How to get Killers in Dead by Daylight – Our guide to unlocking new monsters and villains fast

✓ At a glance

• Some Killers in Dead by Daylight come already unlocked. The rest have to be purchased with Iridescent Shards, Auric Cells, or through DLC.
• The only way to get licensed characters is to purchase them with real-life money, either through DLC or in store with Auric Cells.
• You can unlock original Killers by grinding Iridescent Shards, or by purchasing their DLC chapter.

Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetric survival horror game is a game of two halves. On one side, you’ve got the Survivors. This group is the centre of the 4v1 experience, trying to escape the Trials before they’re caught and sacrificed to The Entity. The other half of the experience is, of course, the half doing that sacrificing – the Killers. With so many having been added over the years, however, it can sometimes be unclear how to actually get Killers in Dead by Daylight.

How to unlock all Killers in Dead by Daylight

To unlock Killers in Dead by Daylight, you’ll either need to purchase them with in-game currency or purchase the DLC that they’re a part of, with a few exceptions. There have been a lot of Killers added since the early days of the game, back when we wrote our Dead by Daylight review. So here’s a full breakdown of all 36 Killers currently in the game, what they cost, and how you can pick them up if you want to try them out for yourself:

Killer	Price & Status	DLC
The Trapper	Free	Base Game
The Hillbilly	Free	Base Game
The Nurse	Free	Base Game
The Huntress	Free	Base Game
The Wraith	Free, tutorial unlock	Base Game
The Xenomorph	500 Auric Cells	Alien chapter
The Singularity	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	End Transmission chapter
The Skull Merchant	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Tools of Torment chapter
The Knight	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Forged in Fog chapter
The Mastermind	500 Auric Cells	Resident Evil: Project W chapter
The Dredge	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Roots of Dread chapter
The Onryo	500 Auric Cells	Sadako Rising chapter
The Artist	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Portrait of a Murder chapter
The Cenobite	500 Auric Cells	Hellraiser chapter
The Nemesis	500 Auric Cells	Resident Evil chapter
The Trickster	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	All-Kill chapter
The Twins	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	A Binding of Kin chapter
The Blight	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Descend Beyond chapter
The Executioner	500 Auric Cells	Silent Hill chapter
The Deathslinger	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Chains of Hate chapter
The Oni	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Cursed Legacy
The Demogorgon	500 Auric Cells	Stranger Things chapter
The Ghost Face	500 Auric Cells	Ghost Face
The Plague	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Demise of the Faithful chapter
The Legion	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Darkness Among Us chapter
The Spirit	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Shattered Bloodline
The Clown	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Curtain Call
The Pig	500 Auric Cells	The Saw chapter
The Nightmare	500 Auric Cells	A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Cannibal	500 Auric Cells	LEATHERFACE
The Doctor	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Spark of Madness
The Hag	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	Of Flesh and Mud
The Shape	500 Auric Cells	The Halloween chapter
The Good Guy	500 Auric Cells	Chucky chapter
The Unknown	500 Auric Cells, 9000 Iridescent Shards	All Things Wicked chapter
The Lich	500 Auric Cells	Dungeons and Dragons chapter

✓ Did you know?

All Killers who are original creations for Dead by Daylight can be bought with Iridescent shards, a rare in-game currency. Killers who originate from other horror IPs and stories, however, require some form of real-world purchase to unlock.

How do you decide which Killer to unlock and play?

You may be looking at that list and seeing a few standout options, and we wouldn’t blame you. DBD is full to bursting with variety when it comes to its characters. That being said, it’s a pretty tall order to pick them all up, as even with a whole lot of grinding you’ll inevitably have to fork out some cash. We’d recommend heading into the game and reading through each Killer’s description to get a good sense of who you’re going to like.

All Killers share some similar functions. They’ve all got a basic attack, can hook downed prey, damage generator repairs, break pallets, follow scratch marks, and emit a terror radius. But all of them boast unique traits as well. Each Killer has a power totally unique to them, as well as several Perks and hexes you can equip that become unlockable for all Killers once you Prestige their Bloodwebs far enough.

Some of their powers are more physical, like the Trapper’s traps, but others might offer potent bonuses, improving movement speed or buffing the debuffs you can inflict like Haemorrhage to put further strain on Survivors. Take a look through the catalogue and reflect on what you’ve enjoyed with Killers you’ve played so far. Chances are that you’ll find someone new to try out in no time.

Is there a way to get Killers for free in Dead by Daylight?

Obviously, if you want to play all the Killers from the list, you’ll have to sacrifice a good chunk of your wallet. The obvious question then arises: can you get any Killers in the game for free?

The answer is yes, technically, and up to a point. The Nurse, Huntress, Hillbilly, and Trapper all come free at the beginning of the game, and you can also unlock The Wraith by completing the tutorial missions. Past this though, you’ll have to either grind Iridescent Shards for other unlockable Killers or pay to get Auric Cells for licensed ones.