Best Survivor Builds In Dead by Daylight (December 2023)

There are over 200 perks in Dead by Daylight, giving players have room to experiment with different builds to decide which perks fit their playstyle best. No matter whether you're playing Dwight Fairfield or Yun-Jin Lee, you can use other characters' perks on your main, allowing for room to explore.

Sometimes, though, it's not clear which perks are best for survivors to run - and it's made even more complicated by the fact that some survivor perks are underrated yet powerful, not making their way into builds.

In this guide, we'll help you figure out which builds will help you escape against even the strongest of killers. Here are the best Dead by Daylight survivor builds, and which playstyles they fit best.

2 December 2023 - We've updated this page to reflect the best survivor builds right now. Dead by Daylight is constantly updating its perks, and we've adjusted our builds to reflect the best perks to use right now. 

The Best Dead by Daylight Survivor Builds

There are hundreds of perks to try out in Dead by Daylight, so as we stated, lots of builds are viable. Every character from Dwight Fairfield to Gabriel Soma has their own set of three perks. Since there are so many perks available, it's a great idea to experiment with perks and determine your favorites over time. However, some builds are objectively stronger than others.

These builds, ranging from powerful meme builds to builds that are great for solo survivors, are some of the best in the game. We've designed a few strong builds to get you started, with each one catered to a different playstyle.

Super Stealth Build

Dead by Daylight survivor stealth builds are as common as they are strong, with "Blendette" becoming an icon in the fandom. Escape chases quickly and often with this build made especially for the stealthiest survivor mains.

• Iron Will (Jake Park)
• Distortion (Jeffrey "Jeff" Johansen)
• Dance With Me (Kate Denson)
• Quick and Quiet (Meg Thomas)

Iron Will makes it more challenging for the killer to find you by silencing the sound of your movements and breathing, while Distortion fakes the opponent out even more by preventing them from reading your aura. Dance With Me and Quick and Quiet ensure that if you do end up in the killer's sights, you'll be able to rapidly escape the chase and live to repair another generator.

Well-Rounded Meta Build

This meta build is arguably the best build in the game, according to many of the game's tournament-level players. These perks will allow you to lengthen chases, protect teammates, and rapidly finish generators to win the game. It's a great build for beginners and veteran players alike.

• Dead Hard (David King)
• Off The Record (Zarina Kassir)
• Boon: Circle of Healing (Mikaela Reid)
• Prove Thyself (Dwight Fairfield)

Dead Hard allows you to essentially take an extra hit during chase if you time it right; even after the perk's nerf in June 2022, it's still worth using. Off The Record allows you to take one more extra hit after you are unhooked, giving you some extra protection - or you can use it to take a hit for your teammates. Boon: Circle of Healing ensures that your whole team stays healthy, while Prove Thyself ensures that those generators get completed.

5 Hit Chase Build

Enjoy the thrill of the chase and looping in Dead by Daylight? Try out this chase and looping build to lengthen your chases against the killer and make the most of window vaults and pallets, even when injured. You'll be able to take multiple hits, keeping you alive for longer.

• Mettle Of Man (Ash Williams)
• Off The Record (Zarina Kassir)
• Dead Hard (David King)
• Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode)

Every perk in this build allows you to take an extra hit when timed and used correctly, up to a maximum of five hits. Mettle of Man activates after you've taken protection hits, Off the Record activates after you're unhooked, and you can activate Dead Hard at any time. While Decisive Strike doesn't allow you to take an extra hit in chase, it effectively gives you an extra chance in another way, allowing you to wiggle out of the killers' grasp if they down you twice in a row.

Support Build

Throughout the average trial, you and your teammates will probably take a few hits. With this support build, no one will stay injured for long, and you'll be able to make unhooks with no problem. Whether you're looking for a solo survivor build that helps you support teammates or one that works with a SWF, this satisfies everything you'll need.

• Boon: Circle of Healing (Mikaela Reid)
• Empathy (Claudette Morel)
• We're Gonna Live Forever (David King)
• Kindred

Boon: Circle of Healing keeps the whole team healthy by allowing them to heal on their own. Empathy ensures that you can find your teammates for even quicker heals, while We're Gonna Live Forever lets you pick them up without worrying that they'll instantly go down again. Finally, Kindred has your back in case you or a teammate does end up on hook, allowing you to see the killer and your teammates' auras.

Wiggle Meme Build

This sabotage meme build makes use of perks that enhance your sabotage abilities, allowing you and your team to prevent the killer from hooking anyone. This can be incredibly frustrating for the killer - but it's an extremely fun build that's also quite powerful.

• Boil Over (Kate Denson)
• Power Struggle
• Breakout
• Saboteur (Jake Park)

Boil Over allows you to wiggle harder, making it hard for the killer to hook you, while Power Struggle allows you to drop a pallet on a killer holding you if they walk under one. Breakout helps nearby teammates wiggle out faster, while Jake Park's Saboteur lets you sabotage hooks to make them unusable for killers.

With all of these builds, it's wise to bring a strong item to support your gameplay and keep you surviving for longer.

A med-kit is a great choice since it essentially allows you to take an extra hit if you manage to find the time to heal. If you enjoy more aggressive gameplay, consider adding on a flashlight.

For more Dead by Daylight news be sure to check out our dedicated section, or some of our Guides & Tutorials, just below: