How To Counter The Skull Merchant In Dead By Daylight

The deadly and high-tech Skull Merchant is Dead by Daylight's newest killer for Chapter 27 - Tools of Torment, and with her, she brings Drones that are able to track down survivors and eventually inflict them with the Exposed status effect.

If you're new to playing against The Skull Merchant - and everyone is, so early after her release - you might have some questions about how to best counter her Drones and her radar.

While the Skull Merchant is a formidable foe, there is lots of counterplay that survivors can engage in to win the game. In this article, we'll explain all of the best ways to counter The Skull Merchant in Dead by Daylight.

Stay Away From Active Drone Zones to Counter Skull Merchant

The first and most important tip to countering the Skull Merchant is to stay out of the area near Active Drones. When Drones are active, they're able to see through objects, immediately identifying anyone in their area. If you stay in the radius, you'll eventually become Exposed after only 10 seconds, meaning the Skull Merchant can easily find you and down you in one hit. This Exposed status effect lasts for a full minute, so you'll want to avoid it at all costs.

To identify whether a Drone is active, look for an orange circle around the Drone's area of effect. This means you need to stay out of the Drone's radius.

Hide From Scouting Drones in DBD Against Skull Merchant

The second state The Skull Merchant's drones can shift into is Scouting Mode, which is defined by two rotating lasers extending from the drone's center. Scouting Drones cannot see through obstacles or other objects; if you're on a generator or looping near a scouting drone, don't bother interacting with it or trying to hack it. Just remember not to walk through the lasers since this will turn the Drone back to Active mode.

Hack Drones Near Generators

If Active drones show up near generators or other important objectives - such as Hex totems - they'll likely get in the way of your gameplay, hindering your progress. In this case, you'll need to hack the drones to prevent them from continuing to track you and potentially inflict you with the Exposed status effect.

Hacking a drone takes time, and failing is risky - you'll become immediately Exposed if you do - so you should only hack drones if you need to. If a drone is blocking a generator or other objective, make sure you get rid of it; otherwise, consider whether the risk is worth it or if you should leave it alone.

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