Welcome to the Entity, the world of Dead by Daylight, where four survivors must elude the killer in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Set in a devious atmosphere, the game provides tense and eerie gameplay as players either work to survive by repairing 5 generators and escaping a killer, or being a killer themself.
Released on January 16, 2016, Dead by Daylight’s horror concept brings a sense of terror and excitement to players. A friend of mine, Hayley Battles said “I’ve always had such an awesome time playing Dead By Daylight, whether it be playing killer or survivor. I personally have been preferring killers much more recently, but I really enjoy survival, especially when playing with friends. It has its funny moments and its “I gotta think,” moments, and there’s only been a couple of times where I actually wanted to leave the game because of rage, but I think that adds onto the fun sometimes!”
To understand the objective and functions of the game, let’s take a deep dive into the game. When you enter the game, you are given the option to choose to play as a survivor or a killer. There are multiple survivors from different franchises such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Halloween, Stranger Things (characters and killers are discontinued), Ring, Evil Dead, Left 4 Dead, Alien, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Saw. Each of these characters have unique stories that impact their perks. Perks are special abilities that provide assistance to survivors in a Trial. Survivor perks can be used by any survivor, which makes it even more exciting because by mixing specific survivor perks with others, can ensure a great advantage to the survivor, depending on it. For example, Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil’s perks is Bite The Bullet (when healing, you and another survivor you’re healing don’t make any noise, and failed Skill Checks don’t trigger a loud noise notification), Flashbang (after making a significant repair progress on the generator, you’re able to craft a flash grenade by entering a locker- empty handed), and Rookie Spirit (after repairing generators, successfully completing several Skill Checks, you activate Rookie Spirit which reveals the auras of all regressing generators).
As for killers, there are 33 in Dead by Daylight with their own extensive lore. With the 33 killers, you can play as original killers made by Behavior
Interaction (studio), killers from Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Scream, Stranger Things, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Hellraiser, Ringu, and Alien. To explain how a killer’s perk works, let’s use The Executioner also known as Pyramid Head from Silent Hill as an example. Every killer has a power that contributes to their lore/ character. Pyramid Heads is Rites of Judgment( carve a trail into the group that inflicts Torment on any survivor who walks on it. Pyramid Head can also fire a range of attacks). Pyramid Head’s perks include Forced Penance (any survivor taking a Protection Hit will become Broken for an extended duration, rendering them unable to be healed), Trail of Torment (after kicking a generator, lose your Terror Radius and Red Stain until a Survivor is injured or downed or the generator stops regressing), Deathbound (when a survivor heals another while at a moderate distance from you, the healer will scream and reveal their location. In addition, for a certain duration, they’ll be unable to hear your Terror Radius or see Red Stain whenever they move away from the Survivor they healed).
A player can customize their character with skins. Skins are cosmetic items players can buy to change their character’s appearance. Some skins can be obtained through events or purchased in the store. Some characters have skins of other characters in their franchise. For example, Cheryl Mason from Silent Hill has 5 characters as Skins: Alessa Gillespie, Cybil Bennett, Lisa Garland, James Sunderland, and Maria who was just released in August. Original characters have skins as well but are created by the makers
For a more in-depth explanation of the game, let’s talk about the Bloodweb. The Bloodweb is where players level up their survivor and killer. You also get perks, items (toolbox, flashlight, medkit, map, and a key), and add-ons (special items that enhance your items abilities) and offerings. A survivor can use these items to gain an advantage in a Trial, depending on what kind of add-ons you have. For example, entering a Trial with a toolbox and add-ons that allow you to repair a generator faster or sabotage a hook faster can be a great way to support the team. Offerings can also be bought from the Bloodweb which grants the players (killer and survivor) whatever is associated with the offering that can affect all players. This goes for killers as well.
Hooks are used by the Killers to sacrifice Survivors to the Entity. The hooks are spawned in random areas in the map as well as the Basement. A survivor has two attempts to be unhooked, if hooked for the third time, you’re sacrificed to the Entity. If a player is Hooked once and isn’t unhooked by the time the halfway mark hits, you’ll immediately go onto the second hook. When carried by the Killer, Survivors can wiggle which causes the Killer to fumble side-to-side and will eventually break free from their grasp after 15-16 seconds. Once a Survivor is hooked, other survivors are able to unhook their teammate. To save your teammate from being hooked, players are given the chance to sabotage the Hooks which temporarily break them, making them unusable for the Killer with a toolbox and gives the carried Survivor the opportunity to wiggle out. Furthermore, players can blind the Killer with a flashlight or flashbang (a Leon Perk) when they pick up another Survivor. Palleting the Killer while in a chase or while they’re picking up a player not only stuns the killer, but helps the other Survivor escape.
Dead by Daylight events are time-limited that happen throughout the year, usually occurring during holidays or special occasions. Recurring events, such as anniversaries, Halloween, Christmas, summer, Lunar New Year, and winter events. In some cases, Bloodpoint events are also events that occur throughout the year that give the players extra Bloodpoints. This event sometimes accompanies larger or holiday events that give the player Bloodpoints through various actions and interactions the player makes during a trial. An event such as Scorching Summer BBQ 2023 that took place August 3-17. It grants a player with the Offering (you get it in the Bloodweb) +100% bonus Bloodpoints for hooking Survivors into Summer Hooks or completing Repairs on a Summer Generator.
Dead by Daylight has a special place in my heart. It’s one of the first games I played when I got my PC. Although it has its ups and downs, like all games, I truly find it fun. A review from Scarlet Evers says “Dead By Daylight is a game I’ve been playing for many years and I can wholeheartedly say it is one of my favorite online multiplayer experiences. The themes of horror, teamwork, hunt, and chase all make for a thrilling time alone or with friends. I’ve made many memories of this game and a lot of them are dear to my heart. My absolute favorite part of this game is its collaborations with other horror franchises, it’s music, and it’s FUN! I’d recommend it to anybody who’s looking for an unforgettable gameplay time alone or with people, whether it’s good or bad.”
