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Dead by Daylight continues to please fans of the Resident Evil franchise. The second crossover has included a character that fans of the franchise have wanted to see return for years - the iconic villain, Albert Wesker, making his debut as the chapter's mobility-based killer 'The Mastermind'. Joining him are popular Resident Evil characters Ada Wong and Rebecca Chambers as the crossover's two new survivors.
Each new character comes with three new perks and an 'adept' trophy/achievement. To unlock their character's adept achievement, killers need to receive a merciless rating for a match while only using their character's three unique perks - no easy feat, especially when compared to survivors simply needing to escape a trial for their adept achievements. This guide will help players understand The Mastermind's unique perks, the situations in which they're best used, and how to maximize their chances of getting a merciless rating.
What killers are allowed to bring (& what they aren't)
Adept trophies/achievements aren't anything new for Dead by Daylight. For those who are new to unlocking them, however, limiting themselves to three perks that don't always work well together can seem daunting - rest assured, though, killers have a few tricks up their sleeves that can make unlocking their adept achievements much easier.
What's allowed:
Add-on Name | Add-on Rarity | What does it do? |
|---|---|---|
Iridescent Uroboros Vial | Ultra Rare |
|
Lab Photo | Ultra Rare |
|
Uroboros Virus | Very Rare |
|
Helicopter Stick | Very Rare |
|
Green Herb | Very Rare |
|
Dark Sunglasses | Very Rare |
|
The rest of them! | Rare, Uncommon & common |
|
Wesker's add-ons are all useful in unique ways - Ultra Rare add-ons transform the killer's gameplay, but caution is advised while using the Iridescent Uroboros Vial, as getting a Merciless rating requires killers to injure and down survivors multiple times - constantly downing them in one hit may do more harm than good while going for this achievement.
Offerings are also allowed, and bringing map offerings is highly recommended - as discussed below, Wesker's power excels on certain maps and is hindered by others.
What's NOT allowed?
Compared to the many add-ons that boost the killer's power, the list of things killers aren't allowed to bring can seem inconsequential.
- Non-unique perks: no matter how badly players may want to bring Starstruck and other synergizing perks, only Wesker's three unique perks are allowed.
- A fourth perk: in the same vein, players are only allowed to use Wesker's three unique perks - even with all three of them equipped, they can't bring a fourth.
Unique Perk 1 - Superior Anatomy
What does it do?
When a survivor quickly vaults a window or pallet within 8 meters of the killer, this perk activates.
- At tier 1, the Killer's window vault speed is increased by 30%. At tier 2, this is increased to 35%. Finally, at tier 3, vault speed is increased to 40%.
- The perk deactivates after vaulting, and is then placed on cooldown for 30 seconds.
What's it good for?
Superior Anatomy is great for chases - when a survivor is relying on vaulting over windows to escape the killer, closing the distance with Superior Anatomy is extremely useful.
What's it not so good for?
While it may prove useful for other killers, Superior Anatomy isn't particularly useful to Wesker himself - his ability allows him to vault windows and pallets quickly by default. Survivors that rely on vaulting pallets instead of windows will also effectively make this perk useless.
Unique Perk 2 - Awakened Awareness
What does it do?
This perk activates when the killer is carrying a survivor - the auras of survivors around them are revealed.
- At tier 1, survivors within 16 meters of the killer are revealed. At tier 2, this distance is increased to 18, and caps out at 20 meters at tier 3.
What's it good for?
Awakened Awareness is best when combined with perks like Starstruck - on its own, though, it can be great for keeping track of survivors in a killer's immediate area, knowing which ones are lurking in preparation to save their friends and which ones are further away, likely working on generators.
What's it not so good for?
When survivors realize that the killer is using Awakened Awareness, they can play accordingly to avoid it - survivors can stay out of the killer's range, or actively try to distract them. For this reason it's a very situational perk. Additionally, using it to its full potential will mean the killer spends lots of time looking around, during which time the survivor may wiggle out of their grasp.
Unique Perk 3 - Terminus
What does it do?
When all five generators have been completed, this perk activates.
- All injured, dying, or hooked survivors cannot heal themselves until the exit gates are open.
- The inability to heal themselves persists for an additional 20 seconds at tier 1, is increased to 25 seconds at tier 2, and caps out at 30 seconds at tier 3.
What's it good for?
When hopes of missing out on the adept achievement are almost lost, Terminus can provide a last-minute clutch opportunity. Survivors not being able to heal themselves will make them panic, act more predictably as they rush to open the exit gates, and allow Wesker to immediately carry them if they're hit with his ability.
What's it not so good for?
A competent team of survivors will avoid situations where this perk shines - healing each other before finishing the generators, protecting injured teammates from the killer, and immediately escaping instead of lingering when the exit gates are powered. For this reason, Terminus is one of Wesker's weaker perks as it plays on a faint hope of getting late-game kills when the focus should be sacrificing the survivors quickly.
Getting a 'Merciless' Match
With knowledge of Wesker's perks in mind, the survivors' days are numbered. Players must remember these notes before hoping to get a Merciless match, however.
- Bringing add-ons will make the Killer's power more effective.
- Practicing is crucial, with both Wesker's power and perks.
- Playing with friends in custom matches is a great way to practice in a low-stress environment.
- Bringing a map offering makes life easier - a certain map can make all the difference.
- Bringing other offerings can be useful, generating more blood points or decreasing the number of chests for survivors to loot.
- Use the Awakened Awareness perk to its full potential - look around before hooking a survivor.
- Wesker's ability can be used to gain distance, not just damage survivors.
- Keeping survivors injured and infected is a Wesker player's main priority.
- Giving up hope is never recommended - the Terminus perk can help with last-minute kills, and Wesker's ability can throw survivors off the hatch.
- If all else fails, consider playing poorly for a few matches - skill-based matchmaking will match players accordingly, making a Merciless game more achievable.
Dead by Daylight is available on Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.