Protection Hits

Protection Hits are a core Gameplay Mechanic for Survivors in Dead by Daylight.

They were first used in a Perk's mechanics with the introduction of We're Gonna Live Forever in Patch 1.6.0.

Overview

Protection Hits are exclusively used as a trigger condition for a handful of Perks.

Protection Hit Tokens are accumulated by triggering the Protection Hit Score Event.

Mechanic

The Protection Hit Score Event can be triggered under the following conditions:

• Get hit by the Killer while within 10 metres of an injured Survivor.
• Get hit by the Killer while they are carrying a Survivor on their shoulder.

Protection Hit Triggers

Killer	Attack	Protection-Hit-Interaction	Last Tested Date/Patch
		Does not trigger Protection Hits Triggers Protection Hits
All Killers	Basic Attack		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
	Grab		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Trapper	Bear Trap Catch		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Hillbilly	Chainsaw Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Nurse	Blink Attack Hit		30 March 2023, Patch 6.6.2
The Doctor	Shock Therapy Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Huntress	Hunting Hatchet Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Cannibal	Chainsaw Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Nightmare	Dream Pallet Rupture Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Pig	Ambush Dash Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Clown	Bottle Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Legion	Feral Frenzy Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Plague	Vile Purge Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
	Corrupt Purge Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Demogorgon	Shred Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Oni	Demon Strike Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Deathslinger	Harpoon Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Executioner	Punishment of the Damned Hit		26 May 2023, Patch 6.7.2
The Blight	Lethal Rush Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Twins	Pounce Hit (Victor)		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Trickster	Blade Hit		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
	Blade Hit at maximum Laceration		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
The Nemesis	Tentacle Strike Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
	Tentacle Strike Hit while Contaminated		7 July 2022, Patch 6.0.2
	Zombie Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Cenobite	Possessed Chain Hit		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Artist	Dire Crow Swarm		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
	Dire Crow Damage		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
The Mastermind	Bound Attack Slam		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
	Bound Attack Slam into Survivor		21 September 2022, Patch 6.2.2
	Bound Attack Throw		26 October 2022, Patch 6.3.1
	Bound Attack Hit (while Survivor is interacting or protected)		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	Virulent Vault Damage		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Knight	Guard Hit		21 February 2024, Patch 7.5.2
The Xenomorph	Tail Attack Hit		21 February 2024, Patch 7.5.2
The Good Guy	Slice & Dice Hit		21 February 2024, Patch 7.5.2
The Unknown	UVX Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	UVX Hit while Weakened		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	UVX Direct Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Lich	Flight of the Damned Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Dark Lord	Hellfire Spell Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	Pounce Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Houndmaster	Dog Grab		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	Dog Damage (while Survivor is vaulting)		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Ghoul	Grab-Attack Hit		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
	Kagune Leap Vault Damage		26 May 2025, Patch 8.7.1
The Animatronic	Fire Axe Hit		17 June, 2025, Patch 9.0.0

Unlockables

The following Perks make use of Protection Hits:

	Duty of Care	"You live by a code of conduct every day of your life, and are all the better for it." While healthy, taking a Protection Hit causes all other Survivors within 12 metres of your location to benefit from the following effect: Grants them a +25 % Haste Status Effect for 4/5/6 seconds. "Don't worry about me. I've got a knack for bouncing back." — Orela Rose
	Forced Penance	Those who stand in the way of duty will suffer harsh judgement. Survivors who take a Protection Hit suffer from the Broken Status Effect for the next 60/70/80 seconds.
	Mettle of Man	"Evil has a way of always finding you." After triggering a third Protection Hit by any means, Mettle of Man activates: While in the Injured State, Mettle of Man shields you from the next attack that would put you into the Dying State. After healing back to full health by any means, Mettle of Man reveals your Aura to the Killer whenever you are farther than 12/14/16 metres from their location. Mettle of Man deactivates after entering the Dying State by any means. Increases your chance of becoming the initial Obsession by increasing the default value by +100 %. The Killer can only be obsessed with one Survivor at a time. "Evil has a bullseye on my back the size of Tiger Stadium." — Ash Williams