When the Hillbilly and his chainsaw roared in the dead of night, horror fans understood why he came with Dead By Daylight in its release. Among the Killer Trio, the Hillbilly represented the "non-supernatural" side of horror media. Non-supernatural doesn't mean weak, though. In fact, the Hillybilly and his chainsaw garnered a reputation of being one of the most ruthless Killers in the game.
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Known originally as Max Thompson Jr., the Hillbilly shares his hatred to the world through slaughter. He possesses a keen resistance to pain, adaptability to light, and will know exactly when Generators are getting close to repair. However, fans who like the Hillbilly will be surprised to learn there's more to him than just his trusty chainsaw.
10 The Leatherface Inspiration
Horror fans would instantly compare the Hillbilly to the iconic "disfigured and traumatized farm boy with a chainsaw" appearance of Leatherface of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And interestingly enough, this has been truly the case. In the early development stages of Dead By Daylight, the devs wanted Leatherface to be the originally Hillbilly. However, given trouble with licensing at the time, they had to settle for the Hillbilly. This explains the disfigured appearance and the iconic chainsaw.
Interestingly enough, Leatherface does make an official appearance in the game. In 2017, Paragraph II: Leatherface formally introduces Leatherface as "The Cannibal" in the game.
9 A Man Named Boy
Players who want to really get into the Hillbilly character might appreciate his deeper backstory. Aside from his basic lore, "A Man Named Boy" within Tome V - Unleashed reveals more details about the Killer. Essentially, this tells gamers that the Hillbilly, originally Max Thompson Jr., was born hideously disfigured - much to the horror of his parents. Due to shame, the parents isolated Junior in a room and fed him through a wall. In turn, any horror fan knows it makes sense why Junior took his time to slaughter his parents when he escaped.
After the deaths of the Thompsons, no one ever found little Junior. Aside from the Thompsons' remains, people found disemboweled animals all over the family's Coldwind Farm. According to the lore, despite people splitting and selling the land, no one ever wanted the farmhouse.
8 The Chainsaw Has Its Ups And Downs
Being an analog to the chainsaw slasher in horror flicks, the Chainsaw remains the obvious hallmark of the Hillbilly's arsenal. Its special charge attack will have the Hillbilly rev up the chainsaw before rapidly charging towards an area. If this attack hits an unsuspecting Survivor, this almost always guarantees an instant kill.
In fact, so impressive is the Chainsaw that it earned the Hillbilly the distinction of being the first Killer with an ability that instantly puts a Survivor in the Dying State.
Thing is, the charge-attack stops the Hillbilly on the off-change they hit an environmental hazard - which often happens in the game. Moreover, the sheer need for proper control over the charge can make the Hillbilly waste time trying to get that "perfect" kill.
7 Texas Chainsaw Specifics
Technical players might want to capitalize on numbers involving the Hillbilly's Chainsaw to maximize his combat mechanics. Essentially, the Chainsaw Charge needs 2.5 seconds by default for its activation. During this time, the yaw speed or turn rate of the chainsaw should range from 412°/s for around 0.75 seconds before going for 32°/s.
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In terms of attacking, the Chainsaw has an overall 3-second cooldown regardless f what happens during attacks - be it successful or missed attacks, and even attack cancellations when hitting objects.
6 Transform The Chainsaw Into Mobility
Given the rather outright disadvantage of the Chainsaw, players might feel dissatisfied trying to use it against Survivors. However, instead of simply relying on its sheer attacking power, Killers might want to try using this charge attack as a form of reconnaissance.
Remember, since the Chainsaw charge-attack essentially only stops at an obstacle, it theoretically becomes an unlimited charge. At the hands of a player who knows the map, they can use this charge-attack to quickly make a sweep around the area and search for Survivors.
5 Be Attentive Of The Curve
Unlike other Killers, the hit-or-miss nature of the Hillbilly's Chainsaw ability makes him either a breeze or a nightmare for players, depending on the map used. In turn, players who want to use the Hillbilly properly should pay closer attention to their keymapping and even their chasing habits.
For starters, controller users should put their turning sensitivities to maximum. In terms of keyboards, players should assign the Q and E Keys to turning left and right, respectively. As such, players should use these keys - and in turn, the tiniest controller adjustments - to make harsh and quick turns instead of the mouse. Remember, the slightest obstacle can cancel the Chainsaw charge, so players need to rely on careful curving instead of long turns.
4 Perks And Mods Work Well On Their Own
Unlike other Killers, the Hillbilly's base skillset works on its own even for both beginners and Killer savants. The Hillbilly's Perks alone make it suitable for extended chases.
For instance, its Enduring Perk makes it resilient to pain, reducing the duration of Pallet Stuns by as much as 40 to 50-percent. Likewise, its Lightborn Perk makes it resistant to light to the point of revealing Survivors who try to blind it with a flashlight for up to 10 seconds! Lastly, the Tinkerer Perk forces Generators to release a damnably loud noise by the time it reaches 70-percent repair and it makes the Hillbilly Undetectable for up to 16 seconds.
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In terms of Add-Ons, the Hillbilly would probably benefit the most from Add-Ons that help with the Chainsaw's impact-canceling caveat. In turn, beginners would want to use Steel Toe Boots and Low Kickback Chains to reduce the recovery time from hitting objects as much as possible.
3 Time Is Always On Their Side
The Hillbilly's skillset alludes to the horror trope that slasher villains somehow catch up to protagonists no matter how slow they walk. This alludes to the fact that, in panic, Survivors will always mess things around. Killers using the Hillbilly should use this eventuality to their advantage.
Firstly, players should maintain their Chainsaw charge and only use the boost when they know where the Survivor is going. In fact, instead of chasing them, the length of the Chainsaw works in catching Survivors as they make their way to their destination.
Moreover, if Survivors try to outplay the Hillbilly by going close up, it's a good habit for Hillbilly players to use the Killer while tilting down, to ensure they're chasing Survivors through their feet and not necessarily their body. In fact, even attacking the Survivor through their peripheral instincts — and not necessarily through sight — can land lucky hits.
2 A Bit Of Journaling Inconsistency
In Dead By Daylight lore, Survivors and Killers end up in the Entity's Realm to participate in mysterious Trials of survival. While most of them end up there against their will, others like Benedict Baker actively searched for it. As per his journal entries, Baker has lived in the Realm as a Survivor for quite some time. In fact, his intimate knowledge about both Survivors and Killers hints towards meeting some of them.
However, despite his seemingly authoritative wisdom, Baker isn't without his flaws. A tiny error exists within his entry about the Hillbilly, which he said has entered the Entity's Realm in 1896. However, hand-held motorized Chainsaws like the one he's been using only came into existence in 1918.
1 A Bit Of A Background Mixup
Typical with horror stories, not everything is always how they seem - until people see it for themselves. As per the game's Manual and entries in Tome V, the Hillbilly killed his parents. However, when looking at the Coldwind Farm lore entry, it states that "Mr. and Mrs. Adams" originally owned the place. This implies that the Adams could serve as a placeholder to the original Thompson couple in the lore.
Interestingly enough, the location of their remains also remains a mystery in the lore. As per the Coldwind Farm Lore, bodies of "the Adams" were found in the basement. However, the Silo in the Torment Creek area of the Farm supposedly held the bodies. It doesn't help that the Hillbilly's lore also states that the bodies of his parents weren't found at all.