Dead by Daylight players have seen their game get more and more complicated since the game's release. Gone are the simple days of flashlights and totems; survivors and killers alike have more options than ever to assist in their killing and/or escaping.
A more recent addition is the game's special items. Noteworthy for their unique borders and the fact that they can't be permanently added to players' inventories, newer killers have made use of these items to provide fun and varied gameplay. Killers don't get to have all the fun, though, as some perks allow survivors to create their own special items.
What Are Special Items In Dead By Daylight?
Players may have noticed new achievements that require them to make use of special items. 'Kitted Out' asks them to pick up and use 35 special items as a survivor, while 'Disarm and Dismember' asks gamers to play as a killer and hit 50 survivors who are holding a special item.
Special items are rarely seen in an average match of Dead by Daylight as they are limited to certain killers or maps. There are exceptions, but any item with a striped border that players cannot escape with is considered a 'special item.'
Lament Configuration
Despite bringing misery to everyone who touches it, survivors are encouraged to solve the Hellraiser franchise's infamous puzzle box. This will put an end to the constantly spawning chains that terrorize them and their teammates.
- The Lament Configuration will only spawn in games where The Cenobite (Pinhead) is the killer.
- If it is ignored, chains will constantly spawn to keep survivors busy.
- This can be stopped by finding and solving the cube, which will glow through walls.
- If the killer finds the cube first, they can force the chains to start spawning immediately.
- Survivors holding the Lament Configuration will not hear the killer's terror radius or heartbeat.
- If it is held for too long without being solved, it will respawn somewhere else.
- Solving the Lament Configuration will alert the killer and allow them to teleport to the survivor who is solving it.
First Aid Spray
Fans of the Resident Evil franchise will recognize this unassuming canister from a mile away. Despite being used for full heals in their original games, First Aid Sprays in Dead by Daylight are only used to cure Uroboros and will not actively heal a survivor. The First Aid Spray is arguably one of the better items to attempt the Disarm and Dismember achievement with, as Wesker is notified when a spray is being used and has the ability to move quickly toward the survivor using it.
- First aid sprays only appear in games where The Mastermind (Albert Wesker) is the killer.
- They are found by unlocking supply cases that appear randomly on the map.
- Supply cases glow white when survivors are infected by Uroboros.
- Each first aid spray can be only be used twice.
- Survivors can spray themselves or teammates and can drop the canister at any time.
Vaccine
Another staple of the Resident Evil franchise, vaccines are often used to save the day in the nick of time. They maintain this role in Dead by Daylight, curing any and all T-virus contamination. Vaccines were one of the first special items to be added to the game!
- Vaccines only appear in games where The Nemesis is the killer.
- They are found by unlocking supply cases that appear randomly on the map.
- Supply cases glow white when survivors are infected by the T-Virus.
- Each vaccine can only be used once.
VHS Tape
Survivors unlucky enough to face the Onryo will likely see their demise come sooner than seven days. VHS Tapes can help or hinder a survivor if they aren't used strategically.
- VHS Tapes only appear in games where the Onryo, the vengeful ghost from The Ring, is the killer.
- They are found inside the various TVs that spawn on the map. Taking the tape also turns off the TV for 70 seconds.
- TVs that are switched off cannot be used as teleport locations by the killer.
- They should then be placed into another TV to reduce the Condemned effect by 3 stacks.
- If the survivor is hit while holding a VHS tape, Condemned is increased by 2 stacks, and the tape breaks.
- When Condemned reaches 7 stacks, the survivor's location is revealed, and they can be killed without needing to be hooked.
Flash Grenade
It's safe to say that Resident Evil fans have plenty of representation when it comes to limited items. Unlike many others, this fan-favorite item from the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes can be used by any survivor who has brought the Flashbang perk.
- Flash grenades are only available to Survivors who are using the Flashbang perk.
- This perk is one of Leon S. Kennedy's unique perks.
- Players will need to prestige Leon at least once to unlock this perk for other survivors.
- Alternatively, they could find it in the Shrine of Secrets and unlock it for iridescent shards.
- It can be crafted by repairing a generator to a certain level and then hiding in a locker.
- Using the flash grenade will blind and deafen all nearby players, killer and survivor alike.
- Each flash grenade can only be used once, but several can be crafted in one match.
EMP
It's only fitting that Dead by Daylight's first robotic killer would have to deal with annoying technology interference; perhaps they should try turning themselves off and back on again.
- EMPs only appear in games where the Singularity is the killer.
- They are found inside supply cases that appear randomly on the map.
- Unlike other special items, survivors need to wait for the EMP to be ready; they are printed every 100 seconds.
- This can be sped up somewhat by interacting with the supply case.
- When used, EMPs remove the Temporal Slipstream effect and disable the killer's Biopods for 45 seconds.
- EMPs can only be used once and need to be charged up.
- While charging, survivors are 10% slower.
Pocket Mirror & Fragile Mirror
One of the game's more obscure special items, these mirrors are tied to one of the Archives' many challenges. When players take on the 'Glyph Caretaker' challenge, they must complete a series of tasks to ultimately be rewarded with a tantalizing 25,000 blood points. Thankfully, there's no 'redirect a beam of light using various mirrors' puzzle.
- The Fragile Mirror only spawns in games where a survivor has the Glyph Caretaker challenge active.
- It is obtained by finding and interacting with a White Glyph somewhere on a map.
- To get the Repaired Mirror, the Fragile Mirror must be taken to the basement without:
- Falling from a great height.
- Quickly vaulting over a pallet, window, or similar.
- Dropping the mirror.
- Even if the fragile mirror breaks, it can be regained by finding another White Glyph.
- Escaping with the repaired mirror will reward the survivor with 25,000 blood points.
Remote Flame Turret
Dead by Daylight's newest special item accompanies a unique killer, and while it isn't lethal, gamers can partially fulfill their dream of killing a Xenomorph with fire. It's one of the more complicated special items in the game, despite appearing to be simple.
- Remote Flame Turrets only appear in games where the Xenomorph is the killer.
- They are retrieved from control stations found around the map.
- Carrying a Remote Flame Turret will:
- Slows a survivor down with the Hindered, Incapacitated, and Exhausted effects.
- Make noise.
- Prevent the Xenomorph from detecting the player while it is in a tunnel.
- When deployed, the turret will beep if the Xenomorph is close and attack when it's closer than 10 meters.
- This ends the Xenomorph's runner mode and staggers them, breaking the turret.
- It can then be repaired by survivors or totally destroyed by the killer.
Keycard
First of its kind, the Keycard special item is unique to the new Nostromo map. While map-specific secrets are a Dead by Daylight classic, this keycard marks the first time a special item has been necessary to access a secret room, one that fans of the first Alien movie will recognize immediately. They'll also be rewarded with a chest for getting inside!
- The Keycard only spawns in matches taking place on the Nostromo Wreckage map.
- It is obtained by crouching near one of the dead bodies found on the map; the exact one is randomized.
- Taking the Keycard to a terminal inside the ship will prompt players to hack it.
- The hack is successful only when players input Left - Down - Up - Right (or the console equivalent.)
- The newly opened room - a MU-TH-UR 6000 interface - will reward players with a chest.
Dead by Daylight is available for mobile devices, PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
