Coming out in 2017, around the same time as Friday the 13th: The Game, the asymmetrical survival horror Dead by Daylight had some stiff competition. But which came first — the chicken or the egg? Well, it was Gun Media’s Friday the 13th that beat Behaviour Interactive to the mark, coming out in May 2017 — whereas Dead by Daylight didn’t debut until June of the same year. Knowing how immensely popular Friday the 13th: The Game would be (and it was), Behaviour had to outmatch its competitor by branching out in regard to original characters (OCs) and giving audiences something they hadn’t seen before, unlike Jason Voorhees. That also explains why Jason isn’t a playable character in Dead by Daylight, considering the legal battle happening behind the scenes for the rights to the character between the director of several Friday the 13th films, Sean S. Cunningham, and the screenwriter for the 1980 original, Victor Miller.
Needless to say, Behaviour Interactive was fortunate enough to have creative freedom with their non-license characters, allowing for Killers varying in strength, weakness, and abilities, as well as unique lore embedded in the overarching backstory of the game. There are some fan favorites cropping up here and there, such as Michael Myers and Leatherface, but Dead by Daylight has found undeniable success with its OCs, many of whom are Killer Mains for the majority of the community. We gave you some insight as to what your Survivor Main says about you, so what about the Killers?
1. The Trapper
Anyone who mains Trapper will generally fall under two categories: either you’re a newbie who resonated with Trapper, the poster boy of Dead by Daylight, or you’ve been playing for so long — since the very beginning — and you’ve got a soft spot for the OGs. Either way, we respect you for choosing Trapper, who isn’t always a forgiving Killer to play, let alone main. Oh, also, if you’re a fan of Friday the 13th, you’ll likely consider Trapper a stand-in for Jason Voorhees, so once they stopped releasing new content for Friday the 13th: The Game due to complications from the legal battle, you migrated over to DbD to find the next best thing. You also have the patience of a saint, especially as Trapper either works entirely in your favor… or he doesn’t.
2. The Wraith
Even though the Wraith is realistically a fairly good Killer nowadays, Wraith mains will remember the dark days of when their chosen Killer was among the very worst in the game. They toughed it out, survived nerf after nerf, and their dedication paid off. If you’ve mastered the Wraith, he’ll reward you handsomely for it. Wraith mains will no doubt resonate with his lore, wherein he was but an average human — definitely on the shy side — and found himself thrust into a life of violence. If you’re a Wraith main, chances are you’ll always let at least one Survivor escape, and you’ll always — always — give someone the hatch. You’re not greedy, but you are, at times, overpowered with excessive add-ons and most likely NOED.
3. The Hillbilly
We’re going out on a limb here and assuming that if you’re a Hillbilly main, you tried Bubba first, found out how difficult he was to play, so you chose the only other Killer in the game with a chainsaw… who can also run. If you main Hillbilly, you almost never use his melee attack and always try and impress yourself (and others) by landing skillful chainsaw hits. It might take you a few tries, but you don’t care. There’s nothing more satisfying than downing a Survivor with your chainsaw, and you’re just happy to have put Hillbilly’s power to good use. If you stuck around and stayed persistent with Billy beyond Behaviour’s multiple nerfs, you’ve not only earned our respect, but you can probably endure just about anything.
4. The Nurse
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat, if you’re a Nurse main, every single person that ever comes into contact with you should bow at your feet. You’re invincible, unstoppable, unshakable. Often considered to be the hardest Killer to master in Dead by Daylight, the easiest way to describe Nurse mains would be thusly: badass b*tches. You’ve licked your wounds and faced your fair share of teabagging and flashlight saves, only to unlock Nurse’s true potential and rise to the occasion. You’ve likely spent hours perfecting the Nurse and you’ve turned ruthless from your hours of toil, verging on insanity at this point. Nurse mains are totally unhinged, unpredictable, and quite possibly immortal. If they can master the Nurse and get a 4K in a match, we tip our hats to you. That’s no small feat.
5. The Shape
Despite his monstrous nature, Michael Myers is the resident ‘Daddy’ of Dead by Daylight. If you main the Shape, chances are you’re attracted to him. He’s also the strong, silent type. If that sounds like you, you’ve probably got a lot more in common with Michael than you first thought. He doesn’t have any particularly defining abilities like, let’s say, Freddy Krueger, but that only makes him all the more interesting. It also goes without saying, but anyone who mains Michael Myers is most likely a huge fan of the Halloween franchise and prefers old-school horror over the modern-day psychological thriller. Michael mains are massive slasher fans and resonate with the element of mystery surrounding Michael’s personality and motivations. Is he misunderstood or pure evil personified?
6. The Hag
We’re just gonna go ahead and say it, if you’re a Hag main, it’s basically the equivalent of being sorted into Ravenclaw in Harry Potter. You’re extremely intelligent, able to think like a Survivor and carefully plan your every move accordingly. Hag mains aren’t afraid to take a loss on the chin and come back swinging. Like Nurse mains, they’ve poured a lot of hours into the Hag, perfecting the strategy of placing her spawn traps in precise locations to catch Survivors in the act and make the most of her useful ability. There’s also a strong chance that Hag mains are fascinated by witchcraft and enjoy reading tarot cards. If you’re a Hag main, we’ll bet you’re probably a Mikaela main, too. We imagine Hag mains to enjoy collecting minerals or gemstones, carrying a salt lamp with them wherever they go, and absolutely steer clear of Ouija boards, even though you’re fascinated by them.
7. The Doctor
Doctor mains didn’t come to play. Well, they did. But in a metaphorical sense, they didn’t. They’re downright tired of Survivors evading Killers by crouching behind rocks and never leaving so much as a trace of their activities. The Doctor is a very direct Killer who doesn’t rely on stealth, unlike some others. We’d wager that anyone who mains the Doctor likely chooses the direct approach in video games rather than the stealthier option, which most games discourage. These mains despise stealth, but there’s also an element of satisfaction that comes from zapping Survivors and holding enough control over the trial to know exactly where Survivors are at all times. Oh, you probably like that little laugh he does, too.
8. The Huntress
Just like the Shape, we’re willing to put all our eggs in the basket to bet that Huntress mains are sexually attracted to her to some degree, even if they’re in denial. If Michael Myers is the ‘Daddy’ of DbD, then Huntress is the ‘Mommy.’ Huntress is an excellent all-around Killer, so it might be that a lot of her mains started out by choosing her as a default, then slowly learned how fun it was to snipe Survivors with hatchets from across the map… and the rest is history. Huntress mains either love her mechanics and enjoy landing trick shots or she just ticks all the right boxes with her striking design, fleshed-out backstory, and enjoyable power. She takes far less time to get good with than someone like the Nurse, so Huntress mains don’t have time to waste on getting good, they just want to bring back the 360 no-scope of the Call of Duty days.
9. The Cannibal
If you’re a Bubba main, there’s a good chance that you’re extremely misunderstood. Maybe nobody “gets” you or you’re always roped in with the wrong crowd. If you’ve played Dead by Daylight for long enough, you’ll know that Bubba mains get bad-mouthed constantly. While they’re notorious for camping and tunneling, not every Bubba is the same as the last. There are some real sweethearts out there who simply choose him because they’re either big fans of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or they’re entirely rebellious and want to prove all the naysayers wrong. Bubba mains want to stand out from the crowd and prove the haters wrong. Above all, they’re out to prove that Leatherface does take a degree of skill to master and camping isn’t necessary to secure a win. Bubba mains are very, very competitive.
10. The Nightmare
The Nightmare, otherwise known as Freddy Krueger, might be the weakest Killer in the whole game — and it isn’t even close. He’s been nerfed so many times that playing as him just isn’t fun anymore. If you’re a Freddy main, you must know something that we all don’t. Either that, or it speaks volumes about your personality and you just never give up. Freddy mains will stick at something as long as it takes, whether it be playing an instrument or learning a new language. They won’t give up on people easily and always see the good in everyone. They’re also passionate about what they do, always looking for their hard work to be rewarded. It isn’t a forgiving life to be a Freddy main, but anyone who’s still keeping at it must have an iron will.
Well, did we get it right? Stay tuned for more Killers to be added to the list.