Scratch Marks

Scratch Marks are an essential Game Mechanic in Dead by Daylight and the main tracking tool for Killers.

Behaviour

Scratch Marks are created whenever a Survivor is running across the Trial Grounds (or when reaching at least 60 % of their default Movement speed while the sprint button is pressed).

Scratch Marks trail after Survivors and spawn in chunks. They betray the general location of a Survivor and the direction they are headed in to the Killer, who can see the Scratch Marks at all times.
Survivors cannot see their own Scratch Marks unless they use the Perk Fixated.

Scratch Marks are the main mechanic by which a Killer can track a Survivor's movement. There are few means to prevent Scratch Marks from spawning, only to alter their behaviour.

Scratch Marks start to fade in their brightness after a few moments and disappear completely after a few seconds, meaning that if the Killer sees Scratch Marks around, there will definitely be a Survivor close-by.

Spawning

Scratch Marks can spawn on all surfaces as long as they are within the spawn radius. If a Survivor runs close enough to a wall, a tall rock, a structure or even just the trees spawning throughout the Map, the Scratch Marks will spawn on their surface, which makes them visible from a considerable distance away for the Killer, allowing an attentive Killer to spot a Survivor's general location from across the Map.

Statistics

• Scratch Marks last for 10 seconds by default.
  • Full brightness is reached after 1 second.
  • Full brightness is maintained for 8 seconds.
  • Fade-out takes 1 second to complete.
    • However, on lighter surfaces, Scratch Marks appear to start the fading process up to ~4 seconds sooner, due to the fact that the initial fading is more noticeable in effect on light textures.
      The fading time remains the same.

Unlockables

Add-ons

	Dried Cherry Blossom	A crumbling, dried cherry flower. Once the symbol of mortality. Coming within 3 metres of a Survivor during a Phase-Walk triggers Killer Instinct. Scratch Marks are no longer visible to you during a Phase-Walk.
	Mother-Daughter Ring	A silver ring engraved with "for my precious daughter". Increases your Movement speed during a Phase-Walk by +25 %. Scratch Marks are no longer visible to you during a Phase-Walk.

Perks

	Babysitter	"While you have a reputation for being self-centred, you risk it all to help those in need." Whenever you unhook a Survivor, you benefit from the following effect: The Aura of the Killer is revealed to you for 8 seconds. The unhooked Survivor benefits from the following effects instead for 20/25/30 seconds: Suppresses the creation of their Scratch Marks and Pools of Blood. Increases the strength of their Haste Status Effect by +10 %. "I promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing." — Steve Harrington
	Boon: Shadow Step	A Boon that conceals the truth. Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem. Soft chimes ring out in a radius of 24 metres. All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius: Scratch Marks are suppressed. Auras are hidden from The Killer. Both effects linger for 2/3/4 seconds after leaving the Boon Totem's range. Only one Totem can be blessed by your Boon Perks at a time and all of their effects are active on the same Boon Totem. "Stick to the shadows and cover your tracks." — Mikaela Reid
	Come and Get Me!	This description is based on the changes announced for or featured in the upcoming Patch 9.1.0 "You'll risk your life to save others." After unhooking a Survivor, while crouched and stationary, press the Active Ability button to trigger the following effects: Suppresses the creation of Pools of Blood and Scratch Marks for all injured or dying Survivors within 24 metres of your location for the next 10/12.5/15 seconds. Causes you to scream and reveal your Aura to the Killer for 5 seconds. "We're the ones who live." — Rick Grimes
	Dance With Me	When performing a Rushed action to vault a Window or exit a Locker, Dance With Me triggers its effect: Suppresses the creation of your Scratch Marks for 5 seconds. Dance With Me has a cool-down of 20/20/15 seconds. "Another show's off and runnin', Dance with me, cuz there's a storm a commin' Follow my boots, try to keep up, Dance with me, until sun up." — Kate Denson's "Dance with Me"
	Deception	"Your adventurous lifestyle requires moments of crafty misdirection." Press and hold the Sprint button while interacting with a Locker for the following effects: Suppresses the creation of your Scratch Marks and Pools of Blood for 5 seconds. Causes you to run past the targeted Locker, instead of entering it. Causes its doors to swiftly open and close again, feining you having entered it in a rush. Triggers a Loud Noise Notification for the Killer at its location. Deception has a cool-down of 25/20/15 seconds.
	Distortion	Start the Trial with 1 Token. Whenever the Killer attempts to read your Aura, Distortion activates and consumes -1 Token, applying the following effects for 8/10/12 seconds: Blocks your Aura from being read. Suppresses the creation of your Scratch Marks. For every 15 seconds spent in a Chase, Distortion recharges +1 Token, up to a maximum of 2 Tokens. Distortion does not activate when you are in the Dying State.
	Diversion	After staying in the Terror Radius without being chased for 30/25/20 seconds, Diversion activates. While active, press the Active Ability button while crouched and motionless to throw a pebble in the direction you are facing: Creates a distraction for the Killer at its landing location 20 metres away: Triggers a Loud Noise Notification. Creates fake Scratch Marks. Diversion deactivates after use. "There's what is easy and then there's what is right. If you confuse the two, there's no telling what you become." — Adam Francis
	Fixated	When you have a goal in mind, there is no turning back; better to ask forgiveness than permission. Increases your Walking speed by 10/15/20 %. Unlocks the ability to see your own Scratch Marks. "I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it." — Nancy Wheeler
	Inner Focus	You have honed your ability to see through the haze of the Ravage. Grants the ability to see the Scratch Marks of other Survivors. Whenever another Survivor loses a Health State due to the Killer, the Aura of the latter is revealed to your for 6/8/10 seconds. "The death, the trauma, the fear... it all leads here. The Overlap." — Haddie Kaur, Ravages of the Abyss Episode 11
	Lightweight	Your running is light and soft, making your tracks harder to follow. Reduces the Lifetime of your Scratch Marks by 3/4/5 seconds. Reduces the Spawn chance of patches of Scratch Marks by -60 %, making their spacing inconsistent. "Take it slow, he knows where you have been... just like I have always said: 'live slow and die old'." — Dylan, The Lost Tapes
	Low Profile	You work best alone. When it is just you and your pursuer, you know how to disappear. Whenever you are the only Survivor not currently incapacitated by either being downed, carried, or hooked, Low Profile activates: Suppresses your Grunts of Pain and the creation of Pools of Blood and Scratch Marks for 70/80/90 seconds. Low Profile deactivates after use and only accounts for Survivors still participating in the Trial.
	Lucky Break	"You have had your share of scrapes and bruises, but luck is always on your side." Whenever you are in the Injured State, Lucky Break activates: Suppresses the creation of Pools of Blood and Scratch Marks for up to 40/50/60 seconds. Whenever you are healing another Survivor, Lucky Break recharges by the same amount of time spent performing the Healing action, up to its initial maximum. Lucky Break deactivates once its timer runs out or whenever your Health State updates to any other but the Injured State. "That's not enough to beat me. Not even close." — Yui Kimura
	Parental Guidance	"You have inherited the ability to hear the dead — and now the dead warn you of danger." After stunning the Killer by any means, Parental Guidance triggers its effect: Suppresses your Grunts of Pain and the creation of Scratch Marks and Pools of Blood for 5/6/7 seconds.
	Poised	"Achieving goals boosts your confidence." Whenever a Generator is completed, Poised triggers its effect: Suppresses the creation of your Scratch Marks for 10/12/14 seconds. Whenever you start repairing a Generator for the first time, Poised triggers its secondary effect: The Aura of the Killer is revealed to you for 6 seconds. "Ok, stay calm. Don't overthink it and just keep moving forward: you got this." — Jane Romero
	Self-Preservation	Life is unforgiving. The more confirmation you get of that, the more prepared you become. Whenever another Survivor is hit with a Basic Attack or Special Attack within 16 metres of you, Self-Preservation activates: Scratch Marks, Grunts of Pain when injured, and Bleeding are suppressed for the next 6/8/10 seconds. "Something I learnt in the industry: when the axe is swinging, keep your head down." — Yun-Jin Lee
	Teamwork: Collective Stealth	When someone helps you out, you respond in kind. Whenever another Survivor finishes healing you, Teamwork: Collective Stealth activates, and both you and the Survivor who healed you benefit from the following effect: Suppresses your Scratch Marks for as long as you stay within 8/12/16 metres of one another. This effect lingers for 4 seconds once out of range and resumes upon re-entering it before that timer elapses. Survivors can only be affected by one instance of Teamwork: Collective Stealth at a time. "I'm good, I'm good... but keep it down." — Renato Lyra
	Teamwork: Toughen Up	This description is based on the changes announced for or featured in the upcoming Patch 9.1.0 "You maintain your composure under immense amounts of pain." While injured, whenever another Survivor within 24 metres of your location blinds the Killer by any means or stuns them using a Pallet, Teamwork: Toughen Up triggers its effect: Suppresses your Grunts of Pain, and the creation of Pools of Blood and Scratch Marks for 20/25/30 seconds. "They're fucking with the wrong people." — Rick Grimes

Skills

Class	Icon	Name	Description
		Unlockable Skill (Medic Unlock)	After being sent to a Cage of Corruption for the first time, this Skill unlocks for the remainder of the Trial. While in the Injured State, The Medic benefits from the following effects: Suppresses the creation of Scratch Marks. Their Aura is revealed to all other Survivors.

Change Log

Patch 1.9.0

• Survivor Quality of Life: improved the spawn behaviour of Scratch Marks, causing them to no longer appear on floors above a Survivor or on walls that are opposite to them.

Patch 8.2.0

• Killer Quality of Life: improved the general visibility of Scratch Marks.
  • This was motivated by Scratch Marks being hard to see on some surfaces, especially red ones see Gallery.

Patch 8.6.0

• Killer Quality of Life: improved the spawn behaviour of Scratch Marks, causing them to spawn on the ground more consistently.

Trivia

• While it is possible for Survivors to reach a Walking speed >60 % when using Perks, this will not cause Scratch Marks to spawn until the Sprint button is also pressed at the same time.

Gallery

• 

  Showcase of the visibility improvements in Patch 8.2.0

Videos

General Spawn behaviour	Spawn behaviour in the distance
Spawn behaviour with Lightweight III	Spawn behaviour with Predator III
Default spawn behaviour