How To Use Perks in Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight has simple aims no matter if you're a Survivor or Killer, but one thing that helps you get better at either escaping the Killer or murdering the hapless Survivors is Perks.

Perks are that extra bit of bread and butter that you take to each Trial. While you could, in theory, go Perkless and just play the game while playing as a Survivor or Killer, it'd be making your job 10x harder for no real reason. Unless you're trying to get that elusive, and somewhat buggy, Power Move achievement.

But of course, you might as well be wearing nothing in Dead by Daylight if you don't know how to use Perks in the first place.

Read more: How To Escape The Killer in Dead by Daylight

What are Perks and Teachable Perks in Dead by Daylight?

Perks are best described as abilities that can be mixed and matched in order to get the 'right' build for you, the player. Both Survivors and Killers come with their own three, teachable Perks that are unique to them.

Once a player gets to level 30 on a certain Survivor or Killer, their Teachable Perks will start to appear every 5 levels. For example, Dwight Fairfield Perks would appear on the Bloodweb like so:

Level 30: Prove Thyself

Level 35: Leader

Level 40: Bond

The same goes for Killers, who each have their teachable Perks become available during Level 30, 35, and 40 as well. Once you learn these teachable Perks, they will appear on the Bloodwebs of other Survivors and Killers. However, it should be acknowledged that Killers cannot learn Survivor Perks, and vice versa.

How do you use Perks in Dead by Daylight?

Using Perks in Dead by Daylight is entirely dependent on what the Perk is in the first place.

For the most part, Perks are often used passively aka, you don't have to press a button to use. For example, the Perk called Object of Obsession is activated via you and the Killer looking at one another from a distance, rather than pressing a button. The same can be said for Perks like Spine Chill, Alert, as well as BBQ and Chilli.

However, there are some Perks that do require you to press a button. Dead Hard, for example, will ask players to press a certain button in order to burst forward and make The Killer whiff their hit and miss. Diversion, a Perk that lets you throw a pebble off into the distance to distract The Killer also requires you to press a button. You'll know which button to press as it'll appear at the bottom of the screen when the Perk is prepared to be used.