Dead by Daylight best DLC content to buy – Our top 10 expansions ranked

Want the best DLC in Dead by Daylight? Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetric survival horror game is a big title, and a good deal of that total content comes in the form of DLC which have been released over the course of years.

With over 40 DLC packs to date, there’s an awful lot to choose from. Seeing how most of us won’t be looking to fork out the prices to pick up all of them, which ones are most worth your wallet? What is the DLC in Dead by Daylight? Here, we’re going to take you through our top ten choices. DLC characters alone won’t be enough to make the most out of this game though. If you’re new and looking for a Dead by Daylight beginners guide, or if you’re a bit more experienced but can’t remember how to drop items, we’ve got guides on those and much more to help you out.

Top 10 Dead by Daylight DLCs

Here are our 10 choices for the best DLC in Dead by Daylight.

1. The Survivor Expansion Pack
2. The Killer Expansion Pack
3. Saw
4. Shattered Bloodline
5. Hellraiser
6. Halloween
7. Stranger Things
8. Resident Evil
9. Silent Hill
10. Resident Evil: Project W

Let’s cover what each one offers and explain our choices a bit more.

10. The Survivor Expansion Pack

If you’re looking for quantity, the Survivor expansion pack is the place to go. For a premium price, £25.00/$31.00 when not on sale, the Survivor Expansion pack will give you the following:

• Ace Visconti
• Feng Min
• Kate Denson
• Adam Francis
• Jeff Johansen
• Jane Romero
• Yui Kimura
• Zarina Kassir
• Felix Richter
• Élodie Rakoto
• Yun-Jin Lee

These 11 Survivors are original non-licensed creations from Behaviour Interactive. While they have their own dedicated DLC, if you’re after a bunch of them, then this works out as the best economical option, saving you an awful lot of cash compared to purchasing their DLCs separately. It’s a pretty fantastic deal, as many of these Survivors are truly excellent, some of them including the best Survivor perks in the game. The reason it’s not higher up our list is actually pretty simple: you can get them all without spending a penny.

While it’ll involve an intense and lengthy grind to get Iridescent Shards in the necessary quantity, you can purchase them all using the rare in-game currency. For those simply looking to skip the grind entirely though, this DLC purchase is a fantastic option.

9. The Killer Expansion pack

Just like the Survivor Expansion pack, the Killer expansion pack coalates 11 original DBD Killers into one easy package for purchase. It includes:

• The Hag
• The Doctor
• The Clown
• The Spirit
• The Legion
• The Plague
• The Oni
• The Deathslinger
• The Blight
• The Twins
• The Trickster

Once again, you can pick all of these characters up for free with enough time, but the pack does offer a viable alternative. Many of these Killers are excellent as well, with picks like The Plague and The Legion being particularly good. While interchangeable for the most part with the Survivor Pack, we gave the Killer Pack the better spot simply because it has a slightly higher abundance of the best Killer perks in the game, including honourable mentions.

8. The Saw chapter pack

The Saw movies are iconic for their gore, and a fitting collaboration for Dead by Daylight. This DLC includes The Pig, a Killer with deadly traps that Survivors need to free themselves from to escape the night unharmed. It also contains David Tapp, an intelligent and tenacious detective well suited to players who value skill and planning in their escape strategies. Lastly, you’ll unlock The Abattoir, a map set in the Gideon Meat Plant, filled with claustrophobic hallways and bloody rooms.

It finds itself nearer the bottom of the list primarily due to The Pig’s fall from grace. Once among the strongest Killers, continuous nerfs have sadly reduced their deadliness in-game.

7. Shattered Bloodline

If you don’t fancy picking up the Survivor or Killer packs DLCs and want to select a handful of the available characters manually, the Shattered Bloodline expansion is a pretty good pick. It includes the Spirit, a powerful Killer with a focus on speed and positioning, and Adam Francis, a Survivor with a litany of versatile perks focused around improving skill checks and boosting survivability. You’ll also unlock the Yakoma Estate Family Residence map, a gorgeous but idyllically haunting setting.

At £5.49/ $6.94 when not on sale, this DLC is a cheap, well rounded purchase with a fun map, engaging Survivor, and rewarding-to-learn Killer all bundled in one. If the characters weren’t accessible by sufficient Iridescent Shards, this expansion may well find itself right near the top of the list.

6. Hellraiser

Hellraiser ran into a lot of controversy at launch due to Behaviour Interactive jumping on the ultimately doomed NFT bandwagon at the time. Since then however, the conflict has long since resolved and the controversy passed by, leaving behind an easily underrated DLC.

True to its name, the Hellraiser DLC comes from the franchise of the same name, bringing Pinhead into the game. While it includes not Survivors or new maps, it does include the Killer, some unique new mechanics to go along with him, and some special cosmetics including the Lament Configuration universal charm and a legendary skin for Pinhead. It’s also pretty cheap, costing £3.99 or about $5 when not on sale.

Pinhead is a pretty excellent Killer, boasting a number of unique powers and perks that allow for much more strategic hunts to bring down Survivors. When in play, the Lament Configuration mechanic also activates, requiring players to engage with the mysterious cube and solve its puzzle or risk giving the Killer a serious advantage.

Though small in scale, there’s a lot of fun to be had from picking up this DLC. That and its cheap cost make for a pretty good bargain.

5. Halloween

There are few bigger names in horror than the Halloween franchise, so it shouldn’t come as too great a surprise that DBD made a collaboration with it. The Halloween Chapter DLC is considered among the best for good reason.

For £5.49/ $6.94 you’ll get your standard three additions. A new Killer, Michael Meyers, called The Shape in-game, a new Survivor, Laurie, and a new map, Haddonfield. All three of these are in top form in this DLC. Haddonfield makes for an eerie and thrilling suburbia map. The Shape is a potent Killer well suited to tracking and maintaining hunts. Laurie is a pretty special Survivor, with perks and abilities focused around both avoiding and luring the Killer – she’s easily in the running for the best Survivors in-game.
All this amounts to a standout DLC that provides a lot of value for its price. It has few shortcomings, but there are still a handful on our list that we think outshine it.

4. Stranger Things

Yet another packed DLC, the Stranger Things chapter has proven popular, and with good reason. Another £9.99/ $12.62, you’ll get a new Killer, two Survivors, a new map, and some new cosmetics when you pick this one up.

The Demogorgon makes for a formidable Killer to face off against. Its perks allow it to wreak havoc on generator repairs, disrupting, slowing, and damaging them frequently. Combined with a limited ability to teleport and deadly speed, the Demogorgon is very well positioned to wear Survivors down in prolonged engagements and pick them off one-by-one.

The DLC expansion also comes with two Survivors, Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington. Nancy’s perks give her fantastic information gathering and independent play viability, allowing her to work exceptionally in an organised team, but perform just as competently when alone. Steve is also well-suited to team support, but his perks give him an edge in Survivability for prolonged matches too, making him a pretty great counter to the Demogorgon.

Characters aren’t the only highlight though. Hawkins National Laboratory is an exceptional map.With tight, claustrophobic corridors, plenty of approaches and twists, and eerie lighting throughout, it’s among our favourite maps to play. As one last bonus, both Steve and Nancy get some unique cosmetic outfits if you pick them up with this DLC.
There’s a lot of value for money in the Stranger Things DLC. With great characters, a fantastic map, and some well designed cosmetics, it sets a strong standard for what DLCs should hope to deliver.

2. Silent Hill

A smaller DLC than our last two, the Silent Hill chapter nonetheless packs a punch above its weight class. This DLC expansion consists of a Killer, a Survivor, a map, and a universal charm.

Pyramid Head, or The Executioner as he’s known in-game, is a perfect Killer for those more concerned with persistence and strategy than raw speed and aggression. His power Rites of Judgment, allow him to trap the ground. His perks allow him to inflict debilitating debuffs on Survivors, gather information, and make use of limited stealth. There are few Killers in the game with the variety of The Executioner, and this makes him a truly domineering threat to the unprepared.

As your counterbalance though, you also get Cheryl Mason with this package. Her perks let her gather information, use powerful buffs to better survive chases, and generally provide support to a team.

The Midwich Elementary School map is a blast to play. With an aesthetic that perfectly captures the fear factor all maps should be aiming to emulate, and a lot of sensible practical design choices, it’s a map most players will be sure to enjoy.

All this, alongside a pretty nice Seal of Metatron universal charm, make for a package that while not as large and ambitious as some others, delivers excellent quality across the board.

1. Resident Evil: Project W

Yes that’s right, we’ve got another Resident Evil DLC in our top spot. Resident Evil: Project W is the second collaboration between the zombie-killing franchise and Dead by Daylight, this time introducing two more Survivors and another Killer.

The headline announcement for this DLC is of course Albert Wesker, or The Mastermind in-game. The Mastermind would easily make our list of the best Killers in the game, and with good reason. Similarly to Nemesis, Wesker can utilise a mid-range tentacle grapple, though his is able to reel Survivors in and slam them into surfaces to inflict damage. Backing up this pretty dangerous power are a variety of perks all geared around slowing down and weakening Survivors while making The Mastermind faster, more agile, and more enduring.

Facing off against him are another two Resident Evil series icons, Ada Wong and Rebecca Chambers. Ada is strong across the board, able to gather vital intelligence, heal more effectively, and mask her presence. Rebecca is more focused around utility and efficiency, able to aid fellow Survivors by pausing skill checks when they’re hooked and perform various actions more quickly upon meeting certain conditions.
While there isn’t a map to pick up with this one, you do get a few new cosmetics, including a T-Virus vial universal charm, and access to purchase a whole set of legendary skins for the current and previous RE DLC Survivors.

For £9.99/ $12.62, The Resident Evil: Project W DLC offers a truly busted Killer, two amazingly capable Survivors, extra cosmetics, and more, making it our pick for the best DLC in Dead by Daylight.

That wraps up our list for the best DLC in Dead by Daylight. These are all our personal picks of course, and there are plenty of other options to check out which didn’t quite make the list. If you’re still looking for more Dead by Daylight content though, you’re in the right place. Whether you want some tips on how to find the hatch, aren’t sure how to prestige Bloodwebs, or want some insight into how to Mori Survivors, we’ve got you covered.

Dead by Daylight best DLC FAQ

How do you get licensed characters in Dead by Daylight?

To get licensed characters in Dead by Daylight, you need to purchase Auric Cells or purchase their associated DLC.

Do all Dead by Daylight DLCs have characters in them?

No. Some DLCs, especially the cheapest ones, contain cosmetic items and other small bonuses.