Since Dead by Daylight’s release in 2016, the original Survivors and Killers have been expanded upon, as well as maps and other gameplay aspects. The in-game selection keeps growing, but after a lot of playtime, I found the ten best Survivors in Dead by Daylight that helped me win the most matches.
Best Survivors in Dead by Daylight
Among the ten characters on this list, some come from add-on packs that need to be purchased, but they are more than worth the investment.
#10 Laurie Strode
The iconic Halloween heroine had to make this list. Her main perk,Decisive Strike, makes it so that the Killer has to pass a tough skill check if they catch her up to 60 seconds after she has been unhooked. This means that Laurie is a great survivor for escaping the Killer, giving you more chances to get after those generators.Sole SurvivorandObject of Obsessionare alsocool perksthat allow her to become bait to distract the Killer—a noble sacrifice!
#9 Nancy Wheeler
Like inStranger Things, Nancy is a teammate you’d want to have by your side. Her perk,Better Together, allows other players on the map to see her aura and which generator she is working on so that they can help. TheFixatedperk will speed up her walking by 10% or 20%, whereasInner Strengthallows you to heal one health state after cleansing a totem and hiding in a locker. With these perks in mind, it’s easy to see why Nancy is a terrific team player!
#8 Jake Park
Jake is instrumental when playing Dead by Daylight! His perks focus on noise reduction, such as theCalm Spiritperk that reduces his chances of setting off the crows that lurk on the map.Iron Willhelps Jake become 50-100% quieter when grunting from pain, another signaling device for the killer, which is handy! Jake can also spot auras of nearby hooks and useSaboteurto sabotage and destroy them before a killer can hook a survivor, making him indispensable.
Related:How to Turn Off Crossplay in Dead by Daylight
#7 Dwight Fairfield
Dwight’s team-player abilities are very useful in DBD. With theProve Thyselfperk, Dwight helps other players repair generators faster, while hisLeaderperk increases action speed for nearby survivors, meaning they can accomplish things more quickly around him.Bondis also helpful, as he can see the auras of other players, allowing him to jump in on any of the tasks and lend a helping hand. All in all, he’s a good sport!
#6 Feng Min
With decent overall perks, Feng Min is a fantastic entry point for Dead by Daylight newbies. Her stealthy traits help your team stay quiet and hidden, such as theTechnicianperk reducing the repair noise range by eight meters and giving explosions a 50/50 chance of being completely silent. TheAlertperk reveals an enemy’s aura for 5 seconds after they break items, and theLitheperk shoots you from a rushed vault into a 150 percent faster sprint. An agile companion!
#5 Mikaela Reid
Mikaela’s mystic abilities make her a unique support character in DBD. When cleansing a Totem, herClairvoyanceperk reveals all auras to other Survivors for ten seconds. To help her teammates, Mikaela can useCircle of Healingto create a Boon Token that increases healing speed without medkits, while theShadow Stephides auras and scratch marks from the Killer. She’s perfect for team players!
#4 David King
David King’s medic-like abilities make him an easy top-five choice in Dead by Daylight. HisDead Hardperk lets you trigger Endurance to gain a sudden speed boost and avoid a hit, and theWe’re Gonna Live Foreverperk speeds up a dying teammate’s healing process. TheNo Mitherperk will keep your Broken status throughout the match, allowing you to recover from a dying state, leaving no pools of blood and reducing your grunts byfifty percent—an excellent choice for aggressive players.
Related:How to Use Keys in Dead by Daylight
#3 Meg Thomas
Meg is another stealth survivor and always a wise choice. TheQuick and Quietperk means her noise is reduced when vaulting over windows and climbing into lockers.Sprint Burstallows her to lose the Killer quickly in escape situations, whileAdrenalineheals her entire health state while running faster. She also ignores the exhausted command, meaning she can run through it to get further from the Killer.
#2 William ‘Bill’ Overbeck
Toughened by his zombie-killing endeavors, Bill’sUnbreakableperkallows him to fully recover from a dying state, meaning he can stand up and recover faster.Left Behindis extremely useful as he can see the auras of hatches once he is the last Survivor, andBorrowed Timehelps his teammates once they’re off the hook. If they are immediately struck after getting unhooked, they go into a deep wound state rather than a dying state—giving them that chance to distract or escape!
#1 Claudette Morel
Claudette shines as both a solo and team survivor.Botany Knowledgeincreases her healing speed and efficiency, andSelf-Careenables her to heal without needing a Med Kit, which is extremely useful! However, one of the best perks isEmpathy, which allows her to see the auras of teammates injured or dying and reach them before it’s too late.
Looking for more Dead by Daylight content? Check out theAll Maps in Dead by Daylight, Rankedon Pro Game Guides.
