Since its release in 2016, Dead by Daylight has gone from a niche title to the undisputed king of the asymmetrical horror genre. BHVR, the development team behind the game, has resculpted character models, redrawn maps, reworked powers, perks, items, and add-ons, and introduced new mechanics to change and improve the game.
Dead by Daylight has changed in many ways. While killer mains may not appreciate their favorite horror icon getting nerfed, and survivor mains may not appreciate the new strategies that their opponents use to keep up with the developing meta, things have changed dramatically for both over the years. Dead by Daylight has gotten better and better. Here are just some of the ways the game has improved.
10 New And Reworked Maps
Part of what keeps Dead by Daylight interesting is its maps: intricate, atmospheric affairs in which the RNG of shifting pallet, window, and totem spawns makes every trial different. Some maps favor survivors, others killers, but all have something unique to offer.
Since the game's release, new maps have been added and old ones have received reworks for both aesthetics and balance. Whether one prefers The Game, The Eyrie of Crows, RCPD, or Autohaven, Dead by Daylight now has no shortage of trial grounds for its cat and mouse game to play out.
9 Perk Diversity
Every survivor and killer in the game has three unique teachable perks which can be mixed and matched to create unique loadouts. When Dead by Daylight first released, there were only three killers and four survivors in the game, however, meaning the number of perks that players could choose between was also small.
Over the years the number of characters on both sides has expanded dramatically, with over 190 to choose from now. As a result of this, many new and exciting builds have developed, and the meta has changed time and again. New patches inevitably bring new buffs and nerfs aimed at achieving balance, and this ever-shifting field of perks gives even veteran players new ways of looking at the game.
8 Expanded Roster
In the beginning, the only survivors were Dwight, Meg, Claudette, and Jake. The only killers were Trapper, Hillbilly, and Wraith. Since then, the Entity has brought many new survivors and killers into the Fog. With every DLC adding a new character, the game becomes that much more complex and meta strategies evolve.
Along with stealth, setup, and chase strategies that originated with the original killers, characters like the Plague, Spirit, and Artist have given killers new powers and strategies to master. Survivors, meanwhile, have been challenged to adapt to and overcome wave after wave of new antagonists.
7 Addition Of Horror Franchises
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BHVR has delivered consistent quality with each of its original killers, from their cosmetics to their powers, add-ons, and backstories. While characters like the Doctor, Blight, and Clown have become iconic and engaging in their own right amongst the game's devoted fanbase, BHVR also decided to bring licensed properties into the fold.
Halloween, Saw, Hellraiser, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are just some of the classic horror franchises to join this giant of asymmetrical horror. Every new license breathes new life into the game, both by including new characters for players to learn and by attracting fans of those horror franchises that might not otherwise have touched the game. Thanks to this decision, Reverse Bear Traps, the Lament Configuration, and John Carpenter's classic Halloween theme music have all become something to fear again.
6 Nerfing Of Keys
The primary function of a key in Dead by Daylight is to open the Hatch, the only method for survivors to escape the trials other than by completing five generators and escaping through the gates. In the game's current state, only the final living survivor can access and escape through the Hatch.
Prior to the Hatch's rework, however, multiple survivors could escape through the Hatch, no matter how poorly they were playing. The killer side of the community was vocal about how unfair this felt, and BHVR eventually rectified the situation. Prior to that change, a key squad in the lobby was more intimidating than any lit hex totem could ever be.
5 Nerfing Of Moris
Bringing a mori offering allows killers to kill survivors without hitting the third hook stage. The unique animations allow killers to dispatch their prey in a short, satisfying cutscene, making them attractive for players even if they aren't always time-efficient during a hectic trial.
The current system requires survivors to have reached the second hook stage before they can be affected by a mori, making moris a useful way of avoiding the sometimes fraught journey carrying a survivor to the hook for the third time. Prior to their reworking, however, moris allowed the survivor to simply kill survivors outright, regardless of their hook state. This effect was grossly overpowered, and BHVR saw this in time, nerfing moris to make the offering useful but no longer OP.
4 Removal Of Hatch Standoffs
Hatches weren't always as simple an affair as they are now. In fact, in the early days of Dead by Daylight, the game was home to one of the most bizarre standoffs in all of asymmetrical gaming. In a Hatch standoff, the killer and survivor faced off beside an open hatch, the killer wanting to close it, the survivor wanting to escape through it.
In this scenario, whichever player moved first lost, because the opponent would have time to complete their objective during their antagonist's recovery animation. Had these standoffs been brief it might've been fine, but given that they could last minutes or even hours in extreme cases, their removal was best for everyone.
3 Addition Of Endgame Collapse
The closing of the hatch or completion of the fifth and final generator initiates a sequence known as the Endgame Collapse: a timer ticks down, and the trial grounds themselves begin to deteriorate as the Entity approaches to claim the survivors. Any survivors who do not escape before time has elapsed are automatically sacrificed.
The Endgame Collapse adds a degree of pressure to both sides and prevents games from dragging on unnecessarily. Time management becomes critical for both sides, because healing, cleansing totems, and chasing and hooking survivors now cost seconds of which there are preciously few. New tactics appeared thanks to the Endgame Collapse, including 99ing the exit gates and making last-minute Blood Warden plays, all of which makes for a more dynamic game.
2 Removal Of Infinites
Though originally conceived of as a cat and mouse game where hiding was an optimal strategy, Dead by Daylight has evolved into one where looping the killer around structures, chaining together strings of obstacles, windows, and pallets in order to avoid their strikes, is one of the game's foremost draws.
Though strong loops exist together, there was a time in the game's history when infinite loops existed: routes that survivors could run which made it impossible for killers to catch them, regardless of skill level. Today, survivors can use a variety of looping tricks to outwit killers and keep chases going longer, but this core gameplay mechanic is no longer broken in the way that it once was.
1 Overall Balance
Suggesting that Dead by Daylight is anything approaching balanced is the kind of claim liable to start a riot amongst players. Whether the game is killer-sided or survivor-sided has been a point of debate since the game's inception. The game is ultimately intended as a horror party game, not a perfectly balanced comp game like Valorant or StarCraft. Both sides are right at times in thinking the game is balanced against them.
With the reworking of infinite loops, moris, the hatch, killer powers, add-ons, perks, map RNG, and numerous other issues, however, the game has crept closer and closer to actual balance. The tactics that each side brings to the table may annoy the other, but it would be hard to argue that the game is not better off now that it ever was.
Dead By Daylight is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.