New Dead By Daylight update nerfs infamous killer again, making them F-tier

Dead By Daylight just recently received update 8.4.0. This added Chapter 34 to the game, introducing The Houndmaster and Taurie Cain, and it also provided a bunch of updates to killers as well as perks. Following the new update, players have reported a nerf that has killed an infamous DBD killer yet again, making them completely useless and F-tier.

In addition to the launch of Chapter 34, yesterday BeHaviour conducted a livestream where they revealed their plans for December 2024, while also announcing the release date for an amazing collaboration with Junji Ito. While the Junji Ito crossover and skins are official, a leaker has possibly teased a licensed chapter for next year that would be BeHaviour’s wildest yet.

While we cannot wait for next month and the beginning of the new year, right now we have just received update 8.4.0, and players are not happy with yet another nerf to the Skull Merchant.

New Dead By Daylight breaks Skull Merchant’s stealth

Following the release of Dead By Daylight update 8.4.0, players have reported yet another nerf for the Skull Merchant. She was already regarded as arguably the worst killer in DBD, but now she’s completely broken.

In gameplay footage shared by Reddit user DadousPL, her Undetectable only has a duration of two-seconds rather than the intended eight.

New update completely broke Skull Merchant's stealth…
byu/dadousPL indeadbydaylight

As for whether this is an issue with Undetectable rather than SM, the OP explained, “Just tried it with Ghostface, Pig and Wraith in a custom game. No, their terror radius disappears in like a second or two. In SM’s case, it takes around 5-6 seconds for her terror radius to disappear. Considering that the overall duration of her Undetectable is 8 seconds… This is just absurd”.

In the replies, there are many comments venting frustration over BeHaviour continuing to ruin the Skull Merchant. There’s the classic “they’re already dead” Simpsons meme, and there are comments such as “even Demogorgon is now a better stealth killer than SM” and “Until this is fixed, she will be an F-tier killer”.

It’s unclear whether it’s an intended stealth nerf not mentioned in the 8.4.0 patch notes, or if it’s simply a bug that needs to be fixed. Either way, it doesn’t help the Skull Merchant as she was already one of the statistically worst and least popular killers in November 2024.

For more Dead By Daylight content, check out our ranking of the top 10 DLC expansions to buy along with a ranking of the best killer perks and best survivor perks.