Dead by Daylight best Survivor perks in patch 8.1.0 – our top 7 choices ranked

✓ At a glance

The following are currently the best Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight:

• Deja Vu
• Decisive Strike
• Sprint Burst
• Resilience
• Dead Hard
• Lithe
• Windows of Opportunity

The best Survivor perks is a hot point of debate among many Dead by Daylight players. Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetric survival horror game is full of mechanics and features, but perhaps none are as extensive or complex as perks. With dozens of Survivors and nearly 150 unique and universal perks (with more arriving all the time), determining the best Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight isn’t an easy feat. Especially considering that not every good perk caters to a designated role within the team, there are still some that are easier to slot in than others.

Top 7 best perks for Survivors in Dead by Daylight

Picking best perks for Survivors is a tough call. As mentioned, you need to consider your role within the team. Will you be the one making the Killer chase you? Or will you look to repair the generators, or support the team in some other way? Always consider your own playstyle when creating a build. With all of that said, here’s our list of the 7 best overall perks Survivors can pick up in Dead by Daylight:

1. Deja Vu (All)
2. Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode)
3. Sprint Burst (Meg Thomas)
4. Resilience (All)
5. Dead Hard (David King)
6. Lithe (Feng Min)
7. Windows of Opportunity (Kate Denson)

Let’s go over each of our picks in a little more detail and explain what makes them so good.

7. Deja Vu

Perk’s effect:

• The auras of 3 generators which are in close proximity to one another are revealed to you. Gain 4/5/6% repair speed bonus on the revealed generators.

Deja Vu is a universal perk that is available to everyone. It may seem simple on the surface, but it has long been a staple scouting perk. In case you don’t know, most maps will usually have three generators close to each other. For a long time, both Survivors and Killers would play around the “3-gen strat”, rushing or denying this cluster.

With this perk, you will always be aware of these important generators, as well as enjoying a decent bonus when it comes to repairing them. Pair this perk with other repair perks and/or a Toolbox, and you’ll be set to quickly help your team. On the other hand, if you find that the Killer is camping this spot, this perk will always show you the direction, so you can head the other way (and let your team know to do the same).

6. Decisive Strike

Perk’s effect:

• After being unhooked or unhooking yourself, Decisive Strike activates for 40/50/60 seconds. While active, complete a Skill Check when grabbed by the Killer to escape, stunning them for 4 seconds.
• Succeeding or failing the Skill Check disables Decisive Strike.
• You become the Obsession after stunning the Killer.
• This perk and its effects are disabled if the exit gates are powered.
• Increases your chance to be the Obsession.
• Taking any Conspicuous Action will deactivate Decisive Strike.

This unique perk belongs to Laurie Strode of Halloween fame. You might have to dip into your bank account for some Auric Cells, as she’s not purchasable with Iridescent Shards. This perk is a get-out-of-jail-free card in your arsenal with a hefty stun added on top of it. You will only be able to use it once, so always try to make it count. It can slot into any build, but works especially well when you’re playing the role of the bait for the Killer.

However, this powerful perk comes with a few drawbacks. Mainly, this ability deactivates if the exit gates are already open. Moreover, after using the perk you’ll be hit with the Obsession debuff, giving away your location to the Killer once every 30 seconds.

5. Sprint Burst

Perk’s effect:

• When starting to run, break into a sprint at 150% of your normal running speed for a maximum of 3 seconds. Causes the Exhausted status effect for 60/50/40 seconds.
• Sprint Burst cannot be used while exhausted. You do not recover from the Exhausted status effect while running.

Sprint Burst is a simple and straightforward perk belonging to Meg Thomas. It’s great for escaping chases, giving you a speed that most Killers simply can’t match up to. It’s widely applicable, especially if your role is to make the Killer chase you. A good way to control its application is to avoid sprinting to appear as viable prey, then use this perk to quickly put a lot of distance between yourself and the Killer.

With that in mind, its main downside is that it really benefits from experience. If you’re a Dead by Daylight beginner, you might struggle to escape Killers as easily, and should you not make it out of sight thanks to this perk, chances are you won’t get the opportunity to use it again in the same chase.

4. Resilience

Perk’s effect:

• Grants 3/6/9% additional speed when repairing, sabotaging, healing, unhooking, vaulting, cleansing or blessing a Totem, opening exit gates, and unlocking while Injured.

Resilience is another evergreen perk that’s available to every Survivor. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly simple effect. While in its not great in its basic form, the fully upgraded version is extremely potent. Those numbers add up and cover a wide range of activities that you will be doing anyway during a Day by Daylight match.

However, the most notable part of the effect is that in order for this perk to be active, you need to be in the Injured state. That means that you’ll have to flirt with danger to get the full benefits of this perk, and most experienced players look to pair it up with other perks that benefit from Injured state, like Deadline or Lucky Break.

3. Dead Hard

Perk’s effect:

• Dead Hard activates after you are unhooked or unhook yourself. When injured, tap into your adrenaline back to avoid incoming damage. Press the Active Ability Button 1 while running to gain Endurance status effect for the next 0.5 seconds.
• Causes the Exhausted status effect for 60/50/40 seconds. Dead Hard then deactivates.

Dead Hard is one of David King’s unique perks. It represents a situational get-out-of-jail-free card that you can also use as bait when timed right. This perk trully benefits from a fearless attitude and a good amount of in-game experience. The main downside is the brief window of opportunity to use it, having to time it in such a way that it’s active as the Killer swings.

However, using this perk effectively will let you bodyblock for others or save yourself in a pinch. That is because the Endurance effect means you won’t go down when hit, instead only getting Deep Wound status. That gives you 20 seconds grace period to run to safety and get healed before falling down.

2. Lithe

Perk’s effect:

• After performing a rushed vault, break into a sprint at 150% of your normal running speed for a maximum of 3 seconds. Causes the Exhausted status effect for 60/50/40 seconds. Lithe cannot be used while exhausted.

Lithe is a mobility perk that’s unique to Feng Min. It offers a similar effect to Sprint Burst that we outlined above. However, what sets it apart and higher on our list is that it offers you a higher degree of control during a chase. The reason being that you will only activate Lithe when you perform a rushed vault, meaning that you can sprint freely the whole time, then time a burst of speed when vaulting.

The maps in DBD are constructed so that, in most cases, vaulting will force a Killer to continue pursuit by either vaulting themselves or going around the obstacle. Both of these options slow them down immensely, and with the speed boost, your advantage for duping a Killer in this way is even greater.

✓ Honourable Mentions

Adrenaline, Distortion, and Bond are among some of the other best perks in the game that didn’t quite make this list.

1. Windows of Opportunity

Perk’s effect:

• Auras of pallets, breakable walls, and vault locations are revealed to you when within a 24/28/32 meter range.

Window of Opportunity is one of the best perks in the game, courtesy of Kate Denson. This scouting perk has become ubiquitous on most non-specialized builds for the simple reason that its utility is unmatched. Knowing the exact location of every viable escape route is paramount to escape a pursuing Killer. This perk makes your decision making during a chase much easier and allows for planning of your route.

In a sense, this perk will hold your hand without you needing to learn every conceivable map layout in advance, allowing you to concentrate on other aspects of the game. Pair it up with Lithe we described above, and you won’t have to guess where is the next closest vaulting location – you will simply see its aura on the screen.

How to equip unique perks to any Survivor

As is often the case in DBD, many of our perk choices are uniques, meaning they’re exclusive to one character. There is however a way to make unique perks universal. To do this, you’ll need to Prestige the Bloodweb of a Survivor with your chosen perks. Note that you need to Prestige the chosen character three times in order to get their perks. This will then unlock their unique perks as universal, meaning you can equip them to anyone and create some truly terrifying builds.