The Essential Dead by Daylight Survivor Perks

When you’re trapped in a never-ending nightmarescape being pursued by bloodthirsty killers like the survivors of Dead By Daylight are, you gotta learn to be adaptable. As you survive the trials (or don’t), you’ll pick up new skills and tricks in the form of teachable perks. Perk experimentation is encouraged, but when you’re just starting out, it wouldn’t hurt to pack a few of these essentials. Here are the best Dead by Daylight survivor perks.

The Best Dead by Daylight Survivor Perks

For the convenience of those new to this game, all of the following perks can be obtained from your starting lineup of survivors, no purchases necessary. 

Generic Perks

• Spine Chill: Lights up when the killer is looking right at you within 36 meters. Good for avoiding danger, though also grants bonuses to daredevils.
• Kindred: Reveals survivor auras to all survivors when you’re on the hook. Good for facilitating coordination and rescue.
• Resilience: Increases action speed while injured. If you have trouble keeping yourself healthy, you might as well get a bonus for it.
• Small Game: Plays an audible cue when a killer trap or totem is in your line of sight. Invaluable against the Trapper, as his traps can be very difficult to see.

Dwight 

• Bond: Reveals survivor auras to you within a certain range. Not as powerful as Kindred, but doesn’t require sacrifice on your part.

Meg

• Sprint Burst: Gives 150% speed when running, though Exhausts you afterward. Good for quick, emergency escapes.
• Adrenaline: When the Exit activates, instantly heal a health state and run at 150% speed. A little insurance to guarantee your escape.

Jake

• Iron Will: Reduces the sound of pained grunts when injured. Grunts are one of the primary ways a killer finds you after injuring you, so this’ll help you stay hidden.

Nea

• Balanced Landing: When falling from a high place, reduces your stagger period and gives you a 150% burst of speed, Exhausting afterward. That fall stagger can really mess you up in a chase, so better to do away with it, if only temporarily.

Bill

• Borrowed Time: If you unhook a survivor within the killer’s Killer Radius, then for 15 seconds they’ll receive a Deep Wound status instead of taking regular damage. Getting knocked back down after a rescue is a common cause of death, but this’ll ensure your allies can keep going a little longer.
• Unbreakable: You can fully recover from a dying state on your own once per game, and your recovery speed is faster. Sometimes, you can’t wait for someone to come pick you up, so you’ll just have to do it yourself.