Dead by Daylight best Killers tier list for patch 8.1.0

✓ At a glance

• The strongest Killers in Dead by Daylight patch 8.1.0 are S-tier Killers: The Nurse, The Blight, and The Spirit.
• Currently, the weakest Killers in the game are: The Shape, The Nightmare, and The Trapper.

One of the most often asked questions in games is “Which character is the best?” In Dead by Daylight, that question can be asked for many aspects, but most often which is the best Killer. Playing as one pits you against four survivors, where you need to use your wits and skill to outplay their coordinated effort to escape. While everyone is viable with enough practice and some luck, some stand out above others.

Best DBD Killers tier list

To preface, all Killers are viable in this game. But it comes down to some of them being more powerful than others, feeling downright oppressive in some instances. A good portion of Killer’s power comes from experience in playing to their strengths and using their unique mechanics. 

For example, while The Hag is only in B Tier, I love playing her and have a lot of success, simply because I know the ins and outs of her powers. But against a group of Survivors who know how to counter one, the match becomes much more difficult than if I picked The Nurse.

Patch 8.1.0 brought changes to several Killers alongside Lara Croft joining the Survivors. Most notably, The Onryo, aka Samara, was nerfed heavily knocking her down from high tiers into C. The Knight received a few buffs, but they didn’t help much to alleviate his clunky kit. A good Knight can be terrifying, but more often than not, he’ll just waddle around with his party without much impact. Now, on to the full tier list:

Tier	Killers
S Tier	The Nurse, The Blight, The Spirit
A Tier	The Good Guy, The Plague, The Oni, The Executioner, The Mastermind, The Artist, The Huntress
B Tier	The Xenomorph, The Singularity, The Unknown, The Twins, The Cenobite, The Deathslinger, The Hag, The Lich, The Doctor, The Trickster
C Tier	The Knight, The Wraith, The Skull Merchant, The  Hillbilly, The Cannibal, The Clown, The Demogorgon, The Pig, The Legion, The Ghost Face, The Nemesis, The Onryo, The Dredge,
D Tier	The Shape, The Nightmare, The Trapper

S Tier Killers

S-tier Killers are the most oppressive characters to play against. If you play as one, you will feel powerful and like the map is your oyster. These Killers are hard for the Survivors to play against, especially if the Killer has even the basic understanding of their mechanics.

The Nurse

The Nurse has been considered the strongest Killer in DBD for a long time now. Despite nerfs, she has remained the queen of the chase, with her phasing ability letting her avoid windows, pallets, and other obstacles. Her add-ons let her enhance this all-important skill, making her deadlier, especially when you get some experience with her under your belt. The simple yet efficient playstyle makes her the best Killer in the game.

The Blight

The Blight has seen some nerfs recently, but that didn’t diminish the bouncing Killer’s efficiency by much. The speed with which it can chase down Survivors by bouncing and sliding over the map is staggering. Combine that with some amazing add-on options, and any match in which you play as The Blight will be skewed in your favour. Of course, you’ll need to master its movement first. After that, no Survivor will be safe from you anywhere on the map.

The Spirit

Rin Yamaoka, aka The Spirit, is in many ways like Nurse-lite. She can phase through portions of the map and uses her Terror radius to unnerve and harass the Survivors. She can be played more methodically, using her perks to observe Survivors and prepare for an ambush. While not having the most sophisticated map control, she is still extremely good at covering the whole area to suppress multiple Survivors at once, making her one of the best Killers to slowly wear down and annihilate the enemies.

A Tier Killers

A-tier Killers are strong contenders for the top spots. Similarly, they can easily dominate the match, making the escape a hard proposition for the Survivors. These Killers have the tools necessary to easily take control of the match.

The Good Guy

Chucky is a fun Killer that provides a different take than what you might be used to with others. To start with, he’s small and can easily avoid detection by prowling out of sight. He can trick Survivors with distracting footfalls, then pounce with his big knife. Chucky is amazing for tunnelling players and gets stronger the longer the match goes on, with a speed increase around repaired Generators.

The Plague

The Plague’s diseases are a constant source of stress for the Survivors. You can debuff their healing, and even spread your infection when they get too close to help each other. While not the fastest Killer, Plague’s mere presence can be enough to down Survivors from afar, especially when you get your altars going. She excels on maps that let her set up her kit, letting the disease tick down until the Survivors are too weak to fight back. 

The Oni

The Oni can be tricky to play until his ramp-up power clicks for you. He starts off as fairly average and is crucial to get the first basic hit early. From then on, picking up blood to charge his hulk-out mode will turn almost any chase into a downed Survivor. A well-fed Oni is a complete menace for unprepared Survivors, making his matches quick win if his power ramps up early in the game.

The Executioner

Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head is just as scary in DBD as he is in his original game. Facing him is daunting for any Survivor caught in his presence, due to his extremely potent hit. His giant blade can attack from a short distance, even through pallets and windows. He is one of the few Killers that starts out with a Mori, and dominates the map with the Trail of Torment that Survivors need to avoid. Last but not least, he even has a personal cage that functions similarly to hooks.

The Mastermind

Albert Wesker continues the tradition he began in Resident Evil by manipulating all outcomes in his favour. He is a jack-of-all-trades Killer in many ways, able to adapt to the match and grow stronger the longer it goes due to the ramp-up potential of his perks. His power grows even more during the late game, especially if the Gate is opened when all Survivors become permanently Broken due to his Terminus perk.

The Artist

The Artist is a ranged Killer who uses her Crows to gather information and injure the Survivors. She’s not a one-trick pony either, with powers that let her torment the enemies in various ways besides outright attacking them. Survivors will need to be wary of her scouting birds, while also worrying about destroyed Totems that only increase The Artist’s powers. All of that combined makes her very difficult to face, while not being too demanding on the player piloting her.

The Huntress

The Huntress is one of the OG Killers from the early days of DBD, and the first ranged Killer added to the game. Her throwing axes are the bane of Survivors who have to face a player with even decent aim. She’s a straightforward character to navigate – you chase down Survivors and fling an axe their way. Her add-ons are some of the strongest available, even after going through buffs and nerfs over time. However, she’s not a stealthy character, with her haunting lullaby announcing her presence, but even that can be used to your advantage.