In-Game Tutorial
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This page summarises the playable In-Game Tutorials for Killer and Survivor, also known as the How To Play mode, and adds additional information deemed necessary to understand the basic Gameplay Loop of Dead by Daylight, expanding on and also correcting some of the information found in the In-Game Tutorials.
Survivor Tutorial
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I fear I cannot escape this place, nor can I escape being stalked through these woods. I can only survive. |
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~ Benedict Baker (Game Manual) |
As The Entity Commands
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Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric game that is played in Trials between four Survivors and one Killer. | ![]() |
You load into the Trial and are greeted by the message above, explaining the Game's core premise.
Survivor's Role
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As a Survivor, you must hide from the Killer while repairing Generators to power Exit Gates. THis tutorial will teach you the basics needed to escape alive. |
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You spawn into the Trial as Dwight Fairfield and are faced with a series of basic tasks to familiarise yourself with the basic movement of Survivors:
- Move your camera around.
- Walk with your Character by pressing the Movement buttons.
- Run with your Character by pressing and holding the Sprint button while also pressing the Movement buttons.
Scratch Marks
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When you run, you leave Scratch Marks that are only visible to the Killer. Walk or crouch to prevent Scratch Marks from spawning. |
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After running for a while, a new prompt informs you about Scratch Marks that are left behind and betray your presence to the Killer.
The Game then prompts you to crouch to prevent them from spawning:
- Crouch with your character by pressing and holding the Crouch button while also pressing the Movement buttons.
- Addition 1: Scratch Marks can be made visible to yourself by equipping certain Perks
(e.g. Fixated
).
- Addition 2: Other Perks can also situationally prevent them from spawning while running (e.g. Boon: Shadow Step
).
Vaulting (Survivor)
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Vaults can be performed faster while running, but this can alert the Killer to your location. | ![]() |
After learning about Scratch Marks, the blocked Window ahead opens up and allows you to vault over it:
- Go to the Window.
- Vault over the obstacle, after which the Window becomes blocked again.
- Addition 1: Vaulting while rushing the action (having the Sprint button pressed) will produce a Loud Noise Notification that will alert the Killer if they are within its range.
- Addition 2: Vaulting the same Window three times in succession while the Killer is chasing you will temporarily block the Window with these same spikes, though only for you, not for other Players.
- Addition 3: Some Perks can prevent a rushed vault from triggering a Loud Noise Notification (e.g. Quick & Quiet
)
After vaulting the Window, you can see an almost fully repaired Generator ahead of you.
Repairing Generators is the main objective of all four Survivors:
- Go to the Generator.
Skill Checks
As you approach the Generator, a new prompt informs you about the Skill Checks you are about to face:
- Repair the Generator by pressing and holding the Interaction button.
- Succeed all Skill Checks by pressing the Skill Check button until the Generator is fully repaired.
- Vault through the Window into the next section.
- Repair the final Generator
- Vault through the next Window to reach the final Generator, but beware of traps.
Killer Powers
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You've been caught in the The Trapper's Bear Trap! Each Killer has a unique Power that you must learn to avoid. | ![]() |
As you vault over the Window, you land in an armed Bear Trap and are caught.
This also reveals the Aura of your companion Survivor a few metres ahead, Meg Thomas
, who will later come to your rescue as you struggle:
- Try to escape the Bear Trap yourself by pressing and holding the Interaction button.
Terror Radius
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When the Killer is near, your heart beats louder. | ![]() |
After a futile struggle, the hitherto hidden Trapper makes his presence known by breaking down a Breakable Wall
at the nearby shack and approaching you, as you heart beats with terror, informing you about the Terror Radius
mechanic, before The Trapper strikes you down.
Wiggling
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You can try to wiggle free from the Killer's grasp while being carried. | ![]() |
As you lie dying on the ground with The Trapper looming above you, the next note informs you of the Wiggle mechanic, which prevents the Killer from being able to carry you for as long as they please, prompting them to instead swiftly find a nearby Hook to put you on:
- Wiggle by pressing the Skill Check button when the pointer lands in the success zone of the Skill Check.
The Trapper slowly approaches the nearby Pallet while Meg comes to your aid.
Pallet Stun
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Drop Pallets to slow the Killer when they're chasing you. Dropping a Pallet on a Killer will stun them and free any Survivor in their grasp. |
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Observe Meg stunning The Trapper with the Pallet and rescuing you from his grasp.
Then watch The Trapper break the dropped Pallet and chase after her, until she herself steps into a Bear Trap:
- Reach Meg.
- Drop the Pallet by pressing the Action button.
- Addition 1: Dropping Pallets does not physically slow down the Killer, but rather places an obstacle in their path (most Killers cannot vault Pallets, with only a handful of exceptions) that forces them to either go around or in the case of a very safe Pallet to destroy it first, costing them time and thus distance to the fleeing Survivor.
- Addition 2: The Pallet you are tasked to drop in this part of the Tutorial provides no strategic value other than to introduce you to the fact that dropped Pallets can be vaulted like Windows.
Dropping a Pallet like this in a real Trial is wasteful and counterproductive to how the Game should be played.
Pallets are a strong, but limited resource Survivors have to prolong chases and should thus not be dropped outside of you actively being the chased Survivor or the Killer being close enough to go in for a stun.
Neither scenario is the case here.
Vaulting Pallets
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Survivors can vault over dropped Pallets. Killers can destroy them. |
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- Vault over the Pallet by pressing the Action button.
- Addition 1: Like vaulting a Window, rushing the action of vaulting a Pallet (holding the Sprint button) may be much quicker than not rushing it, but will also trigger a Loud Noise Notification, notifying the Killer immediately.
- Addition 2: Some Perks can prevent a rushed vault from triggering a Loud Noise Notification (e.g. Quick & Quiet
)
Teamwork (I)
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Teamwork is an essential part of Dead by Daylight. You will need to unhook Survivors when they have been hooked by a Killer. |
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Observe The Trapper hooking Meg onto a nearby Hook and wait until he walks away before approaching her for a rescue:
- Save Meg from the Hook by pressing and holding the Interaction button.
Observe Meg run away to a set of nearby Lockers and hide inside on of them.
- Addition 1: While Tutorial-Meg cannot die on the Hook here, it should be noted that in a real Trial, Survivors can only remain on a Hook for a maximum of 60 seconds for each of their 2 Hook Stages, before they are automatically put into the next one.
Therefore, after a combined maximum of 120 seconds on a Hook, Survivors will be sacrificed and die.
Lockers
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Lockers are a good place to hide in, but be careful you aren't seen going in. | ![]() |
- Hide inside the Locker by pressing the Action button.
Observe The Trapper approaching your Locker, grab you from it, and put you on the same Hook you had just rescued Meg from.
- Addition 1: Entering a Locker right after being unhooked is generally not strategically wise, as injured Survivors make noise even when inside them, making it easy for a Killer coming back to the Hook to find them again, as demonstrated in the Tutorial.
- Addition 2: In addition to avoiding being seen entering a Locker, attentive Killers can also hear the noise of the door opening and closing, if they are close enough.
- Addition 3: Like vaulting a Pallet or Window, rushing the action of entering or exiting a Locker (holding the Sprint button) may be much quicker than not rushing it, but will also trigger a Loud Noise Notification, notifying the Killer immediately.
- Addition 4: Some Perks can prevent a rushed Locker-entry or -exit from triggering a Loud Noise Notification (e.g. Quick & Quiet
)
Escaping Hooks
- Addition 1: A so-called Self-Unhook has only a chance of 4 % to succeed and each failed attempt will cost you -20 seconds of time left in your current Hook Phase.
Resolve Bar
- This feature is more commonly known as the Anti-Camp Meter.
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The Resolve Bar fills when the Killer lingers nearby. Once the Resolve Bar is full, you will be able to unhook yourself with 100 % success. Use it wisely! |
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- Try to unhook yourself by pressing and holding the Interaction button.
- Wait for Meg to unhook you.
Healing
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When injured, you will make more noise and leave a trail of blood behind you. Other Survivors can heal you, just as you can heal injured Survivors yourself. |
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- Heal Meg by pressing and holding the Interaction button while standing near her.
- Stay still and let Meg heal you.
- Addition 1: Healing is a skilful action and can trigger Skill Checks.
- Addition 2: Healing other Survivors without any Med-Kits or outside effects influencing the Healing speed takes 16 seconds to complete.
- Addition 3: While injured, the trails of blood left behind Survivors are known as Pools of Blood
, which the Killer can also use to track them.
- Addition 4: Some Perks can temporarily suppress the creation of Pools of Blood (e.g. Off the Record
)
Teamwork (II)
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As a Survivor, teamwork is crucial to your success in a Trial. Working with others helps speed up Generator Repairs and healing wounded teammates. |
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- Repair the final Generator.
- Addition 1: While working together with other Survivors does indeed speed up the aforementioned actions, repairing a Generator will also incur an Efficiency penalty (indicated by the red Progress Bar).
The penalty does not apply to healing Survivors though.
Exit Gate
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Once enough Generators are repaired, you can open the Exit Gate and escape the Trial. | ![]() |
Observe Meg pointing at the Exit Gate.
Approach the switch to the left of the gate and interact with it to open the Gate:
- Open the Gate by pressing and holding the Interaction button and escape.
- Addition 1: It takes 20 seconds to open the Exit Gate.
- Addition 2: Note that while you are interacting with the Gate Switch, you can be grabbed by the Killer, known as an Interrupt.
Endgame Collapse
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The Endgame Collapse is triggered once the Gate is opened by a Survivor or the Hatch is closed by the Killer. Escape the Trial before the time is up, otherwise you will be killed by The Entity! |
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Observe Meg leave the Trial Grounds before the Hatch spawns nearby, opening up an alternate escape route for you.
- Addition 1: The Endgame Collapse
lasts between 120 to 240 seconds (the progression speed is slowed to 50 % whenever a Survivor is hooked or downed).
The Hatch
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The last Survivor in a Trial can also escape through the Hatch by jumping into it. The Hatch opens when only one Survivor is left in the Trial. |
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- Escape the Trial through the Hatch or the Exit Gate.
- Addition 1: The Hatch can be closed by the Killer and will then require either the Dull Key
or the Skeleton Key
to open it again, leaving the Exit Gate as the last escape route.
Tutorial Complete (Survivor)
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Congratulations, you have completed the Survivor Tutorial! | ![]() |
Killer Tutorial
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They must hunt and kill the prey set in front of them. Some go willingly, others need to be convinced. |
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~ Benedict Baker (Game Manual) |
Killer's Role
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As the Killer, you must hunt down and sacrifice all the Survivors. This Tutorial will teach you the basics needed to appease The Entity. |
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You spawn into the Trial as The Trapper.
Since the Survivor Tutorial already familiarises Players with the basic camera and character movement, you are immediately tasked to pursue your objectives:
- Go to the Generator.
As you approach the building in front of you, several additional pop-up messages trigger:
Generators
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As the Killer, you will be able to see the Auras of all Generators on the Map. You must prevent Survivors from repairing them. |
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- Addition 1: Unlike what the message implies, Killers cannot outright prevent Survivors from repairing Generator, but only delay them, hopefully for long enough so that they can all be sacrificed before they escape the Trial.
Generator Sounds
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When a Survivor fails a Skill Check, a visual notification appears to show you where the sound came from. | ![]() |
As you continue approaching the Generator, a noise triggers:
- Addition 1: The visual notification you receive when a Survivor fails a Skill Check is known as a Loud Noise Notification.
- Addition 2: Generators can be heard from several metres away, if they have at least some progress to them.
The noises Survivors make while actively repairing them are also quite distinct and can help you decide whether it is worth investigating a nearby Generator or not.
Damaging Generators
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You can damage partially repaired Generators to regress their progress. | ![]() |
Once you reach the Generator, the message above is displayed to you, informing you of your ability to kick and thus damage it:
- Kick the Generator by pressing and holding the Action button.
- Addition 1: Kicking a Generator will instantly remove -5 % from its total possible progress and put it into the Regression Mode, which automatically regresses the remaining progress at a rate of -0.25 c/s.
- Addition 2: Regressing Generators are indicated by red sparks flying away from them and require Survivors to progress them for at least +5 % in order to stop them from regressing further.
- Addition 3: Individual Generators may only experience a maximum of 8 Regression Events before they can no longer be regressed by any means.
A Regression Event is defined as any effect that instantly regresses the affected Generator by at least -2.5 % of its total possible progress, be it from the Killer kicking it manually or a Perk triggering its Regression effect.
Hunt Your Prey
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When a Survivor runs, they leave Scratch marks that you can use to track them. | ![]() |
Observe Meg running towards a Window and vault it, while leaving a trail of red Scratch Marks.
- Look for the Survivor.
Approach the Window you saw Meg vault through.
Vaulting (Killer)
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Survivors will try to escape from chases by using vaults. You can also move through Vault locations, but more slowly than Survivors do. |
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Vault through the Window by pressing the Action button and pursue Meg.
- Follow the Survivor.
Stuns
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Survivors can knock over Pallets to slow you down. | ![]() |
After you are stunned by Meg, destroy the dropped Pallet to continue chasing her:
- Destroy the Pallet by pressing the Action button.
- Addition 1: If you are stunned by a Pallet, you are unable to move or interact for 2 seconds.
If you were carrying a Survivor at the time, they would automatically be freed from your shoulder. - Addition 2: The stun timer can be affected by Perks (i.e. Enduring
).
Killer Powers
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As The Trapper, you can place Bear Traps to catch Survivors. Each Killer has their own unique Power to learn and master. |
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- Set Bear Traps in locations Survivors will pass by.
- Set a Bear Trap by pressing and holding the Power button.
- Find the Survivor.
- Addition 1: Contrary to what the Tutorial might imply, actual Survivors will not just blindly walk into Bear Traps and placing Bear Traps in the open is ill-advised.
Use vegetation to hide the Bear Trap or place them around corners or in blind spots to hide them from view.
Choke-points are also ideal locations for chasing a Survivor into, forcing them to either walk into the Bear Trap or become intimately familiar with The Trapper's weapon.
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Trivia
- Regardless of one's preferences, the In-Game Tutorial does not allow toggling the interactions and always requires Players to hold the button in order to progress it.