In the lethal world of Dead by Daylight, Survivors need every tool at their disposal if they're going to have any hope of escaping from the game's ever-growing roster of Killers. Survivors have no weapons, so the most they can hope for is to stun, blind, or distract the Killer.
In Dead by Daylight, Survivors must make the most of the available items in order to complete their objectives and escape. Some items help repair generators faster, while others stall for time by patching up injured Survivors or giving them a chance to hide. All have their pros and cons, but the following are the best items in the game.
10 Mechanic's Toolbox
Generator Repair Speed | +75% |
Hook Sabotage Speed | -10% |
Charges | 16 |
The Mechanic's Toolbox is a mixed bag in terms of usefulness. On the one hand, a 75% bonus to generator repair speed is a significant buff. On the other, the Mechanic's Toolbox has two weaknesses not shared by some other toolboxes.
A 10% penalty to sabotage speed may not sound significant, but considering there are other toolboxes without this penalty, the versatility of this item is poor in comparison. The second weakness of this otherwise strong item is its limited Charges. With only 16 to use, this item will be exhausted quickly no matter what the Survivor uses it for.
9 Toolbox
Generator Repair Speed | +50% |
Hook Sabotage Speed | +10% |
Charges | 20 |
The basic Toolbox is surprisingly a step up from the Mechanic's Toolbox. It has slightly more charges, and though 20 is not much of an improvement over 16, it can make a difference in the long run, especially if the Survivor is using perks or add-ons to extend the Toolbox's lifespan. This item saves the user almost 7 seconds on generator repairs.
A +10% buff to sabotage speed isn't extraordinary, but that small difference can come in clutch in some desperate situations. Having any buff to sabotaging already makes the Toolbox a more versatile item than some of its competitors. Capable of saving the Survivor about 7 seconds sabotaging hooks as well as repairing generators, the Toolbox is more useful than its generic name suggests.
8 First Aid Kit
Altruistic Healing Speed | +35% |
Charges | 24 |
Overall, med-kits are the best type of item in the game. They allow a single Survivor to become self-sufficient, treating their own wounds without the need of either a teammate or Boon: Circle of Healing.
The First Aid Kit is a basic but reliable embodiment of this utility, letting the Survivor stay alive and looping longer. A full heal takes 16 charges, so the First Aid Kit contains enough for one-and-a-half heals by default. That's enough to patch up the user and still have some charges left over for a teammate. Considering the 35% bonus to healing others, that generosity doesn't even take long.
7 Utility Flashlight
Increased Beam Brightness | +30% |
Increased Blindness Duration | +15% |
Reduced Aim Accuracy | -20% |
Battery Life | 12s |
Flashlights are a mixed bag in Dead by Daylight. They can be an absolute menace to new Killers and can lead to game-changing saves against even seasoned veterans. Unfortunately, many experienced Killers know how to play around them without using perks like Franklin's Demise or Lightborn, and many Survivors waste time chasing blinds.
The Utility Flashlight is the best of the bunch, however. Its increased brightness and blind duration improve its ability to stun, and its 12-second charge can always be extended with add-ons. If a Survivor decides to take on the high-risk / high-reward gameplay of flashlight blinding, the Utility Flashlight is the go-to item.
6 Rainbow Map
Objects Tracked At Start Of Trial | 3 |
Objects It Can Track |
|
Duration | 20s |
Like keys, maps can be hit-or-miss, either making a huge difference in the Trial or doing almost nothing. The best map by far is the Rainbow Map. With the massive list of objects that it's capable of tracking, the Survivor has a huge amount of information throughout the match, which makes any strategy more effective.
Most notably, the Rainbow Map automatically tracks three random objects at the start of the match. This can be particularly useful, whether by pointing out difficult-to-find generators on an indoor map or revealing the location of the Trapper's bear traps.
5 Skeleton Key
Requires Add-ons For Aura Reading | Yes |
Aura Reading Time | 30s |
Can Open Closed Hatch | Yes |
There was a time in Dead by Daylight's history when nothing was scarier to a Killer than seeing a key-squad in the lobby. Once upon a time, a single key could allow the escape of multiple Survivors, if used properly.
A reworking of the Hatch system nerfed keys significantly. Now Hatch only spawns when there is just a single Survivor remaining, making team-escapes with the item impossible. Even so, keys are second to none when it comes to making a selfish getaway. If a Survivor wants to bring a key and Left Behind to find the Hatch and then hide all game to ensure their survival to that point, there's not much that most Killers can do to stop them.
4 Engineer's Toolbox
Generator Repair Speed | +100% |
Hook Sabotage Speed | -25% |
Charges | 16 |
The Engineer's Toolbox comes with a couple of significant downsides, but the advantage it does offer is unmatched. With only 16 charges, the Engineer's Toolbox will be spent quickly, and a 25% penalty to sabotage speed means it's only good for one thing: fixing generators.
That said, the Engineer's Toolbox is in a class of its own when it comes to speedy repairs. It won't save the Survivor the most time on a generator, but it will complete it faster than any other, potentially allowing the Survivor to overcome a Killer with Tinkerer or other gen-monitoring perks.
3 Commodious Toolbox
Generator Repair Speed | +50% |
Charges | 32 |
The Commodious Toolbox is the best toolbox in the game. Between its 32 charges and 50% buff to repair speed, this item saves the Survivor almost 11 seconds on generator repairs.
11 seconds may not sound like much, but in Dead by Daylight, every second counts. Finishing a generator that much quicker can mean the difference between everyone dying and a four-person escape. Combined with Prove Thyself and Brand New Parts, Survivors with a Commodious Toolbox can finish generators in the blink of an eye.
2 Emergency Med-Kit
Personal Healing Speed | +50% |
Altruistic Healing Speed | +50% |
Charges | 16 |
The Emergency Med-Kit only contains enough Charges for a single heal, which isn't much. Fortunately, with a 50% buff to healing speeds whether the Survivor is healing a teammate or themselves, that heal will be a quick one, giving the Survivor more time to track down nasty hexes.
For this reason, the Emergency Med-Kit is far superior to healing using the Self-Care perk. Being able to treat one's own wounds at such speed is a huge deal, and that's before healing speed buffs from Boon: Circle of Healing or other perks are considered.
1 Ranger Med-Kit
Altruistic Healing Speed | +50% |
Good Skill Check Zone | +14% |
Great Skill Check Zone | +15% |
Charges | 32 |
The Ranger Med-Kit is not only the best med-kit, but also the best item in Dead by Daylight. It holds enough Charges for two heals, offers a 50% speed buff when healing others, and increases the size of Skill Check Zones, making it less likely for the Survivor to fail and more likely that they will gain additional speed boosts.
No item matches the power and versatility of the Ranger Med-Kit, and that's before powerful add-ons like the Anti-Haemorrhagic Syringe and Styptic Agent are considered.
Dead By Daylight is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and Stadia.