Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight may be known for welcoming famous Survivors into its ranks, like Cheryl Mason from Silent Hill and Laurie Strode from Halloween. However, the Hour of the Witch DLC does not feature a character fans will be familiar with. Instead, its Survivor is a totally original character by Behaviour Interactive.
Just in time for the 2021 Halloween season, Dead by Daylight's Hour of the Witch DLC introduces a unique Survivor and new game-changing mechanics. This chapter incorporates features fans have long been asking for, and brings innovative ways to interact with Totems as both Killer and Survivor. Those interested in buying or playing the Hour of the Witch DLC may want to learn a bit more about what it contains and how it works before diving in.
6 The Survivor is Mikaela Reid, A Witch Engulfed By The Fog
Mikaela Reid, a fully original Survivor, is the character included with Dead by Daylight's Hour Of The Witch DLC. A witch-themed character, Mikaela offers interesting lore that ties her in to Dead by Daylight's vast universe. There are many things woven into Survivors' lore that fans may not know, and many of them are hidden in their backstories.
After her father's death, Mikaela found comfort in the Halloween season and then found her passion for witchcraft. Mikaela expressed herself and these passions through writing horror stories. She wrote frequently until she eventually decided to enter a horror storytelling competition around All Hallow's Eve, when a series of strange and unfortunate events turned her life upside down. Her friend went missing, and she began to have visions and horrifying nightmares reminiscient of Dead by Daylight's trials.
Suddenly, her life changed forever. Seconds after telling her story to the crowd at the competition, Mikaela Reid disappeared, engulfed by the thick, unforgiving Fog. No one knew where she went, nor did they ever see her again.
5 Boon Totems, A New Type of Survivor Perk, Were Introduced
Mikaela Reid introduced three new perks, two of which are Boon perks. Boon perks allow a Survivor to hold the Active ability button near a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem. Then, soft chimes will ring out for 28 meters.
Boon Totems are an intriguing change to Dead by Daylight's gameplay, making Totems more interactive for both Killers and Survivors. Mikaela Reid's third perk, Clairvoyance, is somewhat viable, but likely won't find a place in the game's meta. Other aura-detection perks, like Detective Tapp's Detective's Hunch, offer more valuable and consistent information to Survivors who want to evade the Killer's grasp.
Mikaela Reid's Perks
- Boon: Circle of Healing – Survivors inside the Boon Totem's range benefit from a bonus to all Healing speeds. Unlocks the Self-Care ability, allowing to self-heal without needing a Med-Kit at 50/75/100% of the normal Healing speed. This perk also benefits from the Healing Speed bonus, boosting the Self-Healing speed to percentage.
- Boon: Shadow Step – Survivors inside the Boon Totem's range benefit from the following effects: (1) Scratch Marks are suppressed, (2) Auras are hidden from The Killer, and (3) Both effects linger for 2/3/4 seconds after leaving the Boon Totem's range.
- Clairvoyance – Whenever the player cleanses a Totem, Clairvoyance activates the following effect: When empty-handed, press and hold the Active Ability button to unlock full Aura-reading potential, allowing Mikaela to see the Auras of the Exit Gate Switches, Generators, Hooks, and Chests within 64 metres for 8/9/10 seconds
4 Survivors Can Bless A Boon Totem More Than Once
Boon Totems work a little differently than Hex Totems. Hex Totems spawn when the Killer runs a Hex perk, some of which are the strongest Killer perks in the game. Unlike Hex Totems, which are permanently deactivated after a Survivor successfully cleanses them, Survivors can re-bless a Totem repeatedly with a Boon.
Therefore, this DLC encourages teamwork from all Survivors, even those who choose not to use the new Boon perks. Survivors must avoid cleansing a Totem if they know another Survivor plans on using a Boon on it again, since Boon perks benefit every member of the team.
3 Boon Totem Perks Synergize Well With Some Perks...
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Using both Boon perks takes up two perk slots, so if Survivors want to succeed, they'll need to think carefully about how to incorporate Mikaela Reid's perks into their builds. Using the best perks as Survivor can give gameplay an instant upgrade.
Using a perk to help find Totems, like Detective's Hunch, might be worthwhile to ensure a Totem is blessed early in the trial. Since the Boons will hide Survivors' scratch marks and allow them to heal rapidly, Survivors running Boon Totem perks may want to consider using their last slot for an Exhaution perk — like Sprint Burst or Balanced Landing — to cover all their bases and prevent injury. Some Survivors have much better perks than others, so players should experiment with teachable perks.
2 ...But Not So Well With Others
Many Survivors run Self-Care in hopes of healing themselves out of a sticky situation, but with Boon Totems, it's just not neccessary. Healing at an active Boon is significantly faster than using a med-kit or using Self Care. Running Boons doesn't work well with Self Care, but they're a great replacement for it, since Self Care is infamously slow. Survivors can't usually afford to waste so much time healing when going against the best Killers.
Out of all the Survivor perks, Boon Totem perks synergize worst with Inner Healing, since Inner Healing requires the Survivor to cleanse a Totem to receive its benefits. Ironically, Michaela Reid's Boon Totem perks also synergize quite poorly with her last perk, Clairvoyance, since it requires the Survivor to cleanse a Totem. With Boon perks in play, Survivors will want to avoid cleansing Totems at all costs.
1 There Is No Killer Or Map With The DLC
While most new Dead by Daylight chapters come with a Killer, a Survivor and a map, the Hour of the Witch DLC only comes with the Survivor Mikaela Reid. This is because Hellraiser's Pinhead, also known in-game as The Cenobite, was released at the beginning of chapter 21 with no Survivor to accompany him. Many fans were hoping for a Survivor to accompany The Cenobite, but Behaviour chose not to add a Survivor from Hellraiser.
Mikaela Reid is an original character, unlike The Cenobite. She comes with the 21.5 mid-chapter release, just in time for Halloween 2021, to accompany her Halloween theme. The Cenobite is perhaps one of the most horrifying Killers in the game given his backstory and ability, so it makes sense to also release a Survivor mid-chapter that celebrates that deeply terrifying theme.