This guide aims to be informative for newer survivors.
There will be a lot of my own opinions in this guide, if you don’t like other people’s opinions then this isn’t the guide for you. If you have constructive criticism it is more than welcome, however, I would kindly ask you to leave non-constructive comments at the door.
This guide will not cover dodge mechanics so don’t expect me to be trying to teach you something that requires hours of practise to master.
Experienced players are unlikely to benefit from this guide, but you are more than welcome weigh in, if you’d like.
When to go for the unhook (and not)
This might be the most important part of the guide so play close attention!
The most important thing to remember is to keep your eyes on your survivor activity part of the hud, particularly when you’re just sitting on a generator. Some of you more observant potatoes may have noticed the game goes on while you’re working on a gen. the killer may rock up at any moment to punish you with a blade/axe/hammer/dildo.
As you can see in the image here, knight caught your boy Dwight slipping.
There are two people on generators, one of which is injured, more on that in a moment.
The free person here is Meg, she should be the one to go for the save. (In theory).
Hypothetically if Meg were also injured, then Dwight’s saviour ought to be Haddie, this is because she is healthy and has a better chance of succeeding in the attempt, if a second person goes down while one is already on a hook the killer starts to snowball his advantage or ‘pressure’ if you like.
Another hypothetical but common scenario here is if the killer is chasing someone while another is on the hook. If the killer were to be chasing Meg in this hypothetical then again Haddie would be the clear choice to save Dwight (chase is indicated by the wiggling ‘claw’ icons).
If all three were injured then the decision should be determined by whose generator is the closest to completion. Assuming again that meg is in chase in this scenario then the clear choice would Kate.
Exceptions to these general rules can be made if the survivor on the hook is running the Kindred perk. This is due to the ability of being able to see your fellow survivors and determine who is in the best position to save Dwight in a more timely manner. Assuming again that the Meg is in chase and she can see it’s happening away from the hooked Dwight then Haddie can make the judgement call to go for the save which would ultimately buy more generator time, since Kate would have to run further for the save and the risk of something bad happening is minimised and Haddie can return to her generator quicker as well.
If the killer is face camping the hook then you should almost always let this person die, unless you feel this killer is particularly bad at chasing and tracking it’s not worth giving these unique forms of cancer the additional kills they most assuredly do not deserve.
If the killer is patrol camping then you are probably going to have to trade places by unhooking them and hoping the killer is happy picking you up rather than chasing the other survivor (Dwight in this case) after downing you, if you’re lucky enough to make the unhook without the killer noticing you then you can let Dwight take a hit (within the first 10 seconds of unhook) if necessary, if the killer takes any longer then you should definitely take the chase by getting between Dwight and the killer if you’re able. Allowing the Dwight heal up and go to your gen.
For god’s sake don’t run the killer back to your progressed gen! If you do and they have a perk like jolt then it will mess up your gen and then the killer will likely camp you closely because they have a nearly completed generator and a hooked survivor to guard if you go down.
Do not sprint after the killer as soon as he hooks a survivor, they will either camp the survivor on the hook, with the knowledge that someone is nearby given via your scratch marks. Or they will drop the survivor and pursue you (but this is unlikely unless you are injured or exposed). Best case scenario you end up trading hooks which works in the killer’s favour.
Should I bring a flashlight?
This one is simple. Never more than two!
if everyone has a flashlight you can bet your ass the killer is going to run lightborne making your flashlights nothing more than time wasters, think about it. The time it takes you to figure out the killer has lightborne is time you could have spent on gens and not stalking him trying to make a fancy save.
Don’t get me wrong, it does happen, some killers don’t even have the perk unlocked, but likelihood is, if it’s a good killer you’re setting yourself up for failure. Heck some killers run the perk just to counter flashbangs!
Take a toolbox! Gens quick = wins
Take a medkit! Healing faster = more time on gens
Take a key with bloodstone and pearls = wallhacks for mind-games around loops with high walls (this is incredibly strong for wasting the killers time!
Should I stick around in post-game collapse?
Generally speaking, you should always wait, at least in or around the exit area to take a hit for someone who might be running from the killer while the exits are being unlocked, if they get injured in chase and are on their way to you, your taking a hit for them could be all that stands between them and death, body blocking is so overpowered.
The only time it is acceptable (at least by my standards) to leave prematurely is if you are injured, on death hook and nobody is around to heal you (preventing you from being able to take a hit) an exception can be made if you have the dead hard perk of course, or even sprint burst to bait a swing.
If the killer has no-ed and someone is on the hook then you need to accept that this person is just gone, sticking around is only going to give the killer more kills. By the time you’ve found and cleansed the totem they are likely going to be dead in any case.
If you are in a coordinated SWF team you can attempt a save by having someone lure the killer away from the hook but it is VERY risky, particularly if you haven’t found the no-ed totem. Ideally if the killer has no-ed you should try to cleanse it before opening the exit gates. If you’re unable to do so they will likely just find you opening the gate, spread your cheeks and insert their crutch. (yes I went there)
I know some of you little degenerates will ignore me for this last part, but I’ll say it anyway. Do the community a favour and don’t start teabagging at the exit. It’s really sad that people spend their leisure time trying to upset other people in their’s. It’s likely part of if not the whole reason you encounter face campers in the first place. Some killers will also get butthurt at you pointing at them too. You risk being tunneled for it, so best avoided really.
Where should I run the killer to?
When running from the killer in DBD the place you run to is of the utmost importance! I see people screwing this up every other game!
Never run the killer around a hooked survivor, it’s stupid, you’re going to get caught eventually and then the killer has two of you on hooks next to each other and they WILL NOT leave, the game is effectively over at that point.
If you are lucky enough to get away from them then the poor guy on the hook is either not going to get rescued or someone else will come and the killer will either get them in their attempt, forcing a trade or they will tunnel the guy who was on the hook, which is even worse. One less person to do gens.
With what should be obvious out of the way, let’s move on to advice for people capable of actual thought…
When a generator gets popped pay attention to where it happened, you have no excuses, everyone gets that huge lit up generator notification! This is where you should run the killer, unless there is a god tier infinite or insane RNG loop on the map that you know about then this is your best bet. When you’re on your generator pay close attention to things around you that can buy you time and distance to make it over to that generator. Nobody will be doing a gen in this area so it should be safe to run the killer around here and not impede progress on gens.
Shack is also a great place for running killers typically, make a mental note about where it is on the map and try to run the killer there, even with god pallet gone it is still a very strong loop. Just bear in mind generators often spawn in the shack so you might want to get that one done ASAP!
Perks such as deja vu or troubleshooter are great for seeing where unfinished generators are currently (you could use Felix’s perk too but it’s kinda ♥♥♥♥♥ imo).
Two small caveats, you can run the killer around your own gen if it was barely progressed with little consequence.
You can also run them around it if you had a friend with you on it that went unnoticed by the killer and they have stakeout perk (Detective Tapp) so long as you don’t loop too closely they should go unnoticed and get a bunch of free great skill checks from it, thus completing the gen faster.
When to pre-drop a pallet
Okay so this one is subjective because killers play differently and some respect pallets like they were raised by them, others do not and eat them for breakfast.
Pre-dropping a pallet depends heavily on the killer you’re facing, for example, you never want to do this versus a Legion or Whesker, they will simply vault it. A huntress, however, you should almost always pre-drop as she will punish you by way of hatchet to the rectum if you drop one in front of her.
Pre-dropping is a very strong tactic particularly in choke point areas where killers will have no choice but to break the pallet or take an even longer route around it, buying you valuable time to escape. If you manage to get some nice pre-drop distance (and you’re not injured) you should try to walk once you’ve broken line of sight and lose them altogether (this will be harder to achieve if you are leaving blood trails).
The pallet at the top of the main hall stairs in RPD is an amazing pallet for pre-dropping as there is no quick way around it for the killer (if they’re going up) you force them to break it and get a great distance from them, most will simply end the chase at that point. If not then great! They will take far longer to catch you than they would to find another generator, assuming you aren’t running into walls or dead ends.
Bonus tip: Since I mentioned it, if you’re on the RPD map running the killer outside by the main entrance is REALLY bad, there is a generator out there for starters, additionally, what are you going to loop them on? You’re basically doomed to run in a straight line for 10 seconds while they gain blood lust and outpace you, if they’re ranged you don’t even have that.
Counter tips for Legion
This section and the following sections are for tips and strategies that counter specific killers. I’m not an expert in this area, far from it in fact. I’m hoping some helpful comments will go a long way to filling the gaps in my knowledge for this section.
I’ll start with Legion, because he is a great noob-stomper and I also know the most about him. The sooner you learn how to counter play him, the sooner you can laugh when you hear the electric guitar music closing in on you.
Okay so first up, as stated in a previous section, never pre-drop a pallet on this killer. It will be quickly vaulted and likely broken in the process. It is better to take a hit and get a stun.
If you see he is in Feral Frenzy (indicated by his knife being held high and breathing like a junkie running to their dealer) You either need to try and make him miss his swing (his lunge is really short in this state without addons) or you need to hit him with a pallet. If you cannot do either he will hit you and likely be on his way to the next person (hitting you basically gives him wall hacks). A smart legion will likely use the opportunity to hit as many people as possible. If he manages to chain 4 hits the next person will instantly go down. Not to mention everyone will be spending the time he’s hooking that 5th hit survivor mending their wounds. Then you will all have to heal as well as unhook the person who got caught last.
If you suspect he’s going for the big chain, (most will go for it if the map is small) then a good strategy is to camp the opposite side of a pallet from him and either stun him just before he hits you or just as he hits you, this will ensure you break his combo. and potentially spare the other 3 players from spending the next 2 minutes running around like idiots trying to heal and mend.
I can’t stress this next point enough…
NEVER TRY TO HIDE IN A LOCKER FROM A LEGION!I’ve played this killer enough to know that people actually try this far too often.
You cannot hidefrom feral frenzy, once the first hit has been made he can see you with wall hacks. This includes in lockers. Not to mention, this killer actually comes with the iron maiden perk. He might not use it, but why tempt fate?
Sometimes it’s better to just leave yourself injured. You’re likely going to spend most of the game against this killer healing up only to be stripped back to mend state in the next minute or less. This killer covers a lot of ground very rapidly, in a small map he is practically omnipresent. Sometimes it is simply better to get those gens done as quickly as you can and forgo the heal. Use your best judgement.
Split up! Even in the smaller maps, if you’re at the ass end of the map to the rest of the crew he cannot get the 4th hit to chain for the instadown, unless he’s taken his trusty never-sleep pills, even then it can be difficult.
Do not mend right away! If he hits you and you mend it resets his wall hacks on you and he can hit you a second time to build up his chain. Additionally this wastes more of your time and increases the likelihood that you will be the last one hit in the chain, making you the likely target next in line for a hooking. If you’re worried about going down from the deep wound status simply sprint around in a circle (or away from the direction he ran to) until you think it’s safe to mend, you cannot go down from deep wound whilst sprinting.
Dead hard is a very useful perk for countering the legion as it can make him swing at air if you’re already injured when he comes in for a feral frenzy strike. Just keep in mind it can only be used once per hook stage after your first hook since its rework. Sprint burst is also good for baiting a swing and miss, but if you’re late in the chain he is so fast that it may hit you regardless.
If you see a legion is coming in for a Feral Frenzy strike on you, and you are his first hit, do your utmost to break line of sight, he cannot see your scratch marks or blood trails in this state, use this to your advantage. However, if he’s already hit someone forget about this strategy, you simply cannot hide.
Great perks for solo players
Not all perks in this game are made equal, some have far more impact to the game than others as I’m sure many of you will have noticed. Here is a list of all the perks I think are great for playing as a solo player.
Off the record (Zarina) – This perk gives you endurance and hides the scratch marks you leave behind for up to 90 seconds after being unhooked. Bear in mind, this endurance effect is not active once exit gates are opened. It makes for a great anti-tunnel measure against killers that suck.
Kindred (Anyone) – If you’re playing solo this perk is ridiculously good. It tells people everything they need to know to unhook you. It wards against insidious camping filthmongers and best of all increases the likelihood you will be saved before you go into second state.
Lightweight (Anyone) – Underrated perk, since its buff this perk is criminally undervalued IMO. It makes losing a chase far easier whilst you’re in a healthy state.
Deliverance (Adam) – Unhook myself? Yes please! Just make sure you beeline for that first hook save. If you get hooked before you can use it, it’s just a wasted perk. I personally rarely run it because it feels cursed, I always end up on the hook first when using this perk. 🙁
We’ll make it (Anyone) – The faster your team mates are healthy, the quicker you can get back on gens! Many people use this perk because it is sooo good. It’s good to combo this perk with empathy so you can become a medic of sorts, since you get a whopping 90 seconds per unhook to give back rubs.
Deja Vu (Anyone) – Another criminally underrated perk, it wards against the most op strategy used by killers, the dreaded 3 gen. If you don’t know already, it’s when you’re on the last gen and all 3 of the remaining gens are close to each other. With this perk you can deliberately go for the gens between the other generators to create as big of a gap as possible between the final 3 gens. You also get a nice little bonus to your repair speed which is never a bad thing!
Adrenaline (Meg) – Great for those times when the exit gates get powered but you can’t find a damned soul to heal you so you can safely leave. Not to mention it can come in clutch if you’re being chase by the killer towards the end of the game.
Prove Thyself (Dwight) – 10% Bonus repair speed might not seem like a lot, until you have 2-3 other people on the same generator. You will notice the difference! Just remember at its core, DBD is a game about time management. This is why many of the killer’s perks and abilities are geared towards wasting your time. The faster you finish those gens, the sooner you win!
Desperate Measures (Felix) – Extra unhooking and healing speed that stacks per injured or hooked survivor can come in very clutch, particularly when you’re playing with a SWF and they insist on throwing the match by trying to flashlight save each other whilst injured, which often results in a slugfest with multiple people downed or hooked. If I see more than one flashlight on my team you best believe I’m putting this in my build in case of stupidity.
Wiretap (Ada) – Wall-hacks on a killer approaching your gen can be extremely strong. Especially if you’re using it on an indoor map. You can catch them trying to cut you off if your gen has a strong loop near it (such as the main building on the clown’s map). Showing the other survivors where your generator is also helps them to get it done if you get chased away.
