There are more than 50 perks for Survivors in Dead By Daylight and each have their own roles and niche uses in the game. For beginners it can be hard to identify which perks are most valuable and even veterans can get pigeonholed over time without realizing there are better choices for keeping themselves alive.
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Hopefully, this list will give you an idea of some of the most powerful perks in the game and their primary uses. While perks like Sole Survivor are immensely powerful for the individual it doesn’t benefit the team so it doesn’t make the list, after all the goal is to get everyone out alive.
Updated on July 22, 2021 by Ben Baker: Being a Survivor in Dead By Daylight is no easy task. Not only is the player concerned with their own safety but they must keep an eye on teammates if they have any hope of surviving. Because of how vital the right perks are to ensure survival it seemed appropriate to include more perks to give players more options when making builds or choosing characters. This game is still largely based on skill and team composition, but this will give players a fighting chance.
15 Botany Knowledge
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints for 11% Increased Healing Speed
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints for 22% Increased Healing Speed
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints for 33% Increased Healing Speed
Avoiding damage is practically impossible for Survivors. As a result, healing is a critical component for staying alive and winning the round. This makes Botany Knowledge a very handy perk for Survivors to stay alive.
This also has a significant advantage for the rest of the team as this player can be the designated healer. Claudette comes with this perk automatically and it must be unlocked for everyone else.
14 Deliverance
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints - Broken after unhooking lasts 100 seconds.
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints - Broken after unhooking lasts 80 seconds.
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints - Broken after unhooking lasts 60 seconds.
It’s nice to get rewarded for being a good team player. Deliverance does just this by giving the player a 100% guarantee to Self-Unhook after performing a Safe Hook Rescue for someone else. There is no time limitation for this perk and it can be activated repeatedly.
The ability to self-unhook is tremendous towards the end of the round whenever other teammates might be dead. It can also come in handy for players who are sacrificing themselves to help others getaway. A Survivor that can unhook themselves is a major headache for the Killer. Adam gets this ability automatically.
13 Head On
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted will last 60 seconds.
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted will last 50 seconds.
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted will last 40 seconds.
Hiding in Lockers is an underutilized mechanic in Dead By Daylight. It’s not game-changing by any means, but it can be a great way to avoid detection or in niche cases get the drop on the Killer.
Jane’s perk Head On accomplishes the latter by giving a special ability after being in a locker for at least three seconds. Upon leaving in a rush the player can stun the Killer for three seconds if they are in range. It’s not much, but it’s enough to get away or buy time for teammates.
12 Prove Thyself
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints to get 50% more Bloodpoints.
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints to get 75% more Bloodpoints.
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints to get 100% more Bloodpoints.
When playing Dead By Daylight it’s a great idea to spend some time farming for Bloodpoints. Because of this, it’s wise to have a player loaded with perks that will cut down on how long it takes to grind for Bloodpoints.
Dwight has an ability called Prove Thyself that allows him to gain additional Bloodpoints when performing Cooperative actions. It also grants a stackable 15% boost to repair speed bonuses for any survivor in four meters. It’s both great for the player and for the team.
11 Unbreakable
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints for recovery speed increase of 25%.
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints for recovery speed increase of 30%.
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints for recovery speed increase of 35%.
Sometimes solid teamwork is about being the MVP for the team. This could be by staying alive or to keep the Killer distracted why allies get things done. The Unbreakable perk is good for this kind of playstyle.
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With Unbreakable players can completely recover from the Dying state once per trial. This is huge when the Killer gets overconfident and leaves them behind. Instead of putting an ally at risk the Survivor can pick themselves up and get back to work.
10 Urban Evasion
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints to increase Movement Speed by 90%
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints to increase Movement Speed by 95%
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints to increase Movement Speed by 100%
This simple passive perk is immensely powerful for players in almost any given situation. It dramatically improves the survivor’s movement speed while crouching. At Tier III it doubles the survivor’s speed when compared to other survivors.
Whether it’s evading detection, sneaking across large portions of the map, recovering from exhaustion, or coming to a downed ally’s aid this perk is invaluable. Nea Karlsson gets it automatically.
9 Dead Hard
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted lasts 60 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted lasts 50 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted lasts 40 seconds
When a Killer is breathing down your neck and you’ve already taken some damage Dead Hard can be the perk to get you some breathing room if not outright escape. While running if you’re in an injured state and have some adrenaline you can burn it for a quick dash.
It also makes you impervious to damage. It’s great for negating an incoming attack and giving you the burst of speed to get away. It’s tricky to use effectively, but with some practice it’s a great way to distract the Killer, save your bacon now and then, and help you ultimately escape. David King gets this perk automatically.
8 Leader
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – action speeds increased by 15%
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – action speeds increased by 20%
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints - action speeds increased by 25%
Working as a team is important for ensuring every survivor makes it out alive. The Leader perk gives the survivor the ability to boost others' efforts. Actions like healing, sabotage, searching chests, unhooking survivors, and opening Exit Gates will be performed 25% faster at Tier III.
The perk is passive with no cooldown so it’s used as long as the survivor is within eight meters of another survivor. Even after they walk away the effect lingers for 15 seconds. Dwight Fairfield gets this automatically and at least one person on your team should have this.
7 Bond
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints to reveal Survivor auras in 20 meters
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints to reveal Survivor auras in 28 meters
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints to reveal Survivor auras in 36 meters
There’s a reason Dwight Fairfield is considered the strongest starting survivor in the game. His other ability Bond is immensely powerful for players fulfilling the leader role. It reveals all allies when they are within 36 meters at Tier III.
This is great for coordinating repair efforts, directing lost players, and preventing players from accidentally luring the killer to the group. Your efforts at survival are absolutely suicidal if at least one player in the group doesn’t have this ability and know how to relay the information effectively.
6 Borrowed Time
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – unhooked ally has Endurance for 8 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – unhooked ally has Endurance for 10 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – unhooked ally has Endurance for 12 seconds
Even the best laid plans will go awry and survivors will be placed into incredibly dangerous situations. Borrowed Time is a perk that’s hard to take full advantage of, but when you do it’s immensely helpful. When a player has been Hooked and someone with this perk frees them while they’re inside the Killer’s Terror Radius it triggers Borrowed Time.
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Essentially any attacks that would put Survivors into a dying state now apply the Deep Wound effect instead. It’s a few seconds where Survivors are just a little more resilient so they can get to safety and heal their wounds, rather than end up in the Killer’s grasp again. Bill Williams has this power.
5 Adrenaline
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted now lasts 60 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted now lasts 50 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted now lasts 40 seconds
This perk is absolutely useless for the majority of the round, but when the Exit Gates start receiving power it’s a godsend and too powerful not to consider adding to your loadout. When the Exit Gates start getting juice Adrenaline kicks in causing the Survivor to heal up a health State, such as going from dying to injured, and gains a 150% boost to sprinting for five seconds.
That ability to heal instantly and get a movement boost is often what enables a player to blitz to the exit and escape. The nice thing is that if you’re Hooked or trapped in some way Adrenaline will wait until you’re freed before kicking in. Meg Thomas gets this perk automatically.
4 Lithe
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted lasts for 60 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted lasts for 50 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted lasts for 40 seconds
Lithe is helpful for those that need to kite the Killer or have become their target and need to get away. After quickly vaulting over an object Lithe kicks in and gives the Survivor a 150% boost to running speed for three seconds.
The nice advantage of this perk is that it’s reusable and automatically engages so long as the Survivor isn’t exhausted. That extra surge of speed when dodging the Killer is incredibly useful and will get many players out of tight situations. Feng Min gets this at the beginning of the game.
3 Sprint Burst
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints - Exhausted lasts for 60 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted lasts for 50 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – Exhausted lasts for 40 seconds
As strong as Adrenaline and Lithe are, Sprint Burst is far more powerful and far more useful. Sprint Burst kicks in whenever a Survivor starts running and gives a 150% boost to speed for three seconds. There is an Exhausted Status Effect that kicks in, but at Tier III it only lasts 40 seconds.
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Three seconds may not sound like much, but that burst of speed is often enough to put some distance between you and the killer, reach a pallet, or even dash through the Exit Gates. Meg gets this automatically and when paired with Adrenaline makes her a great starting Survivor to play as.
2 Decisive Strike
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – Decisive Strike lasts 40 seconds
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – Decisive Strike lasts 50 seconds
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – Decisive Strike lasts 60 seconds
This perk is more useful for players who find themselves getting caught often or who are fulfilling the role of keeping the Killer distracted. After being freed or freeing yourself from a Hook Decisive Strike kicks in and is available to use for up to 60 seconds at Tier III.
When grabbed by the Killer with this perk active, players can perform a skill check which will automatically free them from the Killer’s grasp and stun them for five seconds. You do become the Obsession of the Killer afterward, but it’s often worth it. Laurie gets this ability automatically.
1 Self-Care
- Tier I – 4,000 Bloodpoints – Med-Kit depletion is decreased by 10%
- Tier II – 5,000 Bloodpoints – Med-Kit depletion is decreased by 15%
- Tier III – 6,000 Bloodpoints – Med-Kit depletion is decreased by 20%
Perhaps the most useful ability in the entire game is Self-Care and at least one if not two survivors should have this. Survivors will often take damage and typically the only way to heal is via Med-Kits which are uncommon and get used almost as soon as they are found.
Self-Care allows the survivor to heal themselves without a Med-Kit for 20% health at Tier III at the cost of being 50% slower to heal than with more traditional methods. There’s no limit to the number of uses and a dedicated healer can keep the entire group in decent shape without ever finding a Med-Kit. Claudette Morel gets this perk automatically.