, he gains a short lunge for 1 second before reappearing on the map. The Wailing Bell can be heard up to 24 metres away from the Survivors. One of the reasons he's close to the top of the DBD killer tier list is that he is uncomplicated to operate even if you don't know a lot about the game.
The Huntress (Anna) has a killer difficulty rating of “Moderate” which makes her easy to play but difficult to master. Anna is a ranged killer that hunts the Survivors by throwing her Hunting Hatchets. Once hit, the survivors are injured and lose health while also dropping pools of blood. Her perks include Beast of Prey, Territorial Imperative, Hex: Huntress Lullaby, which help her track the blood points of the killers for a specific duration of time and grant her a stack of Hunting Tokens each time she hooks a Survivor. Each stack reduces the warning sound the Survivor receives when Anna is near them. Her power Hunting Hatchets is a press and hold ability that she can use to draw out her Hunting Hatchet to throw at Survivors.
3
B-Tier Killers
| NAME | ALIAS | PORTRAIT |
| MICHALE MYERS | THE SHAPE | |
| SADAKO YAMAMURA | THE ONRYO | |
| DANNY JOHNSON | THE GHOST FACE | |
| NEMESIS T-TYPE | THE NEMESIS | |
| KENNETH CHASE | THE CLOWN | |
| Adriana Imai | The Skull Merchant |  |
The Clown (Kenneth Chase) has a killer difficulty of “Hard” which makes him difficult to play and master at all ranks. The Clown is able to crowd-control the Survivors into giving away their location or getting caught by The Clown himself. His power Afterpiece Tonic sees The Clown release a toxic gas cloud to intoxicate the Survivors and make them suffer with impaired vision and extreme coughing. Additionally, the intoxicated survivors suffer reduced movement speed and reduced field of view. His perks Bamboozle, Coulrophobia, and Pop Goes the Weasel state that the Survivors suffer decreased healing speed and decreased speed to repair the generators.
The Onryo (Sadako Yamamura) has a killer difficulty of “Hard” which makes her difficult to play and master at all ranks. She has a short terror radius of only 24 metres. Her power Deluge of Fear states that The Onryo gets an undetectable status before entering within 24 metres of the Survivor. The Onryo can further press and hold the ability to manifest herself into material form. She can also take a material form by projecting herself through a Television.
4
C-Tier Killers
| NAME | ALIAS | PORTRAIT |
| ELLIOT SPENCER | THE CENOBITE | |
| HERMAN CARTER | THE DOCTOR | |
| ADIRIS | THE PLAGUE | |
| BUBBA SAWYER | THE CANNIBAL | |
| CALEB QUINN | THE DEATHSLINGER | |
| DEMOGORGON | THE DEMOGORGON |
The Cannibal (Bubba Sawyer) has a killer difficulty rating of “Moderate” which means players can comfortably play this killer without having a very in-depth understanding of the role. His power Bubba’s Chainsaw is a charge-based ability where The Cannibal starts with 3 charges. Each charge consumed results in him swinging forward a certain distance, damaging all Survivors in the way. When hit, the Survivors are put in a dying state. He can replenish the charges of this ability passively over time. Bubba Sawyer’s perks Knock Out, Barbecue and Chill, and Franklin’s Demise make the Survivors drop their items when getting hit.
The Doctor (Herman Carter) has a killer difficulty rating of “Hard” meaning players require practice with him in order to play him efficiently. The Doctor is quite literally a madman whose power Carter’s Spark states that he drives his victims completely mad. Upon being inflicted with the Madness effect, Herman Carter gains several powers depending on the stacks of Madness effect. He makes the Survivors hallucinate and reduce their field of view.
5
D-Tier Killers
| NAME | ALIAS | PORTRAIT |
| FRANK, JULIE, SUSIE, AND JOEY | THE LEGION | |
| CHARLOTTE AND VICTOR DESHAYES | THE TWINS | |
| JI-WOON HAK | THE TRICKSTER | |
| AMANDA YOUNG | THE PIG | |
| EVAN MACMILLAN | THE TRAPPER |
The Pig (Amanda Young) has a killer difficulty rating of “Hard” which means that players need to understand the intricacies of her role and abilities to be able to play her efficiently. Her power Jigsaw’s Baptism states that The Pig starts the game with 4 Reverse Bear Traps. The Pig can place these Reverse Bear Traps at multiple locations and they will activate once any Generator has been completed. These traps can capture the Survivor for 150 seconds. After the timer is depleted, these traps will automatically kill the Survivor.
The Trickster (Ji-Woon Hak) has a killer difficulty rating of “Moderate” which means that the player does not need to be highly experienced with the killer in order to perform. The Trickster is a ranged killer that can hunt his victims using his Polished Head-Smasher weapon. His power Showstopper states that Ji-Woon Hak starts the match with 44 blades. He can choose to throw them 1 by 1 or in a flurried state to throw them consecutively at faster speeds. His movement speed decreases when throwing blades in this state. The Trickster can re-stock his blades at the Lockers.
These are all of the Dead by Daylight killers ranked. While you're here, may we suggest similar articles where we are ranking characters from the best to worst? Our newest ones are Summoners Greed tier list of all monsters, then we have Seven Mortal Sins X-Tasy tier list, Time Defenders tier list and a lot of others. Grab a shovel and keep digging through the website, you'll certainly find something valuable!