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Best Survivor Perks in Dead by Daylight

At least one Exhaustion Perk will make all the difference in your games!

Dead By Daylight has 122 Survivor Perks in the game, making just finding one in your loadout hard enough. Perk combinations can vary, but a few Perks are always on everyone's radar because of how useful or versatile they are. Whether these are to help your fellow Survivors or stay alive as long as possible, many Perks tend to be used in most players' loadouts. These are considered the best Survivor Perks in Dead By Daylight, and we'll tell you which character has them.

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The Best Survivor Perks in Dead By Daylight

The best Perks are ones that can be used for various loadouts and offer something that other Perks can't. Many Perks work similarly to each other, and personal preference will go a long way when deciding what to use for your loadout.

Dead Hard - David King

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Exhaustion Perks are some of the best Perks in the game, and Dead Hard is one of the easiest to use. Although it has changed over the years, the benefit of having Endurance at the press of your Ability button makes Dead Hard worthwhile on any loadout. The only downside is that it can only be used while injured.

It causes the Survivor to gain the Endurance status effect for 0.5 seconds, granting an extra hit instead of being downed with a burst of speed. After using it, Survivors get the Exhausted Status Effect applied, which lasts for 60/50/40 Seconds, depending on your tier level.

Sprint Burst - Meg Thomas

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Sprint Burst is similar to Dead Hard but is not reserved for when injured. It is unique to Meg Thomas and allows you to have a boost of acceleration.

Activated whenever a survivor starts running, it provides a 150% Boost to speed that lasts for Three Seconds. Just like Dead Hard, the Perk causes the Survivor to be exhausted for the same amount of time.

Related: How does Last Standing Work in Dead by Daylight? Explained

Lithe - Feng Min

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Lithe is the last Exhaustion Perk here, but these Perks are interchangeable with one another. You should never have more than one at a time, or they'll start conflicting. Lithe is activated whenever you perform a rushed vault- a vault while you're sprinting- and is an excellent alternative for either Sprint Burst or Dead Hard.

The sprint lasts for Three Seconds and has a speed increase of 150% which will result in Survivors being Exhausted after use. These Perks can be activated again and again after the Exhaustion is over, making it easier to loop the Killer between chases.

Decisive Strike - Laurie Strode

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Unique to the final girl Laurie Strode, Decisive Strike is another good perk for getaway tactics.

After being freed from the hook, either by someone else or managing it yourself, Decisive Strike will kick in for 40/50/60 Seconds, depending on your tier level. It allows you to perform a Skill Check when grabbed by the Killer to free yourself from their grasp. It also stuns them for Three Seconds.

However, the Perk increases your chances of becoming the Killer's obsession and deactivates whenever the exit gates are powered.

Bond - Dwight Fairfield

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Aura Reading Perks make coordinating with your fellow Survivors easy, and Bond is one of the easiest to use. The way it works is that when you are within 20/28/36 Meters of other Survivors, their Auras are revealed to you. There is no other catch to the Perk either, meaning you can see what your fellow Survivors are doing if you're close enough with no downside.

Related: How to Fix 'Cannot Connect to Store' Error in Dead By Daylight

Aftercare - Jeff Johansen

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Aftercare is another Aura Reading Perk with an unlimited range. This is underutilized by many players that have become so used to Bond, but for particularly altruistic players, Aftercare is much better. It occurs for up to 1/2/3 Survivors based on the Tier and lets you see the Aura of Survivors:

  • You have healed
  • Who has healed you
  • You have rescued from the hook
  • Who has rescued you from the hook

Windows of Opportunity - Kate Denson

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The Windows of Opportunity Perk allows you to see the Auras of Pallets, Breakable Walls, and Vault Locations. This can be overwhelming at first, but if you struggle with finding areas to loop the Killer, this Perk will help you find exactly where it is safe to go. This helps keep track of broken Pallets that your teammates have already used on the Killer that you might not be aware of. On the race to find the Hatch, this can sneakily spot where the Killer is breaking Pallets as well.

Boon: Circle of Healing - Mikaela Reid

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Boons are strong Perks that can only be activated when used on Totems. The Perk Boon: Circle of Healing allows you to bless a Totem you find, use your Ability button, and create a Boon Totem. While this Perk used to unlock Self Care for everyone inside it, it's still good without the added benefit. How it works is that everyone within a 24-meter range of the Boon gains a 50/75/100% healing speed bonus, and if anyone is injured inside the Boon's effect, their aura is shown to other Survivors. It's a good way of communicating when someone needs healing; everyone benefits from it equally.

Flashbang - Leon S. Kennedy

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The last character-specific Perk comes from Leon and is called Flashbang. This Perk gives you a Flashbang item that can be used after getting 70/60/50% progress on a generator after going into a locker and using the Ability button. The Flashbang itself can create noise and blind the Killer, giving it some versatility. If you are good at timing it, this can blind the Killer when they are holding a Survivor as well, potentially saving them from being hooked.

Inner Healing

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The last Perk of this guide is Inner Healing which can be unlocked in the Bloodweb for everyone by default. It works because after cleansing a Totem, you gain a charge of Inner Healing. When you enter a locker, you heal yourself after staying there for 10/9/8 seconds and then lose your charge. This promotes Perk cleansing, which is always a good idea in case the Killer has No One Escapes Death, but it can also be used repeatedly. If you like playing solo or can't communicate with your teammates when you need to heal, Inner Healing is a great way to keep yourself healthy.

For more Perk guides for Dead By Daylight, check out Best Survivor Builds in Dead by Daylight in 2022 or Dead by Daylight Killer Perk Tier List on Pro Game Guides.


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Adam Aguilar
Adam Aguilar has been playing a variety of genres since childhood but gravitates towards story driven RPGs like the Final Fantasy series or horror games like the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series. He enjoys analyzing themes found within video games and has been writing about them for over 5 years now. As a Contributing Writer for PGG, Adam has been known to cover anything from Phasmophobia to Genshin Impact!